School of Rock Bottom

In this next quick thought, I revisit a conversation with rehab manager Raffa as we challenge the stereotype of what “rock bottom” really means.
It’s not always losing your job, your home, or your relationships. Sometimes it’s quieter — a loss of self-respect, a look of disappointment from someone you love, or the moment you realise you can’t keep living the way you are.
Drawing on decades of frontline recovery experience, this conversation explores the many forms rock bottom can take — and why it’s often an internal turning point rather than a public collapse.
We also tackle a common myth: that rehab is only for a certain “type” of person. Addiction doesn’t discriminate — and getting help is not weakness, it’s courage.
You don’t need to lose everything or wait to hit a stereotypical 'rock bottom' to change — recovery begins when you can no longer ignore the pain.
Listen or watch THE FULL EPISODE
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About the “THOUGHT” series -
Every other Monday at 5 PM, I’ll bring you a quick ‘thought’—a powerful moment from previous episodes designed to kickstart your week with insight, motivation, and connection. These shorter clips help us stay connected as a community, while every other Tuesday delivers a full, brand-new episode with fresh stories and lessons.
Oliver is an ambassadors for Alcohol Change UK and you can access support here - https://tinyurl.com/5dt5773e
Podcasting is an expensive passion. To help me keep going, I'd really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee, thank you!
https://buymeacoffee.com/olivermason1
Or via PayPal - https://www.paypal.me/olivermason1paypal
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#rehab #addiction #recovery

He technically died twice. He survived Borstal, homelessness, decades of speed and cocaine, five heart attacks, and 29 days in a coma after a triple heart bypass went wrong. His life was saved by Dr Hasnat Khan, who was close to Princess Diana, and he came back sober, creative, and unstoppable.
This is Garry Johnson, the punk poet, street journalist, and man who discovered the Stone Roses, telling his story like no one else can. From the chaos of Fleet Street tabloids to the highs of punk rock and the life-threatening lows of addiction, Garry shares the moments that nearly ended him—and how he survived them all.
We explore the drug-fuelled confidence that once drove his creativity, the trauma that shaped his choices, and the health crises that should have stopped him. Garry talks honestly about losing his daughter, why caffeine now acts as a trigger, and the hard truth about why addiction rarely ends when the body starts screaming for change.
Since quitting, Garry has transformed his life: seven books published, albums released, screenplays written, and stage performances performed sober. He reflects on creativity without drugs, lessons learnedand what he would tell his grandchildren about drugs.
Oliver is an ambassador for Alcohol Change UK and you can access support here - https://tinyurl.com/5dt5773e
Thank you to Gavin Sisters for sponsoring this episode! Visit -
www.gavinsisters.co.uk
and use promo code SCHOOLOFROCKBOTTOM for 10% off!
Podcasting is an expensive passion. To help me keep going, I'd really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee, thank you!
https://buymeacoffee.com/olivermason1
Or via PayPal - https://www.paypal.me/olivermason1paypal
Topics -
0:00 Trailer & Intro
2:30 A rock bottom moment
5:00 Speed helps him become a writer
6:45 Abuse in children's home & Borstal
7:45 Using speed & creativity to deal with anger
12:00 Coke and speed gave me confidence
13:30 Why speed was my favourite
16:00 Dependancy starts
21:15 Cocaine calmed me down and helped me survive?
22:45 Garry has his first heart attack
24:30 Paranoia & anxiety
28:15 Nearly dying was the wake up call
30:30 Now I don't even drink coffee!
32:00 I kept using in between heart attacks
34:30 Getting clean and career takes off
36:00 Do drugs make you more creative?
39:00 Garry discovered The Stone Roses?
41:00 A true story about Ozzy Osbourne!
42:30 Now a story about Robbie Williams!
45:15 Would Garry change the past if he could?
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#AddictionRecovery #CocaineAddiction #SchoolOfRockBottom

In this next thought, I revisit a simply amazing conversation with Mark Shenton as we explore the essential conversation around pornography, sex addiction, dopamine, and the search for validation.
