A Norwich woman who suffers PTSD after a taxing tour of Afghanistan is pulling on the boxing gloves to give back to the veterans service who helped her.
Liz Sharpe, 32 and from Spixworth, served in the Royal Engineers from 2003 to 2009, and was one of the first women to be in the regiment.
But after leaving the Army, having been part of Operation Herrick V in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2007, she began to struggle with her mental health, turning to alcohol to numb the pain.
Miss Sharpe, who now works for Perenco, said although she was officially diagnosed with PTSD six years ago, she felt she was feeling the effects far before.
She said: "You feel like you are going crazy, and you don't know why, you have a lot of social anxiety, you can't cope with things.
"There are vivid instances that stand out and also the training I went through was quite tough because I was one of the first female Royal Engineers."
At first, Miss Sharpe went to see her GP and was given medication and referred to NHS services, but it was only when she found Outside the Wire - a bespoke drug and alcohol service for the armed forces in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex - that she really started to make progress.
Her support includes weekly meetings, counselling, and other activities to help her cope with the PTSD, which recovery practitioner Justin Smith said never really goes away.
And crucially Outwside the Wire does not put a time limit on how long support is provided for, as Miss Sharpe has been seeing them for five years.
"It's whenever I think life is getting out of hand," she said.
Mr Smith, who is ex-RAF, said: "PTSD manifests itself in so many ways, it can stem right back to childhood. Over the years it's been a bit misunderstood, the easy way out has been to prescribe medication, that's why people were given the antidepressants.
"But they build up a tolerance because the nightmares are still there and they are vivid. So the next step is quite a drastic one, often drink or drugs."
Miss Sharpe said it was alcohol which had impacted her. She said: "When I feel the psychological strains I would [drink] to numb the pain, but it doesn't work."
Now Miss Sharpe is hoping to give back to Outside the Wire by organising, and fighting in, a corporate boxing event at Open in Norwich on June 29. The money raised will go towards the refurbishment of a new recovery centre in Oak Street.
To buy tickets, contact The Matthew Project on enquiries@matthewproject.org or to donate, click here.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here