In this episode we link up with Hollywood as actor Shaun Weiss joins us from Los Angeles!

Shaun rose to fame in the 90s as a child actor when he had a starring role in The Mighty Ducks movies as Greg Goldberg, the team's tough but loveable goalkeeper. He'd acted before this but it was these movies that cemented his love for the profession, and he made friends for life who still play a big part in his story to this day.

Shaun's addictions started in his early 30s after his mother died, something that absolutely devastated him. He talks to us about the day he knew that he was in for a long journey as he walked to the liquor store and heard that little voice in the back of his head - the accessibility of alcohol meant that this was the first thing he turned to, but it soon led to an addiction to other substances too.

Shaun hit rock bottom, and was sitting in a jail cell when one of the deputies came in with a picture of him on his phone as one of the Mighty Ducks - and a few days later Shaun was all over the news. What happened next was extraordinary - an army of fans from 30 years ago sent Shaun their love and their support, and made him realise that there were people out there who wanted to see him do well.

This moment was the start of Shaun's stunning recovery, and today he is thriving. We'd like to thank Shaun for spending an hour with us and being so honest about some extremely difficult times in his life - and as you'll hear, we're hoping to see him in a bell tent at the bottom of Snowdon soon!

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Of course, you can always get in touch with us (publicly or privately) on our socials - @alcoholfreepod on Instagram, or search for "Over The Influence" on Facebook.

We'd love to hear your story - please get in touch with us directly at [email protected] or go to our website, www.overtheinfluence.co.uk

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Over The Influence is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel.

Sound Rebel works with businesses, brands, charities & other organisations across the UK - go to soundrebel.co.uk now to find out how podcasts could help you to tell your story to the world.

If you feel as if connection with likeminded people would help as you try life without alcohol, join the Over The Influence Community now - and we can't wait to meet you!

For links to alcohol-related support services, please visit our website.

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All views expressed in this podcast are of the participants themselves, and not necessarily those of Over The Influence (OTI) Ltd. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. We are not medical professionals but normal people giving their own experiences of removing alcohol from their lives, and as such this podcast should not be considered professional advice. If you are dependent on alcohol, or think you may be, we strongly recommend that you seek professional medical advice.

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We found hashtags and sober social media accounts really helpful in our early days alcohol free, as following them can help to reinforce that you are not alone! 

These are some of the hashtags we've followed:

#alcoholfree #stopdrinking #healthandwellnessjourney #zeroalcohol #idontdrink #sobercurious #healthydrinking #alcoholfreelife #soberaf #alcoholfreeliving #sobermotivation #podcast #healthpodcast #noalcohol #nobooze #sober #sobercurious #soberlofe #soberliving #sobercommunity #afcommunity #soberwomen #sobermom #sobermomtribe #sobersisters #sobriety #soberuk #soberjourney #sobrietyrocks #overtheinfluence #oti