PODCAST

Living Free

The Living Free Crew

Talk on substance misuse, alcoholism and other addictions. Information on support groups is given.

news & politics

All Episodes

Alcoholics Anonymous - Dan on 16NOV2023

Living Free ·

2023/11/16

Dan grew up with normal parents but felt uncomfortable in the world. His insecurities and fears led to a nervous breakdown in his early teens, and he was medicated for anxiety from about 13 years old. Dan discovered alcohol at 16 and found that it relieved his overwhelming feeling of being different. Alcohol made his life appear normal and like many alcoholics he continued to drink to blackout, even from his first drinking session.Even though Dan knew alcohol wasn’t the solution, in fact it was

en-au

Gamblers Anonymous - Ryan on 09NOV2023

Living Free ·

2023/11/09

At the time of this interview Ryan had been off the punt for 85 days. He had friends at school who had gambling accounts, but it wasn’t until he turned 18 that he had his own betting account and started gambling in earnest. His first big win gave him a real buzz and he realized “how easy was that”. It also stroked his ego and set him up for social gambling with his friends.Ryan started off as an honest kid who really didn’t break rules but that changed when gambling became an issue in his life, and

en-au

Al-Anon Family Groups - Teresa

Living Free ·

2023/11/02

The youngest of five children, Teresa's spent her childhood moving several times between England and Australia. She found it difficult to make friends and did not enjoy school. Because of this, in an effort to protect her, Teresa's mother allowed her to stay home from school whenever she wanted to. Teresa felt that she was overprotected in other ways during her childhood and younger adulthood, not only by her parents, both of whom partied and drank, but by her older siblings. During her

en-au

Overeaters Anonymous - Tami

Living Free ·

2023/10/26

Tami identifies as a binge eater and was greatly relieved to find, at her first Overeaters Anonymous meeting, that she was not the only one. Coming out of isolation into the company of friendly people who had faced the problems that she thought were unique to her, was the first step on Tami's recovery from her disordered thinking about food and life. She tells the story of how each of the 12 Steps of recovery gave her a completely new understanding of herself along with freedom from the obsession

en-au

Alcoholics Anonymous - Carol on 19OCT2023

Living Free ·

2023/10/19

Carol grew up with an alcoholic father and became an alcoholic herself. She describes starting drinking at 12 years old with her father, escaping the alcoholic home in her mid-teens and how alcohol became part of her social fabric. Carol went on to marry an alcoholic and when they separated her drinking took her and her young daughter on an alcohol fuelled journey to despair. After hospitalizations, car accidents and trouble with the law Carol sought help through rehab and found the fellowship of

en-au

Gamblers Anonymous - Gerard on 12OCT2023

Living Free ·

2023/10/12

Gerard started underage betting on horseracing as a 14-year-old and as his gambling passion increased his school performance suffered. Form-guide betting on the horses with friends as a 17-year-old was a weekly event and he used part-time jobs to cover his losses. It wasn’t until a traffic accident as a 19-year-old that Gerard started isolating and using gambling a s a means to forget. Lying came easily to him as he hid his gambling addiction from work, family and friends and even did a

en-au

Al-Anon Family Groups - Andrea

Living Free ·

2023/10/05

Andrea was born in the early 1960's in a traditional family with an authoritarian father who believed that sons should have preferential treatment over daughters. Both her parents were addicted to alcohol and she learned not to talk too much to avoid her parents' anger. When Andrea left the family home she fell in love with a man who did not drink but who used drugs. She did not realise that this would be a problem but found that she was relying more and more on the people-pleasing behaviours that

en-au

The 12 Steps of Recovery (Steps 6-12) - Richard

Living Free ·

2023/09/28

This is the second of two discussions with Richard about the practice of the 12 Steps. Richard is a member of AA, Al-Anon and, more recently, Nicotine Anonymous. In this episode we discuss Steps 6-12. Discussion of the first 5 Steps can be found in the episode on 7 September 23. If you think that Al-Anon could help you cope with someone else’s problem drinking then you can phone 1300 252 666 or go to their website al-anon.org.auIf you would like to find out a bit more about alcoholism for yourself

en-au

Alcoholics Anonymous - Rod on 21SEP2023

Living Free ·

2023/09/21

Rod talks about the effects of alcoholism on his life and the benefits of recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous. He was labelled a “good kid” which he didn’t like and found that alcohol gave him the freedom to muck up a bit on weekends. Rod started underage drinking in high school and was able to appear normal most of the time, but no-one saw his drinking in private.Rod married young and as his drinking progressed, he wasn’t present for his family and would isolate in his shed and drink. His drinking

en-au

Gamblers Anonymous - Michael on 14SEP2023

Living Free ·

2023/09/14

Michael shares his gambling journey and how his pokies addiction eventually meant that he would gamble even though he knew he would get found out. He had to get help to save his marriage and Michael found Gamblers Anonymous and that enabled him to break the isolation, understand his addiction and address his real gambling problems.Michael also shares on what works for him in recovery: 12 Steps, sponsorship and Service.If you’re having trouble with gambling, or have a friend or family member that

en-au

Practising the 12 Steps of Recovery (Steps 1-5) -...

