A Teesside resident is recalling the hardest battle he has ever fought with alcohol and encouraging others to quit the ‘worst addiction’, which takes thousands of lives each year.
Mazar Khan, 55, is living with a family that loves him for who he is and friends who always look out for him.
But this was not always the scenario for Mazar, who went through a journey that broke him, physically and mentally – as he struggled to break free from the shackles of ‘alcohol addiction’ for more than 30 years.
Aged 14, Mazar picked up a bottle of alcohol for the first time. He said: “To be completely honest, I am not even sure why I started drinking in the first place.”
Something which started as ‘it’s just a pint’ quickly spiralled within a year into something that kept Mazar on the edge 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Although he liked drinking and enjoyed the occasional pints at first, the last ten years of Mazar’s life have been a constant battle with alcohol addiction.
“My last few years of drinking have been nothing but filled with paranoia, fighting with people, losing my business, getting arrested and spending nights at the police station,” he said.
But a turning point in Mazar’s life was when he had a seizure in March 2024, as a result of his alcohol addiction for over 30 years.
Mazar was rushed to the accident and emergency unit at The James Cook University Hospital for urgent medical attention.
He was suffering from severe alcohol withdrawals, which resulted in him being medically detoxed from alcohol, with the support of the alcohol care team, to prevent further seizures.
Here is where Mazar met the alcohol care team, whom he credits with saving his life and rescuing him from the pitfall of alcohol addiction.
He added:
“When I was at the worst point of my life, something I wanted to get out of but just couldn't, I met the alcohol care team lead Jessica Beck and the wider team who were the ‘guardian angels’ that saved my life.
“I vaguely remember the three weeks I spent in the hospital but what I clearly remember was my strong desire to have a drink once I got discharged.
“But Jessica and her team stood as a wall between me and my addiction, and they were determined to get me the help and support I needed. They never gave up on me.”
Once Mazar started to gain consciousness, he was often visited by the alcohol care team, who offered advice on how to quit his addiction.
“The alcohol care team explained how I nearly died and shared vital advice on how I can seek support to quit. Throughout my time in the hospital, they were always here to help me,” he added.
Thanks to support from the alcohol care team and their belief that Mazar’s life could be saved, he was placed in a rehab programme.
Jessica Beck, who is nothing but proud of Mazar’s journey, said: “We look after patients every single day. But with Mazar, it was different as he was very unwell.
“He doesn’t even remember most of his time at the hospital but he was asking for help, saying to me, ‘this is the end’ and ‘I’ve had enough’. Despite his 30 years of addiction, he wanted to quit. This is because people like Mazar are at the end of it; they don’t drink for fun but because they need to.
“Our team and everyone involved in Mazar’s care have played a huge role in supporting him through his recovery.”
“If it wasn’t for that team, I would be dead now. They gave me the ‘gift of life’,” Mazar added.
Helping those going through the same journey
The traumatic experience of 30 years of alcohol addiction has encouraged Mazar to do something for his community and support the alcohol care team in their work.
Mazar said: “The things I have lost in my life, I don’t want other people to go through that, so I really want to help other people like me.”
Jessica added: “Mazar has done amazing and we are so proud of his journey. He keeps in touch with us and he is doing the lived experience ambassadors’ course and wants to work with us.
“And if people look at his journey who has had an addiction for 30 years, it will surely inspire more people to quit.”
Supporting the NHS ‘Fit for Future’ plan
The alcohol care team provides specialist support and interventions for alcohol dependent patients, successfully assessing 3,013 patients since launching in 2023.
The team’s hard work and dedication to patients like Mazar closely align with the goals and objectives of the recently launched NHS’s ‘Fit for Future’ plan.
As the plan aims to tackle major causes of illness such as alcohol harm, which costs the NHS billions of pounds each year, the alcohol care team is already playing its part in reducing alcohol harm in communities while helping save vital funds.