Holly Dyson battled alcohol dependency for six years in her 20s, consuming two litres of gin a day and not drinking any other liquid for three years after a traumatic time at university. According to Daily Mirror - News, Holly Dyson described being told in 2023 that she would die in six months if she continued, after she was hospitalized with severe liver disease and vomiting blood. She said she initially accepted the prognosis, feeling she could not stop drinking.
Now in recovery, Holly Dyson is running the London Landmarks Half Marathon on Sunday to raise money for Alcohol Change UK. She works as a support worker for Change Grow Live, where she uses her experience to help others. According to Daily Mirror - News, Holly Dyson described losing her fitness while dependent on alcohol, spending large amounts of time lying in bed and drinking, but has since regained it through running.
I truly, wholeheartedly was going to die. I was told I was going to die. I believed it, and I had no hope.
She also highlighted that stereotypes about alcoholism can be a barrier to seeking help, noting she was a young girl when trapped in the cycle. Holly Dyson lives near Southport, Merseyside.
But here I am, nearly three years later, working in addiction and running a half-marathon. These are all things that I could only dream of, and now I’m actually doing it.
If I was going out, I’d have to take a bottle of wine, and I would put it into three smaller bottles so I could hide them in a bag, and I was just living in fear every single day.
I went to the hospital numerous times. I had severe liver disease, and then, in 2023, I went in again, and I was really unwell this time. I’d been vomiting blood and all sorts, and they said to me there, you are going to die in six months if you carry on like this.
But even that didn’t stop me. It upset me, but I didn’t care. I’d kind of accepted the fact I was going to die because I can’t stop this.
I’m not your stereotypical alcoholic. I was a young girl when I got trapped in that cycle, and I think stereotypes can be a barrier to people seeking and getting help. Equally, I don’t think alcohol addiction is spoken about enough. I think there’s so much stigma and stereotypes attached to it, and the stigma’s awful.
When I was drinking, I did nothing. All I’d do is lie in bed and drink. So, when I got sober, getting my fitness back was really important, and I’ve always, always loved running.