Living Free ·

2023/09/07

Richard is returning to Living Free to discuss in detail the practice of the 12 Steps that are the foundation of many recovery programs. The 12 Steps were conceived by founding members of AA, Bill W and Dr Bob, in the USA in 1935 as a spiritually-based (but non-religious) pathway out of alcoholism. In this episode, Richard and Ann discuss how they practise the first 5 of the 12 Steps. If you think that Al-Anon could help you cope with someone else’s problem drinking then you can phone 1300 252

en-au

Sober Bartender and Musician - Ben on 31AUG2023

Living Free ·

2023/08/31

Ben talks about the impact sobriety had on his career as a bar manager and as a musician. Sobriety can be difficult to commit to at any stage in life, but can be even more difficult going into your early twenties due to social stigma and other factors. Ben had people in his extended family who experiemented with drug use, and started experimenting with drugs and alcohol in his early teens. Following some negative experiences with alcohol which led to an ankle break on a drunk night out a few years

en-au

Debtors Anonymous - Stuart on 24AUG2023

Living Free ·

2023/08/24

Stuart talks about the effects of alcoholism on his life and the benefits of recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous. His dad left the family early and his family was poor, so he felt these effects during his early schooling. Stuart formed friendships with kids in similar positions and started drinking around 16 years old and using marijuana when he was about 18. Money was an ongoing problem though, even when he had a successful business as his alcoholism progressed. Stuart found help with his

en-au

Alcoholics Anonymous - John on 17AUG2023

Living Free ·

2023/08/17

John talks about the effects of alcoholism on his life and the benefits of recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous. His dad was an alcoholic who eventually found AA and although John avoided alcohol in his early teens, he could not resist it after graduating from secondary school. John frequently drank to blackout but didn’t think that his own drinking was that severe. He attended AA once with his dad in his late teens but decided that that AA was not for him.It wasn’t till into his early thirties that

en-au

Gamblers Anonymous - Todd on 10AUG2023

Living Free ·

2023/08/10

Todd had his first (winning) bet at 9 years old and it felt so euphoric that he can still remember all the details of the greyhound race vividly. Once he started working around 17 years old, he was hooked, became a payday gambler and his life quickly went out of control. Todd tried all other forms of gambling, but the TAB was the most convenient and anonymous. He came into Gamblers Anonymous when he was 19 but could only stop gambling for short periods returning reluctantly for help. Todd came back

en-au

August is Alateen Awareness Month - Tami and Barry

Living Free ·

2023/08/03

Alateen is a fellowship of young people whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking. The month of August is Alateen Awareness month and Mitch and I are joined in the studio by Tami and Barry. Tami is the Alateen Co-ordinator for the Victorian Southern Area of Al-Anon and Barry has lived experience growing up in a family where alcohol was abused. Both Barry and Tami are Alateen sponsors. Alateen is part of the world-wide fellowship of Al-Anon. For more information, go

en-au

Overeaters Anonymous - Rhi

Living Free ·

2023/07/27

Rhi grew up with her mother and two brothers in Melbourne. Her grandparents, who came to Australia post-war, cooked beautifully and valued food highly. But there was dysfunction in the family. In childhood, Rhi was teased by her siblings about her weight and when, at age 10, a significant adult indicated that her body size was a problem she began to run to try to change it. So began a two-decade long struggle with food that impacted on all aspects of Rhi's life, taking up mental energy that could

en-au

Alcoholics Anonymous - Greig on 20JUL2023

Living Free ·

2023/07/20

Greig is back on the show again to talk more about the effects of alcoholism on his life and the benefits of recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous. He grew up underage drinking and although his dad was an alcoholic, recovering in AA, Greig didn’t think that his own drinking was that severe.It wasn’t till into his early thirties that he realized that most of his friends had settled down and were taking life more seriously that he reflected on the impact his daily drinking was having on his relationships

en-au

Gamblers Anonymous - Marcus

Living Free ·

2023/07/13

Marcus grew up in a household where alcohol was abused, suffered from social and emotional challenges at school, and began to drink and use drugs in his teenage years. It was only when Marcus visited a pokies venue for the first time that he experienced the sense of peace and enjoyment that he had always sought. He loved the experience so much that he made his way back to the venue the next morning, quickly becoming hooked. During rehabilitation from drug and alchohol abuse, Marcus found himself

en-au

Harm Minimisation - Grace

Living Free ·

2023/06/29

Grace grew up in a large Victorian town where drug and alcohol use and abuse were common but she experienced little of this either at home or among her school friends. When she first began to drink in her late teens, Grace's parents purchased small amounts of alcohol for her to take to parties and ensured that she came home safely at night. It was when she came to Melbourne to study that Grace's world opened up to a much greater number of clubs and other venues, and to a wider variety of substances

en-au

412 results

Living Free

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

Boletines RNE

RNE

BBC News

BBC World Service

برامج

مونت كارلو الدولية / MCD

Journal Afrique

RFI

要闻解说

RFI - 法国国际广播电台