A heartbroken mother is campaigning for stricter controls on alcohol home deliveries after her 38-year-old daughter ordered 18 bottles of wine in the week before she died from cirrhosis. Teri Black, 64, from Wirral, Merseyside, claims that alcohol delivery apps made her daughter Carla's addiction 'invisible' and allowed her to obtain vast quantities of alcohol despite being too ill to walk to the shops.
Daughter's struggle with addiction
Carla, a mother of one, was diagnosed with cirrhosis—permanent liver scarring from long-term damage—and passed away in December 2023, just five months after her diagnosis. Teri said she was unaware of the severity until it was too late. 'By the time I found out how bad things were for Carla, it was advanced,' she told creatorzine.com. 'Five months before she passed away, she told me she had cirrhosis and I was in total shock.'
Carla had been a social drinker but her habits worsened after a miscarriage and a difficult breakup. She also suffered from fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition. Teri's grandson, now 19, alerted her to Carla's drinking problem about 18 months before her death. 'I was shocked but I spoke to her about it and she told I was judgy,' Teri said.
Hidden consumption
Teri noted that online delivery made it easy for Carla to hide her drinking. 'She couldn't really walk, so wasn't capable of going to the shops,' she said. 'When you're in a small area, people know you and can point out that you go to the shop every day for three bottles of wine. Online, it's private and under the radar.'
In December 2023, while Teri was on holiday in Spain, Carla called to say she was being taken to hospital. Teri rushed back but by the time she arrived, Carla's cirrhosis was too advanced. 'As soon as I got there, I knew she wasn't coming home,' Teri said. 'I had to get everyone there to say bye to her.'
Campaign for change
Teri has launched a petition calling for a review of alcohol home deliveries and stronger safeguards to protect vulnerable adults. She argues that supermarkets hold the alcohol license, but delivery companies can avoid responsibility. 'There's such a massive loophole because it's the supermarkets who hold the alcohol license so the delivery companies can fob responsibility off on someone else,' she said.
She wants a 'buffer, a limit or a flag' so that people with alcohol problems can reconsider their orders. 'Some people say an alcoholic will get alcohol if they want it but where would they get it late at night if their local shop is shut?' she said. 'I like a drink, I'm not trying to stop people having a good time.'
Teri added that the issue extends beyond individual tragedy. 'It's not as simple as Carla; it's a cost to the NHS, social services and the police. Children are being affected and yet you can walk into any shop and there's so much alcohol on display. Something needs to be done.'
