'I gave up drinking to be a better father'

A man who was addicted to alcohol said he gave up drinking to be a better father to his children.

Damian Le Tocq, 38, from Guernsey, said he had been binge-drinking since the age of about 12.

The dad-of-two said he spent most weekends spending "stupid amounts of money" and doing "regrettable things which you would never do if you were sober".

Alcohol is blamed for 10 deaths a year in the island, Guernsey and Alderney's substance use strategy report for 2027-2032 said.

Health experts in Guernsey are recommending increasing alcohol prices as well as introducing smoke-free legislation.

The report added a quarter of people admitted drinking more than the recommended maximum 14 units of alcohol a week.

"The excessive alcohol drinking fuelled my dopamine which made me feel good," Le Tocq said.

He added the Covid-19 lockdown contributed to the alcohol abuse.

"To fill time it was like 'right, it's three o'clock in the afternoon time for a drink' and then that just gradually escalated over the months and years and then to a point where I was drinking so much during the week."

He said he chose to give up for his children and his family.

"I wanted to be a better version of myself for them and I knew I could be but I couldn't I couldn't be that when I was drinking," he added.

"Once I told my kids I wasn't going to drink again, I was never going to let them down.

"It's not easy. It's very, very, very hard and you've got to be in it completely to succeed."

• If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line.

Le Tocq said it was his mum who told him he had "a problem" before a doctor referred him to substance support charity, Independence.

"I was going to them once a week and just getting to the bottom of other issues which I've had which related to me drinking more, harder times when I was younger and just sort of social anxieties," he said.

"I learned a lot about myself. The amount of money I'm saving, the more time I just get, the more present time I get to spend with my kids."

He said he now feels "absolutely incredible".

"The most important thing for me is to make my family happy," he said.

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.