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Nicky Wake’s drinking spiralled when her husband diedCredit: Christian Gould Blossom Agency 7<\/p>\n Her husband Andy had a sudden heart attack in 2017, aged 54, which led to a brain injuryCredit: supplied 7<\/p>\n Nicky, 54, reveals she drank daily to cope with the shock and was a functioning alcoholicCredit: supplied<\/p>\n While Andy was cared for in a nursing home, Nicky was a functioning alcoholic, taking the couple’s son to school, running her businesses – never missing a meeting.<\/p>\n But even suffering a seizure wasn’t enough to stop her boozing, and after doctors in A&E told her she needed to stop drinking, Nicky bought wine on her way home.<\/p>\n Now, years after saying goodbye to Andy, Nicky tells Sun Health how her darkest days are behind her, thanks to a ‘miracle’ pill prescribed on the NHS.<\/p>\n ‘Grief drove me to drink’<\/p>\n I walked past the nurses into intensive care, clutching my Diet Coke bottle.<\/p>\n I was visiting my seriously ill husband in hospital, and as I reached his bed, where he lay unresponsive in a coma, I opened the lid of my drink and took a sip.<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t Diet Coke after all. It was a vodka mixer – my crutch, after I learned Andy would never be the same again.<\/p>\n From there, my drinking <\/a>spiralled – but I wasn\u2019t always like this.<\/p>\n I was a high-flying, successful businesswoman, an events planner and a designer of dating<\/a> apps<\/a>.<\/p>\n Life was good; I married<\/a> Andy in 2004, two years after we met, and we had our son, Finn, in 2007.<\/p>\n I started drinking young, as many women did in the \u2018ladette\u2019 culture of the late 80s and 90s. But alcohol was never a problem for me; it was just fun.<\/p>\n Are you a grey zone drinker? 6 questions determine if you have a problem with alcohol & what to do before it gets worse<\/p>\n When Andy had a sudden heart attack<\/a> in 2017, aged 54, it changed everything.<\/p>\n It was so sudden, and he was my soulmate.<\/p>\n The heart attack led to a brain injury, and he was kept alive in ICU, but there was really nothing anyone could do.<\/p>\n The consultant took me aside and said gently, \u201cThis will not have a happy ending\u201d, and it was then that my drinking increased.<\/p>\n I was drinking daily<\/a> to cope with the shock and grief.\u00a0I had always been a heavy drinker up to this point, but never dependent.\u00a0<\/p>\n For three years, Andy was cared for in a nursing home, as he needed specialist care.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, I was a functioning alcoholic<\/a>.<\/p>\n It meant I was still able to do everything expected of me, while on the bottle.<\/p>\n I ploughed on, juggling running my businesses, getting my son to and from school <\/a>and visiting Andy – always grabbing a bottle on the way home.<\/p>\n I\u2019d fly business class and drink, go to meetings and drink. It was acceptable. But I never ever missed a meeting or got my son to school late. No one knew.<\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Andy was cared for in a nursing home for three yearsCredit: supplied<\/p>\n How does acamprosate work?<\/p>\n ACAMPROSATE (brand name Campral) is used to help prevent a relapse in people who have successfully achieved abstinence from alcohol, the NHS<\/a> states.<\/p>\n It’s usually used in combination with counselling to reduce alcohol craving.<\/p>\n Acamprosate works by affecting levels of a chemical in the brain called gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA).<\/p>\n GABA is thought to be partly responsible for inducing a craving for alcohol.<\/p>\n If you’re prescribed acamprosate, the course usually starts as soon as you begin withdrawal from alcohol and can last for up to six months.<\/p>\n ‘Bad binge’<\/p>\n Then, in 2020, after a three-year slow decline, Andy passed away at the age of 57.<\/p>\n I had pre-grieved<\/a> for three years as he slowly died, but losing him was still devastating, and I turned to the bottle even more.<\/p>\n After getting my son to school, I’d start the day with a bottle of wine at breakfast,\u00a0drink another bottle throughout the\u00a0day,\u00a0then a third bottle in the evening.<\/p>\n By 2021, I noticed I could barely walk the length of my street without feeling unwell. But I ignored it.<\/p>\n Then in 2023, after a particularly bad binge, I woke in immense pain and felt so, so unwell. I knew I had to stop drinking, but I couldn\u2019t get through the day without alcohol.<\/p>\n I was already taking mirtazapine for depression<\/a>, so I took two instead of one.<\/p>\n Something happened – I thought I may have had a seizure – and I called a friend who took me to A&E.<\/p>\n I was drinking daily to cope with the shock and grief – I had only been a heavy drinker up until this point<\/p>\n At the hospital, doctors confirmed I\u2019d had a seizure and blamed the mix of alcohol in my system and the double dose of a strong antidepressant.<\/p>\n I was kept in for three days and told I needed to stop drinking. I agreed, but bought wine<\/a> on the way home.<\/p>\n Incredibly, during this time, I had a good relationship with my son.<\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Nicky checked herself into rehab where she did a 28-day detox, and was recommended acamprosate by a doctor to help her recoveryCredit: Christian Gould Blossom Agency 7<\/p>\n She says as soon as she took the miracle pill, she didn’t drink for weeks as it cut her cravingsCredit: supplied<\/p>\n But in November 2024, a day before my son\u2019s 17th birthday, something in me changed. There was no lightbulb moment or rock bottom. I just felt generally dreadful and thought if I picked up one more glass of booze, I\u2019d be dead.<\/p>\n I told my son I was checking myself into rehab. He hugged me and said, \u201cThat would be the best birthday present ever\u201d.<\/p>\n Luckily, I had private healthcare<\/a>, which covered my admission to The Priory, where I did a 28-day detox.<\/p>\n It included yoga, meditation, and hours of counselling. It was hard. But I felt cared for and looked after. It was there that a doctor recommended acamprosate to help my recovery.<\/p>\n Acamprosate is a medication for people with alcohol dependence that works by stabilising the brain chemistry, helping reduce cravings and maintain abstinence.<\/p>\n A doctor recommended acamprosate to help my recovery. Acamprosate is a medication for people with alcohol dependence that works by stabilising the brain chemistry, helping reduce cravings and maintain abstinence<\/p>\n I had no idea if it would work for me, but I decided to try, thinking I\u2019d probably swing by a wine shop as I left The Priory.<\/p>\n But I didn\u2019t. I went straight home. I didn\u2019t drink the next day or the next.<\/p>\n Soon, weeks had passed. It was a miracle.<\/p>\n People on weight loss jabs<\/a> talk about losing this \u2018food noise\u2019 once they start the medication, the relief that they are no longer constantly thinking about their next bite to eat.<\/p>\n And it was the same for me, only with alcohol.<\/p>\n I started with four doses a day, tapering to two, and then coming off at eight months – and I\u2019m still sober.<\/p>\n The pills were prescribed in the Priory\u00a0and\u00a0by my GP <\/a>once I left.<\/p>\n It is recommended by NICE,\u00a0the NHS<\/a> drug regulator, but only prescribed after a person is successfully withdrawn from alcohol and on a programme.<\/p>\n Sobriety meant that I was able to focus on the development and launch of an app called SoberLove.app, to help sober people date.<\/p>\n So many dates are about drinking, it\u2019s hard to find a sober match.<\/p>\n And amazingly, when I celebrated my 54th birthday recently, there was no wine, no champagne and no beer<\/a>. I left the party sober and joyful.<\/p>\n Acamprosate saved my life. Now, I plan to stay sober in Andy\u2019s honour and for our son.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sun-health-nicky-wake-54-1010605760.jpg\")
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