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Living Free

The Living Free Crew

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

news & politics

All Episodes

How Al-Anon Works - Ann and Mitch

Living Free ·

2024/05/02

In this episode, Ann and Mitch chat about how Al-Anon works as a world wide organisation in which people whose lives have been affected by another's drinking support each other to solve their common problems.

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Coping with Drugs and Mental Illness - Christine on...

Living Free ·

2024/04/18

Christine shares her story of dealing with her teenage son turning to recreational drug use, then developing mental illness and how she responded. Twenty years later she has a better perspective on the impact of this on herself, her son and her family. Dealing with the combination of drug addiction and mental illness had been challenging and learning to cope was just the first step. Christine also realized that her husband’s drinking was a serious problem and she found help and support in Al-Anon

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Gamblers Anonymous - Angelo on 11APR2024

Living Free ·

2024/04/11

Angelo shares his story of developing a gambling habit through his family’s interest in betting on horse racing. Sitting with his dad on Saturday afternoons placing bets and listening to the races moved from a social pleasure into a full-blown obsession that led to compulsive gambling from his late teens. Gambling soaked up all of Angelo’s spare cash and meant that although he had a good income, he and his family just got by on the basics. Gambling eventually led Angelo into significant debt, and he

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Al-Anon Family Groups - Natalie

Living Free ·

2024/04/04

Natalie grow up with an alcoholic father and a religious mother who kept the peace by avoiding conflict with the alcoholic. Feeling overlooked in her family, Natalie looked forward to a life independent of it. When she moved away to study and begin a career, she found that she still had to reckon with her family relationships, finding difficulties with each of her parents at different times, reconciling with her father at one point and separating herself from her mother at another. At a low point in

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Overeaters Anonymous - Amanda

Living Free ·

2024/03/28

The child of migrant parents who worked long hours, Amanda remembers feeling isolated as a child. She remembers bingeing on food at the age of 8 and has spent many years struggling with compulsive over-eating, using food to calm herself whever she feel restless, irritable, discontented or otherwise uncomfortable. Overeaters Anonymous has shown Amanda that she is not alone and that it is possible to live at ease, without bingeing.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Dan on 21MAR2024

Living Free ·

2024/03/21

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. Dan discovered alcohol as a 16 yo and found that it relieved his overwhelming feeling of being different. Alcohol allowed him not to care about what others thought about him and, like many alcoholics, he continued to drink to blackout, even from his first drinking session.Dan didn’t realize that his feelings were the problem, but he knew that alcohol was the

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Galiamble - Alex and James on 14MAR2024

Living Free ·

2024/03/14

Alex talks about growing up with a dad who was dealing drugs and spent time in prison. He had a happy childhood but being without his father in his early teens he started drinking and the pain of losing him in his late teens sent him into a dependence on drugs. Alex managed to maintain his job initially but eventually the impact of drug use meant he couldn’t work. He first came to Galiamble Men’s Recovery Centre in 2019 but wasn’t serious about giving up the drugs. After a traumatic experience he

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Al-Anon Family Groups - Nadine

Living Free ·

2024/03/07

Nadine grew up with a father who drank and a mother who suffered from depression. Her mother died when Nadine was 13 and after an unsettled few years in the care of an aunt and then a housekeeper, Nadine found herself married at 16 to a drinker. During the marriage she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital where she overheard her husband commenting to the staff that Nadine's behaviour was the reason he drank. Fortunately it was at this time that she was introduced to Al-Anon, which she credits with

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'Picky Eater' - Ellie

Living Free ·

2024/02/29

Ellie has struggled with the texture and taste of certain foods her whole life. This has resulted in social anxiety and guilt over not being able to eat healthy food during school. Since graduating and moving out, Ellie's relationship with food has improved and she explains where she's at now with some perspective.

