A WOMAN who appeared on a BBC Panorama show about alcohol has thanked the Liverpool hospital staff who saved her life.

Vicky White, from West Derby, featured on the BBC1 programme, Dying For A Drink, last night.

Part of the show was shot in the Royal Liverpool Hospital and illustrated the health effects of excessive drinking in the city.

Before being admitted, Ms White was drinking four or five bottles of wine a day and had developed sclerosis of the liver.

The 35-year-old mother-of-two told the Daily Post: “I had been a heavy drinker since the age of 21 but did give up between 2005 and 2009.

“I ended up in hospital then and they said I would die if I carried on, so I stopped.

“But for some reason I started it again and fell back into a pattern – it was habit. My family were really worried.

“I have stopped drinking now completely and my health is slowly recovering but my liver is very damaged. The staff at the Royal are amazing, though – they really helped me.

“My consultant Paul Richardson was great and they all helped in my recovery.”

Royal liver specialist Paul Richardson said: “Alcohol admissions are rising across the board, not just because of liver disease but heart disease, blood pressure and violent crime in A&E that is often caused by alcohol.

“And the number of younger people with very serious liver disease has risen. We often see people in their 20s and 30s with the very worst cases of liver disease.

“We have seen several people in their 20s die as a result in the last few months.”