Meet Matt who has been sober for over 20 years!

Matt Ryan was a DJ at Hacienda nightclub in Manchester, one of the most infamous nightclubs of the 80s and 90s. Matt found himself fully immersed in DJ'ing and clubbing, fuelled by party drugs like ecstasy. After a panic attack whilst on drugs, Matt was sent in to a spiral and subsequently on a quest to understand experiences he was having with his mental health, until eventually he was given a diagnosis.

Matt found escapism and wellness in movement, specifically in Ashtanga Yoga which he has now been practicing for 25 years. This is a great conversation exploring hedonism, drug use, mental health and the benefits of physical movement - for both body and mind!

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Meet Caroline, who describes herself as sober-ish....

Caroline is Founder and Co-Director of Heard Storytelling, the spoken stories company that harnesses the power of lived experience to create positive change. She believes in the importance of people feeling seen and heard - and through her company she's helped give a voice to people through live storytelling events, workshops in storytelling, team building sessions, events and exhibitions.

Caroline was sick of hangovers and drinking to fit in, one day she had enough and decided to quit booze for a little bit, not forever. Now she barely drinks and in this episode we talk about all sorts from what it means to get quiet with yourself, doing the work because you want better, sober dating and much more! I learnt so much from this conversation and the fresh perspective that Caroline brings to the sober movement...

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Meet Stephen who got sober in 2017 following a referral from a Counsellor.

Counselling and therapy has been a huge part of Stephen's continuing recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. In recovery Stephen trained to become a Counsellor and now works primarily supporting clients with addiction issues and those within the LGBTQ+ community. 

Stephen talks about his own experiences with mental health and counselling through childhood and how counselling enabled him to take the necessary steps to get clean and sober. Stephen also shares his journey with therapy both personally and professionally post sobriety.

TRIGGER WARNING: Deep discussion on self-harm and suicide.

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Meet Chris, a Fitness Coach from Manchester and a very good friend of mine. Chris found sobriety in directly anchoring his motivation to not drink with his own fitness training. Chris also coupled his motivation to stay sober by investing his time, energy and focus into his successful fitness coaching business.

Chris shares his own journey and experiences with alcohol whilst exploring topics such as dealing with sexuality, further education, dating someone who drinks heavily, drinking culture in the gay community, taking personal responsibility and finding peace and presence with his sober life where he says "the grass is definitely greener!".

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Meet Mary, a friend of mine who I met in treatment and who has been an integral part of my recovery, not just for her support but for the way she has inspired me by making sober living a super power and not a chore.

Mary talks about her own story along with thoughts on a whole range of topics including the role alcohol plays in society, normalisation of drinking culture, what recovery has been like for her and most importantly, how she has reclaimed her identity and leads a life without drama and full of excitement and exploration.

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In our very first episode, we start with a look back at how Karl's drinking impacted Anna, his best friend.

Anna talks about how she witnessed the progression of Karl's drink and drug use and how he went from being happy, motivated and ambitious to becoming an addict. We explore the impact this has on friends and family, from unreliability right through to concern for someone's life.

This episode is an honest and deep conversation between two friends who have come through the other side of addiction with their relationship in tact and happy to be able to say, it does get better.

TRIGGER WARNING: Suicidal ideation.

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