Black Sheep Addictz

This episode is a candid reflection on realizing painful patterns from family alcoholism showed up in the host's own life—even while they deeply loved and protected their children. The host recounts how alcohol sometimes made them less present and unpredictable, the very things they vowed their kids would never have to experience. Ultimately the episode centers on honesty and recovery: awareness i...

A personal story of growing up as the family’s "black sheep," feeling criticized and overlooked, and the ways that treatment shaped a lifetime of seeking approval. Through recovery, boundary-setting, and choosing a different path for their children, the narrator finds self-worth, peace, and pride in belonging on their own terms.

Host returns from vacation and admits struggling to get back into routine, then reflects on alcohol’s harms and their decision to stop drinking. The episode explores how quitting alcohol brought a clearer mind, fewer dramas, better mornings, and the ability to face life instead of numbing it, with a brief mention of cannabis alternatives for some people.

In this episode the host explores identity and personal growth after a visit to their childhood cottage triggers old habits and feelings of unworthiness. They reflect on how places can reactivate past behaviors and memories, and how self-work has changed their responses. They conclude that true growth shows up when you return to the places that shaped your old self and recognize you are no longer...

After a two-week trip to Calgary and British Columbia, the host shares how the vacation served as a reset and helped them move away from daily drinking by using small cannabis drinks and CBD as alternatives. The episode covers social moments with family and new acquaintances, provincial differences in cannabis retail, and the relief of no longer being controlled by alcohol.

In this episode the host reflects on using THC and CBD as intentional medical tools for emotional regulation and asks whether earlier access to cannabis-based treatment might have prevented a descent into alcoholism. They discuss stigma, compare cannabis to prescription medications, acknowledge risks, and call for honest conversations about treating underlying mental health struggles instead of di...

This episode of Black Sheep Addictz gets into the complicated reality of Alcohol Use Disorder, recovery, accountability, and why one recovery method doesn’t work for everybody. I talk about my first experience attending an AA meeting as a kid, why the program never personally connected with me, and how alcohol slowly became an automatic coping mechanism in my life. This isn’t an attack on AA. I un...

This episode was one of the hardest for me to make. Not because I didn’t know what to say… but because I finally had to understand what I was actually trying to blame. Family history. Anxiety. Trauma. Starting young. Watching alcohol become normal before I even understood what it was doing. For a long time, I blamed my mom. But healing makes you look deeper than anger. This episode is about addict...

Black Sheep Addicts — Season 5, Episode 7. The host shares their first concert experience sober, using a tiny THC/CBD gummy for nerves, and watching a young man beside them get increasingly drunk. As the night unfolds, they see their own past behavior reflected in the stranger: sloppy conversations, repeated apologies, and a relentless chase for a fading high. What begins as irritation shifts into...

Black Sheep Addicts, Season 5, Episode 6. The host shares frustration about how quickly anxiety and depression are pushed toward prescription drugs, explains risks of benzodiazepines, and stresses the need for honest conversations and harm reduction. The episode follows the host’s own experience applying for medical cannabis, what the decision is,a sober concert , and an invitation to follow...

In Season 5, Episode 5, the host opens up about social anxiety, how alcohol initially helped slow racing thoughts, and the shift toward using medical cannabis as a management tool rather than an escape. They compare cannabis with antidepressants, acknowledge risks and stigma, and emphasize learning and personal choice. The episode closes with a reflection on whether earlier mental-health support m...

Black Sheep Addicts, Season 5 Episode 4: the host explores applying for medical marijuana after using cannabis to reduce drinking and manage anxiety. Once skeptical, she shares how cannabis became a harm-reduction tool and changed her views. The episode briefly explains THC, CBD, strain effects and consumption methods, and notes an unexpected reaction tied to possible ADHD. It describes choosing a...

In this episode the host shares a raw account of a heavy day and the persistent urge to drink, symbolized by "a cooler in the fridge," and how a small family moment helped shift that temptation. It's an honest look at imperfect recovery—resisting relapse, choosing safer alternatives, and committing to transparency about struggles and setbacks.

