By 18, she was downing half a litre of vodka, a bottle of wine and six cans of lager most days – and twice a week, she’d clock up a shocking 100 units during binges.
Soon, she was spending up to £100 a week on alcohol and quickly got through her student grant. In desperation, she turned to prostitution.
After selling her body for sex four times, Emma, now 22, finally realised she needed help to stop drinking and was admitted to rehab. She’s now been sober for 10 months – but her stomach has been permanently damaged and she can never drink alcohol again.
Speaking as statistics show British teenage girls are the biggest binge drinkers in Europe, she says: “I’m disgusted by what I did. I let my family down, but I was desperate. I’m so lucky to have another chance.”
“Drinking gave me a release. I’d have six WKDs, usually on Fridays at a friend’s house. It made me feel better.”
Emma, from Ipswich, started drinking with friends when she was 15. Her home life was stressful as her mum and brother have severe health problems. She says: “Drinking gave me a release. I’d have six WKDs, usually on Fridays at a friend’s house. It made me feel better.”
By 17, Emma craved the feeling booze gave her and started stealing spirits from her parents’ drinks cabinet. She’d also down five shots of vodka before going to friends’ houses to drink even more. She says: “I felt more confident when I’d had a drink. I’d slept with 20 lads by the time I was 18 – most were one-night stands. I’d get hangovers and my parents were worried, but they just thought it was a phase.”
However, Emma became more and more dependent on booze. She says: “During sixth form, I began secretly drinking lager between lessons to deal with the pressure of my A-levels.”
By the time she left home at 18 to study Biomedicine at uni, Emma was relying on alcohol to help her unwind. She recalls: “I didn’t think it was a problem – everyone was drinking lots. I thought people preferred me tipsy because I was a fun drunk.
“But, in the second year, my hangovers were so awful, I started drinking in the morning to ease them. I’d have half a litre of vodka and a bottle of wine most days. I’d wake up with the shakes and nausea, which wouldn’t go until I drank. I knew I was addicted, but I’d still make it to lectures, so I thought I was in control.”
Twice a week, Emma would consume over 100 units – the recommended weekly amount for women is 14. She says: “If I was stressed, I’d start at 7am and, over the course of the day, have two litres of vodka, a bottle of wine, a litre of cider and six lagers. I’d collapse into bed at 6pm. My grades suffered, but my tutors didn’t say anything. No one knew how much I was drinking.”
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Soon, Emma was spending £100 a week on drink and would often go without food. She says: “I lost 1st, my hair was lank and I had spots. I wore make-up to disguise the bags under my eyes.”
In November 2011, she hit rock bottom after realising she’d blown her whole term’s £1,000 grant in two months.
Desperate, she stole from shops. She says: “I was terrified I’d get caught. I was always hungover and couldn’t imagine holding down a job. Then it occurred to me that I could charge men for sex – it wasn’t that different to a one-night stand.
“I was disgusted with myself for even considering it. But I was desperate – going without alcohol for even a day left me shaking and feeling sick and weak. I told myself sleeping with strangers for cash was an easy way to get money.”
That night, after downing a litre of vodka, Emma went to the local red light district. She recalls: “I wore leggings, flat shoes and a strappy top. I was so drunk, I felt numb. I didn’t worry about people seeing me as it was an area people avoided. The streets weren’t full of scary pimps, there were just a few girls scattered around. It wasn’t as intimidating as I’d expected and being drunk gave me confidence.
“After an hour, a car pulled over. The driver was in his late 40s and wearing a suit. He had a big belly and grey hair. When he said he’d pay me £50 for full sex, I got in the car. I was terrified – but it was too late to back out.”
The man parked in a nearby field. “We had sex in his car,” says Emma, who admits she was too drunk to insist on a condom. “I refused to kiss him and hated feeling his hands all over me, but I tried to block it out. After half an hour, he drove me back and paid me. I felt so dirty, but made myself wait for another customer. This time, the guy wanted oral sex. As soon as it was over, I ran to a shop and bought two litres of vodka to wash the taste away.”
When he said he’d pay me £50 for full sex, I got in the car.
That night, Emma drank until she passed out in her room. The next day, she went to uni as normal, but felt ashamed of herself. However, that night, she had sex with another two men, who each paid her £50 – but she realised she couldn’t do it again. She says: “I couldn’t face it. The thought of another stranger touching me made me feel sick.”
A week later, guilt-ridden Emma confided in her tutor. She says: “I started crying and I told him about my drinking, but not the sex – I was too ashamed.”
Her tutor advised her to take time off, so Emma moved back home. She says: “I told my family about the boozing. Mum was in tears and Dad was disappointed. They promised to help me, but I felt like such a failure.”
Emma was put on a waiting list for rehab. But she continued to drink and, two months later, in January 2012, she was rushed to A&E after vomiting blood. Doctors told her almost half of her stomach lining had been destroyed by booze and that one more drink could kill her.
“It was terrifying; a huge wake-up call,” she says, adding she still has irregular periods and painful joints caused by alcohol abuse.
Shortly afterwards, Emma went to rehab, where she had tranquilliser injections to ease her withdrawal symptoms and was given tests for STDs, which came back clear. She also told her counsellor about the prostitution.
She’s stopped drinking, so the risk of illness will decline, but she’s very lucky to be alive.
Emma’s now been teetotal for 10 months. She has returned to uni and is dating Matthew Noble, 26, an IT technician, who she met online. She says: “We met in August, he’s been supportive and accepts my past.”
Dr Sarah Jarvis, a consultant for www.patient.co.uk, says: “I’m stunned this girl isn’t dead from drinking so much alcohol. She put herself at severe risk of health problems, such as liver cirrhosis, breast, stomach and mouth cancer, heart attacks, strokes and acute brain damage. I’m almost certain she’ll suffer from liver damage in the future. She’s stopped drinking, so the risk of illness will decline, but she’s very lucky to be alive.”