Loose Women host Nadia Sawalha recently paid tribute to her husband Mark Adderley as he celebrated seventeen years of sobriety with a post on her Instagram, and Mark has since spoken out about her role in his recovery from alcoholism.
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He took to the comments section beneath Nadia's post to thank her for her support, explaining that he wouldn’t have been able to do it without her and their daughters Kiki and Maddy.
WATCH: Nadia Sawalha opens up about pride for husband Mark
"None of it is possible without you and all my girls," he wrote. "I am an enormous advocate of support for the family and friends of alcoholics/addicts as I am the actual alcoholic – recovery is more than one person and I am eternally grateful the more than one person started with you Ms Sawalha."
Nadia replied with a simple heart emoji and the word "always".
Mark's comment also touched several of Nadia's fans, and it has since had 469 likes, as well as several replies. One wrote: "You inspire me everyday Mark and I know I say this a lot but it's true. It's fellow men like you who give me the lift I need when I'm having a dark day. As a fellow man I'm so proud of you and how far you have come. I have nothing but respect for you my friend and thank you."
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© Photo: InstagramNadia shared a photo of herself and husband Mark to mark his sobriety anniversary
Nadia's original caption reads: "I feel so emotional this morning… Seventeen years ago today my super smart, funny, kind, loving, tortured, talented husband @mark_adderley put down alcohol for good. For me. For his daughters. For all those that loved him. NOT for himself. He couldn’t for himself. Alcohol had unwittingly, right from his very first drink, been his medication for the agonies of Bi polar 2 and depression.
"Mark only got his diagnosis this year when he was told that he would have been trying to deal with his illness since he was five or six years old. It breaks my heart that alcohol became the answer for his emotional agony.
"I truly believe that if Mark hadn’t chosen AA and a sober life, he wouldn’t be with us today. For some, alcohol is deadly . The slow realisation that Mark was an alcoholic was a painful and scary one for me and I almost gave up on our marriage. Thank god I didn’t. Thank god he really heard me and chose sobriety ‘one day at a time'. It’s not ALWAYS the case that someone ONLY gives up alcohol if THEY want to give up alcohol.
© Photo: InstagramNadia and Mark married in 2002
"Mark never wanted to give up. How could he, the sadness in him could only be soothed (albeit momentarily) by alcohol. BUT once Mark knew, really knew, that he would lose me and his girls forever if he didn’t give it up for good. He did. It was very tough. But he did it for all of us. So he could be the best dad. The best husband. The best son he could.
"I’ve seen just how hard it is to live in a drink obsessed world if you choose not to drink. It is the ONLY drug in the world you have to apologise for not taking and that’s pretty damn bonkers when we all know what havoc it can cause.
"So Mark. I want to say. Today is all about you. Me and the girls want to celebrate you and what you do one day at a time. You are our hero. Thank you for your sobriety and for being the funniest, kindest, smartest person I know. I love you. More now than ever. Happy sober birthday! Fancy an egg and fag sarnie darling?
"To anyone struggling with a loved one who is in the grip of alcoholism AAnon is for families and loved ones of alcoholics. You need support too."
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