‘My mum was an alcoholic and it was a massive secret’
Becky Ellis Hamilton’s mum had an alcohol problem but no-one talked about it – and this had tragic consequences. …
When she was sober, Pat was “the most amazing, perfect mum,” Becky says, “so kind and funny, and fun”. And there were periods when she’d do relatively well cutting back – but no matter how many stints she had in rehab clinics (when Becky was told her mum was “going to stay at a friend’s”), or how much willpower she mustered to stay off the drink, Pat couldn’t seem to chase away the demons that led her to self-medicate.