What happens when you hit your lowest point and realise you’re living a life that’s not your own?

In this episode, I’m joined by Jack Cotterill — a jazz drummer, creative entrepreneur and performance coach — who once lived the wild rock star life, caught in addiction and self-sabotage, before flipping his story entirely. Jack quit alcohol and cocaine, lost over 10 stone, rebuilt his confidence, and now coaches creatives and entrepreneurs worldwide on how to ditch bad habits, find discipline and turn their creative energy into real success. His journey is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to change your path and truly be yourself.

We dig into why alcohol so often leads to cocaine, the psychology behind the infamous “F IT” button that flips once the first drink goes in, and whether counting sober days is actually helpful. Jack opens up about why drinking and drugging is ultimately selfish and how it impacts everyone around you, as well as why being “in debt to life” — recognising what life has given you — and practising self‑compassion are crucial in recovery.

We also talk about why moderation is impossible for many of us, and why taking full responsibility for your addiction is the true path to freedom. Jack’s story takes you from chaotic weekends to clarity, with practical insights on building a life you don’t want to escape from.

Jack has built multiple businesses from scratch, including Grow Sober — a coaching programme helping creatives and entrepreneurs take control of their lives. Today, he works with ambitious people all over the world, helping them ditch bad habits, build serious discipline and turn their creative energy into real success.

Huge thanks to Jack for sharing so openly — this is one you won’t want to miss!

Thank you to Gavin Sisters for sponsoring this episode! Visit -

www.gavinsisters.co.uk

and use promo code SCHOOLOFROCKBOTTOM for 10% off!

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 Intro

3:45 Jack's rock bottom

9:05 What did this moment teach Jack?

11:10 The "F IT" button

12:10 Stopping drinking isn't about stopping drinking!

16:10 Should you count sober and clean days?

18:10 Alcohol always leads to cocaine

21:10 Dumping booze to dump cocaine?

26:05 Go to the pub in early recovery?

29:05 0% beer useful?

33:30 Sponsor

34:30 Why drinking is selfish!

38:35 Compassion for your own recovery?

40:25 You need to be 'in debt' to life?

42:55 Are you responsible for your addiction?

44:10 MODERATION IS IMPOSSIBLE!

50:35 How I lost 10 stone!

53:15 What do you want written on your gravestone?

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Binge Eating, Shame & Self-Hate | Why We Use Food to Numb with actor Danny Kirrane.

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Emotional eating. Body shame. The guilt spiral. If you’ve ever binged on food, hated yourself after, and promised to “be good tomorrow,” this conversation will hit hard. We talk honestly about binge eating as a coping mechanism — how food becomes a way to numb, escape overthinking and silence pain.

In this next quick thought, I revisit a conversation with Danny Kirrane and we jump into the link between food and self-worth, masculinity, body image and why men rarely talk about it. If you feel stuck in the eat–shame–repeat cycle, you are not alone — and there is a way through.

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.

About Danny -

Danny Kirrane is a leading actor in the period drama The Serpent Queen for Starz/Lionsgate co-starring with Samantha Morton and Charles Dance and he has just finished filming the Netflix comedy drama Baby Reindeer. Other lead roles in shows include The Sandman, Wasted, Don’t Forget the Driver & Critical. Other shows include Peterloo, Skins, The Inbetweeners & The Pirates of The Caribbean. Danny has extensive theatre credits including Mark Rylance's West End production of Jerusalem. Danny completed a Physics with Astrophysics Degree at Leeds University before becoming an actor after training with the National Youth Theatre.

Podcasting is an expensive passion. To help me keep going, I'd really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee, thank you!

Follow Danny

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What happens when you’re raised in chaos, start drinking heavily at 13 whilst navigating autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADD & PTSD, plus wanting to get sober before you’re legally allowed to drink then stopping at 18?!

I sit down with actress, dancer and reiki healer Scarlett Alice, who opens up about growing up with two parents addicted to alcohol and drugs, the trauma that shaped her and the moment she chose sobriety at just 18. Then comes the flip - her parents enter recovery and give her the inspiration to join them on the path to joy and serenity! 12 years later she's still sober and strong. Her story is brave, emotional, and proof that it’s possible to rewrite the script — no matter how it starts.

Scarlett shares what it felt like growing up in a household that looked perfect on the outside but was riddled with dysfunction behind closed doors. We talk about being a kid who could sense addiction before she even understood it, and how that shaped her early need for escape and intensity. She shares her earliest drinking memories — from getting drunk on trampolines at 13 to blacking out in nightclubs by 17 — and what finally pushed her to make a decision most people wouldn’t at any age - let alone as a teenager. Scarlett doesn’t glorify addiction — she talks about the coldness, the shame, the emptiness, and why it’s never just about the substance. It’s about the feeling underneath that needs soothing and how hard it is to let go of something that once made you feel safe — even when it’s killing you.

We get into how getting sober isn’t the end of fun — it’s actually the beginning. Scarlett shares how she handles awkward questions at parties, how she deals with FOMO and what sober dating really looks like when everyone else is still romanticising chaos. She gives practical advice on coping without numbing, how to spot when a ‘treat’ is actually a trap and why not all recovery paths look the same. Whether it’s the sober-curious movement, microdosing mushrooms or complete abstinence, Scarlett believes recovery should be flexible, honest and rooted in self-awareness. Her advice for young people is honest, unpatronising and grounded in lived experience. Scarlett is warm, funny, unapologetically honest and says the quiet parts out loud. I'm so grateful she made the trip from Brighton to share her story with us!

Thank you to Gavin Sisters for sponsoring this episode! Visit -

www.gavinsisters.co.uk

and use promo code SCHOOLOFROCKBOTTOM for 10% off!

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 Intro

2:40 Scarlett's rock bottom

4:10 When did drinking start?

10:00 Excuses & last straw moment

11:40 Why did you stop drinking at 18

13445 How my parents helped me get sober

17:30 Peer pressure at 18 from friends?

20:25 Sober? The fun has just begun!

21:55 Dealing with awkward questions at a party

24:10 Did you feel like you were missing out?

25:10 What do you make of being sober curious?

27:30 Unhealthy coping mechanisms

28:45 Microdosing mushrooms?

31:05 Sponsor

32:05 Navigating sober dating

35:00 There are many routes to recovery!

37:30 Navigating neurodiversity, PTSD and addiction

44:40 Advice for young people struggling with addiction

Follow Scarlett

https://www.instagram.com/scarlettalicewellness

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Please subscribe, follow, like, leave a review and comment!

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#SoberCurious

#AddictionRecovery

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