A series of short videos that includes the deeply personal story of a former serving Royal Marines Commando has been made for the Lympstone-based RMA – The Royal Marines Charity in its support of Alcohol Awareness Week (3rd – 9th July 2023) which theme this year is ‘Cost’.
The series is presented by the Charity’s Plymouth-based Specialist Addiction Nurse, Pam Diamond and during the week, she will share tips on what to do if you think you are drinking too much alcohol, how to have a conversation with a friend or family member about their drinking, and how to get support if you are affected by a loved one’s drinking.
Pam says: “The culture of drinking is deeply embedded in the Royal Marines’ culture, as it is across all sectors of the Armed Forces, and especially amongst those who are continually at the sharp end of things, such as our Commandos. This can follow them into civilian life and for some it will cause problems.
The critical thing is to ask ‘what is alcohol costing me? Is it the cost of a relationship, a career promotion, my integrity, people’s trust, my psychological wellbeing – what happens to me when I drink?
The next step is to accept that an unhealthy relationship with alcohol is taking a toll on your life, that it is having a cost that you are not prepared to accept. The earlier you can accept this, the easier it is to deal with.”
Alan was one who did eventually reach out for support from RMA – The Royal Marines Charity after accepting he had a drink problem.
“It was taking me down a very, very deep rabbit hole. I had been diagnosed with Complex PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) that was service -related. My son kept telling me to get help but I was still a ‘proud Marine’ and didn’t accept that anyone would understand because of the stigma around alcoholism. I was in despair and so it took a while for me to accept – but once I did, everyone was amazing and I was shown how to understand that there was a healthier way through it all that didn’t involve alcohol – I so wish I’d had the courage to seek help earlier.”
Alan has since turned his life around and has forged a successful new career within a locally-based nationally-recognised organisation.
RMA – The Royal Marines Charity is one of over 5,000 community groups across the UK that will be marking Alcohol Awareness Week, the annual campaign managed and hosted by UK charity, Alcohol Change UK.