Life - The Long and The Short of it

In Part Two, Alice talks about what recovery has given her — and what life looks like when she is no longer missing out. From learning to enjoy ordinary moments and feel comfortable in her own skin, to rebuilding her relationship with herself and understanding the difference between sobriety and recovery, Alice reflects on the changes that have come with recovery. We also talk about navigating soc...

Alice joins us to talk openly about her journey through addiction, from feeling out of place as a child and discovering alcohol and drugs at a young age, through years of chaos, relationships, work and increasingly dangerous substance use. She talks about trauma, the ways addiction shaped her behaviour and relationships, and the denial that kept her believing she could control it. Despite repeated...

In Part Two of our conversation with James, we pick up after his first attempt at rehab — when he knew he was going to drink again — and hear what finally changed. James talks openly about relapse, finding recovery, and the moment he finally became willing to listen. He shares the power of meeting people who understood what he was going through, and how recovery gradually helped him rebuild his se...

In Part One of our conversation with James, he talks about growing up feeling different, hiding parts of himself, and using alcohol and drugs to change the way he felt. From childhood and sexuality to a successful career in wine, James shares how addiction gradually took hold despite the appearance that everything was under control. We talk about denial, shame, trauma and the first time he went to...

Four years into recovery, Dan and Martin reflect on how their lives have changed since getting sober. They talk openly about relationships, parenting, co-parenting, financial insecurity, anxiety, OCD, therapy, antidepressants and the difference between recovery and mental health. Recovery didn't solve everything—but it's given them the foundations to keep rebuilding.

This conversation delves into the personal journey of addiction, exploring Daud's experiences from childhood through adulthood. It highlights the early signs of addiction, the transition into crime, and the role of drugs as a coping mechanism. The discussion also touches on the impact of institutionalisation and the complexities of relationships formed during this tumultuous period. Ultimately...

In this conversation, we delve into the profound impact of fear on addiction and recovery. We explore personal experiences with various fears, including fear of abandonment, failure, and responsibility, and how these fears often lead to self-sabotage. The discussion highlights the role of trauma in addiction, the challenges of navigating relationships, and the process of coping with loss and grief...

This conversation explores the journey of addiction and recovery through the personal story of James, who shares his experiences with substance abuse, the impact of early life events, and the path to recovery. The discussion delves into the complexities of addiction, the role of trauma, and the importance of forgiveness in healing. James reflects on his struggles, the moments that led him to seek...

In this episode we are joined by Emily Andrew, who shares her story of recovering from a near fatal eating disorder, introduces us to Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Tapping as she is a Certified Advanced EFT practitioner, and discusses her decision to live a sober life. EFT can help with a variety of issues including trauma & PTSD, food issues, anxiety, stress and even travel sickness as E...

Martin and Dan are joined by their first guest, Sam who shares her experience around alcoholism and how this led to her interest and practicing of conscious connected breathing. Sam has a great story to tell of her alcoholism and recovery, while providing an insight into a therapy that is an alternative to talking therapies. You can book a session with Sam here https://www.isbourne.org/events/cons...

We continue to discuss our experience of early recovery

We talk about the challenges we faced in early recovery, getting on with life without drink and drugs, and how our relationships have changed.

In this episode we discuss what recovery is to us, some of the things we have learnt during our time in recovery. We talk about why we initially asked for help, what we wanted from recovery and what it's been like. We also reflect on how our thinking and experience of life has changed since finding recovery, and touch on connecting with spirituality

In this episode we discuss what an addict is, the different forms addiction can take - gambling, shopping, exercise, food, drugs and alcohol. We tell more of our stories and share some of the things we did in our addiction, the insanity of our thinking, the obsession around our chosen substance and harm we caused to others

Dan and Martin tell the stories of their journey through addiction and how they got into recovery.