I so loved being a mum that when my boys no longer needed me I turned to drink to fill the gap. It almost cost me my family, writes ANNETTE GILL
Share:
As we put the finishing touches to the food and decorations for my son's 18th birthday celebrations, he had just one request. 'Mum, please don't drink today,' Matthew pleaded. I was too ashamed to ask him why. Because I might embarrass him? Or maybe he just wanted me to be fully present for once?.
![[Annette says she was getting through two bottles of wine a day, and two-and-a-half on her worst days]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/26/18/93499463-14227707-image-a-2_1735236547822.jpg)
It might not sound like a big ask on his special day. However, at the time, I was incapable of honouring it. Though I did make one small concession; I drank wine from a mug, pretending that it contained tea. Although I don't recall a great deal about the day, I'm sure nobody was fooled. There would have been the tell-tale signs of Pinot Grigio pumping through my veins – slurred words, over-exuberance and flushed cheeks, followed by passing out on the sofa.
![[Annette says she always loved working out so for the first few hours of the day she would distract herself with Body Pump and conditioning classes]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/26/18/93499689-14227707-image-m-17_1735236992943.jpg)
In fact, the following morning Matthew was so upset he told his dad, my husband Colin, he would move out of the family home if I didn't quit drinking. Four years on from that day, I've not been brave enough to ask either of them exactly what I did at the party – I'm not sure I can handle the details.
![[Annette says she gained two stone over four years from drinking, going from a size 8 to a 12]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/26/18/93499687-14227707-image-m-19_1735237015439.jpg)
But the irony that it was my drinking that nearly drove my son out of the house is not lost on me. For the reason I'd started drinking heavily a few years earlier was a loss of identity because my children were growing up and didn't need me any more. Annette Gill started drinking heavily because her children were growing up and didn't need her any more.
