From ITN Newsreader to a Park Bench: Ed Mitchell on Alcohol Addiction

Ed Mitchell's fall from ITN newsreader to a park bench, and Gary Charles' struggle after an England call-up, anchor raw, first-person stories of alcohol addiction and recovery. Me and My... Alcohol assembles candid testimonies from journalists, athletes, musicians, teachers and models whose lives were consumed by drink and rebuilt in sobriety. Ed recalls sleeping rough in Brighton, the Brighton Evening Argus front page headline Lost it all, and the rehab offer that followed. Gary remembers being selected for the England squad the same day a motorcyclist died as he turned into his drive, then keeping it to himself as drinking took hold. Other accounts are equally stark: a teacher-mum hiding empties and throwing bottles into a river, waking in a police cell while pregnant, and later fighting to be reunited with her children; a student swigging gin from a Sprite bottle during lectures, binging for days at his parents' home before crashing a quad bike into barbed wire and hacking open a locked drinks cupboard with an axe; a model celebrated for drinking like a badge of honour, vomiting between hair and makeup, and a terrifying morning-after message from a stranger who carried her home from outside a club. Doctors warn of a liver the size of Scotland and of kidney and liver failure that may not wait until Monday. One participant counts 1,000 units a week. Another learns to brew hooch in jail. There are bankruptcies, job losses, homelessness, and the morning need for vodka just to steady the hands. Yet there is hope. We witness detox and relapse, AA rooms, white-knuckle drives past off-licenses, and the slow return of trust. A mother earns the right to collect her son from school again. Felix, Anna, Alison Canavan, Leanne, Tina and Tia mark months and years sober, while Ed continues to confront his addiction with honesty. These are not morality tales but practical truths about craving, shame, and the daily work of recovery. If you or someone you know is struggling, seek support from local services, your doctor, AA, or a helpline in your area. #AlcoholAddiction #Recovery #Sobriety #AA #Rehab #EdMitchell #GaryCharles #Documentary