Jess Fry, a 42-year-old mother of two from Gloucester, has described how alcohol addiction caused her life to 'unravel' to the point where she could no longer work or take her children to school. At her lowest point, she became increasingly isolated and struggled to leave her house.
From Corporate Career to Rock Bottom
Jess, who previously enjoyed a successful corporate career, said her drinking spiralled out of control. 'Everything started to fall apart. I could no longer function on a daily basis. I couldn’t go to work. I couldn’t do the school run. My life had become completely unmanageable,' she said.
She experienced multiple rock bottoms, each worse than the last. 'You hear people talking about rock bottoms in addiction – I had quite a few of those. I woke up one morning and I fell to my knees, and the idea of going into treatment was put in front of me.'
Entering Rehab and Waking Up
In September 2024, Jess checked into Abbeycare, a residential drug and alcohol addiction recovery clinic in Minsterworth, Gloucestershire. She stayed for just over a month, undergoing detox and beginning her recovery. 'I didn’t really hesitate. I just said, “What do I need to do?” because I knew that I couldn’t get through another day as I had been doing,' she said.
On the fifth day of her stay, she felt a profound change. 'I felt like I had woken up from the worst nightmare I’d ever had. I had spent years not wanting to wake up tomorrow. Now I do want to wake up tomorrow, and that’s because I live a life in recovery. I realised that I had a future, and I had a place in the world again.'
Becoming a Peer Mentor
After leaving Abbeycare, Jess stayed engaged with its aftercare community and became one of the first volunteers for its peer mentor programme. She took night shifts to understand the job better and eventually secured permanent employment as a senior recovery practitioner.
Her role now involves one-to-one work with people starting their recoveries, accompanying them to medical appointments, and helping with aftercare plans. She also helps them explore the reasons for their treatment and the consequences of their addiction. 'I remember being in a room, not knowing what to do, what to think, consumed with guilt and shame, and not knowing where to even begin,' she said. 'If you’re presented with somebody who’s been where you are, you can feel an instant sense of connection and trust, and you can start to be open and honest and vulnerable.'
Rebuilding Life and Offering Hope
Now almost two years sober, Jess has rebuilt her life and family relationships. She hopes her story will inspire others to seek help. 'My advice for people in similar situations would be to hold your hands up, be honest, and ask for help. Just pick up the phone to somebody, and you will not look back,' she said.
'Life for me got very, very dark for too long, but I’m not scared to talk about what happened to me. Admitting I had a problem and doing something about it was the last hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. That is not to say that my life is easy, because it’s not, but I have a way to do life again now, and I didn't have that two years ago.'
Abbeycare's Response
Tim Pope, registered manager at Abbeycare Gloucester, said: 'We hope Jess’s story will act as an inspiration to those who find their lives controlled by alcohol addiction, which can have a devastating impact on health and family relationships. She has been on an extraordinary journey and is now a valued member of Abbeycare staff, who uses her own experiences to put people at ease when they first arrive at the clinic. We are so happy to have played a part in helping her turn her life around, and we are certain that she will continue to achieve great things in her role with us.'
