A football fan who drank 20 cans of beer a day as part of a destructive pattern that had her drinking bleach has shed more than half her body weight.
At her heaviest Vicky Harrison weighed 25 stone and regularly put away 20 cans of beer or a bottle of gin a day.
The 44-year-old drank to blot out painful memories of her abusive childhood, the Liverpool Echo reported.
At her lowest point she would "knock herself out" by drinking "a load of beers and a bottle of gin".
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As well as drinking heavily Vicky relied on self-harm in a bid to deal with the issues that stemmed from her youth.
She said: "I had abusive childhood issues which probably led to self-harm as a teenager. The self-harm could go from cutting to overdoses.
"I squirted bleach down my throat. Anything and everything.
"It sounds crazy but the physical pain is preferable to things that go on in your head.
"Before I started losing weight I was over 25 stone. If I was having a bad day I would just get a load of beers, a bottle of gin and just knock myself out with it.
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"I was still functioning but it wasn't a life. It was horrible.
"I could drink 20 cans of beer in a day. I would self-harm regularly. I would just try and block everything and anything out."
The Southport, Merseyside woman's life was "saved" when a volunteer noticed scars on her arms while she was watching an Everton match at Goodison Park.
The kindhearted Everton in the Community volunteer directed Vicky towards Girls on the Side , an Everton run service that provides help to women with mental health issues.
Through a mixture of peer support and self-esteem boosting social activities Vicky began to change her life for the better.
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She worked up enough courage to go to the gym where she went on to lose an incredible 14 stone.
Vicky, who is now training to be a gym instructor, said: "With the Girls On Side programme, it gave me the confidence and the support to say I can do this a different way.
"I wouldn't be able to do what I do without them. Even if it's just on our WhatsApp having a laugh and a moan, it can get you through the day.
"I still struggle with self-harm thoughts but it's a case of trying to break that cycle."
