Heartbroken mum Sally Maybury spent five years watching her eldest son Tom drink himself to death.

At just 29, he died from kidney and liver failure after drinking up to 14 litres of cider a week.

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The shocking extent of alcoholism was highlighted last week when statistics showed there were almost 10 million hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions last year, putting a £3.5 billion strain on the NHS.

Last week, it emerged 24-year-old Leigh Thomson died from alcohol-related liver disease and is believed to be one of the youngest people in the UK to be killed by alcoholism.

The news of Leigh's death has brought back painful memories for Sally, 57, from Shrewsbury, who, along with her son Henry, wants to raise awareness about the dangers of alcohol.

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She says: "My heart goes out to Leigh's family. The pain of losing a child to drink never goes away.

"Tom desperately wanted to stop drinking, he tried counselling and AA meetings but nothing helped. He felt he was fighting a losing battle and was so dependent on alcohol.

"Tom was from a good home, he was bright, funny and had everything to live for, but still drank two litres of super-strength cider every day for five years. I want to raise awareness among young people and make them realise alcoholism can happen to anyone."

To read more of Sally's story, buy Closer magazine, out now.

*Sally supports her singer-songwriter son Henry, 22, with his campaign to raise funds for addiction charities in tribute to Tom. Henry released his song, 'Lost Days' this month, after it amassed over a million views on Youtube, and all profits from the sale of the song will go to addiction charities. For more information or to donate, visit www.henrymaybury.com