Show Notes
This conversation delves into the personal journey of addiction, exploring Daud's experiences from childhood through adulthood. It highlights the early signs of addiction, the transition into crime, and the role of drugs as a coping mechanism. The discussion also touches on the impact of institutionalisation and the complexities of relationships formed during this tumultuous period. Ultimately, it emphasises the importance of understanding one's past in the journey towards recovery and personal growth, and the impact of relationships on one's life. Daud shares his struggles with substance use, the turning points that led to recovery, and the ongoing challenges faced in maintaining sobriety. Through candid reflections, we explore the complexities of addiction, the importance of support systems, and the transformative power of self-discovery and spirituality.
More from Life - The Long and The Short of it
In Part Two, Alice talks about what recovery has given her — and what life looks like when she is no longer missing out. From learning to enjoy ordinary moments and feel comfortable in her own skin, to rebuilding her relationship with herself and understanding the difference between sobriety and recovery, Alice reflects on the changes that have come with recovery. We also talk about navigating social situations, rewriting old stories, therapy, and learning to live differently without losing the parts of life that matter. Content warning: addiction, alcohol and drug use, mental health and recovery.
Alice joins us to talk openly about her journey through addiction, from feeling out of place as a child and discovering alcohol and drugs at a young age, through years of chaos, relationships, work and increasingly dangerous substance use. She talks about trauma, the ways addiction shaped her behaviour and relationships, and the denial that kept her believing she could control it. Despite repeatedly trying to set rules around drinking and using, she kept moving the bar — until eventually those rules stopped working. This is an honest and sometimes difficult conversation about addiction, survival and what happens when you can no longer convince yourself that everything is under control. Content warning: This episode discusses addiction, sexual abuse, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and drug use. Please take care while listening and stop if you need to.
In Part Two of our conversation with James, we pick up after his first attempt at rehab — when he knew he was going to drink again — and hear what finally changed. James talks openly about relapse, finding recovery, and the moment he finally became willing to listen. He shares the power of meeting people who understood what he was going through, and how recovery gradually helped him rebuild his self-respect, relationships, work and family life. We also talk about identity, sexuality, trauma, living sober, and discovering who you are when addiction is no longer defining your life. James reflects on his role as a trustee of the Nelson Trust, the ripple effect of recovery, and what it means to become a source of hope for other people. After nearly losing everything, James describes recovery as giving him something he never thought he'd get back: a life he actually wants to live.
In Part One of our conversation with James, he talks about growing up feeling different, hiding parts of himself, and using alcohol and drugs to change the way he felt. From childhood and sexuality to a successful career in wine, James shares how addiction gradually took hold despite the appearance that everything was under control. We talk about denial, shame, trauma and the first time he went to rehab. But as James left, he already knew one thing: He was going to drink again.
Four years into recovery, Dan and Martin reflect on how their lives have changed since getting sober. They talk openly about relationships, parenting, co-parenting, financial insecurity, anxiety, OCD, therapy, antidepressants and the difference between recovery and mental health. Recovery didn't solve everything—but it's given them the foundations to keep rebuilding.