Drawing from lived experience, this episode examines how early exposure to porn can quietly shape identity, self-worth, and behaviour, and why so many people struggle in silence. If you’ve ever questioned your relationship with sex, porn, or compulsive behaviours, this is an honest, grounded reflection that may challenge how you think about addiction and recovery.
This conversation looks at pornography not as a moral issue, but as a powerful neurological and emotional stimulus. We discuss how constant access can distort expectations around sex, intimacy, and body image, particularly for young people still forming a sense of self. The episode explores how porn can act as an entry point into more compulsive behaviours, how tolerance builds over time, and why the brain often cannot distinguish between digital stimulation and real human connection.
There is also a candid discussion about objectification, shame, and validation. How the pursuit of approval through sex can feel like relief in the moment, yet leave deeper emptiness afterwards. How dopamine highs mirror other addictions, followed by anxiety, depression, and regret. And how blurred boundaries between fantasy and reality can escalate behaviour in ways people never expected or planned.
Importantly, this episode does not stay in the problem. It speaks openly about recovery, meetings, and the quiet power of sharing honestly with others who understand. It reflects on love addiction, emotional attachment, and the difference between intimacy and intensity. It also highlights how meaning and stability can slowly replace compulsive coping mechanisms through connection, service, and telling the truth about our experiences.
This is not a sensational story. It is a human one. A reminder that addiction often begins as an attempt to soothe pain, that many people are walking similar paths behind closed doors, and that help exists long before things fall apart completely. If this resonates, you are not alone, and you do not have to work it out by yourself.
Listen or watch THE FULL EPISODE
Spotify - https://bit.ly/3WCXK5s
YouTube - https://bit.ly/3Ytj4f7
Apple - https://apple.co/3PajZvQ
About the “THOUGHT” series -
Every other Monday at 5 PM, I’ll bring you a quick ‘thought’—a powerful moment from previous episodes designed to kickstart your week with insight, motivation, and connection. These shorter clips help us stay connected as a community, while every other Tuesday delivers a full, brand-new episode with fresh stories and lessons.
Oliver is an ambassador for Alcohol Change UK and you can access support here - https://tinyurl.com/5dt5773e
For anyone struggling with these topics Mark suggests reaching out to -
SLAA - https://slaauk.org
Podcasting is an expensive passion. To help me keep going, I'd really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee, thank you!
https://buymeacoffee.com/olivermason1
Or via PayPal - https://www.paypal.me/olivermason1paypal
Follow Mark
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#pornaddiction #slaa #recovery

Have you ever walked past someone sleeping rough, visibly unwell, clearly addicted to drugs, and written them off without a second thought?
Today, I'm joined by Charlotte Seaman to explore one of most confronting addiction stories you will hear. From heroin and crack addiction to prison, psychosis, sex work, assault and homelessness, Charlotte’s journey shows the brutal reality of severe drug addiction and the possibility of recovery when all hope feels lost. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, trauma, or relapse, this conversation may be the one that unlocks a door.
Charlotte was born into a loving home, yet by the age of 11 she was already using drugs and being arrested. At 13, following a sexual assault, her life escalated rapidly into violence, incarceration, and heavy substance use. What followed was an 18-year descent through crack, heroin, injecting, snowballing, repeated prison sentences, homelessness, and eventually a full psychotic breakdown. This episode shows what it really looks like when drugs take everything.
Together, Oliver and Charlotte explore the link between childhood trauma and self-medication, how addiction progresses when left untreated, and why mixing stimulants and depressants can become so compelling and so dangerous. Charlotte speaks openly about using heroin then methodone during pregnancy under medical supervision, smoking spice in prison, living on the streets, and the shame and guilt that followed her for years. This is an honest conversation about accountability, consequences, and forgiveness in recovery.
Most importantly, this episode is about how Charlotte finally got clean and sober, the role recovery programmes played in saving her life, and what it means to rebuild after nearly two decades lost to addiction. Now over a year clean, Charlotte has become a recovery advocate with more than 100,000 followers online and has been recognised with a High Sheriff Award for turning her life around. Her story challenges stereotypes and offers hope to those who feel they have gone too far to ever come back.
