Until a few years ago, Joseph* drank 24 pints of beer and three cartons of wine every day and saw nothing wrong with that.

Alcohol had been his best friend since he first sipped it aged 12, and realised it made him feel more confident. He learnt to reach for a bottle whenever he felt stressed and, about four years ago, the situation spiralled out of control.

“I never drank coffee or water – just alcohol. It never crossed my mind that I had a problem because, the way I saw it, alcohol was helping me deal with my problems,” he said.

With the support of his wife, Maria*, and the team at the national agency against dependencies Sedqa, Joseph, who is now in his late 30s, opened his eyes to his addiction and is now attending a residential rehabilitation programme.

I used to think I couldn’t live without alcohol, but now I know I can

“I used to think I couldn’t live without alcohol, but now I know I can… now I see that the problem is that alcohol is cheap and very accessible, unlike drugs, and not seen to be as dangerous,” he said.

His words echoed those of Sedqa’s clinical director George Grech who recently said a national alcohol policy is needed to address the growing problem. He also said restrictions on cheap alcohol, like wine cartons, should be considered to make it less accessible.

When Joseph started drinking he thought it was harmless. There were some occasions when he met friends and downed a carton of cheap wine before school “as an adventure”.

When his wife met him, about 15 years ago, she knew he binged on weekends. But over the past four years his drinking frequency increased and he started gambling. It did not help that some casinos and gaming arcades offered him free alcohol.

One day, while she was at home with their son, she was listening to a television programme promoting the work of Sedqa.

A guest said that contrary to people’s perception, one did not need to drink every day or during the day to be an alcoholic – and she recognised her husband in the description.

After some time she called Sedqa for guidance on how to handle Joseph – they had been arguing a lot because she insisted he stop drinking even though he lied to her about how much he drank.

Then, one day, Joseph was involved in a serious traffic accident and suffered head injuries. That was when he agreed to go with her to Sedqa.

But he continued lying about how much he was drinking until she had no choice but to give him an ultimatum – it was alcohol or his family. This jolted him into realising he had a problem so he entered the programme. “It helped me realise I can live without alcohol. Now I don’t see my problems like a mountain. Before, I saw them piled on top of each other.

“But now I look at them side by side so they don’t seem so daunting,” he said.

Whenever he goes out he prepares himself mentally to get used to the fact there will be alcohol around him.

“Sometimes I feel jealous that I can’t just have two drinks and stop… this is an illness. If you’re diabetic you don’t eat sugar.

“I can’t take alcohol because it’s bad for me and this is something I have to keep clear in my mind,” he said.

A few weeks ago Joseph’s son asked him how come he was no longer drinking beer.

“I told him it was because I liked it so much that now I can’t have it because it hurts me,” he smiled, adding: “Today, whenever people insist I have a drink I tell them: no thanks, I’m an alcoholic.”

For more information or to seek help about an alcohol problem, the public may call on 2388 5110 during office hours or on Supportline 179.

*The names and details have been changed to protect the family’s identity.