Alastair Campbell

But I just thought the way she did it this week was really, really powerful and very, very effective because she was talking about it and that was getting the headlines and what have you.

But on the back of it, because I still think we've got problems with stigma around addiction and around mental illness more general.

So on the back of it, we were being encouraged, lots of people being encouraged, not just well-known people, but everybody,

to share their stories on social media on the theme of the conversation that changed everything.

Well, I did it about, it was when the guy, Mike Trace, who's the former drug czar in our government, he phoned me up and he's involved in this addiction awareness stuff.

And he said, would I do one?

And literally, as he asked me the question,

the conversation that I then relayed literally popped back into my head.

It was a guy called, it was 1986.

I was in hospital having been arrested and then released on condition.

I went for medical treatment.

And this guy from Paisley, Ernest Benny, now sadly dead, but he basically was just this very nice, calm guy.

I'd been medicated for a few days.

I was calmer than I had been.

And he just said to me,

of all the reasons why you're here, do you think excessive alcohol might be one of them?

I said, no.

I've had a breakdown.

I was hearing voices.

Yeah, okay, okay.