“I split a quarter bottle of vodka with a mate. I was on my bike and the police stopped me, fucking fined me 1,000 zloty and took my driving licence. Never been fined for anything. First time those fuckers ever stopped me.”

“Of course I told them I was shooting a project on alcoholism, and I didn't expect them to say, ‘Yes, yes, I drink.’ But what surprised me was that many of them said, ‘Sure, I enjoy a drink from time to time. Just like everyone else.’ Perhaps they don't realise they have a problem or if they do they don't want to admit it.”

Jozef K. (1965- 2012)

“I tried to get my brother to go to therapy and he took it the wrong way and I didn't see him for three months. I was worried so I went to see if everything was alright. I knocked on his house door and shouted for ages. Then I managed to get in and what I saw was shocking.”

“I saw many of them very, very drunk every day when I was growing up. In fact it was normal to see drunk people all the time. It was only when I got older that I realised this was a problem.”

The series of photographs represents a personal journey through individual stories of the men and women dealing with alcoholism. Forgotten and useless things covered in dust, emaciated cats running around searching for leftovers, rooms taken over by spider webs and a strong odour of alcohol. This was merely a part of the chaos that I encountered while photographing my native village, Palmowo and the surrounding areas in Poland. I have attempted to create a visual narrative to reflect on my own story of the past. Not all the characters are necessarily alcoholic, but everyone has been affected by alcoholism, through family or friendship. Over the course of a year, I was gathering relevant information, researching medical data, and interviewing alcoholics, their families and doctors, who specialize in treating the addiction. I believe that this was essential, as it enabled me to fully understand the problem that plays a major role in my country, and express the issue in my photographic work.