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Episode 72 | Jessica White — Sexier Sober: The San Diego Coach Who Quit Without Trying & Never Looked Back

In this bright, sharp and genuinely thought-provoking episode, Jimmy sits down with Jessica White — sober coach, host of the Sexier Sober podcast, and professional organiser based in Carlsbad, California — whose story of growing up in a high-functioning drinking household, nine years of blackout drinking, and a moment of quiet moral clarity that ended it all without drama or rehab is one of the most distinctive the podcast has featured.

Jess grew up in San Diego in a well-meaning, loving family where both parents had substance issues — managed, high-functioning, never chaotic — but emotionally distant. She absorbed drinking as the normal currency of connection: football parties, family gatherings, the way adults loosened up and let go. A sensitive, neurodivergent kid who felt something was always slightly wrong with her, she couldn’t wait to find what would finally make her feel okay. At 14, she found it — blacked out the first time, threw up, and couldn’t wait for the next one.

For nine years, Jess drank hard and largely had fun — social, energetic, the life of every party. She chose UC San Diego deliberately, a school full of serious students, because some part of her knew she needed that counterweight. She graduated with good grades. But outside the library, Thursday through Sunday, she was blacking out consistently, waking up with no memory of whole nights, doing things she’d never do sober, saying things she’d never say, sleeping with people she’d never have chosen — and rationalising every single time that next time she’d moderate.

The moment that broke it wasn’t dramatic. It was a Tuesday night, Taco Tuesday, with a younger colleague who looked up to her as a role model. Jess had two or three drinks, remembered nothing, lost her phone, was driven home drunk by the person who called her a mentor. The shame wasn’t about the hangover. It was about the profound split between who she was performing herself to be and who she was actually showing up as. Out of alignment. Out of integrity. Done.

That was July 8th 2020 — two weeks before Jimmy’s own sober date. She never craved it again.

What makes Jess’s story distinctive is the path she took before that date. Three years of internal work — meditation, journaling, visualisation, studying how she worked. Six months of treatment at Rogers Behavioral Health for depression and anxiety — not for alcohol. A growing circle of people who were living differently and reflecting back to her what was possible. By the time she put down the drink, the work was already done. The alcohol just stopped fitting the life she was building.

Now nearly five years sober, Jess runs Sexier Sober — one-to-one coaching, a podcast, and a community membership — built around the radical idea that sobriety isn’t the goal. The goal is becoming so clear on who you are and who you want to be that alcohol simply stops making sense. Effortless sobriety, she calls it. Not easy. Just inevitable.

You can find Jess on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/jessmariewhite?igsh=MTdhMnJpeTE2cWdmbA==

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Episode 71 - Simon

In this episode, Jimmy sits down with Simon, a 36-year-old Glaswegian stonemason and business owner who grew up in the drinking culture of the West of Scotland. Simon shares his honest journey from teenage blackouts and festival benders, to using alcohol as a stress coping mechanism when launching his own business — and how his wife Katie’s gentle nudge finally pushed him toward lasting sobriety. Now 10 months in and doing the inner work through therapy, Simon’s story is a powerful reminder that sobriety isn’t about white-knuckling it — it’s about understanding yourself.

Simon is a stonemason living in Glasgow.

For most of his adult life, he found himself drifting into moments where he’d imagine a sober life. He always wanted to get there, but never quite knew how. How would he fit in? How would he function without a drink?

In 2020, he started his own business. That became the final straw that broke the camel’s back. His drinking had been creeping up for years, and things were starting to unravel. Work, relationships, life, all of it felt heavier.

In July 2023, at the end of a music festival, he told his wife he’d had enough.

Since then, he’s had periods of sobriety, some longer than others. But now, 8 months in, something feels different. Alongside therapy and a deeper understanding of himself, this time feels real.

You can find Simon on Instrgram at:

https://www.instagram.com/simon.is.sober?igsh=MThzNml6NjJ3N3Judw==

Simon’s Just Giving Page:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/katie-simon-arran?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=WA&fbclid=PAVERFWARixVhleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAaceN9IlkXqO6zmeAbDJlraesiRvBGZeXdBDA45sp5-SC65n0lD-tw2x2aHh3Q_aem_zA-QpmtZqZzd2eVvYm5G8A

Andrew Huberman - Podcast Episode

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Episode 62 | Rachel Sereni — From Watching Her Mum Die of an Overdose at 16 to Co-Hosting a Recovery Podcast: The Ratchet Rachel Story

In this raw, emotional and ultimately triumphant episode, Jimmy sits down with Rachel Sereni — co-host of the Rock Bottom with Ryan podcast — whose story of generational addiction, childhood trauma, and hard-won sobriety is one of the most layered the show has ever featured.

Rachel grew up in South Florida watching her mother — addicted to opioids and benzos — nod out on the sofa with lit cigarettes in her hand. As a five-year-old, Rachel was taking her baby sister’s dirty nappies off because nobody else was. Walking across roads alone to get cookies from the clubhouse because she was hungry. Her father eventually fought for custody — no small feat for a man in Florida in the mid-90s — and won. But Rachel’s mother kept coming back into her life, erratic and unreliable, until the day before her death when she offered Rachel a handful of coloured pills from her pocket at a shopping mall. Rachel was 16. The next day was the last time she saw her mum alive. That night, she got the call to go to the hospital. The nurses hadn’t cleaned her up. Rachel collapsed.

Grief, abandonment and the search for belonging set Rachel on a path of drinking, benzos and ecstasy through her late teens, surrounded by people far older than her who should have known better. By 19 she was stealing and watering down her dad’s alcohol. By 21 — legally able to drink for the first time — she’d just given birth to her son Gabriel. He went to the NICU for ten days. Her first thought? We’ve got a free babysitter. Let’s go play beer pong.

What followed was years of blackout drinking, getting barred from bars, fighting strangers and — as her alter ego Ratchet Rachel — becoming physically abusive to her partner Carlos. A DUI ended that relationship. A new one with John, who moved in fast and tried to keep up, slowly watching Rachel deteriorate: 221 pounds, sleeping all day, no job, their home a mess. On their seven-year anniversary she promised him a nice dinner and drank herself unconscious instead.

His ultimatum came the next morning. Ten days later, Rachel drove to a parking lot with a bottle of Pinot Grigio, two shots of banana liqueur, and a tube of toothpaste as her alibi. She got halfway through the bottle, threw it across a field, collapsed on the tarmac screaming, and that was it. Her surrender moment. She went home, got on the scales (221 lbs), started a new job, and got sober — all on the same day.

Now approaching two years sober, Rachel has lost 80 pounds, is present in her son’s life, co-hosts one of recovery’s fastest-growing podcasts, and is getting married on her exact two-year sobriety anniversary. On her future mother-in-law’s deathbed, she made a promise to stay sober. She’s keeping it.

Catch Rachel on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/realtalkwithrachie

Rock Bottom with Ryan Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/rock-bottom-with-ryan/id1827151504

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Episode 61 | Natalie — From Brooklyn Moonshine & Croatian Moonshine to Cocaine, Custody Battles & 3 Years Sober: A Story of Synchronicity

In this extraordinary episode, Jimmy sits down with Natalie — a first-generation Croatian American from Brooklyn, New York, whose recovery story is unlike any other on the podcast. It spans moonshine at age seven, a supernatural premonition that saved her life at ten, ecstasy, cocaine, a toxic divorce, a restraining order served on her last day of rehab, and a grandmother who died at 5:55pm on 11/11 — and whose passing became Natalie’s rebirth.

Growing up in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, alcohol was never a problem in Natalie’s family — it was a ritual. Every September her Croatian family would make wine and Rakija, a 150-proof moonshine so powerful you’d feel it in your chest from a single piece of fruit soaked in it. Her first sip of Hennessy and Coke came at age seven from a great-uncle who loved her. She climbed a ladder to the roof singing. She was hooked on the feeling long before she knew what that meant.

At ten, a force she still can’t explain physically held her down in the back seat of her brother’s car — preventing her from climbing to the front passenger seat moments before another vehicle’s grill came crashing through exactly that spot. Her brother pulled glass from his hands, crying. “How did you know?” She didn’t. She just knew.

Diagnosed with depression, anxiety and rage at 12, Natalie witnessed a murder on her corner at nine, grew up without a woman figure to guide her, and found alcohol, ecstasy, pills, quaaludes, acid, ketamine and eventually cocaine in quick succession through her teens and twenties. She crashed her car outside a police precinct in Coney Island at 20, stone drunk, and charmed her way out of an arrest. She was always the ringleader. Always the one who didn’t know when to stop.

A nine-year relationship and brief marriage brought a period of relative calm — until it fell apart. Then a second marriage, two daughters, a COVID baby born mid-pandemic and sent home from a C-section in 24 hours, postpartum depression, and a marriage imploding around her. Natalie found herself waiting every night for her children to fall asleep so she could drink herself into a stupor, cut lines of cocaine, and clean the house alone in the dark. She was self-harming. She was having heart palpitations. The alcohol stopped working. No matter how much she drank she couldn’t feel anything — so she’d add more cocaine, and feel her heart racing towards a heart attack instead.

Then her grandmother — who had helped raise her — died on All Saints’ Day at exactly 5:55pm. 11/11. The angel number for divine guidance. 5:55 — the number for change. Natalie didn’t grieve. She collapsed. And then she surrendered.

She checked into rehab on November 28th 2022, excelled — they called her Little Miss Sunshine, she organised karaoke every day — and on her final day before discharge, was handed a restraining order from her ex-husband. She went to jail in February for sending a text. She lost her job of 11 years. Her ex lived in her father’s house for 17 months while she fought for custody from her childhood bedroom in Brooklyn.

And through all of it — sh

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Episode 60 | Ash Shepherd — 5 Months Sober, a River at 3am & Why the Mummy Wine Culture Needs to Stop

In this warm, honest and deeply relatable episode, Jimmy sits down with Ash Shepherd — 34-year-old project manager, young mum and founder of the Booze Free Sparkle Instagram — whose story of grey area drinking, a 10-month sobriety attempt, relapse and finally finding her day one over a roast dinner she couldn’t eat is one of the most universally recognisable on the podcast.

Ash grew up in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire — quiet, bookish, nervous — and discovered alcohol at 15 outside Tesco with her friends, waiting for strangers to buy them Lambrini. She felt confidence for the first time. She also felt shame for the first time, dreading school on the Monday morning. Both feelings kept coming back for the next 18 years.

From 17 to 19, living in a little cottage in Tewkesbury with a flatmate who matched her drink for drink, Ash’s party house became the social hub for everyone who hadn’t gone to uni, had no real goals, and was just plodding along drinking. Vodka after work became normal. So did walking home alone at 3am — including the night she fell down a riverbank in her going-out clothes, clawed her way back up through nettles, soaking wet and freezing cold, and carried on to her boyfriend’s house.

Through her 20s, Ash settled into a pattern: Thursday night wine on the sofa, Friday hangover at her desk, Saturday binge, Sunday dying in bed. Her husband — sensible, moderate, with an off switch she never had — watched her consistently push past her limits every single time. When he went to bed, she’d stay up drinking alone. The hangovers started lasting a week. The shame never really left.

At 25, a colleague recommended The Rise of the Sober Istas by Lucy Rocca. Ash read it, felt something shift, joined an early online sobriety community and started blogging. That was the first seed. It took another eight years to fully germinate.

