Dirk, 52

A business owner without the drinks

Then

Dirk ran his own company. Deals were closed at the bar and he treated clients to expensive wine. He drank every day and said it came with the job. His hands shook in the morning and he took a sip to steady them.

The turning point

He fainted at a trade show. At the hospital the doctor told him his liver results were bad. Dirk tapered off with a doctor's help, because stopping suddenly was dangerous. He told his staff honestly that he would be working less for a while.

Now

Dirk has been sober for five years. His company is doing better than ever, because he thinks clearly. He drinks alcohol-free beer at receptions and nobody finds it strange. He says: I thought my work couldn't do without it. It turned out I could get better at it.

“Stopping heavy daily drinking is something you do with a doctor. That's how Dirk did it safely.”

The people in these stories are fictional. Their experiences are based on what many people in recovery go through.

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