In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Paul Haley shares his extraordinary journey from the depths of heroin and crack cocaine addiction to a position of national leadership within Change Grow Live. After a near-fatal injecting injury became his rock bottom, Paul made the courageous decision to rebuild his life - a decision that would ultimately shape his future and the lives of thousands of others.

Nearly two decades into recovery, Paul now serves as Change Grow Live’s National Service User Involvement Lead, using his lived experience to challenge stigma, influence policy, and embed the voices of people in treatment across the UK. His story is not just about abstinence - it is about reclaiming identity, finding meaning, and proving that lived experience is an asset capable of transforming entire systems.

This conversation explores resilience, purpose, and the power of turning personal pain into professional impact. Paul’s journey shows that recovery can lead not only to healing, but to leadership, innovation and lasting change.

In this episode:

• Heroin and crack cocaine addiction, collapse and near-fatal injecting injury
• The moment Paul decided to rebuild his life
• Two decades of recovery and personal transformation
• Why lived experience is essential in modern treatment systems
• Paul’s role as Change Grow Live’s National Service User Involvement Lead
• Challenging stigma and influencing national practice
• How recovery can lead to leadership, purpose and systemic change

Search terms: heroin recovery UK, crack cocaine recovery, lived experience leadership, addiction recovery stories, trauma and recovery, Change Grow Live, service user involvement.

Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us.

🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it.

Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com

This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone.

If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service.

https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service

📩 Podcast Contact: [email protected]
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)

🔗 Listen & Subscribe
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923

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In this powerful transatlantic collaboration of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, host Amy Goldberg welcomes UK host Matt Butler into the guest seat, joined by special guest host Caitlin Morrison — sister of the late Matthew Perry and a driving force behind the Matthew Perry Foundation.

Together, they explore the intersections of recovery, resilience and legacy through an intimate conversation about how storytelling dismantles stigma, how lived experience shapes advocacy, and why honesty continues to be one of the most transformative tools in the recovery movement.

Matt reflects on his own journey — from working behind the scenes in addiction services to becoming the host of a nationally recognised podcast — and how the stories he’s heard have reshaped his understanding of compassion, trauma and hope. Caitlin offers moving insight into her brother Matthew’s mission to help people recover, and how his legacy continues through advocacy, education and lived-experience leadership.

This episode is a testament to the universal nature of recovery and to the power of collaboration across borders, communities and personal histories.

In this episode:

• A cross-Atlantic conversation on recovery and stigma
• The legacy of Matthew Perry and the mission of the Matthew Perry Foundation
• Matt Butler’s journey from frontline work to podcast host
• How storytelling challenges shame and transforms public understanding
• Why lived experience is vital in reducing stigma
• The emotional realities of advocacy, grief and purpose
• Reframing recovery as service, connection and compassion

Search terms: Matthew Perry Foundation, addiction recovery podcast UK, lived experience stories, stigma and recovery, storytelling and mental health, Amy Goldberg podcast, Caitlin Morrison interview.

Learn more about the hosts and their work:

• Believe in People America by Amy Goldberg: Push Back Productions | Instagram
• Caitlin Morrison and the Matthew Perry Foundation:

Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us.

🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it.

Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com

This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone.

If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service.

https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service

📩 Podcast Contact: [email protected]
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)

🔗 Listen & Subscribe
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923

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In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Matt sits down with ultramarathon runner Tom Fitzsimons, whose extraordinary journey from alcohol addiction to running 3,073 miles across the United States in 100 days stands as one of the most powerful testaments to human resilience and purpose.

Through raw, candid storytelling, Tom shares how running became his lifeline - a way to reclaim identity, process trauma, and rebuild a life grounded in meaning rather than self-destruction. From training in front of a fireplace to surreal encounters on America’s loneliest highways, he reflects on the emotional toll of addiction, the healing power of movement, and the strangers who shaped his path along the way.

This conversation challenges stigma, celebrates recovery, and reminds us that profound purpose can be found in even the most painful places. Tom’s story shows how discipline, community, and endurance can transform not only a body, but a life.

In this episode:

• Tom’s journey from alcohol addiction to ultramarathon runner
• Running 3,073 miles across America in 100 days
• Trauma, identity loss and the emotional cost of addiction
• Why running became a source of healing and structure
• Strangers, community and the unexpected support found along the road
• Challenging stigma through lived experience and storytelling
• Purpose, resilience and rebuilding a life through movement

Search terms: alcohol recovery UK, ultramarathon recovery stories, running and mental health, lived experience stories, trauma and recovery, endurance and sobriety, substance misuse.

Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us.

🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it.

Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com

This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone.

If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service.

https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service

📩 Podcast Contact: [email protected]
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)

🔗 Listen & Subscribe
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923

...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, we continue the second part of a powerful two-part conversation with Sarah Hicks, who shares her courageous journey through trauma, justice and long-term recovery.

Speaking with clarity and unflinching honesty, Sarah reflects on her experience of surviving sexual assault and the profound psychological impact that followed. She details the systemic barriers she encountered while seeking justice - from investigative inconsistencies to structural gaps that can retraumatise survivors rather than support them.

As Sarah traces her path through advocacy, she highlights how transforming pain into purpose became a catalyst for change. Working with the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Independent Advisory Group, as well as serving as a lived experience coordinator, she now champions survivor-led reform, pushing institutions to become more accountable, trauma-informed and compassionate.

This episode is a sobering, essential exploration of resilience, systemic improvement and the vital role of lived experience at the heart of meaningful reform.

In this episode:

• The long-term impact of surviving sexual assault
• Systemic failures and barriers within justice and investigative processes
• Trauma, recovery and rebuilding trust in institutions
• Sarah’s role in the Violence Against Women and Girls Independent Advisory Group
• Lived experience coordination and survivor-led reform
• The emotional cost of speaking out — and the power it creates
• Why advocacy, accountability and trauma-informed practice matter

Search terms: sexual trauma recovery, survivor-led advocacy, VAWG lived experience, mental health and trauma, justice system failures, addiction recovery podcast UK, stigma and recovery.

Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us.

🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it.

Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com

This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone.

If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service.

https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service

📩 Podcast Contact: [email protected]
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)

🔗 Listen & Subscribe
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923

...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Matt begins the first part of a deeply personal two-part conversation with Sarah Hicks, whose story spans addiction, trauma, abusive relationships, grief and the long journey back to self-worth.

Sarah reflects on her early experiences with substance use, unpacking how emotional neglect, generational patterns and unhealthy family dynamics shaped her understanding of love, loyalty and survival. She speaks candidly about the damaging impact of coercive control, the emotional fallout of loss and abandonment, and how codependency and stigma kept her trapped in cycles that felt impossible to break.

With striking honesty and insight, Sarah explores the complexities of motherhood while carrying trauma, and how the desire to protect her children became a catalyst for change. Her recovery journey is one of painful self-reflection, gradual healing and the courage to rebuild a life on her own terms.

This episode shines a light on the nuanced intersections of addiction, mental health, family systems, trauma and isolation, offering a compassionate and realistic portrayal of what long-term transformation truly requires.

In this episode:

• Early substance use and emotional coping
• Coercive control, abusive relationships and breaking the cycle
• Generational trauma and the shaping of self-worth
• Grief, abandonment and the emotional weight of loss
• Motherhood while navigating addiction and trauma
• Codependency, shame and internalised stigma
• The beginnings of Sarah’s healing and personal transformation

Search terms: addiction and trauma recovery, coercive control lived experience, grief and addiction, mental health podcast UK, family systems and recovery, lived experience stories.

Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us.

🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it.

Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com

This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone.

If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service.

https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service

📩 Podcast Contact: [email protected]
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)

🔗 Listen & Subscribe
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923

...

Matt speaks with Zoe, whose powerful story charts a path through substance misuse, undiagnosed ADHD, and trauma toward recovery and renewal. Growing up in an environment where drug use was normalised, Zoe began using cannabis at 12, later turning to alcohol, pills, and toxic relationships as coping mechanisms. She reflects on the pressures of working in high-stress kitchens, where substance use was embedded in the culture, and shares how a domestic violence incident and the temporary loss of contact with her child became a life-altering turning point. Through therapy, self-reflection, and support, Zoe has begun to break intergenerational cycles and reclaim a future for herself and her son. This candid conversation offers a nuanced look at how addiction is often rooted in trauma and mental health, and why compassion and comprehensive support are crucial to lasting recovery. 

Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us.

🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it.

Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com

This is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone.