She did nearly 10 months sober in 2020 — set up a page, posted daily, was genuinely proud. Then the 30th birthdays started. She had one drink at a party, decided she was cured, deleted the sober page, and was back to square one within days. The lesson that stayed: never delete the page.

A pregnancy gave her nine months of enforced sobriety she secretly loved. Then eight weeks after her daughter arrived, a hen party. Then Cheltenham Races — out from 9am, paralytic by afternoon, a blackout argument with a friend she can’t remember, a mortifying apology the next morning. Then a Mexican night out with margaritas that ended in the worst argument she and her husband had ever had — over nothing that would have mattered sober.

Her actual day one came on a beautiful sunny Sunday, throwing up in the toilet, sat at a pub table in front of a roast dinner she couldn’t touch, and thinking quietly: what am I doing to myself? That was it. 137 days later, she was on the podcast. She’s now adopted rescue chickens, taken up running and joined a running group — and is posting daily on @BoozeFreeSparkle about why mummy wine culture isn’t cute, it’s damaging.

You can find Ash on Insta at:

https://www.instagram.com/boozefreesparkle

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Episode 59 | Alex Leigh — From 90s Supermodel to Hiding Wine Bottles in Greece: A Story of Glamour, Grief & Getting Sober

In this dazzling and deeply human episode, Jimmy sits down with Alex Leigh — one of Britain’s top lingerie models of the 1990s, FHM’s top 100 sexiest women, a fixture at the most exclusive parties in London, and the woman who was secretly counting down to 6pm every night to open her first bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

Alex’s story starts with loss. A perfect childhood ended at seven when her father died of pancreatic cancer aged just 43. Her mother relocated the family to Mallorca, where Alex endured relentless bullying, had to translate her homework through three languages every night until 1am, and protected her grieving mother from the truth by pretending she loved every minute of it. When they moved back to Manchester, she channelled all that bottled-up pain into becoming a rebel — bunking off school, smoking behind the church, and getting into the Hacienda at 14 because she was already six foot two and blonde.

At 16, a brother’s friend suggested modelling. Within months she was in London — a 16-year-old girl placed by her agency into a flat with a male photographer in his late 40s, with no chaperone, no advice about taxes, no instructions of any kind. Just dropped into the deep end of an industry where cocaine wasn’t offered, it was simply assumed. Bowl full of it at every party. Everyone doing it. No other way to be.

The money came fast and hard — lingerie campaigns, FHM, travelling the world. And so did the chaos. Alex went from photo shoot to after party to plane to next city, frequently still drunk from the night before, stinking of fags and booze, wondering how she was getting away with it. She had a penthouse in Kensington, a driver, a Bulgari perfume box permanently stuffed with cocaine, and absolutely no idea how to manage money. Then the 2008 credit crunch arrived and she and her then-husband lost nine properties overnight.

The second chapter brought Greece, a new relationship, two daughters — and a slow, secret slide into nightly bottle-of-wine drinking that became two bottles minimum, buying from different shops so nobody noticed the volume, padding her shopping so the bottles wouldn’t clink, hiding extras around the apartment. Until St. Patrick’s Day three years ago, when her mother took her daughter away and called her a disgrace. Alex woke up the next morning, hungover, sobbing, about to reach for a glass of wine to feel better — and in that moment thought: that’s it. I need help.

She called AA in Greece. A kind man answered. She sobbed. He told her she wasn’t alone. She went religiously for a year. And then she moved on — because the best thing about recovery, she says, is that you finally get to live forward instead of back.

You can get Alex on her Insta at:

https://www.instagram.com/alex.leigh2.0?igsh=MW5lNDRycGg3NjgxbQ==

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https://linktr.ee/alexleigh2.0?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=17960b0f-56c9-4594-8528-f694d5c11340

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Episode 58 | Kaitlin Reeve — From Sitting on a Window Ledge at Nine to Nearly Three Years Clean: A Story of Escapism, Danger & Recovery

In this searingly honest episode — released on Kaitlin’s birthday — Jimmy sits down with Kaitlin Reeve, founder of the Sober as a Mother Focused Instagram and one of the most unflinching voices in the UK recovery community. Kaitlin’s story spans childhood trauma, drug-induced psychosis, kidnapping, and the quiet moment in her garden that finally changed everything.

Kaitlin grew up unhappy — a child who never felt okay, who escaped into fantasy, books, films and food before she had words for why. She was drinking at nine, allowed to get drunk at 13, and watched the adults around her become happier, calmer and less shouty when they used drugs and alcohol. The message she took from that? When I’m a grown-up, that’s what will make me happy.

At 16 she had her first line of cocaine in a penthouse on High Street Kensington, surrounded by people she’d only ever seen in magazines. A girl from nothing, suddenly rubbing shoulders with Hollywood. She associated cocaine with glamour, freedom and escape — the antidote to every moment she’d spent feeling less than. She embraced it completely.

What followed was years of escalating use: being locked in trap houses, kidnapped, nearly raped twice, and finding herself in the home of an international sex trafficking gang — all of which she shrugged off because the good still outweighed the bad. A controlling, abusive relationship followed. Then a period of sobriety, then relapse triggered by her body going into fight-or-flight shutdown so severe she couldn’t go to the toilet without cocaine. Then drug-induced psychosis — hearing things, seeing things, a size 4-6 frame barely eating or sleeping.

The end came not with a dramatic rock bottom but with a quiet moment of exhaustion in her garden in late August 2022. Sick and tired of being sick and tired. She Googled 12-step fellowships, put on full makeup and her best outfit so nobody would think she was that bad, walked in — and by the end of the meeting said: Hi, I’m Kaitlin, I’m an addict. Her clean date is 6th September 2022.

Nearly three and a half years on, Kaitlin sponsors other women, maintains her daily prayer and meditation, and uses Sober as a Mother Focused — a beautifully named Instagram — to share the reality of recovery for mothers without tips or preaching. Just her story, honestly told.

You can find Kaitlin on instagram at

https://www.instagram.com/soberasamotherfocused

and on Tik Tok

https://www.tiktok.com/@soberasamotherfocused

Addicted to Recovery Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/addicted-to-recovery/id1727956037

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Again Rachel - Marian Keyes

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One Day 

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Thirteen

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Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug stats

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Episode 57 | Cameron Kidd — From Waking Up in a Jungle Tuk-Tuk to 14 Months Sober in Copenhagen: Jersey Boy Finally Finds Himself

In this warm, funny and deeply honest episode, Jimmy sits down with Cameron Kidd — Jersey-born, Copenhagen-based podcaster and host of TOMU: The Open Mic Unfiltered — whose story of binge drinking, blackouts, ADHD and finally getting sober at 34 is one of the most relatable the show has featured.

Cameron had a decent childhood — loving parents, good school — but his parents’ move to France at 16 without really consulting him sent him into a spiral of resentment and freedom. Spat on and called an English pig at the French college, he was back on Jersey within days, living between his auntie’s house and a mate’s farmhouse with a bar downstairs, huge fields and summer bonfires. His own mini festival, every weekend. Ecstasy, weed, alcohol — and none of it feeling like a problem because everyone around him was doing the same.

Through his twenties Cameron moved around constantly — Jersey, Glasgow, Thailand, back to Jersey, Copenhagen — chasing fresh starts that always ended the same way. In Thailand he woke up alone in a tuk-tuk in the middle of dense jungle on New Year’s Day with no memory of how he got there. He checked himself over, found his way back, and went out the following night. In Glasgow he woke up with the top of his ear hanging off and no idea how. He came home from a beach party with his hand badly burnt — found by friends trying to cool it in the sea, then wandering off, ending up at a corner shop where a stranger looked through his phone and called his dad. He had his jaw broken and didn’t go to hospital for two days because everyone told him he was fine.

The blackouts became total. Every single time he drank, he remembered nothing — just fragments. He’d wake up and scan the room, reading the energy to figure out what he needed to apologise for. Until a night out in Copenhagen when a stranger approached him in a pub: “You don’t remember me, do you? You took me and the boys around the whole city, showed us an incredible night.” Cameron had no recollection of any of it. That was the moment that really scared him.

The end came after a big night last October. He turned up at his girlfriend’s door wrecked, broke down completely — I’ve had enough, I don’t want to be here anymore, I’m tired — and she gave him an ultimatum. He went to KKUC, a Danish substance abuse programme, and it was there they asked: “Have you ever been tested for ADHD?” He hadn’t. He got the best grade of his life. The relief — and the grief — of finally understanding why he’d always been this way was overwhelming.

Now 14 months clean, medicated for ADHD, living in Copenhagen with his girlfriend and hosting his own podcast, Cameron is slowly learning who he is without alcohol. The hardest part? Someone once asked him what he enjoys — and he had no answer. But he’s finding his way back to the curious, excited boy he once was. One day at a time.

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Episode 56 | Anna Donaghey — The Advertising Insider Who Sold Alcohol to a Nation, Drank Herself Sober & Wrote the Book on Rethinking Drinking

In this sharp, revealing and genuinely thought-provoking episode, Jimmy sits down with Anna Donaghey — sober coach, podcast host of The Big Drink Rethink, author of What Are You Thirsty For?, and former senior advertising executive who spent 25 years helping the alcohol industry grow.

Anna’s story begins unremarkably — a good childhood near Bristol, parents divorced at 16, first drink at 14 through a slightly older boyfriend, the usual combination of rebellion, escapism and enjoying the feeling. Brighton University, a course that took her to Turin, a taste of Italian wine culture, and a graduate scheme at Rover that would set the trajectory of everything that followed.

It was on the factory floor at Rover in Birmingham that Anna first understood what her drinking was really about — fitting in. Shoulder to shoulder with brilliant, salt-of-the-earth workmates who poured out of the production lines at noon on Fridays and drank until they couldn’t stand. A home counties girl who could sink eight pints and still win at darts. They loved her for it. She loved them for accepting her. It felt like belonging.

That need for belonging followed her to London, to advertising agencies in Soho, to client lunches that turned into client evenings, to fridges full of Stella Artois that opened at 6pm, to airport lounges and expense accounts and the seamless social world of agency life where work and drinking were completely indistinguishable. For over a decade, she was one of the best in the business — and she sat in boardrooms with the biggest alcohol companies in the world, helping them figure out how to create new drinkers, convert existing ones, and — most sinisterly — draw in younger audiences without technically breaking the rules.

She would never have worked on a cigarette account. She’d have stood up and said no. But she worked on alcohol. She just didn’t know the difference yet.

Six years ago, with no dramatic rock bottom and no catastrophic crisis, Anna simply looked at her life and saw two futures. One where she carried on and didn’t reach old age. One where she stopped. She stopped. And discovered that sobriety isn’t a destination — it’s a gateway.

Now a sober coach, author and podcaster, Anna has flipped the question the recovery community usually asks. Not “how bad is your drinking?” but “is your life good enough?” Because if you’re a heavy drinker and your life isn’t where you wanted it to be, the chances are alcohol has far more to do with that than you realise.

Buy Anna’s book - ‘What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want’

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Episode 55 | Emily Chadbourne — 7 Years Sober in Melbourne: The Woman Who Stopped Before Rock Bottom & Wrote Down Every Win

In this warm, honest and deeply insightful episode, Jimmy sits down with Emily Chadbourne — personal development coach, sober advocate and Melbourne-based expat from the South West of England — whose story of grey area drinking, isolation in outback Australia and a meditation that changed everything is one of the most uniquely told recovery stories the podcast has featured.

