Bottled Up: Help for families of alcoholics and those struggling with alcoholism

This episode is essential for anybody living with an alcoholic. Lou and John talk about four things you must stop doing to make your life with an alcoholic better.

Stop Picking a fight, Stop Punishing, Stop Policing, Stop Pleading. They call them the 4 Ps and they will help change your life.

In this revealing and moving episode Lou and John draw on all their combined experience of living with an alcoholic and being a problem drinker to encourage you to Stop doing things which do not work.

For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com

Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into alcohol addiction for more than 15 years. Before this, for many years, John had an addiction to alcohol. He has been sober for over 40 years.

Lou Lewis is a professional counsellor and the co-founder of Bottled Up with John. Lou's first husband had an addiction to alcohol for many years, from that experience and her counselling Lou has a deep understanding of the difficulties of living with problem drinkers. 

John and Lou are married and live in England. They founded Bottled Up in the hope that it would help change your life.

The Bottled Up program is innovative and advocates that the partners of alcoholics can introduce changes to their lives, which will empower them and influence their drinkers to change. If you live with an alcoholic partner, or are looking for help to quit drinking, then Bottled Up is for you.

For more help and advice visit www.bottled-up.com

For advertising and sponsorship opportunities email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shortly after getting sober, John had a breakthrough. It was the road to recovery – recovery from alcoholism and recovering who he really was.

For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com

Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into alcohol addiction for more than 15 years. Before this, for many years, John had an addiction to alcohol. He has been sober for over 40 years.

Lou Lewis is a professional counsellor and the co-founder of Bottled Up with John. Lou's first husband had an addiction to alcohol for many years, from that experience and her counselling Lou has a deep understanding of the difficulties of living with problem drinkers. 

John and Lou are married and live in England. They founded Bottled Up in the hope that it would help change your life.

The Bottled Up program is innovative and advocates that the partners of alcoholics can introduce changes to their lives, which will empower them and influence their drinkers to change. If you live with an alcoholic partner, or are looking for help to quit drinking, then Bottled Up is for you.

For more help and advice visit www.bottled-up.com

For advertising and sponsorship opportunities email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hope can sometimes seem very far away, or so close that the thought of it sometimes seems to good to be true. But there is hope, real hope. It is there in the thousands of people who are in recovery in the UK, seeking to change and heal themselves and their relationships. Join John and Lou for a kitchen table conversation as they talk about hope. There is hope to be found in both Lou's and John's different stories of dealing with addiction – Lou as the wife of a problem drinker, and John as a recovering alcoholic. In this episode you will find encouragement, smart advice, and inspiration. We understand how you feel, but it's worth holding on to the notion that it can take a long time for something to suddenly change.

For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com

Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into alcohol addiction for more than 15 years. Before this, for many years, John had an addiction to alcohol. He has been sober for over 40 years.

Lou Lewis is a professional counsellor and the co-founder of Bottled Up with John. Lou's first husband had an addiction to alcohol for many years, from that experience and her counselling Lou has a deep understanding of the difficulties of living with problem drinkers. 

John and Lou are married and live in England. They founded Bottled Up in the hope that it would help change your life.

The Bottled Up program is innovative and advocates that the partners of alcoholics can introduce changes to their lives, which will empower them and influence their drinkers to change. If you live with an alcoholic partner, or are looking for help to quit drinking, then Bottled Up is for you.

For more help and advice visit www.bottled-up.com

For advertising and sponsorship opportunities email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alcohol is the missing piece of the jigsaw for many alcoholics. In this clip from episode 3, John talks about how alcohol gave him "liquid personality" and it felt like the bit of him that "god left out". Lou and John also talk about the importance of stopping drinking before addressing personal issues - because alcohol is a mind-altering drug.

For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com

Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into alcohol addiction for more than 15 years. Before this, for many years, John had an addiction to alcohol. He has been sober for over 40 years.

