Alcoholism & Recovery: former TV journalist addresses School
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Former television journalist and recovering alcoholic Ed Mitchell visited students at the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery recently to deliver his personal account of addiction and his ongoing recovery.
In his heyday as a top television news broadcaster, Ed Mitchell interviewed Prime Ministers, Chancellors and foreign Presidents. However, a growing dependency on alcohol led him to spiral downwards into alcoholism, bankruptcy and homelessness – ultimately sleeping on a bench in Hove, East Sussex.
Now more than a year into recovery, Ed addressed an audience of nurses and other health care workers studying substance misuse at the School. Talking about his personal journey from rock bottom to rehabilitation and recovery, he explored the way in which his addiction developed through his thirty year career. He went on to explain how he deals with his addiction today by altering his perception and embracing a more philosophical and spiritual attitude in order to recover.
“The debt, alcoholism and sleeping rough all happened by degrees. It was thousands of small, subconscious bad decisions, influenced mostly by alcohol,“ explained Ed. “To recover from alcoholism, I needed a profoundly altered state of mind – a revolution in attitude from within and with the help of others. Now I feel confident and lighter of spirit – I see things differently.”
In his heyday as a top television news broadcaster, Ed Mitchell interviewed Prime Ministers, Chancellors and foreign Presidents. However, a growing dependency on alcohol led him to spiral downwards into alcoholism, bankruptcy and homelessness – ultimately sleeping on a bench in Hove, East Sussex.
Now more than a year into recovery, Ed addressed an audience of nurses and other health care workers studying substance misuse at the School. Talking about his personal journey from rock bottom to rehabilitation and recovery, he explored the way in which his addiction developed through his thirty year career. He went on to explain how he deals with his addiction today by altering his perception and embracing a more philosophical and spiritual attitude in order to recover.
“The debt, alcoholism and sleeping rough all happened by degrees. It was thousands of small, subconscious bad decisions, influenced mostly by alcohol,“ explained Ed. “To recover from alcoholism, I needed a profoundly altered state of mind – a revolution in attitude from within and with the help of others. Now I feel confident and lighter of spirit – I see things differently.”
About the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery at King’s College London
The number one Nursing and Midwifery School in London (2009 Times Good University Guide) and highly regarded by leading London NHS Trusts with links to industry, health services and policy makers, the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery develops leading-edge nurses and midwives of tomorrow – practitioners, partners, and leaders in their field.
Studying at King’s College London, one of the top 25 universities in the world, the School’s graduates are highly sought after nationally and internationally, with:
Based in a prestigious Russell Group University, the School is also at the forefront of health services, policy and evaluation research. For more information on studying at the School, email nightingale@kcl.ac.uk
The number one Nursing and Midwifery School in London (2009 Times Good University Guide) and highly regarded by leading London NHS Trusts with links to industry, health services and policy makers, the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery develops leading-edge nurses and midwives of tomorrow – practitioners, partners, and leaders in their field.
Studying at King’s College London, one of the top 25 universities in the world, the School’s graduates are highly sought after nationally and internationally, with:
- exemplary care and clinical skills
- professional attitudes
- policy awareness
- intellectual rigour and self-confidence
Based in a prestigious Russell Group University, the School is also at the forefront of health services, policy and evaluation research. For more information on studying at the School, email nightingale@kcl.ac.uk