Your Call - Issue 17

Emergency Medical Advisor Barry is excited about the opportunities he has in his life. He is a recovering alcoholic, sober and in recovery since Friday 13 March 2020. Since then, he has turned his life around and taking 999 calls is something he believes he was born to do. He hopes that by sharing his story he can inspire those struggling with addiction that life can and will get better if you want it to.

Barry recalls having had problems with alcohol for a long time before his sobriety date, drinking heavily for the last 40 years. However, changes in his personal life led to his drinking escalating out of control.

“I had left my marital home, bought a narrowboat and moved onto it in January 2019. From this moment I started drinking day and night, and not eating. My alcohol consumption was spiralling and my health was deteriorating. I had no intention of stopping drinking. That was until 13 March at 10:13pm when little did I know, I had my last drink. Markedly it was the same time of day my daughter was born.

“I am not sure what happened on March 14, I didn’t wake up that day planning not to drink but I went 17 hours without a drink. At that point, I had become so ill I was with my sister and my condition was deteriorating. We had to call an ambulance.”

Barry’s body had gone into acute alcohol withdrawal, he was shaking violently in a way he could not stand up straight. He describes feeling like his head was going to explode as his blood pressure was dangerously high.

Paramedic Faye Preston and Emergency Medical Technician Barry Hall (pictured below) arrived to help Barry. “The ambulance crew turned up that day and it was the first time I told somebody the extent of my drinking. I believe their intervention saved my life and helped me get my life back on track for which I will forever be grateful.”

Barry was admitted to the hospital and says, “The moment I stepped over the threshold of the hospital, the desire to drink left me.”

He was discharged after two days, and his sister took him to an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting. From this point, Barry attended hundreds of AA meetings over the course of the next couple of years joining sessions across the world via Zoom. Barry’s business took a back seat whilst he focussed on his recovery with abstinence being the only way forward for him. He had psychology and counselling sessions to help him recover.

“I kept myself sober by doing the things I needed to do to keep safe, not going to the pub, avoiding people who drink. For me giving up alcohol wasn’t the difficult part. It was understanding why I turned to drink in the first place.”

Eighteen months sober Barry met his partner who he describes as an amazing support to him: “She believed in me and when I started looking for work, she encouraged me to go for opportunities.”

In the summer of last year, Barry was searching for a job in which he could give something back: “I was struggling to find anything as being 59 and open and honest with my recovery and addiction was proving to be a barrier.”

Barry saw the job advert for emergency medical advisors pop up on his screen and knew instantly that this was what he has been looking for. “I worked hard to get an interview, get through the typing test whilst being very open and honest with the interviewees about my addiction and the fact I am a recovering alcoholic. I had extra blood tests to ensure I was able to do the job.

“When I got the job I was elated. North West Ambulance Service took the time to understand me as a person and saw a quality in me that I could make a good contribution to society. People in recovery do have value, they can make a difference and get a job.”

In October 2022, Barry recalls walking into the training classroom with people much younger than him: “I was older than most people but I really enjoyed it. I turned 60 in training and to have this job opportunity at my age I feel is amazing.

“I love the control room environment; it is the most fulfilling and rewarding job I could ask for and I feel fortunate and privileged to do it. I am passionate about championing mental health and have great empathy for people, particularly those with mental health conditions and addiction. There seems to be ignorance about alcoholism and addiction, everyone thinks you choose the drink but you don’t it is a disease.

“I am keen to show people that you can turn your life around and get an amazing job, I am living proof of it.”

Barry took his first call in January this year and whilst he said it was pretty daunting, he enjoyed it. “You have to care about people in this job and I do, I try to understand the person on the other end of the line and put myself in their position. My experience has helped shape the call handler I am and my new role has played a tremendously important part in my recovery.”