Lou Lewis is a professional counsellor and the co-founder of Bottled Up with John. Lou's first husband had an addiction to alcohol for many years, from that experience and her counselling Lou has a deep understanding of the difficulties of living with problem drinkers. 

John and Lou are married and live in England. They founded Bottled Up in the hope that it would help change your life.

The Bottled Up program is innovative and advocates that the partners of alcoholics can introduce changes to their lives, which will empower them and influence their drinkers to change. If you live with an alcoholic partner, or are looking for help to quit drinking, then Bottled Up is for you.

For more help and advice visit www.bottled-up.com

For advertising and sponsorship opportunities email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this fascinating episode, join John and Lou for a kitchen table conversation as they talk about the key subject, "Why can't alcoholics recognise the problem?". It is an essential episode for people wanting to understand the complexities of alcohol addiction.

John has been sober for over 40 years, but he had a problem with drinking for many years. In this episode Lou talks to John about why he could not recognise his problem with alcohol. It is very difficult to put yourself in the position or mindset of somebody who is addicted, but John's personal account and his ability to express how he felt and reflect on who he was at that time is incredibly helpful to your understanding, either as a family member or a problem drinker.

For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com

Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into alcohol addiction for more than 15 years. Before this, for many years, John had an addiction to alcohol. He has been sober for over 40 years.

Lou Lewis is a professional counsellor and the co-founder of Bottled Up with John. Lou's first husband had an addiction to alcohol for many years, from that experience and her counselling Lou has a deep understanding of the difficulties of living with problem drinkers. 

John and Lou are married and live in England. They founded Bottled Up in the hope that it would help change your life.

The Bottled Up program is innovative and advocates that the partners of alcoholics can introduce changes to their lives, which will empower them and influence their drinkers to change. If you live with an alcoholic partner, or are looking for help to quit drinking, then Bottled Up is for you.

For more help and advice visit www.bottled-up.com

For advertising and sponsorship opportunities email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deciding to stay with, or leave, your alcoholic partner is a big decision. In this clip from episode two, here is the checklist you will want to consider.

For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com

Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into alcohol addiction for more than 15 years. Before this, for many years, John had an addiction to alcohol. He has been sober for over 40 years.

Lou Lewis is a professional counsellor and the co-founder of Bottled Up with John. Lou's first husband had an addiction to alcohol for many years, from that experience and her counselling Lou has a deep understanding of the difficulties of living with problem drinkers. 

John and Lou are married and live in England. They founded Bottled Up in the hope that it would help change your life.

The Bottled Up program is innovative and advocates that the partners of alcoholics can introduce changes to their lives, which will empower them and influence their drinkers to change. If you live with an alcoholic partner, or are looking for help to quit drinking, then Bottled Up is for you.

For more help and advice visit www.bottled-up.com

For advertising and sponsorship opportunities email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please note, if you are under any threat, go. Seek help and advice, and remove yourself from a dangerous situation. Safety first.

In this episode of kitchen table conversation, John and Lou look at one of the big and often difficult decisions, "Should I stay? Or should I go?". They talk you through what you should consider before making a decision, and what to do if you are under any threat. We understand that for many people the decision to stay or go can be very difficult. People love their partner and will often say that they are perfectly nice and reasonable when they're not drinking, and they don't want to leave. Equally, living with an alcoholic is very tough and takes its toll on you and your family, and it is completely understandable to feel you cannot live with the situation any longer.

Remember, your decision won't be "wrong", and it isn't permanent. You are living under great stress. Be kind to yourself.

For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com

Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into alcohol addiction for more than 15 years. Before this, for many years, John had an addiction to alcohol. He has been sober for over 40 years.

Lou Lewis is a professional counsellor and the co-founder of Bottled Up with John. Lou's first husband had an addiction to alcohol for many years, from that experience and her counselling Lou has a deep understanding of the difficulties of living with problem drinkers. 

