Described in the media as a high-profile AOD (alcohol and other drugs) worker, Carlo discusses what he does to maintain Recovery. Carlo talks of his active participation in Recovery and the obligation he feels to provide to others the opportunity that was given to him. He also reminisces upon his childhood, his joy of growing up in an Italian family, the challenges they faced and the amazing work of his mother, one of the founders of the Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA). Carlo runs Integrated Treatment Services, a service for men who need to maintain Recovery, and can be contacted on 0415 203 645 or via email at [email protected]

Guests discuss drug addiction and recovery, told through their life story. Host Paul Watkins is a recovering addict and a respected drug and alcohol recovery specialist. In this episode, Paul and producer Scott reflect on the show so far and the future of the The ARC. 

Paul's first memory of Dennis was when his best mate Dave pointed him out. Dave advised "I'd advise you get to know that bloke, he'd be good for your Recovery".  Dennis talks about his interests, what it's like to have decades in Recovery, illness and his family. He discusses his father and their shared love of Cricket. Paul learns that Dennis enjoys bird watching (did you know Melbourne's Western Treatment Plant, aka the Werribee sewerage farm is considered one of the worlds greatest bird habitats)! Scotland is discussed, his application of 12 Step Recovery when faced with a serious illness, along with the love he feels for his wife, his family and how his Grandson kept Dennis accountable one afternoon...

This is one of our special episodes that explores an issue related to mental health and recovery. Paul, drawing on his professional work in the mental health field, gives advice for loved ones, friends and acquaintances of people who may be at risk of suicide. Note: this episode may cause trauma and suffering for those touched by suicide. Listener discretion is advised. 

Paul's recovery role model Wazza joins us for Part 2 of his interview. Growing up in Nepal, the son of Christian missionaries, Wazza's time on the planet has been anything but average. Wazza takes us through his life, from the pet monkey of his childhood, to the monkey on his back as a young adult and then right through to recovery from addiction. His work now in the recovery field takes him into prisons, Parliament and everything in between.

Paul's recovery role model Wazza joins us. Growing up in Nepal, the son of Christian missionaries, Wazza's time on the planet has been anything but average. Wazza takes us through his life, from the pet monkey of his childhood, to the monkey on his back as a young adult and then right through to recovery from addiction. His work now in the recovery field takes him into prisons, Parliament and everything in between.

Alex joins Paul to talk about his life of addiction and recovery. Starting in the UK, Alex then moves to Australia where, at a young age, he becomes fascinated with the allure of drugs. Dealing with issues of psychosis and coming to terms with his sexuality, Alex slowly moves into a lifestyle of addiction until one day a close friend alerts Alex's mother to the extent of his substance abuse. This begins the road to recovery, one that Alex still walks years later. (Thank you to Whitt from Spiderbait for our theme music 'Breathin Moonshine'.)  

When Paul first met Owen, Owen was an addict living in his car. Now he is studying to get his commercial pilot's licence. In this episode, Owen takes us through his childhood, where he was left to fend for himself as his alcoholic mother lay passed out on the couch. He remembers going to other kids' houses and being surprised to find mothers that were conscious and could interact. With a growing curiosity about what other households looked like, Owen began a series of impromptu 'visits' to homes all around his childhood neighbourhood, mostly via bathroom windows and removed roof tiles. This lifestyle led to an adolescence of burglary, theft, alcohol, clarinet playing and drugs. Owen tells the story of how all this played out in adult life (spoiler alert: not well), and his eventual transition into recovery.    

Lissy is a talented artist, musician, yoga instructor and a strong animal rights activist. Her courage to speak out for what she believes in hasn't come easily. Despite being from a prominent, high-achieving Australian family, Lissy suffered childhood trauma that led to self-medication through drug addiction. In this episode, Lissy takes us through her story.    

We've lost the bit of paper where we wrote down the episode description. We've been saying we'll just write it again from scratch. We've been saying that for about three months. So in the meantime, we're putting this episode up. Bloody hopeless. Sorry, Sarah. We'll put up a proper description ASAP.