Black Sheep Addicts, Season 5 — What We Normalize Without Realizing It. In this episode I examine how everyday routines—especially my drinking—became accepted as “normal” until they started harming me and my family. I share the slow shift from social drinking to drinking alone, the breaking point, and the small daily changes that created a clearer, healthier new normal. This is a personal call to...

What happens when something harmful becomes normal? In this episode of Black Sheep Addictz, we break down the reality behind alcohol—how it became one of the most accepted substances in the world despite its links to disease, death, and violence. From cultural conditioning to government profit, we dig into the concept of “false profit” and question whether public health is really the priority. The...

This episode is different. Instead of focusing on concepts, we’re going back to where it all started—real experience. In the final episode of the Black Sheep Addictz Cannabis Harm Reduction Series, I share my personal journey with alcohol, the mental cycle that kept me stuck, and how cannabis unexpectedly became a tool that helped me reduce, regain control, and eventually step away from drinking....

You stopped the habit… but did anything actually change? In this episode of the Black Sheep Addictz Cannabis Harm Reduction Series, we break down the critical difference between avoiding a behavior and truly replacing it. Because avoiding might look like progress on the surface—staying in, isolating, or pushing urges away—but underneath, the pattern is still there… waiting. Real change happens whe...

Why does the urge hit… even when you’re doing well? In this episode of the Black Sheep Addictz Cannabis Harm Reduction Series, we break down the real reason cravings seem to come out of nowhere—and why they’re actually anything but random. From emotions and environments to people, routines, and even time of day, triggers are everywhere. And most of them operate below your awareness, quietly reinfo...

How much of your behavior is actually yours… and how much is shaped by the people around you? In this episode of the Black Sheep Addictz Cannabis Harm Reduction Series, we break down the powerful role social environments play in drinking habits—and why change can feel almost impossible when nothing around you shifts. From unspoken pressure to group norms, you’ll start to see how certain spaces, pe...

This piece explores the identity shift that happens when alcohol is no longer the default. The quiet moments. The unfamiliar thoughts. The space where habits used to be. It’s not just about drinking less—it’s about facing yourself without the filter, the routine, or the escape. Because for many people, alcohol isn’t just a substance—it’s part of who they believe they are. And when that changes, it...

The Substitution Effect refers to a phenomenon where one substance is reduced or replaced by another. In the context of cannabis and alcohol, it describes how some people naturally start drinking less when cannabis is introduced into their routine. It’s not simply swapping one for the other—this effect often changes the timing, frequency, and intensity of alcohol use. For example, cannabis may hel...

Why do cravings feel so overwhelming… and why do they keep coming back? In this episode of the Black Sheep Addictz: Cannabis Harm Reduction Series, we break down what’s actually happening in your brain when a craving hits — from dopamine loops to stress responses and learned habits. Cravings aren’t just about willpower. They’re patterns. And most people don’t realize this: They rise, peak, and pas...

Can cannabis actually help people drink less? In this episode of the Black Sheep Addictz: Cannabis Harm Reduction Series, we explore what recent research is starting to reveal — from lab experiments simulating real drinking environments to studies tracking real-life behavior. Some findings show people drinking less, delaying their first drink, or even losing the urge altogether. But what does that...

What if recovery spaces looked different? Cabins in the forest. Gardens. Quiet spaces to think. Maybe even a rage room. In this short episode of Black Sheep Addicts, I explore cannabis as a harm-reduction tool for alcohol and ask why more conversations aren’t happening around approaches that may help people reduce harm and rebuild their lives.

Quitting alcohol isn’t just about willpower. It’s about brain chemistry, habits formed over years, and sometimes even losing the people and routines built around drinking. In this episode of the Black Sheep Addictz: Cannabis Harm Reduction Series, we explore why alcohol can be so difficult to walk away from and how understanding the science, social patterns, and emotional ties can change the way w...