I know my limits but I exceed them every time. Sometimes I don't even know where I am.
If I can function properly the next day it hasn't been that
great of a night.
I just drink alcohol for the effects,
I don't drink it for the taste.
Bro, I'm sorry.
My friends call me a massive liability when we go out.
I don't just go out and get absolutely sloshed every time,
I can go to a bar and have a few.
No, I can't do that, I don't know why...
I can't do that, I always end up sloshed.
I don't think a big night is ever planned, to be honest,
you just go out and it happens.
I used to party hop, this party to that party,
this party to that party.
When I first came to university, my housemates drank moderately.
Some of them had never drunk before.
They are complete alcoholics now.
This is me when I go to parties. I'm this guy.
The most I have drank before leaving the house easily is
a litre of vodka plus a few ciders.
I think I once added it up for one night and it was like 100 units.
Most people have a subconscious person in their mind saying,
"Stop drinking now." I've not got that person.
I didn't think I would have to get to the point where I actually needed
to watch how much I am drinking because I can't recover the next day.
Sometimes I do suffer from memory loss.
I wake up and think, "Oh, my gosh, who do I have to apologise to today?"
What did I do?
Sometimes I gets naked. Sometimes I fall asleep.
I got this one when I was drunk, this tattoo here.
I had this great idea being drunk that I was going to climb up a tree.
I got to the top of the tree and fell out and dislocated my knee.
I climbed over this fence thinking, "Yes, winning."
Train station there.
And I had actually climbed into the grounds of a primary school.
I just fell asleep on the grass.
I had a bit of an altercation with two people.
Those two people got a bit mad and I was kind of like beaten up.
Really, really badly.
Our residential support manager at uni told me I should go
and see a counsellor to do with drinking.
And it was either that or disciplinary action.
I just drink alcohol for the effect, I don't drink it for the taste.
I will buy...
..what I need to buy so I can get from sober to drunk in a cheap way.
Hi, my name is Dan. Nice to meet you, I'm Kai. Nice to meet you.
I wanted to tell you a little bit about my story.
18 months ago...
..I was out on a night out.
I said to my friends who I was with that I was going to the toilet.
And I never returned.
I don't even know what happened, it was just a complete blackout.
I tried to sit up, couldn't sit up.
I tried to stand up, couldn't stand up.
Then I realised that I'd done something pretty serious to myself.
They told me as soon as I got to hospital that I'd broken my back.
And that I've got a 0.5% chance of ever walking again.
I basically had to adjust to life in a whole different perspective.
I'm speechless.
As soon as I saw you, my heart just sunk.
Sorry you had to go through something that's just
completely took me away.
I feel really horrible that I have just sat here
and talked about all the times I have been shitfaced drunk.
I've done it many a time as well.
You don't think about these things when you go out.
I know I definitely didn't.
Obviously I had no idea this was going to happen,
I was going to be hit with this.
This is crazy, man, honestly.
I just want to say, I feel for you. That does hit hard.
Where did you find the strength?
I didn't at first. I said to my mum, "Just kill me now."
Because I lost my freedom.
For you to come here and say that...
When I heard you saying you were having blackouts,
that's quite worrying.
Obviously mine was a blackout as well
so from previous experience...
Just be careful, don't drink excessively.
I'm not going to say to you, stop drinking,
it's bad and all that, because it's part of life
and you can't always worry about the bad things in life.
Otherwise you won't be able to enjoy it.
Just don't exceed drinking to the extent where you are not in
control of your own body.
I hear you fell out of a tree and dislocated your knee.
If you landed on your head you could have been in a completely
different situation. Yeah.
I can see that I'm irresponsible, I know what I'm doing.
I'm extremely grateful that you shared.
I've just stopped shaking.
I've gone into a bit of a meltdown.
I am grateful that you shared it.
I think stuff like this, people like you raising awareness like this,
is obviously such a good thing.
I can only imagine what it is you've had to go through,
and the kind of strength you have had to have as well.
I have to commend you
because you have changed my mind about a lot of things.
Thanks for sharing it with me. That's OK.
I think I'm definitely going to think more.
I really do hope that your story is heard.
Because it's really a beautiful thing.
Thank you. That means a lot.
Thank you, mate, cheers. Nice to meet you, mate.
Thank you so much.