Jim Sharp is a commercial artist from Liverpool who, by the age of 21, had started his own commercial art studio. By the time he had reached his thirties the studio was a success, employing more and more staff, and he and his wife Rita had settled in a pleasant suburban house.
'I thought life was great, that the world was my oyster and that it would go on for ever.' But there was a problem. More and more frequently the working day would end up in the pub 'for a swift relaxing drink - anyway that was the theory.
The truth was that often the beer would flow late into the night.' His habit was becoming serious and beginning to cause arguments at home.
Then Jim and Rita met some people committed to Initiatives of Change who 'opened my eyes and made me rethink the way I was living,' he recalls. 'I was challenged to think what I really wanted from life. Things were not right at home, so I decided that changes were needed.'
One of these changes was the decision to stop drinking. Slowly things began to improve. 'We became a closer family unit. When someone asked my wife if I had changed, she said it was like Jekyll and Hyde! It's amazing how a simple decision can change your life and that of others too.'
英語