This is a different kind of "Building Bridges" episode. We're not talking about political divides today; we're talking about the chasm that opened up between me and my own life. This is the story of my recovery from alcohol. I'll share how my drinking wasn't just a habit, but a wall I built between myself and everything that mattered: my relationships, my passions, and my own truth. We'll walk through the moment I realized the bridge was out, the terrifying first steps of rebuilding, and how sobriety has become the strongest foundation I've ever built upon. This is an unfiltered look at getting real, getting sober, and finally building a life I don't want to escape from.

Key Takeaways:

1. The First Bridge is to Honesty: Recovery starts with building a fragile, crucial bridge to the truth about your own life.

2. Sobriety is a Demolition Project First: You have to tear down the wall of denial before you can lay the first stone of a new life.

3. Rebuilding Relationships Requires a New Blueprint: The old ways of connecting (often through drinking) don't work. You have to learn new forms of intimacy and communication.

4. The Most Important Bridge is the One to Yourself: Recovery is about rediscovering who you are without the substance and learning to trust and love that person again.

Resources & Support: If triggered, please seek support. You are not alone. Reach out to:

• Your local GP
• Alcoholics Anonymous: www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk / 0800 9177 650
• Samaritans: www.samaritans.org / 116 123
• NHS - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-misuse/treatment/
• Email: [email protected]

About the Podcast: A candid journey through recovery from alcoholism. I am not a professional but speak from lived experience, hoping my story helps others.

contact me - [email protected]

REFERENCES

Equipment used to produce this Podcast

Garageband - Editing Softare

DJI Mic 2 - Audio - https://amzn.to/47ReLPa

Affinity Photo - available from Apple Store

Affinity Designer - - available from Apple Store

Title: the Wolf in Sheep's Drinking Culture

Summary: What happens when your greatest virtue becomes your greatest vice? In this deeply personal episode, host [Your Name] pulls back the curtain on one of addiction's most powerful disguises: altruism. He shares his story of being a pillar of his local community—organising events, volunteering, and being the person everyone could count on—all while using that very identity to mask a debilitating alcohol addiction. Discover how a "reward" system nearly undermined every thing I was contributing to, why friends were shocked into disbelief when I confessed my struggle, and how to identify the "wolf in sheep's clothing" in your own life or the lives of those you love. This is a raw look at the collision between public service and private crisis.

Key Takeaways:

• The Camouflage of Goodness: How socially acceptable and even praised activities (like volunteering) can provide the perfect cover for addictive behaviours.
• The Dangerous Reward Loop: Understanding how the mental equation of Effort = Alcohol creates a rigid and self-justifying cycle of abuse.
• The Shock of Disbelief: Why those closest to us—especially in a community context—are often the last to see the problem and the most likely to dismiss cries for help.
• Identifying the "Wolf": Key questions to ask yourself if you suspect a "virtuous" habit is hiding a harmful one.

Resources & Support: If triggered, please seek support. You are not alone. Reach out to:

• Your local GP
• Alcoholics Anonymous: www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk / 0800 9177 650
• Samaritans: www.samaritans.org / 116 123
• NHS - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-misuse/treatment/
• Email: [email protected]

About the Podcast: A candid journey through recovery from alcoholism. I am not a professional but speak from lived experience, hoping my story helps others.

contact me - [email protected]

REFERENCES

Equipment used to produce this Podcast

Garageband - Editing Softare

DJI Mic 2 - Audio - https://amzn.to/47ReLPa

Affinity Photo - available from Apple Store

Affinity Designer - - available from Apple Store

Title: Pour another glass of insanity

Summary: In this episode of The Unfiltered Rebuild, we're tackling one of the most relatable concepts in recovery: the insanity cycle. We explore the common experience of swearing off alcohol only to find yourself back at square one, expecting a different result each time.

What we cover:

• A Personal Anecdote: A raw look at the subtle and frustrating ways the "insanity" cycle plays out in daily life.
• The Science Behind the Cycle: Why this isn't a moral failing. We explain how alcohol hijacks the brain's dopamine system and explore the "Kindling Effect" that makes relapse feel inevitable.
• Actionable Strategies: Three practical ways to break the cycle, including pattern disruption, "playing the tape forward," and the role of professional help and medication-assisted treatment (like Naltrexone).
• A New Definition of Sanity: How recovery is about rewiring the brain through consistent, new behaviors.

Tune in to understand the neurological battle of addiction and discover how to move from a cycle of insanity to a cycle of sustained recovery.

Listener Notes: An unfiltered look at the challenging, non-linear work of rebuilding. My honesty about the daily battle is meant to inspire hope that by taking the next right action and using simple tools, every piece of your life can be put back together, stronger than before.

Resources & Support: If triggered, please seek support. You are not alone. Reach out to:

• Your local GP
• Alcoholics Anonymous: www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk / 0800 9177 650
• Samaritans: www.samaritans.org / 116 123
• NHS - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-misuse/treatment/
• Email: [email protected]

About the Podcast: A candid journey through recovery from alcoholism. I am not a professional but speak from lived experience, hoping my story helps others.

contact me - [email protected]

REFERENCES

Becker HC. Kindling in alcohol withdrawal. Alcohol Health Res World. 1998;22(1):25-33. PMID: 15706729; PMCID: PMC6761822.