Emily grew up near Glastonbury with parents who modelled a healthy relationship with alcohol — sherry on Sundays, gin at Christmas, nothing more. There was no trauma, no family history of alcoholism, and no obvious reason. Just a classic 1990s teenage girl sneaking cider in Somerset parks, a university degree she could have aced but didn’t bother to, and a hospitality career in London that put her shoulder-deep in a world where every meeting, every celebration, every Tuesday was a drinking occasion. She was fun, efficient, capable — and always the last one standing.

At thirty, she moved to Airlie Beach in Queensland with her boyfriend, and everything fell apart. Not dramatically, but quietly. The scaffolding of identity — her career, her friendships, her sense of significance — was removed, and she discovered she had no idea who she was without it. She drank every night. Alone. In the heat. In a town that closed at 8pm.

Melbourne was better, but the drinking didn’t stop. Working for herself as a coach, with no office hours and no colleagues to moderate around, she started buying two-for-twenty at the bottle shop after lunch meetings. Half a bottle by 7pm. A bottle with dinner. That unopened second bottle waiting when she got home. Three and a half bottles between lunch and bedtime, and never visibly drunk. Hiding empties from her housemates. Telling herself it was fine.

Then 2017 arrived like a wrecking ball. Her mum died of cancer. Her business collapsed. Her boyfriend left — and was in a new relationship with one of her best friends within weeks. She drank from coffee cups so her housemates wouldn’t see. She drank in the morning. She drank at her dad’s house by sneaking to his spirits cabinet between toilet trips.

The Sri Lanka trip was the turning point. On holiday in paradise, Emily couldn’t be present for a single moment — every thought consumed by when the next drink was coming, how to get someone else to suggest it, how to engineer the beer before the train without being seen as the one who needed it. She came home, went back to the UK, and did the same thing with her sisters. On the flight back to Melbourne she decided: when this plane lands, that’s it.

A business mentor asked her to identify one thing holding her back. She begged internally for it not to be alcohol. Of course it was alcohol. That night she went out, got blackout drunk, and remembers nothing of her last ever drink. The following Sunday she walked into her first AA meeting.

What happened next was remarkable. Emily told everyone immediately — using the label of alcoholic not out of shame but as a strategic firewall so she could never quietly slip back. She wrote down every single good thing that happened as

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Episode 54 | Adrian Cox — Clarinet, Bad Manners & 12 Years Sober: The Jazz Musician Who Left Home at 15 and Didn’t Stop Until His Hip Crumbled

In this extraordinary, funny and deeply moving episode, Jimmy sits down with Adrian Cox — jazz clarinettist, Bad Manners veteran, sober advocate, and one of the most uniquely entertaining recovery stories in the podcast’s history.

Adrian’s story begins at 15 in Burgess Hill, near Brighton — already playing the clarinet professionally at gigs since he was 12, already smoking and drinking in parks, already the kid who brought a bottle of whiskey to every party. At a festival in Butlins, Bognor Regis, a trombone player spotted him and sent a postcard to his sons: met a lad, got no brain, but by chance plays the clarinet, call him. Within weeks, Adrian was on tour, dropped back for his English GCSE, and then called up to join the band full time. He left home at 15, moved to Totnes, Devon — and never really stopped moving for the next two decades.

Living with musicians twice and three times his age, with no parents, no bank account and no instruction manual for adulthood, Adrian fell into a world where cooking sherry by the river at midnight was completely normal. In the first month in their flat, he and his bandmate Russell cleared 80 litres of sherry. By 18, he was getting kidney pains. By 21, a swollen liver — and a doctor telling him to stop. He did, for seven months. On the way home from his follow-up appointment, he stopped at a pub. Within weeks he was back on three bottles of wine and ten pints of Guinness a day.

Then came London, a heavier drinking band, a marriage, a divorce, and in 2007: cocaine. Which led, inevitably, to Bad Manners — the UK’s most legendary party band, where waking up on the American tour bus at 3am to drink a bottle of tequila before going back to sleep was just what Tuesday looked like.

The reckoning came on 27th March 2014. The night before his hospital appointment — where a doctor would tell him he had avascular necrosis caused by alcohol, where the blood had thinned so much it had stopped feeding his bones and the ball of his hip had partially crumbled away — he had the biggest drinking night of his entire life. A box of wine, ten pints of Guinness, three bottles of champagne, five grams of cocaine. He’d had so many near-misses he’d developed a special outfit to wear drinking near hospitals: a Ben Sherman poppered shirt (easy to open for an ECG) and slip-on shoes. He’d been admitted multiple times. This time the doctor told him: stop, or lose your legs.

He stopped. A Swedish concert-goer paid for a private hip replacement. And then cocaine took over completely — until he gambled his way to £138,000 in online winnings, spent it all within weeks chasing the same feeling, and ended up £87,000 in debt to Buster Bloodvessel of Bad Manners, spending months living a double life before a breakdown in Edinburgh and his girlfriend’s phone call ended it.

Cocaine stopped in 2016. MDMA in 2018. But it wasn’t until February this year — now 12 years alcohol-free, living in rural Sweden with his girlfriend and her two boys, with a driving licence, a residency permit, a limited company and a meditation book — that Adrian

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Episode 53 | Amy Devine — From Newbury Council Estates to Peru: 3 Years Sober, Ayahuasca & the Serbian Housemate Who Changed Everything

In this warm, wide-ranging and genuinely one-of-a-kind episode, Jimmy sits down with Amy Devine — sobriety mentor, breathwork facilitator, founder of Numb No More and the Sober Sisterhood Breathwork Circle — speaking from her home in Pisac, Peru, surrounded by mountains. Her story spans council estates in Berkshire, 11 years teaching in Beijing, a broken elbow on a COVID flight she can’t remember, and an ayahuasca ceremony that finally showed her why she’d been drinking in the first place.

Amy grew up in Newbury — Irish parents, violence, dysfunction, and alcohol as the central currency of family life. Her parents split when she was six. Summers in Ireland, school in England, a house fire that moved the family to a council estate a week before Christmas with nothing. She was 11 when she had her worst drunk — stolen South African port with a girl her mum had banned her from seeing, found lost on a roundabout by her little brother’s teacher. By 14, drinking four or five cans a night was simply what she did.

Through college and a sociology/criminology degree at Chester — chosen almost by accident when her insurance pick got in and her first choice didn’t — Amy somehow held it together academically while drinking daily. After graduating with a 2:1 she neither expected nor remembers quite earning, she moved to Beijing to teach English, intending to stay a year. She stayed eleven.

Beijing was electric, chaotic and — for foreigners — consequence-free. Drink for free in bars, ride your scooter drunk through traffic, no rules and always someone to go out with. Through Beijing, Vietnam and back to Beijing, Amy’s drinking escalated through her twenties and early thirties. She developed a pattern: hold it together just enough for work, drink the rest of the time.

The nadir came on a COVID-era flight back to China. She’d been on a 10-week binge in India, drinking to manage withdrawal in the mornings, bribing strangers to get alcohol through quarantine. She drank most of a box of wine in duty-free before boarding, mixed it with Valium, and woke up in Beijing with a sore elbow and no memory. Strangers told her she’d been dragged to the back of the plane for refusing to wear a mask. The bruise turned black all the way down her arm. She’d broken her elbow. She didn’t stop drinking.

Back in Beijing, a Serbian housemate sat her down: “You’ve got a drink problem and you need to sort it out.” It was the first time anyone had ever said it directly to her face. That led to AA in Beijing — a warm, safe expat meeting full of people who’d been sober 16, 20 years — and six months of genuine recovery. Then Christmas came, and she thought she’d learned enough to moderate. She relapsed for a year and a half.

The second attempt was different. A dry November led by a therapist friend inspired by This Naked Mind. Then January 1st, 2022 — online AA, a new sponsor, and at six months sober: ayahuasca. The plant medicine took her back through her childhood, showed her exactly why she’d been drinking, and removed any remaining desire for alcohol. She told her AA sponsor. She was

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Episode 70 - Abi King

In this powerful episode of After Hours Guys, Jimmy sits down with Abi King, a sober coach and host of the Sober Connection Podcast, now based in New Zealand. Abi opens up about her journey from teenage binge drinking in 1990s England to four years of hard-won sobriety — and everything in between.

Abi is originally from the UK, but now lives in New Zealand. Mum to 3 teenage girls, she spent most of their childhood buying into the 'mummy wine' culture, rushing bedtime so she could get to the couch and her bottle of wine (or 2). After one of her daughters told her they didn't like the sound of her voice when she was drinking, Abi decided to quit, thinking it would be easy. It took 4 years of constant stop-starting but she got there in the end. Now over 4 years sober, she's finally become the mum she always knew she should be. She now educates people on alcohol-related issues through her 1:1 coaching and her own podcast, The Sober Connection. 

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Episode 52 | Alicia Butler — 173 Days Sober, a Viral Day One & Why ‘You Don’t Have a Problem’ Are the Most Dangerous Words in Recovery

In this warm, funny and deeply honest episode, Jimmy sits down with Alicia Butler — the woman whose raw, tearful Day One Instagram video went viral and has been inspiring people to get sober ever since — for a conversation about grey area drinking, gym culture, champagne budgets and the slow creep of something that nearly cost her everything.

Alicia grew up in Darlington, County Durham — a good childhood, loving family, no obvious trauma. Her uncle was an alcoholic, and she wonders now about addictive genetics, but at the time she just thought she liked champagne. What began as an after-work culture in London — where even people who lived an hour away never went home, they just stayed in the pub — slowly became a bottle of wine a night at home. Then two bottles. Then champagne instead, because she preferred it. Then Aldi started selling Prosecco for £9.99 a bottle, and that was that.

The creeping nature of Alicia’s drinking is what makes her story so relatable. She was still going to the gym. Still working. Still functioning. Her nutritionist kept telling her to cut down on alcohol and she kept refusing — so instead she worked out a calorie budget that excluded food so she could keep her bottle of wine a night. She’d hide bottles in the boot of her car at parties so nobody else could drink them. She’d sometimes finish the last inch of last night’s bottle in the morning. And still, somewhere in her head, she didn’t think she had a problem.

Then she went to an alcohol support group. She told them she was drinking a bottle of wine a night, sometimes two. They laughed. “That’s nothing,” they said. “You don’t have a problem.” She walked out thinking she had a green light.

The piece of paper she found during a clear-out said it all: written in 2017, it was a mood board with a list of goals, and at the top: Avoid booze. She’d known for seven years. Her mum had asked her to stop drinking on her deathbed fourteen years ago. She still couldn’t manage two days.

The suicidal episodes — leaving the house with a knife, lying by the canal, smashing a picture frame over her husband’s head — she hadn’t connected to the alcohol. It was just her emotions. Just her anxiety. Just a bad night. Until she did.

What finally worked was Instagram. Day One. She sat in her bedroom, pressed record, cried, and uploaded it. It went viral. Suddenly there were thousands of people saying me too. She couldn’t go back — not just because she didn’t want to, but because she’d told everyone, and the accountability was the lock on the door.

Now approaching 200 days sober, Alicia is a different person: sleeping well, managing stress, driving herself home from parties at midnight with a cup of tea in mind, and posting every day for the people who are still on Day One wondering if it’s worth it.

