Lynne Thompson Campbell backs drink debate
Jun 23 2009 by Helen Rae, The Journal
WHEN Lynne Thompson Campbell moved from her Northumberland home to London at the age of 16, she thought she had it made.
She was accepted into fashion school, met her future husband and was living in the exclusive Knightsbridge district.
Lynne even started a successful interior design business, boasting celebrities such as Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit as clients. But, she could not have imagined how dramatically her dream would change into a nightmare when she turned to alcohol to numb the pain of traumatic personal events.
Now the 38-year-old is backing a new public health debate, unveiled in The Journal last week, which is aimed at changing people’s attitudes towards excessive drinking.
“To many on the outside, it would seem like I had everything I could possibly want in life,” explained Lynne, who is originally from Blyth.
“But that was not at all the case. I was drinking up to 24 bottles of beer a day just to numb the pain I was feeling inside.
“Alcohol had become an addiction and it was having a detrimental affect on my life. I had no self-confidence and I didn’t think I could do anything without drinking first.”
Despite her problems, Lynne built up a successful construction and interior design business in the capital and counted Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit, Jim Kerr of Simple Minds, Death in Vegas and the Chemical Brothers among her clients.
She had a couple of houses in London, a flourishing business and a lifestyle that allowed her to party and travel the world. Yet Lynne is the first to admit that her life was a mess as she became increasing reliant on alcohol. In 2001 she gave birth to her son, Michael, and from the day her child was born, her life revolved around him. Yet, the youngster went to live with his dad and this is when Lynne hit rock bottom.
