The Truth About Addiction

“People-pleasing was an addiction, just as much as the bottle was for me.”  With a massive following of 400K on Instagram, 230K on TikTok, and 130K on Facebook, Nick is undoubtedly making a significant impact. Nick's life was once dedicated to pleasing others at the expense of his own happiness, leading him to rely on alcohol at his lowest point. However, he has since conquered his battle wit...

Warning: Discussion of Sexual Abuse  Mel is a resilient survivor and passionate advocate for sexual abuse survivors. During her employment at Long Bay Prison and at Downing Center Court, Mel witnessed horrific and extensive details of sexual abuse cases.  Mel’s upbringing was marred by generational domestic violence and traumatic experiences. She endured her first instance of sexual abuse at the t...

Mitch’s journey began in the grips of alcohol obsession during his childhood, evolving into a tumultuous battle with weed and cocaine addiction. His story took a transformative turn, leading him to emerge as Mitch Motivates—a beacon of hope and support for those grappling with similar struggles. At just 19, Mitch bravely entered rehab, marking the inception of his remarkable path to recovery. Now,...

Raised amidst the vibrant city of Tel Aviv, Israel, Ori grappled with the challenges of embracing his true self. He sought solace in drugs and alcohol at the tender age of 13. His narrative unfolds a troubled childhood and the arduous attempts at getting clean. Ori shares his experiences, detailing the hardships of attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings held in bomb shelters in Tel Aviv, travellin...

Performer, composer and producer Steve Balbi was very much the child prodigy. His first professional debut was with Kevin Borich Express at just 17 years of age in front of an audience of 10000. He later found Australian chart-toppers Noiseworks and Electric Hippies. ‘I was born with a gift’.  Steve was on a stable diet of alcohol and pot for a decade, travelling the world, drinking and scoring wh...

Shana’s attempt at sobriety spanned over two decades. She went to AA meetings, did the 12-step program, attended treatment centres… But ‘No matter what I did, I just couldn’t get it.’ Shana was so good at hiding her drinking habits that even her best friends didn’t know. She recalls the vicious cycles of detoxing, abstinence and relapses. Find out how Shana found her way out and discovered herself...

Braiden’s addiction journey stemmed from his family’s generational struggles with alcoholism and domestic violence. He vividly recalls the destructive encounter with ice, leading to drug dealing and resulting in his incarceration. He describes the period of homelessness as the ‘saddest part of his life’.  Today, approaching a commendable two years of recovery, Braiden runs his own podcast/video pr...

20th December 2021, Kate picked up the phone and recorded a heartfelt message to herself. She recorded her ‘drunk self’ begging her ‘sober self’ to stop drinking. And her sober self heeded this desperate plea. ‘I drank for 360 days a year for 20 years of my life.’ Kate started drinking at the early age of 14. Growing up in a Great Gatsby style home, surrounded by renowned authors, daily parties an...

I have a thinking problem long before I had a drinking problem. I was a blackout drinker.  I have an ‘allergy’ to drugs and alcohol. But today, I care about other people and I freely share what I have.  If you'd like to connect with me or have recommendations for my show, please use the links below: www.instagram.com/thetruthabout_addiction/     www.thetruthaboutaddiction.com.au   Thank you f...

New York-based Dr. Brooke Scheller is a doctor of nutrition. With 15 years of experience in the field, Dr. Scheller uses her knowledge from a science standpoint to explain the connection between nutrition and alcoholism, utilising nutrition to support changing your relationship with alcohol and healing your body from past alcohol damage. Dr. Scheller had a drinking problem since her teenage years....

This is not just a story of a woman getting sober, but rather the inspiring journey of a devoted mother who made the decision to quit drinking for the sake of her son. Allow me to introduce Kim Bellas, an extraordinary individual who demonstrated that alcohol was not a prerequisite for having a good time. Kim's youngest son, Matthew, faced the challenges of full epilepsy, rendering alcohol of...

Wise beyond his 38 years of age, Kohdi Rayne is currently digitally working with 1700 people through his online programs, spreading awareness on addiction recovery via various platforms with over 700K followers. Kohdi’s drinking lasted for over 24 years, starting from the age of 8. At the peak of his alcoholism, he consumed nearly 2 and a half bottles of vodka a day to stay alive, suffering convul...

Tim worked in the music business for over 20 years. It wasn’t until the breakdown of his marriage that he wanted to do something different, something he really loved. He found his true passion in photography. It took a lot of time to repair the damage from his challenging addiction days. Today, Tim is a highly sought-after photographer and is critically acclaimed in his field. Tim describes the in...

Soberdave's journey is a testament to his strength and resilience, as he overcame a 40-year reliance on alcohol. Despite receiving comments about his drinking problem, Dave initially took offence and turned to solitary drinking to avoid judgment. He experienced numerous rock bottoms and faced various health issues such as high blood pressure, weight gain, acid reflux, and depression. Dave att...

‘I just couldn’t get it right.’ Having known him since birth, Leks grew up in a tumultuous and dysfunctional home environment alongside my good friend, his father, who was battling a raging heroin addiction. By the age of 11, he sought refuge in the wrong crowd, leading to his experimentation with drugs. Driven by financial pursuits, regardless of the legitimacy of the business deal, he picked up...

In today’s episode, we are honoured to feature Dr. Evelyn Higgins, the Chief Executive Officer and inventor behind the patent-pending panel at Wired For Addiction. Dr. Higgins is an international expert in the epidemiology of addiction, having dedicated nearly two decades to the research of the science of addiction recovery.  Started out 35 years ago in pain management, she observed that patients...

Stepping back into the world of Lebanon in the 1980s, Mo confronted haunting recollections of warzone, political tumult, safety concerns and abandonment. Mo suffered from emotional neglect and a sense of rejection throughout his childhood, due to his hardworking parents having to leave him to seek employment abroad. Consequently, it brought forward a lot of anger and behavioural issues. He harbour...

Growing up in Rockhampton, Angie’s parents arrived in Australia on a boat in the late 1950s. Angie was always the ‘naughty kid’ who frequently found herself in the principal’s office facing suspension, while her excellling sisters were Dux of school. Negative attention is still better than none. She was often labelled as ‘the Devil’s Child’.  Angie and her sisters confronted racism dominantly duri...

Michael gave us a compelling insight into his arduous battles with multiple sex and drug addictions, from the young age of 15 leaving home to the darker side of the world, becoming a drug dealer and his attempts to change his belief system.  Michael had a love affair with Meth. It reached a point where he didn’t do it for enjoyment anymore - ‘I shot Meth to die’. Michael emphasised his embedded be...

Jamie grew up in an alcoholic household with a very violent father. She struggled to form connections and trust in others due to the turbulent environment she was in.  Jamie found drugs during high school when she found a group of ‘friends’ who accepted her for her. Then her using progressed to harder drugs while attending college; exacerbated by sleepless nights, rave parties, and workplace theft...

“Sobriety is about having fun” Vinny describes his early journey as ‘normal teenage school life’: smoking weed, drinking, partying…, until he graduated to the harder stuff: Percocets, Oxycontin, heroin, cocaine… Vinny’s obsession with heroin intensified when he found himself abandoning everything else so he could spend all his time, money and energy on heroin.  Transitioning from a life of a homel...

These are the words from her book cover ‘Strip: A Memoir” by Hannah Sward “Hannah Sward was abandoned by her mother and lived with her poet father on an island with no stores or cars. Kidnapped and molested by a stranger at age six, she grew up to be a stripper and a prostitute with a taste for crystal meth—which seemed to be a sure-fire way to lose weight—with stops along the way for silent gurus...

‘I believe in having people rise to their potential as an artist’. Andy is an incredible tattoo artist with the most infectious smile and unwavering dedication to his art. His tattooing journey began in his early days growing up in the city of Brooklyn. When he finally discovered his true calling in tattooing, his passion only became stronger with time. Andy disclosed the habit of smoking at 16 ye...

“I’m an alcoholic. I’m also addicted to anything that will take me out of my own feelings…”- Lesley Lesley is now 42 years sober. She struggled with a profound sense of emptiness as a little girl, finding solace only while sitting under the white light in her living room. She drank herself to oblivion at the age of 13, then the substance abuse progressed rapidly to heavy drugs, whatever it took to...

Nick, Founder and Program Director at Hope In Health, has successfully maintained sobriety for over three years. After 22 years of struggle with heroin and meth, his achievement in recovery, self-care and professional accomplishment, are testament to his transformation. It started off as a 13-year-old boy doing intravenous heroin, then progressively, the drugs took control of his life.  A former p...