Meet Will - a kind, thoughtful, and quietly inspiring member of our team here at GDAS. He’s one of those people who makes you feel instantly at ease. Warm, witty and honest, Will has lived a life full of stories - some joyful, some painful - and now, in sobriety, he shares them not only to reflect on his own journey, but to help others find their way through.
Early Life in the Valleys
Will grew up in the South Wales Valleys - a childhood filled with love, laughter and good mates. Like many others in that culture, he started drinking young, just 14, sneaking off to the pub with lunch money saved from school dinners. “It’s just what you did back then,” he says, reflecting on a time when heavy drinking was seen as part and parcel of valley life.
Career and the Drinking Years
Will built a successful career and held down a senior role in the civil service. Although he was known as a big drinker, he was never someone who drank at work. “It didn’t affect my job,” he recalls. “I liked drinking, but I kept it separate.” By the late '90s, he was drinking a bottle of vodka a day, on top of wine with meals and nights out with friends.
Will receiving an award from Sir Robin Butler the Heard
of the Civil Service at No. 10 Downing Street.
He was the life and soul of the party, known for his ‘vodka baths’ before a big night. Colleagues joked about it, friends raised concerns, but Will didn’t see the issue. “I always said, when it affects me, I’ll stop.”
Retirement and a Rapid Decline
When Will took early retirement in 2016, he planned to take a summer off and then find a new job. But September came and went, and without routine or responsibility, things slowly unravelled. He started drinking as early as 5 am. Over two years, his intake crept from one bottle to three a day.
He was withdrawing more, missing out on holidays with friends, and isolating himself. He remembers one trip where he stayed in his room, drinking while others enjoyed their holiday. When his friends finally confronted him, with tears and fear, one even said, “You’ve got six months to live.” Will was thin and urinating blood. But still, he didn’t think he had a problem.
That changed when the drinking had a physical grip on him. The shakes started in the morning. His marriage ended. He lost his home. By the time he moved in with his father, he was surviving on vodka and tinned mandarins. He had seizures - seven in total and was hospitalised six times. “I wasn’t eating, wasn’t washing, barely leaving the house except to get booze. I nearly died.”
A Turning Point
Will says he’s grateful to have reconnected with his dad during that dark time. They’d sit together, chat, and watch films, two good hours a day before the vodka took over again. Then came a turning point: he met his now-partner. Although he still went on benders, something began to shift. He started to want more from life.
Eventually, he signed up with GDAS - and that’s when everything truly changed. He met Rob Howe. “Rob was the first person who really understood me,” Will says. “I couldn’t bu*****it him. He’d been there, and he got it. That changed everything.” Will finally felt seen. That connection helped him believe recovery was possible - not just in theory, but for him.
With support, Will began a home detox, not quite expecting how strong the withdrawal symptoms would be. He took things slowly, starting a gradual reduction that, over the course of a year, brought him down from three bottles a day to none. “By the end, I was having a thimble of vodka every hour,” he says. “It wasn’t easy, but doing it bit by bit made it manageable."
Will has now been sober for seven years. He’s had two blips along the way, but each time, he found his footing again. “You can want to stop, you can turn up to appointments - but until you really believe it, it won’t stick. When I was finally ready, GDAS was there.”
Life in Sobriety
Today, Will is content, calm, thoughtful, and full of gratitude. “I’m a different person now,” he says. “I’m quieter, easier to talk to - my friends have even said it’s nice to have proper conversations with me again.”
He admits that alcohol made him selfish. “I regret how much I let it rule my life. Everything had to be done before midday so I could drink. I couldn’t drive my kids anywhere. I just sat by myself. The booze took over.”
Life looks very different for Will now. During his retirement, he found joy in sobriety - going on holidays, doing crosswords, writing his memoirs, and enjoying life’s simpler pleasures.
Over time, he began to miss the structure and sense of purpose that work gave him. So when he saw a role advertised at GDAS, he applied. “Now I get to use everything I learnt in the civil service to support our volunteers,” he says. “I really love my job - and I’m proud to be part of the team.”
Will, now part of the GDAS team, using his story to inspire hope.
A Final Word from Will
When asked what advice he’d give to someone approaching retirement, Will doesn’t hesitate:
“If you enjoy a drink, fair enough - but don’t increase it. Keep it where it is. It creeps up on you. One bottle becomes two, then three, and then it’s a physical need. That’s when it all falls apart.”
Will doesn’t pretend it’s been easy. But he’s honest about how life has improved in sobriety - and how proud he is of who he is today.