📩 Contact: [email protected]
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)

🔗 Listen & Subscribe
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923

🎙️ Facilitator: Matthew Butler
🎛️ Producer: Robbie Lawson
🏢 Network: ReNew

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Matt speaks with Chris Tait - keyboardist for Electric Six and founder of Passenger Recovery, a Detroit-based organisation supporting musicians and creatives in sobriety. Together they explore what happens when the highs of the music industry collide with the depths of addiction.

Chris reflects on using alcohol as a coping mechanism from a young age, the culture of excess and self-destruction that permeates the music world, and the pivotal moments that pushed him to seek recovery. With honesty and clarity, he discusses the emotional cost of addiction, the pressures of life on the road, and the profound relief of finally telling the truth.

This is a powerful reminder that behind the glamour of the stage are real people with real struggles - and that healing begins when we make space to speak openly about pain, identity and recovery.

In this episode:

• Addiction behind the scenes of the music industry
• Teenage alcohol use and coping through substances
• Recovery turning points and redefining identity
• Passenger Recovery and supporting creatives in sobriety
• Metropolis Records: A Call to Action
• Stigma, peer support and purpose-led advocacy
• Why storytelling saves lives in creative communities

Search terms: musicians in recovery, alcohol recovery stories, music industry addiction, lived experience stories, trauma and recovery, Passenger Recovery, Electric Six, creative sobriety.

Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us.

🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it.

Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com

This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone.

If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service.

https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service

📩 Podcast Contact: [email protected]
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)

🔗 Listen & Subscribe
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923

...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Matt jumps straight into a heartfelt and unflinching conversation with Shev, who reflects on the emotional weight of adult responsibilities placed on her from an early age - including becoming a mother at just 17.

Shev speaks candidly about the wounds of abandonment, the complexity of family relationships, and how alcohol use quietly escalated while working in the pub industry. She challenges the stigma that surrounds single motherhood, identity, and women in recovery, sharing her determination to rewrite her story with honesty and strength.

Through community support, family connection and the rise of the sober movement, Shev has begun rebuilding a life that reflects her values, her resilience and her sense of purpose. This conversation explores the intersections of trauma, identity, motherhood and recovery — and shows how healing begins when we finally choose to reclaim our narrative.

In this episode:

• Becoming a mother at 17 and carrying adult responsibilities too soon
• Abandonment, family trauma and emotional wounds
• Alcohol escalation within the pub industry
• Stigma, single motherhood and rewriting your story
• Community support, sober movements and renewed identity
• Resilience, hope and building a self-led future
• The realities of healing while still showing up for family

Search terms: alcohol recovery stories, single motherhood and addiction, trauma and recovery, lived experience podcast UK, family dynamics in addiction, sober movement UK.

Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us.

🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it.

Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com

This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone.

If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service.

https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service

📩 Podcast Contact: [email protected]
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)

🔗 Listen & Subscribe
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923

...

Join Matt for a gripping and emotional conversation with Tom, a former talent agent whose high-flying lifestyle in central London masked a devastating struggle with cocaine addiction. Tom recounts the harrowing moment he realised he was using drugs while bringing his new-born daughter home - a wake-up call that forced him to confront the grip addiction had on his life. Reflecting on his own childhood, Tom explores the psychological toll of drug-induced psychosis, self-blame, and the destructive cycle of addiction. With honesty and vulnerability, he shares the painful road to recovery, from despair and relapse to the intervention that led him to rehab and healing. At its heart, Tom’s story is one of redemption - highlighting the power of empathy, the necessity of support, and the unwavering drive to reconnect with what matters most. 

Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us.

🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it.

Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com

This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone.

If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service.

https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service

📩 Podcast Contact: [email protected]
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)

🔗 Listen & Subscribe
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923

...

Matt is joined by Ollie for a raw and introspective conversation tracing his journey from early childhood trauma to recovery. After losing his mother at just eight years old and navigating the fallout of his father’s 22-year prison sentence at fifteen, Ollie turned to cannabis as a coping mechanism - eventually becoming heavily dependent and identifying as a self-proclaimed “weed connoisseur.” He candidly reflects on how his rationalisation masked the deep mental health toll, including psychotic episodes and profound emotional isolation. Smoking from morning to night, his life became shaped by addiction. Now in recovery, Ollie challenges the widespread perception of cannabis as harmless, offering a powerful reminder that its impact - particularly on mental health - can be just as serious as that of any other substance. 

Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us.

🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it.

Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com

This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone.

If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service.

https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service

📩 Podcast Contact: [email protected]
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)

🔗 Listen & Subscribe
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923

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