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Episode 51 | Jimmy Thistle — The Host’s Full Story: From Vodka at Dawn to 5 Years Sober on the Isle of Man

After 50 episodes of interviewing others, Jimmy Thistle finally sits in the guest chair — interviewed by his wife Jen — and tells his full story for the first time on his own podcast.

Jimmy grew up in Eaglesham, a village outside Glasgow, in a mostly happy childhood with an older brother, a mum who worked hard, and a dad who left when he was six. No major trauma. No clear reason. Just a 14-year-old who had his first proper drink with his brother one night and loved it immediately — the confidence, the escapism, the feeling. From there it was Diamond White in the woods, vodka and iron bru, and a creeping realisation that while his friends had an off switch, he simply didn’t.

Through Aberdeen, London, Cambridge, York and the Isle of Man, Jimmy’s story is a masterclass in what the recovery community calls geographicals — the belief that moving somewhere new will fix what follows you everywhere. Bar work, bank jobs, photography, sales roles. A DUI. A photography course where he got triple distinction. A pub he took over near Sheffield that ended with the police, a friend crashing his car, the owners taking his laptop as collateral, and him driving home without a back windscreen. A codependent relationship where they were both drinking a bottle of whiskey each per night. A spontaneous midnight drive to Stansted, a drunk flight to Mallorca, a mugging that cost him his laptop and camera, and a rescue by his brother.

The final stretch was the darkest. Drinking vodka before he’d opened his eyes in the morning. Sitting under the Humber Bridge in his car, telling his partner he was going to work. Losing job after job. An intervention by his family. Twenty-eight days in rehab — three days before COVID lockdown. Fifty-five days sober. Then back on it with a vengeance. His friend locked him in the house and he found a hidden door behind a bookcase. He bought alcohol-free beer as a cover story in case someone knocked. His mum measured 40ml of vodka eight times a day on doctor’s orders while he slipped out between doses to top up from the shop.

Finally, a hospital detox on the Isle of Man with Librium. Then 100 meetings in 100 days. Then a cottage in the hills, a gardening business, a photography revival, a podcast, peer mentoring, sober coaching training — and Jen.

This is Jimmy’s story. And now, nearly six years on, he’s never felt more certain of one thing: he’s done.

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Even more amazing and incredible guests coming your way in 2026!

From heartbreaking stories to triumphs and hope, you wont want to miss out!

Get ready on New Year's Day 2026 for the first episode drop!

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Episode 50 | Will Gordon — Two Transplants, a Perforated Stomach & a 4% Survival Rate: The Season Finale That Will Stay With You

In this staggering, life-affirming season finale, Jimmy sits down with Will Gordon — host of the Will Power Podcast, former teacher, liver and kidney transplant recipient, and one of the most remarkable recovery stories in the English-speaking world.

Will grew up the youngest of four brothers in a high-achieving Irish Catholic family near Boston, Massachusetts. His father was a Hall of Fame hockey coach whose name carried serious weight in the community. Expectations were sky-high, failure was not an option, and Will — who secretly wanted to do stand-up comedy and be in plays — became a teacher instead, because that’s what Gordons did. He taught for 14 years.

It was teaching that broke him. Not the good teaching — the Montessori years he loved, the alternative high school kids who had reasons for being difficult. It was a Catholic middle school in the north end of Boston, crammed with behaviour kids, no staff rotation, no structure. By 2018 Will was racing to his car at 2:30pm every afternoon to chug straight vodka from a sports bottle just to stop the withdrawal shakes — not to get drunk, just to function. By the time COVID hit and he was teaching remotely from home, the drinking start time crept earlier and earlier until it was 11am.

His wife noticed first. In 2020, she took one look at his yellowing skin and eyes and made him see a doctor. Hepatitis of the liver. He was 32. The doctor told him: “You are either going to be back here or in a grave.” He got sober for 125 days — white-knuckling it, no support, no programme. Then a radio ad for pink lemonade vodka. A huge fight with his wife about money. A bottle hidden in a pile of clean laundry for four days. And then one day he opened it, and the second the alcohol touched his tongue he knew he’d just erased 125 days. He kept going.

By 2022 he had ballooned to 265 pounds — almost entirely from ascites, the fluid build-up caused by a failing liver. His skin was paper-yellow. His eyes were dark yellow. His feet were so swollen he needed specialist wide-fit shoes. He was filling giant 1.75-litre vodka handles into pre-prepared Gatorade bottles, hiding them around the apartment, behind cereal boxes, in his car. His wife had learned to smell every water bottle in the house. He was leaving for “work” every morning, driving 50 feet around the corner, parking on a side street, drinking alone until he passed out in the back seat, then driving back to the parking spot nine hours later.

Easter 2022. His wife took one look at him and drove him to hospital. His bilirubin was 32 — it should be 1. His MELD score was 40 out of 40 — the maximum. He was told he had two weeks to live. The hospital refused to transplant him: policy required six months of sobriety, and he was at four. Hospice was brought into the room. His father — who had never looked at Will with anything but expectation — couldn’t look at him at all.

Then a doctor who had told him there was nothing she could do made one call to a former colleague. At 6am the next morning, Will’s phone rang. He went in. He made his case — openly, honestly, weeping,

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Episode 49 | Beth — 4 Years Sober, the Book She Bought at 23 & Why She Built a Free Community for Women Who Can’t Afford Help

In this warm, funny and deeply relatable episode, Jimmy sits down with Beth — co-founder of the SOS Collective (Sober Online Sisters), TikTok sober advocate and four-years-sober mother of three from County Durham, now living on the edge of the New Forest in Southampton.

Beth grew up in a typical northeastern family where her dad went to the working men’s club on Sundays, came home half-cut, and that was simply how life was. As a child she hated the smell of alcohol so much it was a family joke. By 15 she was drinking Diamond White in the park and having the worst night of her life on New Year’s Eve — sick everywhere, white as a sheet, forced by her dad to sit up and suffer through midnight as punishment. It took years to actually get into drinking. Then it took over.

The tools were all there from an early age. At 23, still early in her Southampton life, lonely after university and dealing with the grief of losing her mum at 17, Beth walked into a bookshop and bought Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp. She filled in the addiction questionnaire at the front. She circled every single answer. She still has that same copy — the one with all the circles from 23, plus the ones from every time she went back to check again over the next two decades. Each time the score got worse.

She also went to AA at 23. Found it kind, welcoming — and immediately felt she didn’t belong because the woman sharing was drinking cough medicine, and Beth hadn’t got there yet. She left and didn’t go back for years. That one visit became her excuse: I went to AA and they basically said I was fine.

Through a high-powered BT career, a loneliness that drove her to drink alone every night in her smart Southampton flat, a marriage that bonded around drinking, a difficult divorce, an ADHD diagnosis that explained the dopamine-chasing and the boredom-drinking and the impulsivity — through all of it, Beth kept finding ways to pause and restart. She got pregnant twice partly because pregnancy was a built-in reason to stop. She got sober for ten months, genuinely proud of herself. Then her husband took her out for her birthday, ordered champagne, she had a glass, and within days she was back to two and a half bottles of wine a day.

COVID was the tipping point. Furloughed, in the inflatable hot tub, starting at 12 because it felt like a holiday, drinking through pub quiz Zooms while the influencers made 4pm wine feel glamorous. She was drinking amounts she’d never drunk before, hiding bottles, doing bin runs to Asda so the neighbours wouldn’t see the recycling.

Then a dinner party where nobody appreciated the meal she’d worked so hard on. She got drunk. Woke up the next day and thought: you can’t do that every single time someone upsets you. Found an online community of women by accident. Met Linda from Ireland, who became her unofficial sponsor and best friend. Started going to every online meeting available. The days added up.

Now four years sober, Beth has co-founded the SOS Collective — completely free, because the reason she nearly didn’t get help was that she wouldn’t spend mon

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Episode 48 | Kim (Sober Kimbo) — From Blackout at 14 to a Year Sober: The Canadian Dental Hygienist Who Lost Two Phones in Europe & Found AA in Nova Scotia

In this warm, funny and genuinely relatable episode, Jimmy sits down with Kim — aka Sober Kimbo on Instagram — a dental hygienist from Nova Scotia, Canada, who got her one-year anniversary just weeks before this episode aired. Her story spans blackout drinking at 14, a solo Europe trip that imploded spectacularly, a devastating breakup, a DUI, a coworker finding her drunk in bed, and finally walking into her first AA meeting brought by a man she didn’t know was sober — who turned out to be the same stranger who’d let her into an apartment building three in the morning months earlier.

Kim had her first drink at 14 — a water bottle full of vodka in a park — and immediately blacked out. She discovered two things that night: she didn’t react normally to alcohol, and she didn’t care. She and her sister both joked they were “allergic” to alcohol — it turned out Kim actually was. Neither the blackouts, nor the shame, nor the concern of everyone around her was ever enough to make her stop.

Through high school and then dental hygiene college in Montreal — where the drinking age is 18 and the bars were open to her from day one — Kim kept drinking every weekend, always more than anyone around her, always the one people assumed had been spiked. On her very first night at college, with her mum still in the room, she went out with strangers and came back so drunk that two concerned students knocked on her door the next morning to check she hadn’t been drugged. She told them that’s just what alcohol does to her.

The real crisis point came at 22 after a brutal breakup — her boyfriend told her not to come back to the condo they shared while she was home for a weekend visit. She spiralled hard: a week in bed with a box of wine, then a solo trip to Europe that fell apart almost immediately. She lost her phone in Berlin, bought a new one, lost that one the same night. She ended up stranded in Munich airport for two days without a phone, and flew home early through Iceland with a pint of vodka and an accidental business class upgrade. She landed with no memory of the flight, her ID cards mailed back to her by the airport weeks later.

The scrapes kept coming — more situations involving police, a DUI driving to her parents’ house after a bottle of wine on a night she was supposed to be working the next day. None of it was enough.

The end came last summer. A Friday night date — she drank a full mini vodka before he even picked her up, remembered nothing, didn’t show up for work on the Saturday. Her coworker came to her house, found her key in the unlocked car, let herself in and found Kim drunk in bed. She went back to work and told everyone. Kim kept drinking for two more days — cycling to the liquor store after her parents took her car keys, crashing her bike into the woods. When she finally woke up and looked at her phone she thought it was Monday. It was Tuesday.

She went to AA — brought by a man her friend had suggested, who turned out to be the same stranger who’d silently let her into an apartment building at 3am months earlier. She walke

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Episode 47 | Will Edwards — 1,360 Days Sober: The NHS Cardiac Instructor Who Quit Before It Became a Problem & Journals Everything

In this refreshingly different and genuinely thought-provoking episode, Jimmy sits down with Will Edwards — NHS cardiac exercise instructor, cold water therapy advocate, obsessive journaler and one of the most proactively sober people the podcast has ever featured. Will didn’t have a rock bottom. He didn’t lose a job, a relationship or a licence. He reached into his fridge for a beer after a stressful day, caught himself thinking I need this, and that single moment of clarity changed everything.

