Featured Image Credit: Instagram/real_arg
Topics: News, TV and Film, Celebrity
Rebecca Shepherd
TOWIE's James Argent has revealed that one more drink will 'lead to hospital or death' because his addiction means 'it'll never be just one or two'.
The 34-year-old reality TV star spoke out after it emerged that he had relapsed a fortnight ago, despite being clean and sober for two years.
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After the 'bad relapse', Arg's friends were forced to call an ambulance but now he has vowed never to let it happen again.
In April last year, Arg had gastric sleeve surgery after he replaced drinking and drugs with food. Now he's unable to eat as much as previously, he explained how his cravings for booze have been worse.
Speaking to The Sun, Arg said: "I had a very bad relapse after having some cravings for a while, but instead of ringing my therapist I had a drink for the first time in two years.
"Addicts always say one drink is never enough - if it was, I wouldn’t be an addict - but unfortunately it just escalated from there."
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Going into more detail on the evening, he said: "I went to a comedy night with some friends in Bethnal Green, London - it was great fun, everyone was laughing, drinking and having a good time.
"I was having cravings again and when we went onto the afterparty in Essex I bought a round of drinks for my friends - unfortunately I gave in to temptation and had that first drink.
"After that, I can’t get into the specifics of what I did, but that’s where it all started and I ended up at home having an awful relapse - I’d been clean and sober for such a long time, it hit me like a ton of bricks as my body and mind hadn’t been used to it for so long.
“My friends were shocked and worried about me - I wasn’t myself mentally or physically and they weren’t used to seeing me like that - it was a very scary and upsetting experience for everyone around me and it became vital that an ambulance was called.”
He went on to add: "I can glamorise partying but in reality it’s never going to be fun for me as I’m an addict so it’ll never be just one or two drinks - that will lead me to hospital or death.
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"If I have a drink it affects my friends, family, career, relationships, I can’t function the next day, I let people down, I am selfish and I lie to people - there are so many consequences if I just have one drink.
“I have to put my recovery before everything - my band, boxing, swimming, love life. It’s my priority because the reality is it’s life or death - my life is on the line, you know? Recovery first and everything else will fall into place.”