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Teen found alcoholic mum dead
From the archive, first published Thursday 9th Mar 2006.
A TEENAGER told her mum she loved her as she left for a Christmas night at a friend's house and returned the next day to find her dead.
An inquest was told that GP nurse Janet Elizabeth Duckworth, 47, died on December 27 as a result of alcohol toxicity and sclerosis of the liver as a result of prolonged alcohol abuse.
But coroner Michael Singleton said that despite her problems, which not even her immediate family were aware of, Mrs Duckworth had managed to function quite properly as a nurse and a mother of two.
"This was a woman with a problem but she only let it affect herself," said Mr Singleton. "Alcoholism is an illness and it needs to be recognised and understood as such. It is clearly a problem and not a life choice."
Mrs Duckworth, of Quebec Road, Blackburn, worked as practice nurse at Primrose Bank Surgery and her daughter Claire told the inquest she enjoyed her job.
Claire said she was not aware of any long-term alcohol problems although she knew her mum took a drink.
On the night she left to stay at a friend's house she could tell her mum had been drinking because she was slurring her words.
"As I left I told mum that I loved her," said Claire.
The following day she returned about midday but when she went to her mum's room she couldn't open the door.
Paramedics later pro-nounced Mrs Duckworth dead. A post mortem examination revealed a blood alcohol level close to four times the drink drive limit but pathologist Dr Richard Prescott said that was not high enough to cause death on its own.
He said there was well established sclerosis of the liver which indicated chronic alcoholism over many years.
There was also fatty liver change which indicated ingestion of large quantities of alcohol in more recent months.
He said the damaged liver would not be able to cope with the alcohol consumption and gave the medical cause of death as alcohol toxicity and sclerosis of the liver.
Mr Singleton recorded a verdict of misadventure.
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