You can look put-together, build a big career, and still be drowning the moment the door closes. That tension sits at the heart of our conversation with Louise Barnett, host of the Unmasking Sobriety and Mental Health Podcast and author of Tainted Love: A Bipolar Memoir. She walks us through what it feels like when bipolar I disorder first shows up, why it can take years to get the right diagnosis, and how shame quietly pushes people toward secrecy, self-harm, and substance use.

We talk honestly about addiction and bipolar disorder as a linked story, not two separate problems. Louise explains how alcohol and drugs played different roles across the mood spectrum: amplifying the invincible energy of mania, then numbing the crash of depression. She also shares what it meant to be “high functioning” in public while blacking out at night, and why appearance and performance can accidentally protect the illness from being seen.

The most practical part of this conversation is what stability looks like now. Louise breaks down the pillars that keep her regulated, including medication, therapy, lifestyle, sobriety, nervous system regulation, and emotional regulation, plus the boundaries that protect her energy as a parent and a creator. She leaves us with a simple, powerful invitation: find your people and start telling the truth, one safe step at a time.

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To learn more about Louise's work: https://www.louisebarnett.com/

To contact Dr. Grover: [email protected]

To learn more about the podcast: https://www.addictionmedicinemadeeasy.com/