A MILITARY veteran who struggled with alcohol after leaving the Army and experiencing the death of his son has been sharing his recovery story to coincide with Armed Forces Day 2026.

Now working for WithYou, the drug and alcohol charity which helped him, veteran Graham wants anyone in the armed forces community to know that help is there if they need it.

After leaving the army, Graham, 53, experienced acute anxiety, but even after getting help with cognitive behavioural therapy, he kept using alcohol to cope.

He said: “Looking back, I can see that the drinking was ramping up, always. It was the go to: if something went wrong, you drank, if something went well, you drank.”

Six years ago, Graham’s eldest son suddenly passed away: “It was a very traumatic and sad time, but looking back on it now, I didn’t deal with it and continued to work solidly. There was a lot of drinking which masked and delayed the grief – I buried it.”

This period of Graham’s life coincided with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Graham found himself locked down at home and his drinking escalated.

“I started making excuses as to why it’s okay to have a drink during the day,” he said. “This went on through lockdown, and it just got worse and worse until I was at a point where I’d stopped drinking for enjoyment – the depression and anxiety was really high. The only way that I could get on top of it was to have a drink.”

Concerned for his well-being, Graham’s partner helped him find a rehab centre.

“I thought rehab was brilliant,” said Graham. “I started eating properly again, and I completed all the courses – including meditation. It was an amazing experience because I didn’t miss alcohol – I was drinking cups of tea like they were going out of fashion.”

To aid Graham’s recovery, his partner contacted WithYou and spoke to Mark Thomas, WithYou’s armed forces co-ordinator for Cornwall.

“He was amazing – he was very understanding and keen to help us,” said Graham. “I was then assigned a recovery worker who was also ex-forces, which really helped. I went along to a session with ex-veterans. I really enjoyed listening to other people’s experiences and it made me realise that we are all in the same boat.”

Since his recovery, Graham has been working at WithYou as a recovery worker: “I really wanted to work for WithYou and help others who have gone through similar experiences.”

Andy Craze, national armed forces lead at WithYou, said: “Graham’s journey is a powerful example of what recovery looks like in practice. Having experienced our service firsthand, he now brings a unique and valuable perspective to the work we do.

“Armed Forces Day is an important opportunity to raise awareness of the help available and we would encourage anyone who is struggling with alcohol or drugs to get in touch.”

WithYou has offices in Truro, Redruth, Penzance, Bodmin and Liskeard and its teams also work from hubs across the whole of Cornwall.