School of Rock Bottom

Addiction tells one of its most convincing lies long before recovery even begins: that the problem will never leave you. In this next thought, Oliver Mason challenges the fear that sobriety means a lifetime of daily battle. If you’ve ever wondered whether recovery actually gets easier - or whether the voice in your head ever quietens - this conversation cuts straight through myth, shame and misconception to reveal what really happens when someone commits to change.
This explores the moment many people get stuck: recognising there is a problem but believing it will never go away. Oliver reframes addiction not as an unbeatable enemy but as something that loses power when recovery is properly supported. From therapy and structured programmes to peer fellowship communities we examine why connection - not willpower - changes outcomes.
Using vivid storytelling, Oliver dismantles the fantasy many people secretly hope for: that addiction can simply be eliminated overnight, metaphorically dragged down an alleyway and thrown into the River Thames forever. Instead, he explains how long-term recovery works in reality. The obsession doesn’t vanish dramatically; it becomes distant, contained and manageable. For those early in sobriety who feel overwhelmed, this perspective offers reassurance that the intensity of the early days does not last forever.
Listen or watch THE FULL EPISODE
Spotify - https://bit.ly/3RmMvu8
YouTube - https://bit.ly/3NuVwzU
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 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 Oliver
Instagram - https://tinyurl.com/2vt29sjv
Facebook - https://tinyurl.com/34cwz59r
TikTok - https://tinyurl.com/ujw4vxn9
LinkedIn - https://tinyurl.com/yuemhnd7
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X - https://tinyurl.com/3u5mnpds
#podcast #recovery #alcoholaddiction

Harrison Ward, also known as Fell Foodie, drank more than 20 pints a day, smoked like a chimney, battled clinical depression in silence and reached a moment where he believed there were only two ways out.
Today I sit down with the man behind the outdoor cooking phenomenon to unpack addiction, withdrawal, mental health and the decision that saved his life. Harrison shares the reality behind addiction, drinking culture and the hidden loneliness of high-masking depression. From working in pubs while drinking heavily to climbing a mountains during withdrawal, this is a raw exploration of what happens when escape stops working and honesty begins.
Together they explore why alcohol can feel like medicine before it becomes a prison, how depression can quietly shape behaviour from teenage years onwards, and why many people suffer in silence long before anyone notices. Harrison speaks openly about peer pressure, shame, identity and the fear of speaking honestly about mental health, especially growing up in environments where vulnerability felt impossible.
Harrison explains how sobriety allowed him to rediscover purpose through food, nature and creativity, cooking restaurant-quality meals on remote mountainsides and sharing hope with thousands online. Oliver and Harrison also discuss cravings, withdrawal, rebuilding self-worth, going public about sobriety and the practical options available for anyone struggling with alcohol or depression today. If you or someone you love is struggling, this conversation offers honesty without judgement and hope without clichés.
Now, over 9 years sober, Harrison has fused his love of food with the healing power of the outdoors. He’s hiking the fells of Cumbria and cooking restaurant quality meals on a simple camp stove in the mountains, and sharing his story to show others that recovery is possible.
He’s been featured on the BBC with Mary Berry, Channel 5’s ‘Winter on the Farm’, Countryfile Magazine, Men’s Fitness, and more. He’s a bestselling author, a keynote speaker, and a brand ambassador.
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!
T-Shirt from The Recovery Cartel -
www.therecoverycartel.co.uk
https://www.instagram.com/therecoverycartel
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
3:30 A rock bottom moment
5:20 Using alcohol to escape
7:30 Depression as a teenager
10:30 Mental health was not talked about before
11:45 Drinking 20 pints a day!
16:40 Was Harrison a high functioning alcoholic?
19:00 Is high functioning addiction worse?
22:50 The moment I decided to stop drinking
28:30 Moderation and doing a geographical
36:00 Withdrawal and depression
40:00 Climbing a mountain in withdrawal!
45:20 From hurting to healing
47:40 Dealing with cravings & peer pressure
51:45 Finding passion for cooking
54:00 Going public about sobriety
56:45 Options for help to go sober and fighting depression
Follow Harrison
Website - https://www.fellfoodie.co.uk
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fellfoodie
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/fellfoodie/
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/FellFoodie
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@fellfoodie
Twitter - https://twitter.com/FellFoodie
Follow Oliver
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Facebook - https://tinyurl.com/34cwz59r
TikTok - https://tinyurl.com/ujw4vxn9
LinkedIn - https://tinyurl.com/yuemhnd7
Threads - https://tinyurl.com/yk7vdeah
X - https://tinyurl.com/3u5mnpds
Watch/Listen -
YouTube - https://youtu.be/7UW29Hp7rBY
Spotify - https://tinyurl.com/djmdvpjr
Apple - https://tinyurl.com/y3n2chk3

#AddictionRecovery
#Sobriety
#MentalHealth

This episode is for anyone who has tried to stop drinking and found themselves right back where they started. In this next quick thought, I -Oliver Mason - revisit a conversation with Issy Hawkins on what relapse actually looked like for me, why “relapse is part of recovery” never rang true for me, and the moment when the fight finally stopped.
What unfolds is not a neat recovery story but a real one. A journey marked by chaos, embarrassment, failed attempts, and a deep resistance to the very thing that ultimately worked. From celebrating sobriety milestones with a drink to being kicked out of meetings for turning up drunk, this conversation strips away the romance and speaks plainly about addiction as illness, not weakness. It also challenges the idea that you can think or muscle your way out of something that thrives on isolation. At its core, this clip is about connection. Why trying to recover alone can quietly keep you stuck, how helping others can drain the power out of a drinking thought, and why the word “we” can be the difference between staying sober and sliding back. If you’re questioning whether there’s a way out, or if you recognise yourself in any part of this story, this is one to sit with.
Listen or watch THE FULL EPISODE
Spotify - https://bit.ly/4cFvnIy
YouTube - https://bit.ly/3Ts8npR
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 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 Issy
Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@issyhawkins_
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/issyhawkins_
Follow Oliver
Instagram - https://tinyurl.com/2vt29sjv
Facebook - https://tinyurl.com/34cwz59r
TikTok - https://tinyurl.com/ujw4vxn9
LinkedIn - https://tinyurl.com/yuemhnd7
Threads - https://tinyurl.com/yk7vdeah
X - https://tinyurl.com/3u5mnpds
#podcast #recovery #alcoholaddiction

When I first saw Johnny Lawrence’s documentary The Slavery of Addiction, I knew I had to speak with him. Johnny grew up in fear - beaten by his father, bullied for his skin colour and convinced he’d never be enough. Alcohol seemed to be the perfect medicine.

Together we explore one of the most misunderstood aspects of trauma and addiction: acceptance. Johnny shares a deeply personal account of confronting his abusive father as an adult, the moment he realised the abuse was not his to carry, and why walking away became an act of self-preservation rather than bitterness. What follows is an honest conversation about emotional responsibility, identity and the cost of waiting for people to change when they are incapable of doing so.
Johnny explains why trying to “process the past” often keeps people trapped, and why accepting emotions, rather than events, became the turning point in his recovery. He challenges common narratives around forgiveness, making a clear distinction between accepting how something made you feel and excusing what was done to you. This episode explores how anger, guilt, and helplessness often replace one another, and how alcohol can become a way to survive emotions that feel unbearable at the time.

The conversation also reframes addiction in a way many people have never heard before. Johnny speaks openly about being grateful to alcohol, not as something to glorify, but as an honest acknowledgement that it once served a purpose. Together, we discuss why substances are often solutions before they become problems, why sobriety is about freedom rather than restriction, and how focusing on what you want instead of what you’re avoiding can change everything.

This episode is essential listening for anyone struggling with trauma, addiction, or the pressure to forgive before they are ready. It offers a grounded, compassionate perspective on recovery, accountability, and what it really means to let go of what was never yours to begin with.

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!

T-Shirt from The Recovery Cartel -
www.therecoverycartel.co.uk
https://www.instagram.com/therecoverycartel

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
3:20 A rock bottom moment
10:20 Escaping violence as a child
13:35 The brain learns it needs alcohol to survive
15:20 Dyslexia & being mixed race shapes Johnny's experience
20:20 Trying alcohol for the first time
25:20 Alcohol becomes a replacement for life
28:35 Making peace with the abuse
33:05 Processing the emotional imprints & acceptance
34:50 Stop focusing on not drinking alcohol!
36:20 What about forgiveness?
42:05 Why I'm grateful to alcohol
46:0l20 Alcohol becomes the solution 47:50 People will tell you you don't have a problem!
49:35 How did Johnny get sober?
52:05 Dealing with alcohol cravings
57:05 The sober journey

Follow Johnny
The Slavery of Addiction - https://youtu.be/8j3Nq_lcFlY?feature=shared
Website - https://www.johnnylawrence.co.uk
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theselfdevelopmentcoach

Follow Oliver
Instagram - https://tinyurl.com/2vt29sjv
Facebook - https://tinyurl.com/34cwz59r
TikTok - https://tinyurl.com/ujw4vxn9
LinkedIn - https://tinyurl.com/yuemhnd7
Threads - https://tinyurl.com/yk7vdeah
X - https://tinyurl.com/3u5mnpds

Please subscribe, follow, like, leave a review and comment!
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#Sobriety
#Recovery
#MentalHealth

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
Spotify - https://bit.ly/3YMYyWC
YouTube - https://bit.ly/3X0RJzq
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 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 Raffa
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/creative_recovery_workshops
Follow Oliver
Instagram - https://tinyurl.com/2vt29sjv
Facebook - https://tinyurl.com/34cwz59r
TikTok - https://tinyurl.com/ujw4vxn9
LinkedIn - https://tinyurl.com/yuemhnd7
Threads - https://tinyurl.com/yk7vdeah
X - https://tinyurl.com/3u5mnpds

#rehab #addiction #recovery