Jess Fry says he life was unravelling and she could no longer function – unable to work or even take her children to school
A 42-year-old woman who had a successful corporate career, a husband and two daughters says her life ‘began unravelling’ and she could ‘no longer function’ because she became so addicted to alcohol. At her lowest point, Jess Fry, from Gloucester, was unable to work or do the school run, becoming increasingly isolated and despairing as she struggled to even leave her house.
Jess says every time she ‘hit rock bottom’ she managed to find a new low. Jess said: “Everything started to fall apart. I could no longer function on a daily basis. I couldn’t go to work. I couldn’t do the school run. My life had become completely unmanageable.
“You hear people talking about rock bottoms in addiction – I had quite a few of those. I woke up one morning and I fell to my knees, and the idea of going into treatment was put in front of me.”
Jess was so low she jumped at the chance of rehab. She said: “I didn’t really hesitate. I just said, ‘What do I need to do?’ because I knew that I couldn’t get through another day as I had been doing.”
Realising her life had become unmanageable, she checked into Abbeycare, a residential drug and alcohol addiction recovery clinic in Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, in September 2024. She stayed for just over a month, initially going through a detox and then beginning her recovery, which she described as like waking up from the “worst nightmare”.
“On the fifth day at Abbeycare I felt like I had woken up from the worst nightmare I’d ever had. I had spent years not wanting to wake up tomorrow. Now I do want to wake up tomorrow, and that’s because I live a life in recovery. I realised that I had a future, and I had a place in the world again.”
After leaving the facility Jess stayed engaged with Abbeycare’s aftercare community, and later became one of the first people to join its peer mentor programme as a volunteer. After taking on night shifts to better understand the reality of the job, she eventually secured permanent employment and now works as a senior recovery practitioner.
Jess’s role at Abbeycare now involves one-to-one work with people who are starting their own recoveries, taking them to medical appointments, and helping with their aftercare plans. She also helps them explore the reasons why they are having treatment and the consequences of their addiction, so they can start to reconcile and move forward.
Her own experiences of entering rehab also inform her work, as she knows exactly how people are feeling when they walk through the door for the first time. “I remember being in a room, not knowing what to do, what to think, consumed with guilt and shame, and not knowing where to even begin,” she said. “If you’re presented with somebody who’s been where you are, you can feel an instant sense of connection and trust, and you can start to be open and honest and vulnerable.”
Now almost two years sober, Jess has rebuilt her life and family relationships, and hopes her story will inspire others to seek help. She said: “My advice for people in similar situations would be to hold your hands up, be honest, and ask for help. Just pick up the phone to somebody, and you will not look back.
‘I’m not scared to talk’
“Life for me got very, very dark for too long, but I’m not scared to talk about what happened to me. Admitting I had a problem and doing something about it was the last hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. That is not to say that my life is easy, because it’s not, but I have a way to do life again now, and I didn’t have that two years ago.” Tim Pope, registered manager at Abbeycare Gloucester, said: “We hope Jess’s story will act as an inspiration to those who find their lives controlled by alcohol addiction, which can have a devastating impact on health and family relationships.
“She has been on an extraordinary journey and is now a valued member of Abbeycare staff, who uses her own experiences to put people at ease when they first arrive at the clinic. We are so happy to have played a part in helping her turn her life around, and we are certain that she will continue to achieve great things in her role with us.”