Will grew up on a council estate as the youngest child, his father gone before he could walk. His mum raised him alone, and by his early teens he was effectively the man of the house, growing up fast while his much older siblings had long since moved on. He started drinking in the fields after school like everyone else — the mate from the year above who looked old enough to get served, the 50p bottles of cider from the co-op — and drank through his twenties with a pattern that many would recognise: sporadic, rarely in the house, but when he went out, no off switch. He’d leave a club and wake up on a park bench four hours later. He’d walk home through rough parts of town without a thought. He’d have a few drinks a couple of times a year and end up not remembering getting home, regretting it for days.

It wasn’t daily. It wasn’t vodka at breakfast. But it was enough, once he started tracking it, to see a clear pattern: whenever he drank, his cold water therapy slipped. His journaling stopped. His reading dried up. His habits collapsed. And he knew exactly what those habits meant to him — because he’d spent the COVID lockdowns deliberately building them, one by one, as a scaffold for the life he wanted. He’d started cold water therapy after his friend Sam Phillips (Dare to Dip on Instagram) had been doing it. He’d started journaling. He’d started tracking everything. And every time he had a drink, the chart showed the same thing.

Then came the fridge moment. Stressed after kids’ bedtime hadn’t gone well, rubbish day at a rubbish job, hand reaching for a beer — and a thought: that’s probably not a healthy coping mechanism. Not a crisis. Just a question. And then, playing the tape forward: how arrogant to think this couldn’t happen to me. If there’s any chance it could, why run that gauntlet? He set himself a goal to do a year without alcohol. Christmas Day 2021 was his last drink. He never went back.

Now 1,360+ days sober, Will does a 5am ice bath every morning, runs half marathons, works with cardiac rehab patients in the NHS, and journals every single day across what must be his seventh or eighth volume. He tracks gratitude, goals, hydration, steps, cold plunge, exercise — in a system so simple it takes less than ten minutes but has changed everything. He is, in his own words, someone who felt like an imposter in the recovery space for a long time — because he wasn’t an addict. But he’s come to understand that that’s exactly why his voice matters.

You can find Will on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/willedwardswellness

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Episode 46 | Jen Hirst — 12.5 Years Sober: The Minnesota Coach Who Drank Mouthwash, Hid in the Sober Closet for Four Years & Built Lighthouse Sobriety

In this warm, searingly honest and deeply relatable episode, Jimmy sits down with Jen Hirst — founder of Lighthouse Sobriety, sober coach, and one of the most open voices in the US recovery community — whose story spans a perfectionist childhood, a devastating breakup that planted the seed, a wedding morning she drank through just to survive, and years of mouthwash, rotating liquor stores and hidden bottles before April 24th 2013 changed everything.

Jen grew up in Minnesota in a loving, high-achieving family where her grandfather was an alcoholic but her parents rarely drank. The pressure she put on herself — to get the grades, win the awards, earn love through achievement — created an anxiety she had no tools to manage. Drinking, when it arrived at 15, didn’t ignite anything immediately. It was a breakup at college — her second boyfriend wanting to go on a break — that planted the real seed. A housemate offered her Adderall to take the pain away. It worked instantly. She thought: if that works, so will alcohol. And from that moment, she was using it as medicine.

What followed was a ten-year progression — social drinking that became secret drinking, that became solo drinking, that became hiding bottles in her closet after her fiancé went to bed, that became rotating liquor stores with sunglasses and a hat, that became drinking before dates, drinking before going out, drinking at her dad’s office while hiding vodka in her desk. Through it all she maintained enough of a veneer — the job, the relationship, the functioning surface — that nobody quite believed it. A month before her wedding she told her fiancé she thought she was an alcoholic. He said: “No you’re not.” She said okay.

On the morning of her wedding she was drinking vodka to manage the anxiety. She blacked out the night before. She doesn’t remember the evening. Two days after the wedding she stopped hiding it — just collapsed, stopped going to work, stopped pretending. Her husband looked at her and thought: what did I marry?

Then began a year and a half of attempts: AA drunk, then outpatient, then inpatient at Hazelden, then relapse, then a second DUI on Valentine’s Day 2013, then a breathalyser fitted in her home, then being kicked out, then drinking mouthwash — because it was cheaper, because there was no shame buying it in Target, because her family had started hiding or replacing the real stuff. She blew a 0.34 at detox. She was alone, $200 to her name, no job, no car, no home to go back to.

On April 24th 2013 she just knew. No fanfare. Just done.

Now 12 and a half years sober, Jen coaches women through the first weeks of sobriety with six daily habits and a 10-minute walk, and lives by a simple truth: you will not die from feelings.

Jen’s website is here:

https://www.joinlighthousesobriety.com

You can find Jen on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/jenleehirst

Jen's Linktree is here:

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Beyond the Booze by Sarah Rusbatch:

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Alcohol Explained - William Porter

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Episode 45 | Ryan Kennedy — Rock Bottom With Ryan: Airlifted, Arrested & Almost Out of Time in Washington State

In this raw, funny and deeply honest episode, Jimmy sits down with Ryan Kennedy — host of the Rock Bottom With Ryan podcast — whose story spans a chaotic childhood in Seattle, fraternity drinking, a toxic marriage to a bartender, an abusive relationship, a DUI he drove away from to get a drink, and a face-plant fall down brick stairs at 4am that ended with a helicopter airlift to Spokane. All before his rock bottom.

Ryan grew up in Seattle with parents who split when he was seven. His mother moved him constantly through her relationships, changing schools every year until Ryan found himself living in a basement, not welcome upstairs, developing the social anxiety that would dog him through high school. At 12 he started smoking weed; he barely drank in high school, partly because his first ever drinking experience ended with someone elbowing a bottle into his mouth and knocking his teeth out. He drove people home instead.

College was different. Freed from his dad’s strict household and arriving at Washington State University at 18, Ryan was invited into a fraternity on his first week. Day one in the frat house: the older members got him hammered. He went to class still buzzing the next morning, thought it was brilliant, went back and did it again. For the next five and a half years he was rarely fully sober.

After college the drinking escalated from social to solo — beer runs to the minimart, then bars alone, then hard alcohol, then waking up with uncontrollable shakes he didn’t understand were withdrawal. He started work at a cell phone company, sought out the colleagues who wanted to party, added cocaine to the mix, and began a life of cycling through drinking, relationships, and fresh starts that never quite reset anything.

Then the fall. At 4am, still drunk, deciding to go for a run as part of his commitment to stop drinking, Ryan face-planted down brick stairs — broke his teeth, gashed his eye, split his lip, head injury. He finished the run. Went to bed. Woke up to find blood everywhere. Was airlifted to Spokane with injuries the local hospital couldn’t handle. His mum stayed in a hotel for a week just to be near him.

He got 90 days in AA. Felt good. Slowed down. Relapsed for six weeks. Hospital again. A nun he’d known from childhood walked into his room and asked what he was going to do this time. He said he was going to go to rehab. He did 60 days. He has not had a drink since.

Now approaching one year sober, hosting his own podcast, Ryan is finally learning who he is — and his story is just getting started.

You can find Ryan on his Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/rockbottomwithryan

His Podcast Rock Bottom with Ryan is here:

https://linktr.ee/rockbottomwithryan?fbclid=PAdGRleAMzt3pleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpypULW2wRB_bI7XHJouwmcYM7SfS7kSRM1v62P9OcuN_DpqcHoRXn7zvcqCO_aem_JviN1OhOYAaC6zErHq85vw

Forged in Silence Podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/5Z8hxu2cDovocvyJUzqaAA?si=14859864934b426b

Leaving Las Vegas with Nic Cage:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113627/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

My Instagram is:

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Support the show

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Buy me a coffee…

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Alcohol Explained - William Porter

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Episode 44 | Oli Stringer — 1,000 Days Sober: The Bedford Carpenter Who Stood on a Cliff in Cyprus, Saw His Kids & Chose to Come Home

In this raw, warm and deeply spiritual episode, Jimmy sits down with Olly Stringer — carpenter, hiker, father and Bedford-based sober advocate just days from his 1,000-day milestone — whose story spans a construction apprenticeship drinking culture, a horrific witnessed accident, PTSD he never properly dealt with, a near-fatal organ shutdown, and a wagtail bird in a Yorkshire valley that sent him to a reiki healer who told him about a man in a flat cap.

Oli grew up in Bedford, parents separating at seven, life revolving around football, pubs and the normal rhythms of a British working-class childhood where the pub was just where adults went. His first drink came at 13 or 14 — park tinnies, fitting in, nothing deeper than that. At 16 he went straight from school into a carpentry apprenticeship, walking directly into one of the most entrenched drinking cultures there is: finish time equals pub time, your mentors are buying, and turning it down means you can’t handle yourself.

Through his twenties Oli drank heavily but functionally — working away, football weekends, binge drinking that came round on a Thursday and didn’t stop until Sunday. He met his now-wife at 19 on a night out. She moderated; he didn’t. But it was manageable — until the morning he was working outside a pub and heard a scream.

A lorry had reversed into a 17-year-old girl on her bike. Her shoulder was almost completely severed. Oli helped get her inside, where pub staff reconnected the arm just before the ambulance arrived. He never found out if she kept it. The next day he nearly passed out driving on the motorway — the delayed shock hitting him at 70mph. He had weeks off. Then COVID arrived, and what had been an unaddressed trauma became a free-floating anxiety with no outlet and no distraction.

He started drinking at home more, developing the social anxiety that meant he needed drinks before leaving the house — before the local pub, before a concert, before the school play. He blacked out regularly, came home and cracked open a bottle of wine when he didn’t need it. He face-planted a fence post in a blackout and had seizures for three months. He fell down the full length of his staircase drunk, foaming at the mouth. He worked in Cyprus, treated it like a holiday, took whatever was on offer, and one afternoon after a day-long bender on alcohol and speed found himself on the edge of a cliff, looking down.

He came round lying at the top. He put music on. He looked out and had what he describes as an out-of-body experience — seeing himself from above, and then seeing his kids standing there. He came down. He didn’t tell anyone.

Now approaching 1,000 days, Oli goes to work in Scotland and stays in the mountains while his colleagues hit Wetherspoons. His ten-year-old daughter tells him he’s not drinking. The universe, he says, is looking after him now.

You can find Oli on Insta at:

https://www.instagram.com/levellinguponlife

You can find the Dryy app at:

https://www.instagram.com/dryyapp?

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Episode 69 - Emma Newman

In this deeply honest episode, Jimmy sits down with Emma Newman, a 10-year sobriety veteran who got sober in 2015 — before sober coaching existed, before quit-lit flooded the shelves, before Instagram accounts made recovery feel possible. Emma’s story is one of the most relatable on the podcast precisely because there was no dramatic rock bottom. No intervention. No ultimatum. Just a quiet, growing certainty that alcohol wasn’t serving her anymore.

Emma quit drinking over ten years ago, long before sobriety became a trend or a wellness choice. Back then, choosing not to drink often raised eyebrows, and the only visible routes were AA or rehab. Emma chose neither, instead carving out her own path—without quit lit, podcasts, or a sober community to lean on.

By day, she’s a mum to two teenagers (and two cats) and works for a disability charity. In her spare time, she’s become a passionate advocate for alcohol-free drinks, supporting the category from its earliest days. Today, Emma is a regular judge of alcohol-free categories and writes about non-alcoholic drinks, bringing both lived experience and a sharp critical palate to a category that’s come a long way since she started.

