When Barry’s family suffered several major blows, he started drinking. Alcoholism ultimately made him end up in a coma. A liver transplant saved Barry’s life. He went through hell, but feels he lived a miracle and is determined never to drink again.
This Film was made on a Chocolate Films Workshop with Lifeline Basis, the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s support for drug and alcohol misusers.
1000 LONDONERS
This film is part of 1000 Londoners, a ten-year digital project which aims to create a digital portrait of a city through 1000 of the people who identify themselves with it. The profile contains a 3 minute film that gives an insight into the life of the Londoner, as well as their personal photos of London and some answers to crucial questions about their views on London life. Over the course of the project we aim to reveal as many facets of the capital as possible, seeing city life from 1000 points of view.
www.1000londoners.com
www.youtube.com/1000londoners
www.facebook.com/1000londoners
Twitter @1000_Londoners
Instagram @1000_londoners
1000 Londoners is produced by South London based film production company and social enterprise, Chocolate Films. The filmmakers from Chocolate Films will be both producing the films and providing opportunities to young people and community groups to make their own short documentaries, which will contribute to the 1000 films. Visit www.chocolatefilms.com
TRANSCRIPT
I do recall about 3 days after waking up a vision I had that at King’s College they took me out on this modern-day hover bed, yeah? And uhm took me into this back garden ’bout the size of this with all family and friends hanging around. And I’ve asked the doctor – again in my head – I’ve asked the doctor: what was that for? And he basically told me: that’s your last goodbyes to everybody. So I turned and said: I’m not dying. (doctor) ‘Cause you are. And uhm I said: I ain’t dying, no way am I going anywhere. And then 3 days later I woke up from the coma.
It all started when my sister who was very very close to me got lung cancer. So, that was the first major hit that I got and she did pass on shortly after. Uhm, and that really destroyed me. And coming back from that I started to drink uhm a glass of wine to start with every night and then on from there I built up and built up. Because 6 months after she’d passed on, my girl of 5, 2 days before her fifth birthday, she actually uhm got non… – oh I can’t pronounce that – cancer and uhm nearly passed away. I had another hit and when she was going through Great Ormond Street, I was uhm building up the alcohol but not realising I was becoming an alcoholic. And then I managed to end up with drinking 3 bottles a day. And then after my girl got better my dad died, of a good old age, but my brother also passed away on the same day within 4 hours of each other. And uhm, again that hit me quite strongly and led me to drink a bit more. And uhm that’s when I realised the alcohol had grabbed me.
Next thing I know is I’m in intensive care. And that was due… all my other organs in my body shut down. And they put me on the transplant list and within a week of being on a transplant – and this is amazing to me – I actually uhm managed to get a new liver. And that is fascinating ’cause that is what you call a miracle!
It’s been a difficult time ’cause you say you don’t know. Most people, some people are in denial of alcohol. Some people don’t realise until it’s too late like myself. Uhm and when it grasped you, it’s your best, best friend when you’re having a bad time but it’s your worst enemy in total and I found it out big time. And uhm it was the most 6 months of, of hell for me. I weren’t coming out of that hospital a few times, to be honest with you, and I’m never gonna touch a drink in the rest of my life.
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