I owe my 8 years of sobriety entirely to Judith Narvhus and Campral : Stuart Roberts

In July 2004 Campral was approved by the US Food and  Drug Administration (FDA) to suppress the urge to drink in recovering alcoholics, Judith noticed the announcement, read the maker’s claims and realised this was the perfect drug for me - and so it turned out to be. 

I have not had a drink since the first day I took Campral in August 2004, nor even thought about doing so. My liver, which 20 years ago showed signs of significant damage, is now as healthy

as if I had never drunk alcohol; I owe my sobriety and my good health entirely to Judith Narvhus.

Campral treated the urges and symptoms of my alcoholism so I no longer lived the life of an alcoholic.

Judith Narvhus Mikkel and Stuart

In April 2002 I joined a school reunion website called Friends Reunited. I wrote to about a dozen people from school and whereas after the first flurry of emails corresponding with most of them became awkward, with Judith it was the opposite - but Judy had been my girlfriend for a time and we had been very close.

Judith and I found that we still enjoyed the same things and were both equally interested in photography and gardening, as a consequence, many of our emails had floral attachments, we tried to outdo one another with the quality of our flower pictures.

As well as communicating by email we occasionally spoke on the phone and after Judith had called me several times in September 2003 when my speech was slurred, Judith put this information together with other observations and things that I had said, and deduced I had an alcohol problem. Rather bravely Judith bought Allen Carrs Easy Way To Control Alcohol and posted it to me along with a letter of encouragement.

Once my alcoholism was out in the open with Judith, for the first time I was able to explain my drinking to someone who was neither a medical professional nor another alcoholic, without holding anything back - I told the whole truth for the first time. 

And also for the first time I actually wanted to stop drinking.

I knew it was no good going back to programmes I had rejected 10 years before, I needed a programme tailor-made for me. In November 2004 my doctor arranged for me to see the consultant who was head of the alcohol addiction unit in Edinburgh, as a private patient. Although we only met once for an hour, because I was so clear in my own objectives and answered his questions so openly, he was able to suggest several ways in which Judith and I could work together to bring about an end to my drinking.

I had no trouble avoiding alcohol in my normal daily life - I went into pubs frequently without succumbing to temptation - the problem was special occasions.  I made no attempt not to drink at Christmas 2003,  and made no attempt when I went on holiday at Easter 2004, but I agreed to make my nephew’s wedding in July 2004 on the Isle of Man, the first big test.   I thought I had plans to deal with every eventually but I in the end I lost my nerve and drank rather than explain why I wasn't doing so.  

When I returned to Edinburgh Judith was on holiday so there was no one around who might hear my slurred speech and for several days I continued to drink before getting back in control.

The timing of the FDA approval for Campral could not have been better; I was furious with myself for drinking at the wedding, but learning about Campral completely reinvigorated my attempt to stop drinking.

I took Campral as directed and onceJudith was satisfied that I was not suffering any adverse reactions and would continue to do so, Campral ceased to be a topic of conversation - there was no point in discussing my progress each day when the course of treatment lasted a whole year.

In mid September at the end of the first week of a 6 month website design course, a group of us went to the pub and when I was asked what I would like to drink, I asked for a soda and lime. For the previous 10 years there had been an internal debate before I ordered a non-alcoholic drink - balancing short-term gratification against long-term harm - but I was taken completely by  surprise that night; suddenly I had lost all interest in alcohol.

On the first day of the course we had all introduced ourselves and so everyone knew that I had been a brewer most of my working life, my conversation during the week had been full of references to brewing and beer, and so naturally I was asked to explain my choice of drink.   I was so sure that the change in me was permanent that I had no hesitation in telling everyone that I was an alcoholic and explained how that had come about.

Judith and I had never got as far as discussing how we would decide if Campral had been a success, so she was ecstatic when I told her of my news.

Unfortunately in autumn 2004 Judith’s marriage  was going very badly - eventually ending in divorce - and her troubles were the focus of our conversations for the next few months but she still found time each day to check on my feelings; after about 12 weeks I started to get headaches after taking my pills, but after a great deal of research by Judith, we found they were caused by me not eating enough.

Since the break up of my own marriage,  the low spot of every year had been Christmas. Each year I had drunk to excess to blot out the reality of my situation,  but I got through Christmas 2004 without ever feeling depressed or wanting a drink

Judith Narvhus Barnsdale Gardens May 2005

In May 2005 Judith and I met in the UK to take photographs at the Cambridge University Botanical Gardens, Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland and National Pelargonium Collection in Warwickshire - all of the Judith Narvhus talks for gardening clubs are collaborative efforts - throughout our time together Judith did not drink alcohol so as not to put temptation in my way, but I assured her she could drink if she wanted to.

Judith Narvhus at Barnsdale Gardens June 2005

In June 2005 I decided to stop taking Campral 8 weeks early. At the end of the month when Judith and I met up to photograph the National Pelargonium Collection, the National Geranium Collection, the Eden Project and to have a holiday together, I had not taken Campral for 3 weeks but did not feel any different - completely relaxed about drink.












At first Judith was again reluctant to drink alcohol in my presence even though she enjoyed wine with her meals and the occasional gin and tonic, but in the end I persuaded Judith that what she drank had no effect on how I felt - and we both needed to know if the treatment had been successful.

Judith Narvhus National Pelargonium collection June 2005

I was highly sceptical when I fist heard of Campral, but it had done exactly what its makers claimed. So for the rest of our holiday we had pub lunches every day, there was wine in the fridge, I could smell alcohol on Judith's breath whenever we were close, but I was never tempted to drink.

Judith Narvhus and Andrew Norton, National Geranium collection, Somerset July 2005

Judith Narvhus Eden Project July 2005

Judith kept telling me who amazingly well I had done, but I kept telling her it had been easy, however Judith could not accept that any drug on its own could bring about such a complete change in me when my wife, and a host of doctors, had been trying for 20 years and decided that it was my feelings for her that had made it all possible. 

Judith Narvhus and Stuart Roberts at  Eden Project Cornwall

Three weeks after the end of our holiday jan moved into her new house in Oppegård.  At the end of August Judith started inviting me to visit Norway and eventually I accepted;  I visited Norway for the first at the end of September 2005 more than 14 months since I had my last drink, and 4 months after I had stopped taking Campral. On October 3rd when I visited Fageråsveien 57 for the first time, Judith told me from that day onward to think of it as my home.

Judith Narvhus and Stuart Roberts on his first trip to Norway and Oppegård