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Al-Anon Family Groups - Anthony

Living Free ·

2024/02/22

Anthony grew up in an English village, enjoying much freedom as a child. As a young adult he developed a love of travel and, using his training in information technology, found himself teaching computing in a Kenyan school. In Kenya he met his first wife, and together they moved to Australia where they took up farming, while bringing up their two sons. It was when his marriage ended that Anthony began a relationship with an alcoholic and eventually, through his partner's temporary recovery, came

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Galiamble - James on 15FEB2024

Living Free ·

2024/02/15

James talks about growing up as an Aboriginal in Western District of Victoria, how alcohol affected his family and how alcohol and drug abuse became part of his life as he dealt with early trauma and PTSD. Sport was a constant during James’ life, providing an opportunity for participation and enduring friendships. Inevitably, his alcohol and drug use led him to have extended periods of imprisonment, which enabled him to experience a quiet time away from alcohol and drugs. James has used the

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Jennie on 08FEB2024

Living Free ·

2024/02/08

Jennie grew up with young parents and had a disadvantaged childhood. Eager to fit in she learnt early to not reveal much of herself and just reflect the values of others. Jennie found moving from the UK to Australia in her early teens quite traumatic and in her late teens left home and went to live with acquaintances in St Kilda. Her reasonably quiet life fairly quickly transformed to smoking dope and then hard drugs. She didn’t like the effects of alcohol and it was never an issue in the early

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Al-Anon Family Groups - Mandy

Living Free ·

2024/02/01

Mandy grew up in a household dominated by an angry father who, from the time Mandy was three years old, was a sober alcoholic. Her mother was passive and the other members of the family fell into roles that made sense to them to manage the situation. Mandy tried to be the 'good girl' who didn't cause any trouble. As an adult Mandy had her first child with a sober alcoholic, then married and bult a family with a man whose drinking soon became a problem. Both Mandy and her husband now practise the 12

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Carol and Peter on 18JAN2024

Living Free ·

2024/01/18

Replay of a show from 16 January 2020 with updated music and announcementsCarol grew up in a family affected by her dad’s drinking and violent behaviour. Feeling like the black sheep of the family she started drinking around 12 years old - alcohol changed her perception of reality and she only wanted to drink if she could get drunk. Alcohol led to considerable problems in Carol’s life causing her to do many things that she later regretted. She was in and out of rehab and detox centres over 18 times

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Gamblers Anonymous - Andrew on 11JAN2024

Living Free ·

2024/01/11

Andrew shares his story of developing a gambling habit through pokies in his late teens. It provides an insight into the progression of his gambling addiction, about the effect of alcohol and how it often accompanied his gambling. Andrew also shares about his initial contact with Gamblers Anonymous and of not taking recovery seriously until it affected his mental health, via an attempted suicide. He’s now back in GA and taking his recovery more seriously.You can hear Andrew’s GA recovery story from

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Galiamble - Damian on 21DEC2023

Living Free ·

2023/12/21

Damian talks about the Ngwala Willumbong Aboriginal Corporation, that exists to meet the needs of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander People, their families, and their communities. Ngwala seeks to drive positive change and healing by focusing on a variety of services such as alcohol and drug treatment and recovery, housing, homelessness, and a range of other support services.Damian works at one of Ngwala’s three recovery centres, Galiamble Men’s Recovery Centre located in St Kilda. Galiamble

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Gamblers Anonymous - Robbert on 14DEC2023

Living Free ·

2023/12/14

Robbert has been off the punt for 18 years thanks to help from Gamblers Anonymous and talks about how he was introduced to gambling in his late teens and early twenties around Sydney’s casinos and nightclubs. He talks about his first big win and how he ploughed it all back into the pokies, plus more the next day. Robbert’s life deteriorated as he spent his weekly pay-packet on the pokies on payday and existed on loans from colleagues, friends and family till his next payday. After realizing the

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Alateen and Al-Anon - Dan

Living Free ·

2023/12/07

Dan, a member of Al-Anon, grew up in a household in which another person's drinking was out of control. One of his parents was safe and nurturing during the day but in the evenings became a more dangerous presence. This inconsistency resulted in Dan feeling confused about how to trust people and eventually angry and distant from his parents. At 15 he went to Alateen where he found it healing to be in the company of other teenagers who understood his situation, did not judge and spoke authetically

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Policy Reform - Rebecca

Living Free ·

2023/11/30

Rebecca is studying policy reform online at university. We discuss her perception of drugs and alcohol growing up, how it's effected her today and speculate what the future of drug reform might look like.

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Overeaters Anonymous - Lois

Living Free ·

2023/11/23

Lois grew up in a family that did not talk much about feelings. She did not have the language to understand her feelings until she was diagnosed with depression. Later, with the stresses of parentling, body dysmorphia and widely fluctuating weight, Lois found her way to Overeaters Anonymous. Despite her initial reluctance to accept the spiritual aspects of the Program, Lois was relieved to hear others tell their stories of trying and failing to control their eating. Now, no longer pre-occupied with

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