Equipment used to produce this Podcast

Garageband - Editing Softare

DJI Mic 2 - Audio - https://amzn.to/47ReLPa

Affinity Photo - available from Apple Store

Affinity Designer - - available from Apple Store

Episode Summary: Five years. It’s a nice, round number. But what does it really break down to? 260 weekly meetings (or not). 1826 mornings without a hangover (and some without much sleep, either). 43,824 hours of making a different choice. This isn't a victory lap; it's a ground-level, unfiltered tour of the my twelve steps. We're talking about the grueling work, the quiet boredom, the relationships that couldn't be fixed, the stunningly ordinary miracles, and the terrifying freedom of building a life you don't need to escape from. Join me for a raw conversation about what 43,824 hours of sobriety actually looks like and what comes next.

Key Topics:

• The Twelve Steps - A Program of Recovery.

Listener Notes: An unfiltered look at the challenging, non-linear work of rebuilding. My honesty about the daily battle is meant to inspire hope that by taking the next right action and using simple tools, every piece of your life can be put back together, stronger than before.

Resources & Support: If triggered, please seek support. You are not alone. Reach out to:

• Your local GP
• Alcoholics Anonymous: www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk / 0800 9177 650
• Samaritans: www.samaritans.org / 116 123
• Email: [email protected]

About the Podcast: A candid journey through recovery from alcoholism. I am not a professional but speak from lived experience, hoping my story helps others.

contact me - [email protected]

Equipment used to produce this Podcast

Garageband - Editing Softare

DJI Mic 2 - Audio - https://amzn.to/47ReLPa

Affinity Photo - available from Apple Store

Affinity Designer - - available from Apple Store

REFERENCES

correction within the podcast I inform I am 5 WEEKS sober, this is an error and I will be 5 YEARS in September

Episode Summary: In this powerful third episode, I explore the "rebuild" phase of my recovery from alcoholism. I challenge conventional healing wisdom, sharing how I once used therapy as an excuse to drink, not progress. This is a raw look at the practical, mental, and philosophical pieces needed to rebuild a life, emphasizing forward motion over dwelling on the past.

Key Topics:

• The Illusion of Healing: How I misused therapy to dwell on the past until a counsellor redirected my focus to the future.
• Occupying a Sober Mind: Simple tools that helped me rebuild focus: jigsaws (a perfect recovery metaphor), audiobooks, and journaling to transform loneliness.
• Reframing Emotions: Learning to dissect anger as a "negative gesture enabling resentment" and recognizing the insanity of repeating past patterns.
• Core Principles: The essential mindset for rebuilding: H.O.W. (Honesty, Openness, Willfulness), K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple), and finding a "God of my understanding" in nature.

Listener Notes: An unfiltered look at the challenging, non-linear work of rebuilding. My honesty about the daily battle is meant to inspire hope that by taking the next right action and using simple tools, every piece of your life can be put back together, stronger than before.

Resources & Support: If triggered, please seek support. You are not alone. Reach out to:

• Your local GP
• Alcoholics Anonymous: www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk / 0800 9177 650
• Samaritans: www.samaritans.org / 116 123
• Email: [email protected]

About the Podcast: A candid journey through recovery from alcoholism. I am not a professional but speak from lived experience, hoping my story helps others.

contact me - [email protected]

Equipment used to produce this Podcast

Garageband - Editing Softare

DJI Mic 2 - Audio - https://amzn.to/47ReLPa

Affinity Photo - available from Apple Store

Affinity Designer - - available from Apple Store

REFERENCES

THE (7) SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE - STEPHEN R COVEY https://amzn.to/4p61ecX

Binge drinking. Emotional spending. Hitting a wall. This week, I'm sharing my story of my rock bottom. I talk about the devastation of being found out, the power of opening up, and the difficult work of acceptance. This episode is for anyone who knows the shame of a secret struggle and needs a reminder that asking for help is the bravest first step on the long road back to yourself.

Alcoholics Anonymous - https://www.aa.org/

Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org/ or call 116123

Podcast music - https://mobygratis.com

Mic used DJI Mic 2 - https://amzn.eu/d/2dl6lZB

Recorded using GarageBand

Follow @

YouTube - https://youtube.com/@unfilteredrebuild?si=uKpvx8qRD2JbkLvz

X - @URebuild10285

TikTok - @unfilteredrebuild

welcome to my new podcast - this is a quick introduction to my podcast about recovery. My personal journey and what I have learned along the way in order to survive nearly 5 years of sobriety. As the weeks progress I aim to improve the content and quality of the recordings. This is just another example of what I can achieve now I don't drink ;-) - look out for more episodes as I navigate myself through the trials and tribulations of life - I will speak about books I have read and important learnings from my recovery journey.