LAST summer, Vicky Grossi was so desperate for alcohol that she tried to drink a bottle of perfume.

Now, the recovering alc-oholic has managed to fight off her addiction, and is helping others do the same.

Repeated binge drinking left the 37-year-old at an all-time low last June, when she had drunk her-self into such a state that she needed five days in hospital to detox.

Vicky said those five days, when nurses caught her squirting perfume into her mouth, were the worst of her life, and finally forced her to make some drastic changes and confront her problem.

She has since completed an intensive treatment programme with the East Lancashire Substance Misuse Service, as well as courses to help build her confidence and become more independent.

And the former nursery nurse is now helping with the administration of the courses, which are run from the Inspire support centre in Eagle Street, Accrington.

Vicky, of Grange Park Way, Helmshore, said: “My alcoholism really started to surface when I was 26, and I would go through periods of binge drinking that could leave me bed-ridden for two weeks afterwards.

“I could abstain for a few months, but before I knew it the obsession would come back.

“To the outside world, it appeared I was quite functional, but inside I was very vulnerable.

“I never took a step back to see what I had become. My behaviour and attit-udes were all very selfish and self-centred.”

The turning point for Vicky, who grew up in Blackburn, came after she was admitted to the Royal Blackburn Hospital last June.

She said: “For five days I had the shakes and was vomiting. I felt empty and my mental health was so fragile, but I just had to do something after that.

“And I was very fort-unate that my partner James stood by me. The counsellors on the treat-ment programme have a really hard job to sma-sh the denial out of you, but they mana-ged it with me, and I’ve got the utmost respect and thanks for them. Having gone through the steps I just feel grounded now, and have been able to change the way I socialise. I know I can never safely drink again. Alcohol has nothing to offer me apart from misery and pain.”

Vicky helps organise a 10-week ’ course, which service users take when they have completed the intensive treatment.

The aim is to develop skills required for independent living, from finding work to learning how to interact in social situations. For information call 01254 282915.