‘I’m 38 years sober now. I want people to know there is a great life out there without drink’

Farmer Jim McLaughlin struggled with alcohol addiction in his late teens and early twenties and knew that he had to turn his life around. Luckily, he was able to do just that

Jim McLaughlin and his daughter, Clodagh, on the farm in Quigley’s Point, Co Donegal. Photo: Joe Dunne

Kathy Donaghy

January each year marks a significant milestone event in the life of Jim McLaughlin. It’s not the birth of any of his precious daughters he marks, but the anniversary of his sobriety.

He took his last drink 38 years ago and the date is forever etched in his mind as a new beginning. At 23 years old, it was the start of a fresh chapter in his life.