2024 British Podcast Award Winner & 2025 Radio Academy Award Nominated Podcast
Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma
Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma
Believe in People explores addiction, recovery, and stigma with voices from the recovery community. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction then this podcast can help.
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Feb. 6, 2026

Stronger Without Steroids?

This short episode of Believe in People Extra features a focused clip from our conversation with Adam Maxted - UK wrestling star, personal trainer, and two-time Love Island contestant. Adam speaks openly about steroids, testi...

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Jan. 29, 2026

Paula McGowan OBE: Oliver's Legacy - Autism, Addiction & Safety in Care

Paula McGowan OBE joins Believe in People for a full, in-depth conversation about her son Oliver, whose death led to the introduction of The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training across health and social care in England. Paula ex...

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Jan. 23, 2026

Why Tier 2 Oliver McGowan Training on Learning Disability and Autism Matters

This short episode of Believe in People Extra shares an exclusive preview from our upcoming full conversation with Paula McGowan OBE , whose son Oliver’s death led to the introduction of The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training ...

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Jan. 15, 2026

Chiedu Oraka: The Black Yorkshireman. Culture, Identity, Drugs and Prison to Supporting Coldplay

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , Chiedu Oraka, one of the UK’s most distinctive emerging voices in rap, also known as The Black Yorkshireman, joins Matt to discuss dual identity, stigma, an...

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Dec. 31, 2025

Questioning Your Drinking? One Simple Shift That Helped Amy Jo Johnson Live Sober

In this episode of Believe in People Extra , Amy Jo Johnson shares why she chose to stop drinking - not because her life had fallen apart, but because alcohol was making her anxiety louder and everyday life harder to manage. ...

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Dec. 24, 2025

Joe Sealey: Cocaine Addiction, Alcohol and Recovery Behind the Real Housewives Of Cheshire

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , Joe Sealey joins us to discuss cocaine addiction, alcohol misuse, grief, and recovery. Known to millions as a cast member on The Real Housewives of Cheshire...

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Dec. 12, 2025

Struggling to Stop Drinking? What Michelle Heaton Learned About Recovery

In the first episode of Believe in People Extra , our new spin off miniseries, Michelle Heaton speaks openly about what it feels like to want to stop drinking and not be able to. She explains the medical dangers she didn’t un...

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Dec. 5, 2025

Patti Clark: Alcohol, Relapse, Women’s Recovery Spaces & Breaking Generational Patterns

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , Patti reflects on a lifetime shaped by silence, trauma, and survival. Growing up in a dysfunctional home in 1970s San Francisco - marked by alcoholism, emot...

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Nov. 21, 2025

Andy Woodward: Trauma, False Accusation, Alcohol Recovery and Rebuilding Life After Collapse

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , we conclude our two-part conversation with Andy Woodward , who reflects on the long-term psychological effects of childhood trauma and how those experiences...

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Nov. 21, 2025

Andy Woodward: Childhood Trauma, Football Abuse and the Silence That Hid a Predator

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , we begin the first of a powerful two-part conversation with Andy Woodward , the former professional footballer whose bravery exposed one of the biggest safe...

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Recent Blog Posts

Feb. 10, 2026

From Trauma to Alcohol: Understanding the Roots of Addiction

Introduction: The Unseen Link Between Past Pain and Present Coping In the second of a two part episode, Andy Woodward: Trauma, False Accusation, Alcohol Recovery and Rebuilding Life After Collapse, we explored how Andy's past pain, coupled wit…

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Feb. 10, 2026

From Silence to Reckoning: Andy Woodward's Story and the Football Abu…

Introduction: The Echoes of Silence and the Dawn of Reckoning In this podcast episode, we delved into a story that is as heart-breaking as it is profoundly important – the experience of Andy Woodward and the wider football abuse scandal. This…

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Jan. 21, 2026

Adam Maxted: Big Flex Culture, Steroids and Mental Health

Adam Maxted: Big Flex Culture, Steroids and Mental Health In this episode of the Believe in People, we're joined by Adam Maxted, professional wrestler and former Love Island contestant, for a wide-ranging and honest conversation about masculinity, …

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About the Hosts

Matthew Butler

Podcast Host

...coming soon

Robbie Lawson

Producer

...coming soon