Bottled Up: Help for families of alcoholics and those struggling with alcoholism

Empower yourself when living with an alcoholic. Take control by emotionally detaching, establishing clear expectations and consequences. These actions will hope create change. Join Lou and John for a conversation as they talk about how to empower yourself through detaching and taking control. For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com Dr John McMahon is a pr...

Your body and mind may be telling you, you have had had enough. Emotions and their physical symptoms are signs you need to look after yourself and you may be at breaking point. It is essential you look after yourself, before trying to look after anybody else. For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecture...

Living with an alcoholic sometimes seems impossible. You will experience so many different emotions, hope, anxiety, anger, and depression. Join Lou and John for a conversation as they talk about the emotions you experience, how to handle them, and how to live a full life. For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the s...

You will get angry, it's natural and it's legitimate. You must not be hard on yourself if you do get angry, it's what you do with that anger that matters. Lou suggests to use anger as fuel for change. Turn your negative into a positive, so you can become more in control of your emotions and live a better life as you find your way through very difficult circumstances. For more information on the se...

Living with an alcoholic is very difficult and sometimes feels impossible. You must not feel bad about yourself, but it is likely you may experience so many different emotions, hope, anxiety, anger, and depression. These emotions are entirely understandable, but they can be destructive. Join Lou and John for a conversation as they talk about the emotions you experience, how to handle them, and how...

When you make changes that benefit you, it can prompt changes in your drinker. Lead the dance, don't follow. For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into alcohol addiction for more than 15 years. Befo...

When living with an alcoholic you're so concerned about helping your drinker, it doesn't always occur to you that you also need help. You must take care of yourself. Join Lou and John as they talk about the ways you can look after yourself and create change. Start doing the things you like to do once again. Turn what might be difficult moments into opportunities. Look after you. This will create a...

Many people don't talk about their situation of living with an alcoholic. By talking to other people, we get rid of the stigma. You are not at fault. Alcoholics are not children. They make their own decisions. Don't take on the blame, the shame, and the guilt. Talk to people and you will start to feel better. For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com Dr Joh...

Living with an alcoholic is extremely stressful. Not only are you having to cope with the alcoholic's behaviour, you can also feel very guilty. You can start to believe that your situation is your fault, you blame yourself and you can feel ashamed. You are not to blame, you should not feel shame, you should not feel guilty. In this episode join Lou and John as they discuss why people living with a...

Living with an alcoholic can seem impossible. All your natural, and completely justified, reactions to their behaviour don't seem to work. Why? Because you're not just talking to somebody you love, you're also talking to their addiction. Learn how to change what you do so you can make progress. For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com Dr John McMahon is a...

This episode is essential for anybody living with an alcoholic. Lou and John talk about four things you must stop doing to make your life with an alcoholic better. Stop Picking a fight, Stop Punishing, Stop Policing, Stop Pleading. They call them the 4 Ps and they will help change your life. In this revealing and moving episode Lou and John draw on all their combined experience of living with an a...

Shortly after getting sober, John had a breakthrough. It was the road to recovery – recovery from alcoholism and recovering who he really was. For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into alcohol...

Hope can sometimes seem very far away, or so close that the thought of it sometimes seems to good to be true. But there is hope, real hope. It is there in the thousands of people who are in recovery in the UK, seeking to change and heal themselves and their relationships. Join John and Lou for a kitchen table conversation as they talk about hope. There is hope to be found in both Lou's and John's...

Alcohol is the missing piece of the jigsaw for many alcoholics. In this clip from episode 3, John talks about how alcohol gave him "liquid personality" and it felt like the bit of him that "god left out". Lou and John also talk about the importance of stopping drinking before addressing personal issues - because alcohol is a mind-altering drug. For more information on the service Bottled Up provid...

In this fascinating episode, join John and Lou for a kitchen table conversation as they talk about the key subject, "Why can't alcoholics recognise the problem?". It is an essential episode for people wanting to understand the complexities of alcohol addiction. John has been sober for over 40 years, but he had a problem with drinking for many years. In this episode Lou talks to John about why he c...

Deciding to stay with, or leave, your alcoholic partner is a big decision. In this clip from episode two, here is the checklist you will want to consider. For more information on the service Bottled Up provides, visit: www.bottled-up.com Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into...

Please note, if you are under any threat, go. Seek help and advice, and remove yourself from a dangerous situation. Safety first. In this episode of kitchen table conversation, John and Lou look at one of the big and often difficult decisions, "Should I stay? Or should I go?". They talk you through what you should consider before making a decision, and what to do if you are under any threat. We un...

In this clip from Episode 2 "Is my partner an alcoholic or am I making a fuss?", John and Lou discuss the effect of alcohol on a relationship. If your partner is lying on the sofa drunk, then physically your partner might be there, but mentally and emotionally they are not present. This repeated absence can make it seem impossible to have a relationship. Listen and subscribe to our series for help...

Join John and Lou for a kitchen table conversation as they consider one of the fundamental questions of problem drinking - assessing whether your partner is an alcoholic. You might think there is a problem, but you are unsure. This could be through fear of recognising the issue, uncertainty as to what the symptoms might be, or you may be told by your partner, or others, that you are making a fuss....

John and Lou are here to help you change your life. In this short episode they talk a little about their experiences with problem drinkers and alcohol addiction. Dr John McMahon is a professor and was the senior lecturer for addiction counsellors at the University of the West of Scotland. He has led prominent studies into alcohol addiction for more than 15 years. Before this, for many years, John...