Living Free

David grew up in a home where both his parents drank but not too badly. He felt different from other kids at school and quickly drifted to the other kids who were not that interested in school work. David realised the effects of alcohol when he was around 14 years old and that it could make him feel like he was an important part of his peer group. He used marijuana and alcohol intensely over the n...

Terry shares his gambling journey, starting as a primary school child playing arcade games excessively and ending up playing the pokies in Albury at the end of his teens.  He married and had 3 children before his gambling exacerbated problems in his marriage and he ended up as a single parent living on a pension. Terry could not stop gambling and eventually sought help from Gamblers Anonymous and...

Rosemary grew up without active alcoholism in her immediate family but did have a grandfather that was an abusive alcoholic and that affected her mum. Her second husband was an alcoholic and used coercive control to stop her from leaving him. Eventually she sought help and found Al-Anon Family Groups and with support from members at her local meeting Rosemary was able to develop the courage to sep...

Our guest is Daniel Raffell, the National Program Manager and Trainer at SMART Recovery Australia and he shares his recovery story and explains the SMART Recovery approach and how it has helped him. As the show was pre-recorded Dan shared some additional information that couldn’t be included in the 1 hour segment. This has also been included and is presented as the last 10 minutes of this podcast....

Anna and Frances grew up loving lollies and sweetened foods and they spent a lot of their lives dieting to control their weight. Both suffered depression and anxiety and food was a way to cope with not being able to cope with their feelings. Their eating impacted on their work and relationships and it wasn’t until later in life, after years of food related misery that they found recovery in Food A...

Ingrid grew up in a home where both her parents drank, and her dad was often angry and unavailable. Being dyslexic, bulimic and a migrant meant that school was not a pleasant experience either.  Ingrid left school at 15 years old and met and subsequently married a man whose drinking was a serious problem. She also binge-drank but did not consider her drinking was problematic. It was not until her...

Michael shares his gambling journey and how his pokies addiction eventually meant that he would gamble even though he knew he would get found out. He had to get help to save his marriage but found that some help was well meaning but not effective for him. Michael eventually found Gamblers Anonymous and that enabled him to break the isolation, understand his addiction and address his real gambling...

Anthony grew up with an alcoholic father and his mum was quite eccentric, so his early family life was dysfunctional. Anthony had a nervous breakdown in his late teens and early twenties and then went on to marry an alcoholic.  After his wife went through a few rehabs, Anthony was encouraged to go to Al-Anon Family Groups to assist his families’ recovery and found that much of his own dysfunction...

Don grew up with an alcoholic father and went on to have a son who became an alcoholic. He did not realize the problems that the family disease of alcoholism caused in his life until he tried to help his son recover through rehab. Don was encouraged to go to Al-Anon Family Groups to assist his son’s recovery and he found that much of his own dysfunction stemmed from growing up in an alcoholic home...

Lisa grew up in a home where her parents were separated, and her mum drank. She took on responsibility for her mum at a young age, deciding never to become an alcoholic herself. Lisa drank socially in her twenties and realized that although she drank like her friends, she did setup opportunities where she could drink alcohol. It all changed seemingly overnight when she had children and Lisa became...

Ram shares his gambling journey and how his addiction eventually meant that he would reach for his phone first thing each morning to gamble on online slot machines. Ram found it very difficult to stop gambling particularly when he was being offered money to gamble by online casinos. Ram eventually found Gamblers Anonymous and realizing the importance of his recovery in Gamblers Anonymous and how t...

Rita grew up with a lot of dysfunction in her home as her parents were both alcoholics. Growing up in a migrant family and feeling a little rebellious Rita became a recreational drug and alcohol user in her late teens and early twenties. Her dad stopped drinking but her mum struggled with giving up. After lots of therapy she found recovery after spending some time in Alcoholics Anonymous, Adult Ch...

