Saoirse Welland recalls sneaking alcohol into work, just to get her through the day.
Defining herself as a functioning alcoholic, she would consume upwards of one litre of any sort of booze she could wrap her lips around.
But one night, Saoirse was 4.5 times the legal limit when she made the decision to get behind the wheel — to source more grog after she had spent the whole day drinking.
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It was a decision that changed her life forever.
Driving drunk, Saoirse lost control of the car — which hit a tree and flipped, before landing on its roof.
Trapped — and pinned by her seatbelt, upside down — she vowed to give up booze for good.
“I was very lucky,” Saorise tells 7Life of walking out of the wreckage with only minor injuries.
“You’re never too young to get sober.”
She says there is “no shame in having this illness” — it’s how you address it that matters.
Now 28, Saoirse hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol since the crash two-and-a-half years ago.
Almost 10 years after first abusing the substance, she says her drinking behaviour began when she was a teenager.
“I started drinking daily when I was 16,” she says.
“My brother was hit and killed instantly by a car — I witnessed this.
“I hit the vodka to deal with the PTSD.”
As time flew by, one vodka turned into two.
This quickly became three and, before Saoirse realised, she was drinking in excess of 40 units of alcohol a day.
On a weekday, she would down a glass of wine or can of beer before work, or even sneak a form of spirit into the workplace — to sip in secret at her desk.
If she couldn’t have a tipple, she would work hard to hide from her colleagues her withdrawal symptoms, such as shaking and sweating.
Looking back, Saoirse, from the central English town of Leamington Spa, believes she wasn’t hiding her addiction well at all.
“I was a Jekyll and Hyde. I would become angry, violent or totally withdrawn,” she says of her personality when she was under the influence.
As her addiction to alcohol spiralled out of control, she says she maintained appearances in her day-to-day life.
She would rarely call in sick to work and would attend her normal social events, always with a drink in hand.
But Saoirse didn’t think her behaviour was impacting her life and she continued to drink excessively.
Fateful decision
In October 2021, she made the fateful decision to sit in the driver’s seat after a big day on the drink.
“I was at a couple of bars with a friend, we went back to hers, she had no booze so I insisted on leaving (to get some),” Saoirse explains.
She jumped in her car and sped towards her house.
Fifty metres away from her door, she lost control — the vehicle hit a tree, flipped and landed on its roof.
Saoirse was trapped.
With her seatbelt still buckled, the then 25-year-old was fixed to the driver’s seat, upside down.
Emergency services had to remove pieces of the car to free her, and she was taken to hospital with whip lash, a broken nose, shattered ribs and concussion.
“I was very lucky,” she confesses, having blown 4.5 times the legal blood alcohol limit.
As Saoirse sat in hospital for a week, she realised it was the first time for years she had been sober.
“A week later, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired,” she says.
“I had the gift of desperation and checked myself into hospital for a nine-day detox.”
Armed with a desire to overhaul her addiction to drinking, Saoirse quit booze for good.
After her nine days in rehab, she signed up to a local AA program and began attending regular meetings.
She now has a steady boyfriend and is working as a nanny.
And she hasn’t touched alcohol since the crash.
“I attend AA — a 12-step program which saved my life and continues to on a daily basis,” she adds.
“My mental health has improved by leaps and bounds; I can manage my anxiety and depression.
“I regularly attend therapy.”
Every day, Saoirse is thankful she hit rock bottom, because she could not be prouder of the person she is today.
She is sharing her sobriety journey on her Instagram page @sobersershserenade.
If you are concerned about yours or a loved one’s use of alcohol or other drugs, call for free, confidential advice, information and counselling from the National Alcohol and Other Drug hotline, 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 1800 250 015.
