A former alcoholic who downed two litres of vodka a day turned to Jesus and is now the director of a charity helping addicts break free.
Emma Heath’s drinking began when she was bullied at a school in Somerset. She was “quite podgy with freckles” as a teen and suffered from bulimia.
As a student at Cardiff University, the drinking culture fed her alcoholism.
After university, she moved with her mum to an isolated village in South Wales.
“I would walk over the hill to a campsite near Llangennith and buy vodka, which I’d drink on the way home. I did this most days for years. It was horrendous.”
Emma (pictured above) ended up in a high-rise council flat in Swansea, where her life fell apart. She was drinking two litres of vodka every day, and her mum would sometimes find her collapsed on the floor.
“I couldn’t work, drive, see friends – my life was empty.”
She went into rehab.
“I remember drinking all the way on the journey. I only knew my name at that point, but they just welcomed me.
“I was born into the Christian faith and I remember lying on a bed at rehab and telling God to help me recover and live again.”
Emma is now the director of a national charity called STAR (Steps To Active Recovery) helping people with addictions.
“I am not an alcoholic any more; I am someone who struggled with alcoholism. I need to stay connected with people and keep God in the centre.”
And for anyone wondering how Emma managed to break free, her Twitter bio explains: “Follower of Jesus”.
