Khaberni - In a strange story published by The Times, distinguished British surgeon Charles Nolz and his wife Annie recounted how alcohol addiction nearly ended their lives, and destroyed their marital relationship, then stopping drinking was a turning point that saved everything.
Writer Anne Maxted reported that Nolz (57 years old), used to drink up to 140 alcohol units weekly, yet interestingly, despite that, he continued to perform his work with high efficiency, and progressed professionally until he became a professor of surgery at Queen Mary University in London and a specialist in intestinal diseases.
Even after having a daughter in 2001 and a son in 2005 - the same year he was appointed as a consultant in surgery - Charles continued to drink heavily. He did not drink before work or during it, but would head straight to the pub afterwards.
But behind this professional success, Nolz's marriage, which lasted more than two decades, was slowly deteriorating, Maxted explains, as drinking alcohol was not just a habit, it became the main relationship in Charles's life, at the expense of his wife and children. Over time, drinking shifted from social occasions to a daily lifestyle.
The writer says that his wife Annie (56 years old) - a former medical imaging specialist and senior manager in the National Health Service - did not consider herself addicted, but describes herself as one who does not show overt addiction, yet relied on alcohol as a coping mechanism, noting that at her worst, she would drink an entire bottle every night.
The writer clarifies that the crisis peaked in 2008, when Charles attempted suicide by throwing himself into the River Thames, and was stopped at the last moment, after which he was diagnosed with alcohol addiction and severe depression.
Maxted adds that the surgeon Charles swung for years between abstinence and relapse, until a decisive change in 2016, during a family vacation in the United States, when he found himself face-to-face with the idea of suicide again, this time with a gun.
At that moment, he decided to sever his relationship with alcohol definitively, a commitment he has adhered to since then, ending his 30-year addiction journey.
The writer explains that Charles's recovery from alcohol addiction has restored his relationship with his children and radically changed the life of the family.
However, the irony - continues Maxted - is that this recovery highlighted the addiction of his wife Annie herself, yet even after years of repeated attempts, she decided in 2022 to stop drinking, discovering in turn a significant improvement in her physical and mental health.
Today, the couple says they have "two marriages", as stopping drinking was not only the end of their suffering but also the beginning of a new relationship that required them to learn how to communicate without alcohol, and to reacquaint themselves with each other anew.
