Gene Davies, 47, struggled with alcoholism for decades - but one picture made him quit for good.
A former alcoholic says one selfie was all it took for him to finally commit to giving up drinking.
Gene Davies, 47, struggled with alcoholism for decades, with his addiction costing him numerous jobs and relationships.
The pot washer – who used to drink a bottle and a half of whiskey a day – says his addiction even led to the breakdown of his marriage.
However, a picture he took after a dangerous incident spurred him to reach out for help and he has now been sober for 18 months.
Gene says his drink problem started when he was a teenager playing drums in a band called Silent Runner with Kelly Jones from Stereophonics who is his cousin.
He said: ‘I’m not blaming rock and roll – I was a willing participant.
‘But it was definitely where my drink problem started.
‘We were only about 14 or 15 at the time and already playing pubs and workingmen’s clubs.
‘And this was the Valleys in the ’80s, by the way.
‘It was easy to get served if you were underage back then – lots of blind eyes were turned if we wanted to grab a crafty flagon of lager.’
After joining the band, the teenager spent most of his time ‘being the showman, trying to make people laugh’ during which time his ‘boozing increased exponentially’.
After being thrown out of university in Bath for non-attendance, Gene made his way through a series of odd jobs, including dish washing and catering.
However, he was fired from most of them after ‘sneaking in cans and disappearing down the pub during my breaks to throw more pints down my neck’.
After moving back to Wales in 2003, he attempted to hide his drinking problem from his parents by stashing bottles in the house and going for long ‘walks’.
At his lowest point, he found himself sucking up the remnants of a spilled beer with a straw from a pub floor.
He said: ‘While we were in there someone spilled their beer and I decided to take a straw, get down on my knees and suck the remnants of it from the dirtiest, mankiest pub carpet you’ve every seen.
‘And this was despite already having a full pint waiting for me on the bar.
‘Isn’t that the most disgusting thing you’ve ever heard?’
After meeting his wife Vicky at a party in 2010, they had a son called Joe in 2015.
It was at this point that Gene cut down on drinking – but he couldn’t give it up altogether.
He said: ‘I became a nasty drunk – not in the physical sense, just a sharp tongue – and that contributed to my marriage eventually breaking down.’
Gene Davies, 47, struggled with alcoholism for decades, with his addiction costing him numerous jobs and relationships.
The pot washer – who used to drink a bottle and a half of whiskey a day – says his addiction even led to the breakdown of his marriage.
However, a picture he took after a dangerous incident spurred him to reach out for help and he has now been sober for 18 months.
Gene says his drink problem started when he was a teenager playing drums in a band called Silent Runner with Kelly Jones from Stereophonics who is his cousin.
He said: ‘I’m not blaming rock and roll – I was a willing participant.
‘But it was definitely where my drink problem started.
‘We were only about 14 or 15 at the time and already playing pubs and workingmen’s clubs.
‘And this was the Valleys in the ’80s, by the way.
‘It was easy to get served if you were underage back then – lots of blind eyes were turned if we wanted to grab a crafty flagon of lager.’
After joining the band, the teenager spent most of his time ‘being the showman, trying to make people laugh’ during which time his ‘boozing increased exponentially’.
After being thrown out of university in Bath for non-attendance, Gene made his way through a series of odd jobs, including dish washing and catering.
However, he was fired from most of them after ‘sneaking in cans and disappearing down the pub during my breaks to throw more pints down my neck’.
After moving back to Wales in 2003, he attempted to hide his drinking problem from his parents by stashing bottles in the house and going for long ‘walks’.
At his lowest point, he found himself sucking up the remnants of a spilled beer with a straw from a pub floor.
He said: ‘While we were in there someone spilled their beer and I decided to take a straw, get down on my knees and suck the remnants of it from the dirtiest, mankiest pub carpet you’ve every seen.
‘And this was despite already having a full pint waiting for me on the bar.
‘Isn’t that the most disgusting thing you’ve ever heard?’
After meeting his wife Vicky at a party in 2010, they had a son called Joe in 2015.
It was at this point that Gene cut down on drinking – but he couldn’t give it up altogether.
He said: ‘I became a nasty drunk – not in the physical sense, just a sharp tongue – and that contributed to my marriage eventually breaking down.’