A MAN who was told “one more drink will kill you” has launched a community to help people break free from drugs and alcohol.
At his lowest ebb, Sam Luke, from Ronkswood, drank “every time my eyes were open” and ended up spending weeks in hospital.
The former roofer has now launched a meeting, activity and support group at his neighbourhood’s community hub on Canterbury Road, aimed at but not strictly limited to people in recovery from alcohol and substance misuse.
Named Rise & Recover Worcester, the community represents the 35-year-old’s own road to recovery that looked set to consume him at the height of his addiction in 2024.
“It was a dark time,” Mr Luke said.
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DARKNESS: Sam Luke ended up in hospital at his lowest point (Image: Rise and Recover, @Ruse&Recover)
Lowest ebb
“I’d been using substances for a long time, I started using herbal cannabis when I was 13 years old.
“When I got to 18, I started having bad panic attacks and drinking was my coping mechanism.
“At first I was a binge drinker; I’d go out to the pub and I just couldn’t stop all weekend.
“But it was at its worst after I had a relationship breakdown and lost my job.
“I ended up homeless. I was drinking whatever I could get my hands on; cider, a litre of vodka a day.
“I had no sleep routine, I’d just drink, black out, and drink again.
“I drank whenever my eyes were open.”
Hospitalised
The father-of-two, who lived in Upton-upon-Severn at the time, woke up on Boxing Day 2024 with what he describes as “horrendous” pain.
He was rushed to Worcestershire Royal Hospital by ambulance and subsequently diagnosed with chronic liver disease and pancreatitis.
“While I was in hospital a surgeon came to my bed where I was on the drip and the fluids and told me, ‘one more drink could kill you’,” Mr Luke said.
“I said I was an alcoholic so I couldn’t stop drinking, and he said ‘well it’s either that or you die.’
“He was as blunt as that.”
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MESSAGE: Sam Luke has used his own dark times to spread the message about the pitfalls of alcohol (Image: Rise and Recover, @Rise&Recover)
Mr Luke tried to detox during and after his hospital stay but relapsed, with his drinking spiralling even further after the death of his father from alcohol abuse in February 2025.
Supported by his sister, he eventually went into rehab on March 24, 2025 at a centre in the Cotswolds.
Mr Luke can instantly recall the date as he had his last drink, a beer, on the way to the ‘dry house’.
The influencer has since moved back to Worcester, is engaged to his long-term partner and raising awareness of alcohol with millions of social media users via his Rise and Recover channels.
‘I wake up each day excited’
The new group is aimed at those in recovery as well as anyone who wants to get away from socialising revolving around the pub, who is struggling with mental health or just wants to enjoy life and make friends away from drink and substances.
“I feel like my life’s really changed over the past 16 months and over that time I’ve really got to know who I am,” Mr Luke said.
“I used substances from the age of 13, I didn’t care about school, it was just about escaping myself.
“It sounds crazy but it’s only now that I’m exploring who I am.
“I’ve even been exploring my family history, something I never would have done before.”
Whereas drinking, watching football and work — when he could — once dominated life, Mr Luke now wants to bring people together through coffee mornings, walks, fitness sessions and other activities via the Ronkswood meet-ups.
“Drink was the only thing in my life back then,” he said.
“Now I spend my life thinking of the different things I can do.
“I wake up each day excited about what the day might bring, whether that’s time with my family, helping others, studying new things and seeing what I can come up with for the next Rise and Recover project.”
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