A former alcoholic has described how he finally kicked his addiction of nearly two decades after coming home to find his wife had put their house up for sale. James Hoare, 36, first began using drink as a coping mechanism in his teens after the death of a close relative.
His habit then got worse after his first marriage fell apart and, at his lowest ebb, he was downing three bottles of wine and up to 10 cans of beer a day. Even after finding love again with the woman who'd go on to become his second wife, the former social care assistant from Barry still refused to quit.
Instead, the dad-of-three would find new ways of getting wasted by hiding his drinks stash in the garage and downing it behind his family's back. As a result, he'd eventually end up hospitalised having smashed in all his teeth whilst cycling home from the pub drunk one night.
