Mother-of-three, 30, who drank every day for 12 years was found dead at bottom of flight of stairs Heavy drinker Emma Hopwood fell because she was 'unsteady on her feet' Her mother warns of damage alcohol can cause after daughter's death Emma found at bottom of stairs at Stockport home by her estranged partner Coroner returned an open verdict at inquest into her death Tragedy: Emma Hopwood, who friends and family said drank every day, died after falling down the stairs at her home in Stockport, Greater Manchester An alcoholic mother-of-three who drank from the moment she woke until until she went to sleep died after falling down a flight of stairs, an inquest heard. Former barmaid Emma Hopwood had been drinking cider and fell backwards because she was unsteady on her feet. She suffered two fractures to her skull after falling backwards down the stairs having battled alcohol problems for 12 years. An inquest into her death heard she began drinking socially when she was around 18 but this escalated into all day drinking. Last June she was found at the bottom of the stairs at her home by her estranged partner who had been unable to contact her on her mobile phone. Police found numerous empty cans and crates of cider inside the Stockport home she died in. Today after the inquest into Emma's death, her mother warned of the dangers of drinking too much alcohol in the run up to Christmas. Janet Maher, 48, from Stockport, Greater Manchester said: 'Parents of young people who drink too much need look for the signs and give them a lot of love and affection. The way my daughter died could happen to anyone young lady who drinks too much alcohol for her own good. She started drinking when she was a teenager when she used to go out to the pub with her friends like most girls her age. But despite liking a drink she used to get up and go to work - she wasn't drunk every day. But it escalated during her relationship with the father of her children and she would drink to blot it out. In later life she would phone me sometimes and I could tell she had had a drink because she was slurring her words. She always drank cheap cider and she used to hide empty cans. She would hide them in cupboards, in the laundry basket, in the toilet cistern, under the bed, in bags, in handbags. Worried: Emma's mother Janet Maher today warned of the dangers of drinking after the inquest into her own daughter's death She used to go upstairs quite a lot and that was a sign that she was drinking. Later I would find empty cans in the bedrooms. Parents should encourage their children to get professional help. You have to keep on top of it. 'We tried to help her as much as we could but sometimes we couldn't get through to her but other people, like counsellors, could get through to her. I had to hide all the drink in the house. Towards the end I don't know how many cans of cider she was drinking. She was very good at putting a happy face on but I did worry about her. But then my worst nightmare happened. If I could, I would change with her in a heartbeat. The inquest at Sale was told Emma had three children a daughter and two boys between 2003 and 2013. Her relationship with the children's father Barry Shepherd was said to be stormy and they split up after a string of drunken and violent rows. The older children went to live with Mr Shepherd, 55, while the youngest child went to live with Emma. Troubled: The 30-year-old mother-of-three had struggled to cope with her alcohol problem since she was 18, her inquest heard Miss Hopwood's best friend Debra Walters told the hearing: 'Emma was not a binge drinker. She was someone who drank from when she woke up to when she went to sleep. But she always tended to the baby. She always made sure he was fed and changed. It did shock me how she could drink and look after the baby at the same time. The tragedy emerged when Mr Shepherd became concerned because he could not contact her on her mobile phone. Much-loved: Emma's family and friends are bereft at her death, and said that her drink problem tore her life apart He said that he had tried calling Emma a number of times on the evening of 14th June but his mobile phone told him there was a network error. On the morning of 15th June he decided to go to Emma's address to check that she was ok. Mr Shepherd tried the front door but, after discovering it was locked, climbed into the outhouse at the back of the property. He then gained entry to the house using the back door, which was unlocked. In his statement, Mr Shepherd said: 'She was lay at the bottom of the stairs with her feet going up the stairs. She had blood on her nose. 'When I first saw her I was ready to 'say get off the floor, you silly devil.' She looked like she had just sprawled out at the bottom of the stairs. Mr Shepherd called the emergency services who then tried to revive Emma, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. A postmortem examination carried out by Dr Naomi Carter confirmed that Miss Hopwood had two fractures to her skull and had died as a result of a injury, where the brain moves to opposite side of the skull that was impacted. She added that she was 'satisfied that the injuries indicate that she has gone over backwards.' Dr Carter said that 'the body did smell of alcohol' and that there was 259mg of alcohol found in Emma's bloodstream and urine at the time of her death. She added: 'An alcohol level like that would have rendered her unsteady on her feet.' The coroner returned an open verdict.