You can find Emma on instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/emma_sobersonic?igsh=MXVhY2JraXdodWhzbw==

And Emma’s linktree at:

https://linktr.ee/emma_sobersonic

Love Sober Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/love-sober-podcast/id1379018341

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Wild - Cheryl Strayed

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Episode 43 | Tom McLeod — 3 Years Sober: The Toronto Filmmaker Who Almost Partied Himself to Death & Found Out Rooms Full of People Who Did the Same Are Actually Pretty Entertaining

Tom McLeod grew up in Calgary — an unpopular kid who had his first drink at 14 at a cool party and immediately chose it. Within weeks he was the guy who could out-drink everybody. Skateboarding made him popular; alcohol made him feel like a superpower. By his apartment years he was drinking every day, adding cocaine, becoming a bike messenger in Vancouver and making documentaries while running on fumes.

At 28 he tried sobriety — made it a few weeks, relapsed at his brother’s wedding where he deleted all the footage, ended up doing drugs with homeless people on the streets of Ottawa and punched his dad. He knew it was wrong every single time for the next 11 years and kept going anyway. COVID finished the relationship, finished the work and nearly finished him — sleeping less and less, more and more drugs, a last bender of nearly two weeks without sleep, liver damage, a heart he thought was about to give out.

He spotted a sober friend on Instagram from his eyes alone. Messaged him at 2am. Went to a men’s AA meeting. Heard a guy talk about robbing a bank in the 70s and thought: why didn’t anyone tell me this is where the answers were? Went out for one more bender. Then walked back in. Three years later he’s directing again, dating someone healthy, making a content series called Practically Sober, and learning that rooms full of people who almost partied themselves to death are actually pretty entertaining.

Follow Tom on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/practically.sober

TikTok is here:

https://www.tiktok.com/@practically_

sober

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Episode 42 | Lexi — 1,000 Days Sober: The Canadian Wellness Coach Who Got Sober Alone, in Her Room, With No Help — On Exactly Day 1,000

Lexi grew up in Ontario adopted by older, strict parents who she loved but never quite felt connected to. Her first drink at 15 felt like medicine — instant relief from everything she was carrying. Within weeks she was sneaking a mickey of vodka into sleepovers while her friends watched movies, drinking secretly from a Starbucks cup at the mall. By 16 she’d moved out of home and was drinking vanilla extract and Listerine when she couldn’t get alcohol. Cocaine and hallucinogenics followed. The whole time she kept it functional enough — graduating, training as a massage therapist and energy healer, helping other people through their deepest trauma while quietly abandoning herself.

COVID cracked the rules she’d always imposed on herself. By 2022, after her mentor died, she stopped pretending — pouring a drink straight after her morning workout, carrying it to work in a travel cup, needing alcohol to answer the phone, open the post, walk into a shop. Then she drove home drunk from a work event, crashed the car, and her friend — watching from the car behind — told her to sort it out or she was done. Her partner said the same. Lexi chose tomorrow.

She didn’t go to AA. She didn’t go to therapy. She didn’t listen to podcasts or read quit-lit. She locked herself in her room for two months, went offline, and journaled her way through everything she’d been hiding since she was 16. Meditation, visualisation, radical self-honesty — she did everything the fellowship would have suggested, entirely alone.

Now exactly 1,000 days sober — it was her milestone on the day they recorded — Lexi works as a sober coach with a five-pillar programme and a free consult for anyone ready to start.

Follow Lexie on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thesoberexperience_withlexie

Lexie’s 5 concepts that helped Lexie thrive:

https://the-sober-experience-with-lexie.kit.com/5concepts?fbclid=PAVERFWAMlTzNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABp6bAts6CAtYc8gSNvLD_GQuF6vBfwbxdko048THlY2Hx0Bh69a-t5wv1zVbj_aem_mi9FMNCoX

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Episode 41 | Amber Hughes — The Sister Left Behind: How Addiction & Homelessness Took Hannah, & What Amber Built in Her Name

Amber Hughes grew up in Oxfordshire with a 16-year age gap between her and her older sister Hannah — close enough that Hannah came to every sports day, every school fete, and said goodnight across town at eight o’clock every evening even after moving out. Their childhood was simple and happy. Then their dad died when Amber was 14, Hannah was 30, working full-time, paying a mortgage alone and just starting a weekend degree in early years education. The cracks, looking back, started there.

Years passed. Amber noticed Hannah asking their mum for money. Working the supermarket till on Friday nights, she watched Hannah avoid her checkout and buy four bottles of wine. Arguments followed. She thought it was selfishness. Addiction never crossed her mind.

Then she was sent round to Hannah’s flat and looked through the letterbox. Empty. The flat had been repossessed. Hannah hadn’t told anyone. Over the years that followed — a codependent relationship, lost jobs, missed mortgage payments, hiding it all to protect the family — Hannah’s drinking had quietly become something unrecognisable. Christmas 2015: a seizure, hospital, doctors telling them if she stopped drinking she could die and if she kept going she’d die. Hannah was 36.

The next 18 months were a chaos of hostels, disappearing, sleeping rough in Oxford parks, five-hour searches through the city streets, seizures from trying to stop cold. Eventually Hannah got a room at Homeless Oxfordshire’s O’Hanlon House. In May 2017 they had what Amber didn’t know was their last visit — looking through old photos on a bench in Oxford, arguing about shoes, Hannah saying she loved her, Amber rolling her eyes. Four days later the police knocked.

Hannah was 38. She died of cardiac arrest following a seizure, with no alcohol in her system — possibly trying to detox alone.

In Hannah’s name Amber started Amber Lights in Oxford, raising over £2,000 for Homeless Oxfordshire, taking Hannah’s story into primary schools, and campaigning against the Vagrancy Act that criminalised people for sleeping rough.

You can find Amber in Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/amberlightsinoxford

Amber's LinkTree:

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My Instagram is:

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Episode 40 | Craig Hewins — 3 Years Sober: The Surrey Sales Guy Who Cold Turkeyed Alone in a Rented Room & Never Told Anyone

Craig Hewins grew up in Surrey — happy childhood, no trauma, no excuses as he puts it. Started drinking at 14 in the park with cider, loved the confidence it gave him, and just never really stopped. Football was his other passion through his teens and twenties, but slowly the drinking took over the weekends, then the matches, then the rest. By 25 he was dependent. By his late twenties he needed a drink on Monday morning just to face reality.

He got into sales — an environment he describes as full of reckless, self-destructive people — and thrived when drinking, barely functioned without. Attendance issues ended jobs. He lost his driving licence drink driving. His relationships fell apart. The worst period: waking up, retching into the bathroom sink from bile because he hadn’t eaten, then steadying himself with whatever wine was left in the bottle just to get down to the shop for more.

The taxi story captures it best. Suited and booted, on the way to work on a Monday morning, he spotted a beer in the back of the cab, asked the driver if he could have it — and cracked it open immediately. His work colleague was sitting right next to him.

The Facebook photo was the final straw. Tagged in a shot and not recognising himself, he thought: I’ve completely lost myself. He locked himself in a rented room — ensuite, landlady’s house, nobody really knew he was there — and cold turkeyed for two weeks on takeaways. No AA, no rehab, no support. Just willpower.

Two months in, his best friend died. His mates took him to the pub to grieve. When he nearly ordered a pint, a few of them quietly said don’t do it. He didn’t. And in that moment — not drinking while losing someone he loved — he knew he’d never need to again.

Now coming up on three years, Craig has an ultramarathon booked and is getting married in a week.

Listen to Craig's story here:

You can follow him on Instragram at:

https://www.instagram.com/hewins11

Listen to the Sober Stretch Podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/42nfv5PNruzVeGdJU4DbLW?si=7ee2208efa204322

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Episode 39 | Mike Longthorn — The Alcohol-Free Introvert: Dragon’s Den, Bankruptcy & Finding Out Who He Was Without a Drink

Mike Longthorn grew up in a happy home in Anglesey but spent his school years feeling different — quieter than others, struggling in ways he couldn’t name. It was only through therapy decades later that he understood why: he’s dyslexic, and had spent his childhood quietly mortified by spellings on the board and the quiet cruelty of kids who spotted weakness. The first drink, when it came, felt like a solution. He was shy. Alcohol made him extrovert. He filed that away.

Through his twenties he worked in Audi sales, was good at it when sharp, less so when perpetually hanging. He was into house music, making tracks, smoking weed — the drinking was there but not the main event. Then in 2008, inspired by meeting business owners as part of his Audi advocacy role, he left — or was quietly pushed out — and launched a business importing wellies from China. Wellies with a wedge heel. He got a design registration on the wedge, went on Dragon’s Den two years later, got investment, worked with Theo Paphitis for three years and built it into a fashion label that stocked with ASOS, JD Williams and Debenhams.

By 2019 the business was gone. Returns, quality issues, Debenhams and House of Fraser collapsing — it cost him £300k and he went bankrupt. But something had already shifted. Surrounded by his new partner’s friends who were teachers and nurses and people contributing something real, he felt the misalignment of selling fast fashion for shareholders. He did a Level 2 counselling course to try something new. Then Level 3. Then a diploma at university level. Then qualified as a therapist. He now works with a sexual abuse and violence charity alongside his coaching practice.

Six months before finishing the diploma, he decided to quit drinking. January 1st, three sessions of therapy booked in to hold him accountable. It worked — 1,900 days in, he coaches people on going alcohol-free under his handle, the Alcohol-Free Introvert. His whole focus: the pull away from alcohol needs to outweigh the pull toward it. When it does, everything changes.

You can find Mike on Insta at:

https://www.instagram.com/the_alcoholfree_introvert

Amy Liptrot’s book and film The Outrun:

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Send us Fan Mail

Jodi Clark is the founder of Sober Flourish, a powerful coaching platform and community supporting women who want to change their relationship with alcohol and reclaim their clarity, energy, and purpose.

After spending two decades in the corporate world and navigating her own transformation - losing 84 pounds, becoming alcohol free, and rebuilding her life from the inside out - Jodi now mentors other women to do the same.

She’s a certified alcohol-free and business coach, a digital entrepreneur, and a voice for women who no longer want to settle for burnout or blurred potential.

Her work blends mindset, wellness, and business growth to help sober and sober curious women build lives and businesses that truly reflect who they are now.

You can find Jodi on Insta at:

https://www.instagram.com/soberflourish

Her website is:

https://soberflourish.com/links?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwLsziFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp-pCGNuakhp9bJGrOvEaoe0kDkAPB11HfonuvDGREYK6jQ7R7EQ_qf-6VcX5_aem_yZidODOej-_pHOCqLmPk3Q

Alan Carr's book is here:

https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Women-Drinking/dp/1785991477

And Holly Whitaker's Quit Like Woman:

https://www.amazon.com/Quit-Like-Woman-Radical-Obsessed/dp/1984825070/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29KLPK96R3PUC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Mcg5OwlIhD9dNzC_Ceq5hAjXJVqSrrJVgRU-EBV1k8rgKtWqgJtQx2Be9k-OZTIA26ZZaNH0-ElwCmSs7U5XBV-FBatY6z3lBWSPfeK4TjCig1KwRiGZUPF2Z8yqKJC4BcStbeprQrt6jTaUvp2sQ3FOPVYLWayvgymV4HHzJzYvBQbrCBdws-LPMuacNEZeVnKft8eHAF4Kllq7b4e95vMPWo6v7b7G6vExmFGu4Ks.CSd_8j8ZgXVDYYxer_TxD--v3A8WOQ7p9PztXdIVQg4&dib_tag=se&keywords=like+a+woman&qid=1753214863&s=books&sprefix=like+a+woman%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C284&sr=1-1

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https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

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https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

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This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

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A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

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In 2022, Lucy lost her partner, Daniel, whose life was tragically cut short by the effects of alcoholism. Navigating the grief of his passing, she has found strength in sharing their story to raise awareness about the hidden impact of addiction on families.