This is a difficult but deeply hopeful episode about responsibility and redemption without clichés. If you believe addiction is a moral failing, this conversation may change your mind. If you’re struggling right now, it may remind you that recovery is possible — even after everything has fallen apart.
Oliver is an ambassador for Alcohol Change UK, support here - https://tinyurl.com/5dt5773e
Thank you to Gavin Sisters for sponsoring this episode! Visit -
www.gavinsisters.co.uk use promo code SCHOOLOFROCKBOTTOM for 10% off!
Podcasting is an expensive passion. To help me keep going, I'd really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee, thank you!
https://buymeacoffee.com/olivermason1
Topics -
0:00 Trailer & Intro
4:00 A rock bottom moment
5:10 Alcohol and drugs from 11
7:45 Not feeling good enough
8:45 Charlotte goes off the rails
10:30 The aftermath of sexual assault
11:30 Charlotte goes to prison
12:35 Why did Charlotte commit assault and self-forgiveness?
16:30 Smoking spice in prison
18:00 Escalation to snowballs
20:00 Living on the streets
22:00 Using methadone during pregnancy
25:15 Methadone & Heroin withdrawal
28:30 Unmanageable & powerless
30:30 The internal snap
33:00 Addiction leaves me vulnerable
34:00 Why sharing rock bottom moments saves lives!
36:15 How Charlotte found recovery
39:00 Are you in recovery if you take Methadone?
41:50 The 12 steps saved my life
43:00 Recovery is more powerful than addiction
44:15 Can ANYONE addicted to drugs make it back?!
46:30 Abstince from EVERYTHING?!
48:15 TikTok is Step 12?
49:15 Charlotte wins The Sheriff Award
51:45 An emotional but hopeful end
Follow Charlotte
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Dry January is often framed as a health reset, but for many people it becomes something far bigger. In this next quick thought, I revisit a conversation with Sober Dave recorded at the most emotionally charged point of the year, we hear how one message on the 7th of January changed the direction of an entire life. Hungover, grieving, overweight and stuck in a cycle that felt impossible to escape, Dave was invited into a three-month break from drinking. Not as an intervention. Not as a warning. Simply as support. What followed wasn’t just sobriety, but clarity, momentum and the first glimpse of a different future.
Dry January works because it removes judgement. It gives people permission to pause without having to explain themselves. In this conversation, we explore why Dry January creates that rare psychological space, why stopping “just for a month” can unlock deeper questions, and why curiosity is far more powerful than willpower. This episode speaks directly to anyone who has tried Dry January before, anyone questioning their relationship with alcohol, or anyone who has wondered what might happen if they didn’t go back to drinking at the end of the month.
This clip goes beyond counting days. It looks at what actually helps people stay stopped: community, education, self-investment and honest reflection. From weight loss and better sleep to rebuilding self-worth and identity, this is a reminder that meaningful change rarely comes from pressure or shame. It starts when someone feels invited rather than told.
If Dry January has ever made you quietly ask, “What would my life look like if I kept going?”, this episode is for you.
Listen or watch THE FULL EPISODE
YouTube - https://bit.ly/3VSPOw9
Spotify - https://bit.ly/402S5Hs
Apple - https://apple.co/3PajZvQ
About the “THOUGHT” series -
Every other Monday at 5 PM, I’ll bring you a quick ‘thought’—a powerful moment from previous episodes designed to kickstart your week with insight, motivation, and connection. These shorter clips help us stay connected as a community, while every other Tuesday delivers a full, brand-new episode with fresh stories and lessons.
Oliver & Dave are ambassadors for Alcohol Change UK and you can access support here - https://tinyurl.com/5dt5773e
Podcasting is an expensive passion. To help me keep going, I'd really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee, thank you!
https://buymeacoffee.com/olivermason1
Or via PayPal - https://www.paypal.me/olivermason1paypal
Follow Sober Dave
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/soberdave
Website - https://www.soberdave.co.uk
Podcast - Search "One For The Road" on all platforms
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#SoberLiving
#DryJanuary
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