WITH her career in ruins and nowhere left to run, a woman made the brave decision to turn her back on the alcohol addiction that was blighting her life once and for all.

Twelve years later, Middlesbrough’s Jill Fidan is sober and devoting her life to helping others struggling with addiction.

She shared her experiences battling alcoholism at Wednesday’s opening of the Live Well Centre, a four-storey facility encompassing a number of health and social care services.

The 54-year-old believes more should be done to encourage society’s “hidden” alcoholics to seek help, saying if alcohol was introduced now “it would be considered a class-A drug”.

She was a high-flying career woman when drink began to take hold of her life, a professional and ambitious person with a bright future.

The slide from social drinker to alcoholic was gradual but devastating, with Ms Fidan getting to the point where she would drink a three-litre bottle of cider before heading out to work each morning.

She said: “I was a mess and lost everything to alcohol - my confidence, my self-esteem, my career and ended up in hospital.”

After losing her job, Ms Fidan tried repeatedly to flee her addiction, even moving to Turkey, where alcohol is harder to buy

Upon moving back to England with her husband and young son, the addiction took hold again and her life spiralled downwards before she found the courage to seek help and transform her life.

Ms Fidan said: “Over 25 years, I had gaps in drinking but after moving back to England, drink was everywhere.

“I had a job I loved but knew the cycle was beginning again – nobody would have known, this is not something we talk about enough.

“There’s still such a stigma around alcohol and people feel ashamed but there’s no magic wand, the changes have to come from you.”

Ms Fidan is now hoping to inspire others to change their lives in her role at the Live Well Centre.

The centre, the first of its kind in the region, will allow people to get help for a variety of problems in one place and features a gym and training kitchen, among other facilities. It was officially opened by Middlesbrough’s mayor, Dave Budd, on Wednesday.

He said: “There has been a real need to have these services in one place and it’s great for the town to be at the forefront of this and to make changes in people’s lives.”