John and Lou are married and live in England. They founded Bottled Up in the hope that it would help change your life.

The Bottled Up program is innovative and advocates that the partners of alcoholics can introduce changes to their lives, which will empower them and influence their drinkers to change. If you live with an alcoholic partner, or are looking for help to quit drinking, then Bottled Up is for you.

For more help and advice visit www.bottled-up.com

For advertising and sponsorship opportunities email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this clip from Episode 2 "Is my partner an alcoholic or am I making a fuss?", John and Lou discuss the effect of alcohol on a relationship. If your partner is lying on the sofa drunk, then physically your partner might be there, but mentally and emotionally they are not present. This repeated absence can make it seem impossible to have a relationship. Listen and subscribe to our series for help, advice, and support when living with an alcoholic.

For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com

Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into alcohol addiction for more than 15 years. Before this, for many years, John had an addiction to alcohol. He has been sober for over 40 years.

Lou Lewis is a professional counsellor and the co-founder of Bottled Up with John. Lou's first husband had an addiction to alcohol for many years, from that experience and her counselling Lou has a deep understanding of the difficulties of living with problem drinkers. 

John and Lou are married and live in England. They founded Bottled Up in the hope that it would help change your life.

The Bottled Up program is innovative and advocates that the partners of alcoholics can introduce changes to their lives, which will empower them and influence their drinkers to change. If you live with an alcoholic partner, or are looking for help to quit drinking, then Bottled Up is for you.

For more help and advice visit www.bottled-up.com

For advertising and sponsorship opportunities email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join John and Lou for a kitchen table conversation as they consider one of the fundamental questions of problem drinking - assessing whether your partner is an alcoholic. You might think there is a problem, but you are unsure. This could be through fear of recognising the issue, uncertainty as to what the symptoms might be, or you may be told by your partner, or others, that you are making a fuss. This episode gives you two ways to consider the question - the assessment used by clinicians (the DSM-5) and, equally importantly, the approach that Bottled Up also uses, which is to look at the consequences of drinking to the people living with the problem drinker.

For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com

Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into alcohol addiction for more than 15 years. Before this, for many years, John had an addiction to alcohol. He has been sober for over 40 years.

Lou Lewis is a professional counsellor and the co-founder of Bottled Up with John. Lou's first husband had an addiction to alcohol for many years, from that experience and her counselling Lou has a deep understanding of the difficulties of living with problem drinkers. 

John and Lou are married and live in England. They founded Bottled Up in the hope that it would help change your life.

The Bottled Up program is innovative and advocates that the partners of alcoholics can introduce changes to their lives, which will empower them and influence their drinkers to change. If you live with an alcoholic partner, or are looking for help to quit drinking, then Bottled Up is for you.

For more help and advice visit www.bottled-up.com

For advertising and sponsorship opportunities email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John and Lou are here to help you change your life. In this short episode they talk a little about their experiences with problem drinkers and alcohol addiction.

Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into alcohol addiction for more than 15 years. Before this, for many years, John had an addiction to alcohol. He has been sober for over 40 years. Lou Lewis is a professional counsellor and the co-founder of Bottled Up with John. Lou's first husband had an addiction to alcohol for many years, from that experience and her counselling Lou has a deep understanding of the difficulties of living with problem drinkers. 

Join John and Lou for kitchen table conversations as they offer help, advice, and support for people living with problem drinkers and those with alcohol addiction. There is a huge amount of insight, practical advice, sympathy, smart strategies and humour on offer.

For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com

John and Lou are married and live in England. They founded Bottled Up in the hope that it would help change your life.

The Bottled Up program is innovative and advocates that the partners of alcoholics can introduce changes to their lives, which will empower them and influence their drinkers to change. If you live with an alcoholic partner, or are looking for help to quit drinking, then Bottled Up is for you.

For more help and advice visit www.bottled-up.com

For advertising and sponsorship opportunities email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.