| Alcohol: thriller or killer? |
 Alcohol: thriller or killer? This is the story of two men whose lives crossed first in court and then in church. Alcohol was the link that drew them together but for very different reasons. Their book, Alcohol: thriller or killer? seeks to help others in need of release from alcohol. John Cartledge had a very promising career as a professional footballer and later played semi- professional football in Cheshire. He was in his father’s business and married Jennifer and they had three children. Everything looked rosy, but over a period of eight years he went from a social drinker to an alcoholic, drinking on park benches with other alcoholics, eventually, living rough, sleeping in derelict houses and stealing to get more drink. During this time his wife and family were totally neglected and when he did go home he caused havoc.  It is hard to believe that he gave up all the good things he had for a lifestyle of spending time in police cells, mental hospitals, halfway houses, rehabilitation clinics and eventually prison. Whilst on one of his prison sentences his wife divorced him. In 1991 he was admitted for the umpteenth time to Winwick Mental Hospital in Warrington. He had reached rock bottom many years before and had a long-term sickness benefit book on which his illness was described as ‘alcoholism’. For the last fifteen years of his drinking he had explored every possible avenue to stop but to no avail. After coming through ‘withdrawal’ in the hospital he decided to look at the last option available to him and that was through the Lord Jesus Christ. He decided to turn to the Bible and as he read it he could find no mention of ‘alcoholism’ or ‘alcoholic’. All he could find was ‘drunkard’ and ‘sinner’ and it became clear to him that his problem was sin and the only way to change was to confess his sin to God. This he did and was immediately cleansed and forgiven and the Holy Spirit took from him the desire for alcohol. From that day on, all he wanted to do was to serve his Lord. He went to Bible College and then to Ghana where he saw a great need for Bibles and Christian books. He set up the Malak Christian Book Centre in Tamale, northern region of Ghana. John married Akua and they have a young son, Sean. John and Akua now split their time between the UK and Ghana. The book also tells the story of John Hayes, who had retired in 2005 after 43 years as Senior Legal Adviser at Warrington Magistrates’ Court. He has been married to Dorothy for 42 years, they have two sons, both married and six grandchildren. John had been brought up in a Christian home but that didn’t make him a Christian, no more than being born in a garage would make him a car. He, too, had to come the way of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The two Johns had met, in court, many times, but in 2001 they met in totally different circumstances, when John Cartledge attended Bethesda Evangelical Church, Warrington, where John Hayes was an elder. They became good friends and as a result of their experience with alcohol – one having ‘been there, done that, got the T-shirt’; the other having seen what it does to people in its grip, were led to write the book. Since the book’s publication, the two Johns have set up a ‘sponsor-a-book ministry’ to pay for its distribution in prisons across the UK. So far, over 80 prisons (as well as churches and other organisations) have received books. They have been asked to speak in churches and prisons across the UK and hope to expand this work. They are happy to go anywhere to tell their story and can be contacted at: John Hayes, 15 Rydal Ave, Warrington, Cheshire WA4 6AU or email: jandd.hayes@googlemail. com or via their website www.alcoholtok.org or www.malakchristianbooks.org Alcohol: thriller or killer? is published by Ambassador-Productions £7.99 |
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