He Was Dying From Alcohol but Still Couldn’t Stop Drinking | Alcohol Addiction StoryHe Was Dying From Alcohol but Still Couldn’t Stop Drinking | Alcohol Addiction Story
Sober Motivation: Sharing Sobriety Stories
Tom recounts how his drinking escalated from teenage partying to consuming around 30 ounces of vodka a day and facing end-stage liver cirrhosis. He shares the medical crisis, family intervention, and recovery community that helped him stop drinking and rebuild his life and relationships nearly five years sober.
1:11:59•11 Oct 2026
From 30 Ounces a Day to Five Years Sober: Tom’s Journey Out of Alcohol Addiction
Episode Overview
- Weekend drinking can quietly progress into daily dependence and morning use to avoid withdrawal.
- Trying to "do it alone" and hide the problem often keeps people stuck far longer than they want to be.
- Serious medical issues like vomiting blood and liver cirrhosis may arise even while life appears stable on the outside.
- Community support, meetings, and sponsorship can provide structure and connection that make long-term sobriety possible.
- Rebuilding trust with family often comes through consistent sober living and being honest, rather than grand promises.
“I was drinking from the moment I got up until I passed out at night.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? This conversation between Brad and Tom offers a raw, detailed look at what happens when alcohol addiction goes far beyond "weekend fun" and crosses into life-or-death territory. Tom shares how a seemingly normal childhood in Ontario, with loving parents and close brothers, gradually shifted into a life centred around drinking.
At first it was weekend partying, then drinking to feel confident at school, and eventually full-time work in food and beverage — a setting where heavy drinking felt normal. Yet behind the scenes, Tom was secretly topping up bottles, rotating liquor stores, and planning every day around vodka. At his worst, he was drinking "from the moment I got up until I passed out at night," roughly 30 ounces a day.
The episode walks through the terrifying health consequences of that lifestyle: vomiting blood, collapsing around the house, a car accident requiring the jaws of life, and a diagnosis of end-stage liver cirrhosis. Even when doctors warned he "might be dead in a week or two," Tom still found himself asking his mum to stop at the liquor store.
His honesty about that insanity is striking, especially when he recalls choosing the bottle over his crying teenage daughter and thinking, "What the hell is wrong with me?" You’ll hear how family intervention, hospital staff, and a sober living facility finally helped Tom stop drinking and connect with a recovery community. He talks about sponsorship, doing 90 meetings in 90 days, working a 12-step programme, and finding joy again in simple things like cooking and bowling.
Today, nearly five years alcohol-free, Tom describes a fresh relationship with his wife, a proud mum, and the relief of no longer living a "full-time job" of hiding his addiction. If you’ve ever felt terrified of changing or convinced you had to do this alone, Tom’s story might be the nudge to ask: what if you didn’t?
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