A 63-year-old man who at his lowest ebb drank a bottle and a half of gin every day, leaving him barely able to walk, is now planning his “fairy tale” life as he packs up and moves to Tenerife.

Harry Hopkinson, of Frederick Street, Stapenhill, is hoping that his story will inspire others with an addiction to alcohol to turn their life around as he celebrates six months of being sober while looking forward to a new start in life.

This time last year his story was very different and looking very bleak, with doctors saying there was nothing else they could do for him unless he got help himself.

Harry said: “Last September I was a chronic alcoholic, I couldn’t walk and I went into rehab through my own actions. To put it simply I have made a miraculous recovery to now being on top of the world. I am a totally new person, with a totally new life and a new home.”

Harry Hopkinson, 63, of Fredrick Street, Stapenhill

Although the father-of-one had his first drink at a very young age, it was when he was married his problem got worse as he had alcohol around the house.

He would have the occasional drink in the evening but for Harry this started to gradually increase until he was pouring himself larger measures than his wife. This was in the early 1980s when they would have a social drink of gin and tonic sometimes in the evening.

Harry met his third wife when he was still married and says he got comfort from the drink because of what he was doing.

At the same time he was made redundant from his job as a conservation and design planner in Cheshire.

The pain he caused his wife and his daughter accelerated his drinking and he then moved to Stapenhill to be close to his third wife, eventually they married in 2011 but this did not last and Harry once again found himself alone.

He said: “In around February and March last year, I spent some time in my house preparing it for sale. I was feeling depressed which involved more drinking. After my marriage broke down I found myself in shock and despair and was struggling with the emotional grief. The future retirement and old age together was gone.

“I thought this is my existence now. It was May bank holiday that I was feeling dejected and hurt. I was drinking a bottle of gin a day. I knew I had a problem and where I live there is Tesco and a Co-op. Tesco had the cheaper gin but I thought the girls would notice so I used to alternate where I got it from so no-one knew how much I was drinking. I was ashamed and would hide bottles in other people’s bin so they wouldn’t know they were mine.

“This is the type of lying that a lot of alcoholics pick up to cover their problems.”

Harry Hopkinson hopes to inspire others with his story

It was hitting a lamppost while driving along the A50 near Uttoxeter that was the wake-up call he needed. He did not remember parts of the journey and ended up in A&E.

After visiting the GP he went cold turkey to quit the booze but this was not the way forward and he ended up with severe withdrawal symptoms. The GP told him he had to withdraw gradually from drinking but to Harry this meant he believed he could drink on doctor’s advice.

He then ended up on an intensive course at Burton Addiction Centre, finding out later that his family had been begging staff to take him. At one point it was so bad that he couldn’t walk and for the first time he found himself using a Zimmer frame to get about. However, when his health started to improve he left rehab before Christmas and thought he would be able to handle one drink.

This again escalated and at his lowest ebb he was drinking one and a half bottles of gin a day. An inspirational speaker at an AA meeting and the drink driving awareness course finally gave him the incentive he needed to quit for good and now six months on he is not looking back.

Harry said: “It was either go to rehab or I would be dead, this would be a massive tipping point for me. It was like a switch had been clicked and I had to stop drinking. I talk about it to everyone now and always tell the truth.”

Along his journey he has made many friends but it was his meeting with Coral Becker while on holiday in Tenerife that has become a real life changer. After sharing their story, they have become firm friends and now Harry is preparing to get on a plane to move his whole life to Tenerife where he will move in to her spare room for his new adventure.

He said: “I want to share my story as an inspiration to other people, to understand that after being in the gutter, there is hope. Coral is a godsend and it feels like a big fairy tale. My life is just wonderful now and it is such a change from where I have been. Fairy tales always have happy endings where the prince falls in love with the princess and it would be nice if my fairy tale ends the same.”

How to get help for addiction to alcohol

Realising you have a problem with alcohol is the first step to getting help but there is a long journey ahead to overcome it.

Those with an addiction often feel the need to have a drink, get in to trouble because of it and people warn the about how much they are drinking. The start of the road to recovery is talking to a GP and be honest about the amount of alcohol consumed daily and the problems it is causing.

The GP may suggest different types of assessment and support options available such as from the local community alcohol services. There will be free support groups available and other counselling on offer to get through the long journey ahead.

There will also be advice about withdrawal symptoms that suggest medication may be needed including anxiety after waking, sweating and tremors, nausea or retching in the morning, vomiting, hallucinations and seizures or fits.

In town there is also the Burton Addiction Centre which offers rehab facilities for those who need that support to get off the drink for good.