Today, she honours Daniel’s memory by supporting charities like NACOA and standing alongside her daughter Amelie, whose letters to government have sparked national conversations about support for children of alcoholics.

You can find Lucy on instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/lucy_norfolk_

NACOA can be found at:

https://nacoa.org.uk

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

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https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Kristen Bear is the founder of Creative Sobriety, a multi platform resource for anyone looking to change their mindset on alcohol and its place in their life.

As a writer and actor, she sees sobriety as the key to unlocking our full creative potential and a true rebel move in a society that glamorizes booze.

Kristen is 5 1/2 years sober and splits her time between San Francisco and her tiny container house in rural Tennessee.

Follow Kristen on Instagram, Substack, and TikTok and listen to the Creative Sobriety podcast everywhere!

You can find Kristen on Insta at:

https://www.instagram.com/creativesobriety

Kristen is on SubStack at:

https://kristenbear.substack.com

And Kristen’s amazing podcast Creative Sobriety:

https://open.spotify.com/show/24X7Hfehh8mBNIRQ5jIIDU?si=c2186bba65244ad8

You can find Kristen at her website:

https://www.creativesobriety.co

Holly Whitaker quit like a woman

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quit-Like-Woman-Radical-Obsessed/dp/B083JMMNL4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2HT5SG3XAFKLF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3Yn57QR8gkOvHNDo4ihQ_mAQpfKtp5qcoefpcOf5lHkQWylqri3T5fRGcu9j_2jU4l-TCxYDx2TJXhT2aMQnyL_BUxVC6MD7z229JGeHAeqMDN3ZcyTScvUz6_Cb9mtL.cDc7Q1BBddZFA_7m8sBcjPddgYXB_4PPwgUSK7N9Dm8&dib_tag=se&keywords=holly+whitaker+quit+like+a+woman&qid=1751879674&sprefix=holly+whi%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-1

Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jim-Morrison-Life-Death-Legend/dp/B079K7K4DN/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1M7WDTFZ6JB2I&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.N8kS6jz1_LaRb56dvPcFBVjDrEt8l51AFZGU33VEoeqt_K6AgtOZXzXbmzD4NcNKfeB4mriGwW5Y9Ep49Oc2Kdha317RJ25_0aQB5-bPyCk.bjbChenge5FLXAxpOBFtbxdF72jlliMEEbYGpLVct0I&dib_tag=se&keywo

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

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Ashton has spent most of her adult life escaping reality with addiction to alcohol and drugs.

When she hit 30 years old she realised her life had to change, now 6 months sober and still working as a bar manager, working with pure willpower she stays sober.

Helping others through her instagram journal, with her pure honesty about life before and after addiction.

You can find Ashton on her insta at:

https://www.instagram.com/teetotalbarmanager

Her TikTok is here:

https://www.tiktok.com/@teetotalbarmanager

The book she suggested was Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216351768-the-let-them-theory

And the film with Mila Kunis is Four Good Days:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10344522/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Tash is 39, and she’s been sober for 7½ years. Tash started drinking at 13, and by her late 20s, she was drinking daily, passing out most nights, and battling drug addiction, failed relationships, financial struggles, and even periods of homelessness.

Her mental and physical health were falling apart, and she couldn’t show up for her children the way they deserved. Sobriety has transformed her life and she has built her own business, helping others into recovery. Tash has a beautiful home, strong relationships, and the best mum she can be.

Getting sober is the best decision she ever made, and her only regret is not doing it sooner.

You can find Tash at her Insta:

https://www.instagram.com/soberhappytash

Her Podcast at:

https://open.spotify.com/show/6LTGLKDjjPtg7RHdf4RmhX?si=503db2cc93c04ed7

Catherine Gray - The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37754223-the-unexpected-joy-of-being-sober

The Outrun film and book by Amy Liptrot

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11687002/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35187182-the-outrun?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=d69EvwlnJE&rank=1

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Episode 68 - Adam Burg

In this compelling episode, Jimmy sits down with Adam Berg, a government affairs lobbyist and mayoral appointee from Denver, Colorado, whose polished professional exterior hid nearly a decade of secret, escalating alcohol abuse. Adam’s story is a masterclass in high-functioning denial — working with US senators, building a career in law and policy, all while hiding bottles in his car, refilling them so nobody would notice, and drinking every single night.

Adam Burg lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and their dog, Ruby. 

His sobriety date (May 20, 2022) marks a turning point that came after more than a decade spent cycling through alcoholism, stuck in the all-too-familiar limbo between wanting change and not knowing how to reach it. 

Eventually, something shifted. Adam made the decision to confront his illness head-on. He asked for help, committed to recovery, and began the hard, daily work of rebuilding his life with honesty and intention. 

Today, that same journey has become a source of purpose. What once held him back now fuels his ability to connect with and support others facing similar struggles. His story is one of resilience, accountability, and the belief that change is possible for anyone, one day at a time.

You can find Adam on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/sober__traveler?igsh=MW41bjFvczd2cnBlaA==

Unexpected joy of being sober - Catherine Grey

https://amzn.to/4uLnmM0

Recovery Elevator - Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/recovery-elevator/id971959728

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Rickey Franks lives in Alabama. His sobriety date is 9/21/22 and has been in some stage of addiction his entire adult life. Alcohol is a liar! Rickey found himself waking up to drink at 2 A.M. every morning because he would have started withdrawing. The absence of alcohol would make him sick and shake uncontrollably so he always had to have it in his system, even at work. Rickey checked into a 21 day inpatient program and relapsed 2 weeks after release and things went off the rails quickly. He checked himself back in a few months later and has never looked back.

At 90 days of sobriety Rickey sadly lost his sister to addiction and he’s currently raising his newborn granddaughter because his daughter is a meth and fentanyl addict. Addiction has affected his life in so many ways Rickey is now on a mission to help as many people as possible. He views it like a sinking ship. Having caught his breath and now he’s going back to help save as many others as possible. Rickey had just completed the training and is now a Certified Recovery Support Specialist.

Come and listen to Rickey’s incredible story!

You can find Rickey on Insta at:

https://www.instagram.com/ricksroadtorecovery

The Brandon Novak video here:

https://youtu.be/OG--M8B04DA?si=yYzbid24NA0AmXUD

The film with John Goodman and Denzel Washington "Flight"

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1907668/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_flight

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Victoria Vanstone is the host of Sober Awkward, a popular comedy podcast.

Victoria became a renowned over-sharer on her blog

drunkmummysobermummy.com.

Originally from Reading in the UK, Victoria now lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland with her brood of uncontrollable children, a rather confused dog and a very patient husband. Sober Awkward won the best wellness podcast at the 2023 Australian Podcast Awards.

Her first bestselling book 'A Thousand Wasted Sundays tells the story of her sober life and her new memoir Mumming has just been released worldwide

You can find Victoria on Insta at:

https://www.instagram.com/drunkmummysobermummy

Her Audible page is here:

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B0F9YR3R2Z?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B0DFYZ25HJ?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow

And her Podcast Sober Awkward here:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4qXlSc9lDGStYLeYIjrWPH?si=95773d85d16b4f70

Victorias new book, Mumming:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mumming-Trying-Failing-Better-Parent/dp/B0F9YN3S8K/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3OZU9GO1X8146&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.DQSVBnXCyIqm7ZCfXg0D3TqUxzavsFfAR6hM3duWIHA.y02fLRlyZvHvNINs7pzE8ALAD0MnQhg8QPz-1bv9IbA&dib_tag=se&keywords=victoria+vanstone&qid=1751824364&sprefix=victoria+vanstone%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-2

Vic’s first book, A Thousand Wasted Sundays:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thousand-Wasted-Sundays-Hilarious-Heartfelt/dp/B0DFZ15CW7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3OZU9GO1X8146&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.DQSVBnXCyIqm7ZCfXg0D3TqUxzavsFfAR6hM3duWIHA.y02fLRlyZvHvNINs7pzE8ALAD0MnQhg8QPz-1bv9IbA&dib_tag=se&keywords=victoria+vanstone&qid=1751824364&sprefix=victoria+vanstone%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-1

Amy Liptrot The Outrun Book and Film:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Outrun/dp/B01IU4V9MK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ITDQ2Y76UAVN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.LcqkkO3M8zuFXc4oPk4Hyw9sSbX-a69NSQskF0hv4l0GxrHOEmWwi_JWnEQ1Au8I1EUUnlJivI44Erugh3pZ-Oxz2zJmg6uCfIZ2sIJvrIXbTtV2z46MHgHsc_Q_F_Vz6xPEx4mrww5ubYLPYSWJe_LmemLH7V02r3oJShsN_Pu1xRc-jxNfXvcRnZLoAK9b.pkEIj_twNWd8ffrozichz8oRP4qP4kvnv1X5cDg9hiI&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+outrun&qid=1751824478&s=audible&sprefix=the+outrun%2Caudible%2C87&sr=1-1

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11687002/?ref_=ext_shr_lnkhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35187182-the-outrun?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=d69EvwlnJE&rank=1

The Virtues with Stephen Graham:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7186126/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Send us Fan Mail

Luke Jones is a sober transformation coach, ICF-accredited Life Coach, and NLP Master Practitioner who helps dads quit alcohol for good and become the role models their kids deserve. After a wake-up call from his son, Luke made the bold decision to get sober, move his family to the Isle of Man, and create a life rooted in clarity, presence, and purpose.

Now, he empowers other dads to break free from old habits, reclaim their energy, and build lives full of meaning—without losing their sense of fun or identity. Luke shares practical tools and real-life strategies to help dads show up fully for themselves and their families.

You can find Luke on Insta at:

https://www.instagram.com/lukejonescoaching

William Porter - Alcohol Explained

https://amzn.eu/d/03X5MDQ

The Canadian alcohol warning test:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Territories_Alcohol_Labels_Study?wprov=sfti1#

The article on alcohol and drug death figures:

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fourworldindata.org%2Fgrapher%2Fsubstances-risk-factor-vs-direct-deaths.png&tbnid=NVBpdqC4DeXweM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fourworldindata.org%2Fgrapher%2Fsubstances-risk-factor-vs-direct-deaths&docid=FAdqK4DoVnypuM&w=850&h=600&hl=en-gb&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm1%2F3&kgs=1e2a1f1760d4b5a0

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Marcus Jones – Alcohol-Free Coach, Ultra Runner, and Mental Health Advocate

Following a turbulent divorce and years of using alcohol to cope, Marcus Jones turned his life around through sobriety, discipline, and relentless self-development. What began as a personal reset evolved into a powerful mission to help other men break free from the same destructive patterns.

Now over four years alcohol-free, Marcus leads Booze to Better — a coaching program built for men ready to quit drinking and start living with purpose. He's gone from rock bottom to running ultra-marathons, mentoring others, and speaking openly about the realities of mental health, addiction, and rebuilding self-respect.

