An alcoholic who could no longer live with his addiction has been allowed to die in the Netherlands under its euthanasia law.

Details of the story emerged after Mark Langedijk's brother, Marcel, wrote an emotional account of his sibling's decision to end his life because of a long-term drink problem in the magazine Linda.

Marcel said his brother chose the day he wanted to die and was surrounded by his family when he was given a lethal injection by a doctor at his parents' home on July 14.

Under the law in the Netherlands, which was enacted in 2002, only people who are in "unbearable suffering" with no chance of improvement are allowed to take their own life.

Marcel said his brother found out he was addicted to alcohol eight years ago and underwent 21 hospital and rehabilitation sessions and several relapses.

He said that despite seeing "psychologists, psychiatrists, GPs and other health care professionals", there was nothing that seemed to help Mark, 41, with his anxiety and depression except alcohol.

Marcel writes: "We tried to understand, to live in the mind of an addict, to see where it had gone wrong. Why had this happened to him?

"But we were also angry. Because he after each rehab he immediately started drinking."

But he said that when his brother, who has two sons, first talked about ending his life because of his addiction the family "took it with a grain of salt".

"Euthanasia was for people with cancer, people in unbearable pain,for whom death was already imminent. Euthanasia was certainly not for alcoholics", Marcel writes.

But following several discussions with his GP, Dr Marijke, in the year leading up to his death Marcel said Mark had decided "enough is enough" and eventually his request to die was officially approved by a doctor from the Support and Consultation on Euthanasia in the Netherlands.

Marcel writes that on the day he chose to die, Mark and his family "laughed, drank, smoked and ate ham and cheese sandwiches and soup with meatballs," before Dr Marijke arrived.

She explained the euthanasia procedure and told Mark to lie in the bed and remain calm.

Marcel writes: "I started crying, my parents, everyone actually, even Mark. Not because he was afraid, but because he saw us crying...

"We said that we loved each other, that it would be all right, that we would care for each other, that we would see each other again, we held each other. If it was not so terrible, it would have been nice."

Mark was asked again if he was "one hundred percent sure" of his decision and he said "yes" before being given three injections to end his life.

In 2015, more than 5,500 people ended their life using Holland's euthanasia laws.

Below are the strict criteria for ending a life under the law in the Netherlands: