After Hours with Jimmy Thistle

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Emily is a creative, a dreamer, a dog lover and very grateful to be sober from alcohol. From the UK originally she now lives and works by the beach in Melbourne Australia.
You can find Emily on Instagram at:
https://www.instagram.com/emchadbourne
Russel Brand - Freedom from our Addictions:
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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

Donate:
https://motiv8.im/donate/
https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Musician Adrian Cox left home at the age of 15 to pursue a life of touring and making music as a profession. Not an easy task for anyone but as a 15 year old boy, Adrian easily fell into the trap of a life of drinking and drugs. 

Still living the dream at aged 42, things are very different now. Although still travelling the world, having carved out a career as one of the most respected jazz clarinetists Internationally, he is 2 months off of 12 years without a drink and nearly 10 years with no cocaine. It’s been a hell of a journey including a hip replacement at aged 30 due to AVN caused by alcohol and few other tales (as you can imagine) to go with that! 

Adrian now lives in Sweden and has found balance in touring, home life and the joys of the AA program, something he came to after 11 years.

You can find Adrian on Instagram at:
https://www.instagram.com/ontheroadinrecovery

Drop the Rock, Steps 6&7 - Bill P Todd W and Sara S
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We Did OK, Kid - Anthony Hopkins 
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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

Donate:
https://motiv8.im/donate/
https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Amy is a sobriety mentor, breathwork specialist and founder of Devine Breath. A former drinker herself, she now holds the Sober Sisterhood Breathwork Community, supporting women to release alcohol and reconnect to themselves and each other through the breath.

You can find Amy on Insta at:
https://www.instagram.com/devine.breath

Check out Any’s Website here:
https://devinebreath.com

Or you can find everything else on her LinkTree:
https://linktr.ee/amydevine

Caroline Knapp - Drinking a Love Story
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Annie Grace - This Naked Mind
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Gabor Matte -  The Wisdom of Trauma
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Peter Levine - Waking the T iger
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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

Donate:
https://motiv8.im/donate/
https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Alicia Butler began drinking at 16, initially for confidence and belonging. What started as social drinking gradually became a way to switch off, manage stress, and escape her own thoughts. For years, alcohol felt like a relief, until it quietly became something she relied on more than she wanted to admit.

After her mum died in 2011, Alicia tried repeatedly to cut back on drinking, knowing it was something her mum had hoped for her. Over the years, she set rules, took breaks, and attempted moderation. She once made it almost 90 days sober, but the emotional fallout felt overwhelming and she returned to drinking. Other attempts lasted weeks, sometimes only days. The pull of alcohol was strong, and there was always a reason to start again.
By her late 40s, Alicia realised her drinking was no longer under control. She was regularly drinking more than a bottle of champagne a day, waking with shame, exhaustion, and regret. At events she looked forward to all year, she barely remembered what had happened, sometimes missing entire performances, and often behaving in ways that left her deeply embarrassed. Alcohol, combined with tiredness and strong emotions, created a dangerous volatility. At her lowest points, it pushed her into emotional states that scared her and those closest to her.

At 48, tired of the mental and emotional toll, Alicia decided to try something different. After watching other women her age openly document their sobriety journeys online, she posted a raw, unfiltered day one video as a way of asking for accountability and help. What began as a quiet experiment quickly became a turning point.
The early days of sobriety were emotional. Alicia cried openly, struggled with raw feelings, and had to learn how to sit with discomfort without numbing it. Over time, however, the benefits became undeniable. Her mood stabilised, her sleep improved, her memory sharpened, and she found she could handle stress without spiralling. She stopped taking antidepressants, became clearer about her goals, and discovered a level of mental strength she hadn’t known she had.

Fitness had always been part of Alicia’s life, even when she was drinking, but sobriety allowed it to support her rather than compete with alcohol. Sharing her journey publicly, not wanting to let others down, and refusing to reset her daily counter helped her stay committed. Alcohol free drinks also became a lifeline. Once someone who drank only dry wines and champagne, Alicia now enjoys alcohol free gins and beers, finding they allow her to keep rituals without the fallout.
Now over 150 days sober, Alicia shares honestly about midlife sobriety, habit change, and rebuilding self trust. Her work focuses on realism rather than perfection, and on the quiet freedom that comes from no longer negotiating with yourself every night. She didn’t quit drinking because she hit a single dramatic rock bottom. She quit because she was exhausted by what alcohol was taking from her time, money, energy, and peace of mind.
Find Alicia on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/champagnetochange
David Nutt - Drink:
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Louisa Evans - Becoming A Sober Rebel:
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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

Donate:
https://motiv8.im/donate/
https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/

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Jimmy was a rock bottom kind of drunk, vodka for breakfast was the way he started his days at the end and mostly before he'd even opened his eyes. Alcohol was his friend, his best friend and he would shun, push away or even be downright horrible to anyone that tried to get in the way of him getting a drink.
He didn't want to be like this but he need the alcohol at the end and it became his medicine but he knew he had to get sober or it would kill him. So in 2020 in the middle of COVID he got his final detox and did everything and anything to get sober and stay sober. That was 5+ years ago now and since then Jimmy has become a Peer Mentor for addiction at Motiv8 on the Isle of Man and is planning on starting Sober Coach training in 2026. 
He has a very successful podcast and got married to the love of his life in 2025. Life is good and he remains an advocate of sober lifestyles and helping people make a change in their life.
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

Donate:
https://motiv8.im/donate/
https://nacoa.org.uk/get-involved/donating/donate/