Through raw honesty, lived experience, and no-nonsense guidance, Marcus helps men become the fathers, partners, and leaders they know they can be.

You can find Marcus on Insta at:

https://www.instagram.com/marcusjonescoaching

Booze to Better Podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/5I2ml27fzmDtptMHWbUoJZ?si=da3461993e16484e

Marcus' Website:

https://minicourse.marcusjonescoaching.co.uk/hangoverfreechallenge

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Adriana, is the voice behind The Adge of Sobriety. She started drinking when she was 15, and by 30, Adriana had almost died from liver failure and was diagnosed with cirrhosis. Even that wasn’t enough for her to stop. She kept struggling on and off for another 8 years, trying to manage it on her own. It wasn’t until Adriana finally checked herself into detox and rehab that things started to really shift.

Now, at 6 months sober and for the first time in her life, she actually feels like she is living. Changing careers, changing her people, places, and things in order to give herself a real shot at sobriety. Adriana already knows the best is yet to come.

Hear Adriana's story here...

You can find her on Insta at:

https://www.instagram.com/theadgeofsobriety

The film that wee discussed is My Name is Bill W:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097939/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Jade is a mum of two and the creator of Scottish and Sober, an Instagram account dedicated to making sobriety feel honest, accessible, and empowering. Sober since 2021, she shares real-life reflections on identity, motherhood, mental health, therapy, and life beyond alcohol.

Through her content, she’s built a community that values connection, fun, vulnerability, and finding joy in the small things - all hangover-free.

Hear Jade's story here:

You can find Jade on her Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/scottishandsober

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Derek was a daily drinker whose life was spiraling out of control. It was impacting his work, relationships, health and finances. There was no controlling it, and despite some attempts at sobriety nothing seemed to last. Finally wanting a change for himself, he got sober in 2011 and hasn’t looked back since. His life has turned around and now he tries to connect with other people struggling with alcohol through his blog, Young Alcoholic.

When he’s not writing about sobriety, Derek can be found playing guitar, travelling abroad, and spending time with his family.

You can find Derek on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/young_alcoholic

His personal website is:

https://youngalcoholic.com/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Victoria has been proudly alcohol-free since January 2022, following a decade-long career at the country’s leading pub company, where she was events manager. Her journey into sobriety has been transformative, allowing her to embrace a lifestyle rooted in wellness, creativity, and meaningful connections.

A devoted mum, daughter, girlfriend, and co-parent to beloved Chihuahua, Rose, Victoria balances her personal life and her pastime as a published lifestyle writer. Her work has regularly featured in East Magazine and Stamford Living, where she shares insights on wellbeing, culture and the art of truly enjoying life.Since 2019, Victoria has been a dedicated Mental Health First Aider, advocating for workplace wellbeing and fostering supportive environments. Her passion for mental health extends beyond the office, as she actively champions healthier coping mechanisms and balanced living.

An avid festival-goer, Victoria has taken her message of sober empowerment to major events, speaking about alcohol-free living at Latitude Festival and Bash at the Beach. Her enthusiasm for the arts, film, and travel fuels her zest for life, proving that joy and adventure flourish in a sober lifestyle.Now also caffeine-free and following the *Human Being Diet *(HBD), Victoria continues to explore pathways to a vibrant, fulfilling life. With an unwavering commitment to wellbeing and an infectious energy for living life well, she is an inspiring advocate for those seeking to redefine their relationship with alcohol and embrace a healthier, happier future.

You can find Victoria on her Insta here:

https://www.instagram.com/victorias.gentle.life

You can still donate to Victorias walk for Nacoa:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/victoria-magnall-2

The film we discussed is:

Thanks for Sharing - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1932718/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

And the book:

David Wilson - One for the Road - https://amzn.eu/d/iqOKUit

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Paul has just turned 11 years sober!

With his exceptional lived experience he is helping people regain control over their lives & overcome alcohol addiction with personalised support

Addiction recovery tips & Inspo.....

Hear his story here…

You can get Paul on his insta:

https://www.instagram.com/paul_sober_harris

Paul’s website is:

https://www.paulharrisalcohol.co.uk

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

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https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Erica is 37 years old and living in Oregon with her husband and their two-year-old son. She’s been sober from alcohol for seven years now and it has changed her life in every way giving her clarity and a deeper connection to the people she loves.

Life these days is sweet and simple for Erica and she spends her time soaking up the little things in life: nature walks, beach trips, movie nights, and everyday moments with her family❤️

Listen to Erica’s story here…

You can find Erica at her Instagram here:

https://www.instagram.com/ericaekristin

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Episode 67 - Laura McKowen

In this landmark episode, Jimmy sits down with Laura McKowen — bestselling author of We Are the Luckiest and Push Off From Here, co-founder of one of sobriety’s earliest podcasts, and one of the most important voices in the modern recovery movement. With nearly 11 years of sobriety, Laura’s story is equal parts raw, literary, and profoundly hopeful.

Laura is the author of the bestselling memoir We Are The Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life and Push Off From Here: Nine Essential Truths to Get You Through Life (and Everything Else).

Her work explores the intersection of addiction, recovery, emotional sobriety, and the complexities of relationships. She has written for The New York Times and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Atlantic, The TODAY Show, and more.

In 2020, she founded The Luckiest Club, a global sobriety support community, and she writes Love Story, a popular Substack newsletter about sobriety, relationships, and writing. She is currently working on her third book.

Laura lives with her daughter on the North Shore of Boston.

You can find Laura on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/laura_mckowen?igsh=MjBnbDE5eHExbjY2

And all Laura’s other links on Linktree:

https://linktr.ee/laura_mckowen

We Are The Luckiest - Laura McKowen

https://amzn.to/43CQRDL

Push off From Here - Laura McKowen

https://amzn.to/435OMjt

John O’Donohue - The Inner Landscape of Beauty

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4gzzImBlp1rDvtzMg03g6E?si=MUtEe9SsQA2fGx2J4lDezA

Sentimental Value

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27714581/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Drinking: A Love Story - Caroline Knapp

https://amzn.to/3Puk9kM

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Laura is a trauma-informed somatic therapist and certified yoga and meditation teacher with over 25 years of experience – 19 of those specialising in mental health, trauma and substance misuse.

After years of living in disconnection and using alcohol to numb anxiety, quiet the constant mind chatter and cope with the exhaustion of overworking and perfectionism, Laura chose a different path. Establishing sobriety was just the beginning, which then opened the door to a deeper journey of reconnection with body, mind and soul.

Her approach blends somatic therapy, nervous system regulation, movement, mindfulness and ancient eastern philosophy guiding others to gently release old coping patterns and reconnect with their true nature. Laura’s work is rooted in the understanding that we’re not broken – we’ve just forgotten who we really are. That wholeness, that sense of being fully alive and at home in ourselves, is never lost. It’s just been buried under years of stress, survival and trying to keep it all together. Through reconnecting with the body, we remember. Not by fixing ourselves, but by slowing down, listening in and realising that what we’ve been searching for has been here all along.

Hear Laura’s story here…

Laura's Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/iamlaura.starky

All Laura's other links in one place:

https://marvelous.bio/somatic-wellness

https://thecostaricanews.com/spiritual-consequences-alcohol-consumption/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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David Wilson – Trauma-Informed Coach, Public Speaker & Bestselling Author

David Wilson is a Trauma-Informed Coach, Accredited Grey Area Drinking Coach, and Public Speaker dedicated to empowering individuals to transform their lives, overcome personal challenges, and embrace sobriety with a renewed mindset. Renowned for his no-nonsense approach and personable delivery, David provides impactful guidance that resonates with diverse audiences.

As a speaker, David has addressed schools and colleges, raising awareness about the risks and consequences of excessive alcohol consumption on individuals and their families. His work extends to corporate settings, where he delivers presentations and consultancy to support employee well-being and workplace wellness initiatives.

David is the host of the highly successful Top 10 Apple Podcast, One For The Road, which has garnered over 300,000 downloads in its first year. The podcast features in-depth conversations with notable guests, including RTT founder Marisa Peer, SAS: Who Dares Wins star Ollie Ollerton, bestselling author Catherine Gray (The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober), and musician Matt Willis.

A No.1 Bestselling Author, David’s debut book, One For The Road, combines his personal journey with coaching insights and motivational strategies designed to help readers redefine their relationship with alcohol.

David’s influential online presence includes his Instagram account, @soberdave, which boasts a loyal and engaged community of over 167,000 followers. Through live interviews and regular content, he fosters open conversations with thought leaders and advocates from the global sober community.

His annual initiative, #DryJanSoberdave, has supported thousands of individuals in taking their first steps toward sobriety, providing encouragement and accountability throughout the journey.

In addition to his coaching and advocacy work, David is committed to helping individuals explore the connection between past trauma and alcohol dependency. His recent qualification as a Trauma-Informed Coach strengthens his ability to guide clients toward sustainable, long-term sobriety through healing and self-awareness. He has also recently qualified as an EFT Practitioner.

Believing that the opposite of addiction is connection, David has created private online support communities, providing safe spaces for individuals to share experiences, receive support, and build meaningful connections.

Dave's Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/soberdave

All Dave's other links on his Linktree:

https://linktr.ee/Soberdave

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Darren McGarvey, is a Scottish social commentator, journalist, author and tv presenter on hard hitting documentaries.

McGarvey was brought up in Pollok on the south side of Glasgow, Scotland. Between 2004 and 2006, he wrote and presented eight programmes about the causes of anti-social behaviour and social deprivation for BBC Radio Scotland. 

Darren battled with his own addictions with alcohol and drugs and has made several programs highlighting the issues faced in society. 

Listen to Darren’s story here…

You can find Darren here:

https://www.instagram.com/darren_mcgarvey

Trauma Industrial Complex:

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/darren-mcgarvey-trauma-industrial-complex-the-live-show

Darren's Website:

https://darrenmcgarvey.com

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Louisa was a nearly nightly bottle of wine drinker and had been since her 20's. When Louisa became a mother, the pressure to cope with motherhood with 'wine o'clock' increased and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to turn to a glass of wine or two (or three) at the end of the day to cope.

In her day job, Louisa is a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and Hypnotherapist and so she was finding a real incongruence with the advice she was giving other people and yet struggling herself behind closed doors.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​In October 2022 Louisa couldn't ignore her desire to go sober any longer and began her sober journey. It wasn't a straightforward path though. Despite having all the tools she uses in her clinic with other people and habit change Louisa couldn't seem to get sobriety to stick.

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So she ended up stuck in a resetting loop for a couple of months and her mental health really suffered in that time.

Hear Louisa’s story here…

You can find Louisa at:

https://www.instagram.com/stepping_into_sobriety

Louisa's Linktree:

https://linktr.ee/stepping_into_sobriety

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Support the show

My Instagram is:
https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:
https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…
https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://a.co/d/0854fIb6

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://a.co/d/0gy6mT9Z

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://a.co/d/0jdcIjGb

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

My Instagram is:

https://www.instagram.com/recovery_jimmy

And you can find all my other links at:

https://linktr.ee/jimmythistle

Buy me a coffee…

https://buymeacoffee.com/afterhourswithjimmyt

Alcohol Explained - William Porter

https://amzn.to/43HL3Zy

This Naked Mind - Annie Grace

https://amzn.to/4dF5ufH

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

https://amzn.to/4nVY0sl

Donate:

https://motiv8.im/donate/

https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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