Soberly Speaking

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Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking⁠ 

This week, I’m joined by award-winning psychotherapist Paula Williams to explore why we can continue behaviours we know aren’t good for us, even when we desperately want to change.

Using Internal Family Systems (IFS), Paula explains the different parts of ourselves and why one part can want to let go while another still clings to a behaviour. We discuss people-pleasing, replacing one addiction with another, relapse and the ways addiction can shape an entire family system across generations.

And what does recovery look like when sobriety is no longer the end goal, but the beginning?

Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.
This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, addiction, drug use, mental health, suicide and recovery. If this episode raises anything for you, please reach out to a trusted support person or contact a crisis support service in your area.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015
⁠https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline⁠

Lifeline Australia provides 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14
⁠https://www.lifeline.org.au⁠

1800RESPECT provides support for people impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence and abuse. Call 1800 737 732
⁠https://www.1800respect.org.au⁠

Creator & Host- Julia Rangiheuea
Creative Director - Beaudene Perussich
Image & Logo- Jasmine Rule

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking⁠ 

“I was a horizontal drinker”

Alex’s relationship with alcohol and substances had always been extreme, but when a business partner left him tens of thousands of dollars in debt, the financial pressure catapulted his drinking and coke use to another level. Before long, he was hiding whiskey under his pillow so he could wake up, drink, and pass out again.

Alex’s journey with sobriety has been anything but linear. After becoming physically dependent on alcohol, he suffered a seizure while trying to go cold turkey and relapsed multiple times. Even after finally quitting alcohol, Alex admits he wasn’t happy in sobriety.

After travelling to Colombia for an ayahuasca ceremony, Alex relapsed and brought his drinking back to the UK. When he eventually sought help, he made the decision to go all in on AA, something he had never truly done before.

Follow Alex on Instagram: @recoveringalkialex

Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.
This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, addiction, drug use, mental health, suicide and recovery. If this episode raises anything for you, please reach out to a trusted support person or contact a crisis support service in your area.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015
⁠https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline⁠

Lifeline Australia provides 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14
⁠https://www.lifeline.org.au⁠

1800RESPECT provides support for people impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence and abuse. Call 1800 737 732
⁠https://www.1800respect.org.au⁠

Creator & Host- Julia Rangiheuea
Creative Director - Beaudene Perussich
Image & Logo- Jasmine Rule

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking⁠ 

This is the second and final part of Aunee’s two-part interview.

We continue our conversation as Aunee opens up about the depths of her alcohol dependence, including constantly blacking out and reaching a point where she had no care for her children. She reflects on the neglect her children experienced, and how her eldest two never really got to have a childhood.

Aunee was eventually tapered off alcohol by her father before entering detox and then spending months in rehab.

She finishes this two-part series by reflecting on how she went from being a victim of abuse to becoming an abuser herself, and the trail of destruction that followed.

Follow Aunee on Instagram: @Brown_Girl_In_a_Bottle

Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.
This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, addiction, drug use, mental health, suicide and recovery. If this episode raises anything for you, please reach out to a trusted support person or contact a crisis support service in your area.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015
⁠https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline⁠

Lifeline Australia provides 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14
⁠https://www.lifeline.org.au⁠

1800RESPECT provides support for people impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence and abuse. Call 1800 737 732
⁠https://www.1800respect.org.au⁠

Creator & Host- Julia Rangiheuea
Creative Director - Beaudene Perussich
Image & Logo- Jasmine Rule

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking⁠ 
Aunee still remembers the nightie she was wearing as a little five-year-old girl when her uncle first introduced her to the “tickle game”.
What was presented to her as a fun game she could play with someone she trusted was something much more sinister. This continued for years, and the ripple effects have been lifelong.
Aunee’s story explores the devastating impact of generational trauma, complex mental health challenges and alcohol dependence, and how the pain of her own childhood trauma impacted not only her life, but also the lives of her three children.
In this deeply vulnerable conversation, Aunee reflects on the painful reality of how unresolved trauma can shape the lives of those around us, sharing how she went from being a victim of abuse to recognising the ways her own trauma eventually led her to cause harm to others.
Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.
This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, addiction, drug use, mental health, suicide and recovery. If this episode raises anything for you, please reach out to a trusted support person or contact a crisis support service in your area.
The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015
⁠https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline⁠
Lifeline Australia provides 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14
⁠https://www.lifeline.org.au⁠
1800RESPECT provides support for people impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence and abuse. Call 1800 737 732
⁠https://www.1800respect.org.au⁠
Creator & Host- Julia Rangiheuea
Creative Director - Beaudene Perussich
Image & Logo- Jasmine Rule
In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.