I think the first time I realised was when it caused me to basically die (cardiac arrest) multiple times in one night. I'd decided to go for a few drinks down our local pub with a large group of friends. I didn't have much money that I could actually spend so I decided to buy some alcohol from the store for the journey to the pub, at least then I could get on the same level as everyone else right? Wrong.

I chugged three litres of shit cider before I got to the pub so I was already pretty wasted. The problem is that once I arrived at the pub I didn't stop drinking, I was there for at least 4 hours so I was completely wasted. At some point in the night I'd also decided it was a good idea to snort some M-Kat (not sure if everyone will know what this is but this drug is fucking horrible, I was previously addicted to it before this incident for about half a year and I lost 25lbs and spent at least £2000 on it). I wouldn't have done this if I wasn't drunk, there had been plenty of times between this incident and me quitting M-Kat where I had turned it down when offered. But for some reason I thought this would be a good idea. I don't remember anything after taking it but I woke up in the intensive care unit of the local hospital.

Most of the night is patchy but I got a few details from people I was with. Apparently I had disappeared shortly after taking the drugs and went to visit one of my friends that I hadn't talked to for a while. So I visited his house (where he lived at the time with his parents) and slammed on the door, waking up his entire family at 2am. After being shooed away I ended up dropping my phone down a drain. Being absolutely wasted and high as a kite I decided it was a good idea to try and retrieve it, so I lifted off the grate and slid into the drain head first to try and retrieve my phone. It was filled with filthy drain water, which I had sunk into head first. It filled my lungs and I began to drown. Luckily, a couple from the house right next door had heard the commotion outside and looked out of there window to see my legs sticking halfway out and flailing about. It took three people to pull me out from this tiny drain as I had get myself wedged at my hips. They pulled me out and managed to revive me just in time to get to the hospital This ruined my relationship with my family for a long time and it's still shaky now. If it wasn't for these amazing people I would be dead today because of my alcoholism.