Samantha and Rosanne grew up loving lollies (candy) and sweetened foods and they spent a lot of their lives dieting to control their weight. Both suffered depression and anxiety and food was a way to cope with not being able to express their feelings. Their eating impacted on their work and relationships and eventually they found 12th Step recovery fellowships that helped them to cope better. But...

Jane grew up in a home where both her parents drank and her brother also went on to develop drug and alcohol dependence.  Jane craved attention and started drinking at around 13-14 years old and continued drinking for many years. Initially it was with her boyfriend (then husband) at parties but as she settled down and had a daughter her drinking was pretty much every day and to blackout. She found...

Grant shares his journey of gambling and where it took him, the damage done to his relationships and his search for the reasons why he sought solace in gambling in the first place. Grant found Gamblers Anonymous but drifted away and returned to gambling before realizing the importance of his recovery in Gamblers Anonymous and how that enabled him to break the isolation and address his real problem...

Chrissy grew up with a lot of dysfunction in her home and her parents separated when she was quite young. She went on to marry and alcoholic and have two children but left the marriage due to his drinking. She found herself attracted to another alcoholic and his daughter helped Chrissy find help and recovery in Al-Anon Family Groups. If someone else's drinking is causing you a problem then you can...

Brigid and John both grew up on the New South Wales coast and were actively involved in the beach culture as children.  They had addictions in their family backgrounds and struggled with weight and body image. They loved sugar products, had difficulty in relationships due to their food obsessions and did not understand that their weight problems were related to the type of foods that they were att...

Steve had a pretty traumatic early school life and was bullied relentlessly till his grandmother came to his aid. He used food as an escape from his unhappiness as a boy and this transitioned to alcohol in his early teens and through University. Starting work provided the money for a lifestyle of alcohol, drugs and gambling that eventually led Steve to a suicide attempt. After that he went into an...

Tim shares his journey from underage gambling in the TAB on the horses, trots or dogs, anything that would produce a quick result. He became a compulsive liar to hide his gambling and was eventually gambling alone, with his fortnightly pay packet gone within a few hours of receiving it. Tim tried getting help just to please others but that didn’t work for him. Tim found Gamblers Anonymous but thou...

Robert grew up with an alcoholic mum and his parents separated when he was quite young. Rejected by his mum in his early teens Robert went on to become a compulsive gambler and eventually found help in Gamblers Anonymous. To deal with effects of the family disease of alcoholism he joined Al-Anon Family Groups and began working on his resentments, which he discovered, were initiated by his fear and...

Jesse was a small kid and always felt scared and lonely. He was bullied at school and eventually turned to alcohol and then drugs in his early teens as they made him feel bigger and more powerful. His drinking and drug use progressed, adversely affecting his work and ruining his close relationships. His mum was a significant influence in him seeking help when all seemed lost when he was in his mid...

Olivia and Dean both lived for years not understanding that their weight problem was related to the type of foods that they were attracted to as children. Later in life, after years of food related misery they found recovery in Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA). They discovered the discipline and support that they needed after years of addiction to foods based on sugar and flour and excess e...

Carol grew up with an alcoholic father and became an alcoholic herself. She describes starting drinking at 12 years old with her father, escaping the alcoholic home in her mid-teens and how alcohol became part of her social fabric. Carol went on to marry an alcoholic and when they separated her drinking took her and her young daughter on an alcohol fuelled journey to despair. After hospitalization...

Jay talks about recovery in Gamblers Anonymous and how important it was to be honest with those around him and to quickly admit when he had a bust and returned to gambling for a short period. If you’re having trouble with gambling, or have a friend or family member that does, then maybe Gamblers Anonymous could help – phone (03) 9696 6108 or visit their website gaaustralia.org.au for information a...

Jane and Shay both lived for years not understanding that their weight problem was related to the type of foods that they were attracted to as children. Later in life, after years of unsuccessful dieting and seeking help in other 12th Step fellowships they found recovery in Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA). Jane and Shay found the discipline and support that they needed after years of addic...