'Cutting Back' On My Drinking Landed Me In The Hospital. Here’s Why.

"What I couldn’t understand is why I had been so physically unwell and losing it mentally all at the same time."

It may seem far-fetched to say I didn’t know that I was alcohol dependent until I tried to stop drinking. While I was aware I was drinking every night, I certainly didn’t think my consumption was enough to be considered alcohol dependent. As far as I was concerned, I probably ought to have a break from wine. So that’s exactly what I decided to do, by taking an impromptu period of abstinence. Shortly afterward, on the London tube en route to a meeting, I couldn’t help but notice how under the weather I felt. It was an extremely hot day in July 2016. And even hotter underground. With the sweat dripping off me, anyone would have thought I had run a marathon.  As I stood up, I noticed my body wasn’t doing what I was telling it to do. This was the first sign something was seriously wrong. It was as if there was a disconnect between my brain, body and my ability to move.