The TikTok sensation known to millions as "Sober Queen" joins us on Believe in People. Carole Watson's story is unlike anything we've featured before. Her addiction began at just ten years old and continued for more than 45 years through drugs, alcohol, crime, prison, abusive relationships, health scares and repeated brushes with death. Known online for her brutally honest recovery content, humour and storytelling, Carole has built a huge following on TikTok as @carolebosswatson, inspiring pe...

In this episode of Believe in People , Kaitlin Reeve , known online as Sober As A Mother Focused , joins us to discuss motherhood, addiction recovery, trauma, shame, and the unique barriers women face when seeking support. Kaitlin shares her deeply personal journey from childhood trauma and early substance use to cocaine addiction, cannabis dependency, and ultimately long-term recovery. We explore the fear many mothers experience around disclosing addiction, concerns about social services involv

In this special episode of Believe in People: EXTRA, recorded on the road at the British Podcast Show in London, we sit down with broadcaster Richard Bacon for an honest conversation about alcohol addiction, cocaine use, stigma, and what it means to live with risk while trying to build a stable life. Richard traces the story back through family history, from a grandfather who died of alcoholism to a mother he believes is addicted but does not recognise it, and he reflects on the role of genetics

In this episode of Believe in People, playwright Ed Edwards joins us to discuss The Political History of Smack and Crack - his award-winning play exploring addiction, recovery, Thatcherism, political unrest, and Britain’s heroin epidemic. Drawing on his own experiences of addiction, prison, relapse, and long-term recovery, Ed reflects on stigma, Narcotics Anonymous, consumer culture, creativity, and the human realities behind substance use. Ed is brutally honest about relapse, including the “rel

Melissa Love joins Believe in People to share how working as a nurse in addiction services challenged her own hidden fears, internalised stigma and understanding of dependency. Through personal reflections on her brother’s addiction, family trauma and her father’s rejection, Melissa explores how these experiences reshaped her view of recovery, compassion and what real care looks like. This episode explores addiction recovery, trauma, stigma in healthcare, family dynamics, mental health and the i

In this episode of Believe in People, The Secret Drug Addict joins us to discuss anonymous recovery, addiction stigma, and the reality of long-term sobriety. We explore themes of addiction recovery, trauma, peer support, mental health, and the lived experiences that shaped their journey. This conversation challenges assumptions about addiction and visibility. We explore why anonymity can be a form of protection rather than shame, and how removing identity allows the message of recovery to stand

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Kieran McCartney joins us to discuss cocaine use, ADHD, grief, and recovery. Best known for his "win or walk" deal with Lord Sugar on the BBC show, The Apprentice , Kieran opens up about the pressures behind success, the loss of his father, and how that led to increased cocaine use. We explore the normalisation of cocaine culture in the UK, the link between alcohol and stimulant use, and how substances can become tools for copin

This short episode of Believe in People EXTRA features a short focused clip from our conversation with Dr Caroline Copeland Dr Copeland is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology & Toxicology at King’s College London, and the Director of the National Programme on Substance Use Mortality . Today she explores ketamine use, polydrug risks, drug adulteration, and the growing dangers within today’s drug supply. Dr Copeland will be joining Believe in People for a full-length episode in the coming weeks. #be

She had the “perfect” life on paper and still didn’t want to wake up. In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma , Cara Cox joins us to discuss trauma, addiction, repeated relapse, and long-term recovery . We explore how childhood loss, family alcoholism, emotional instability, and internal loneliness shaped her relationship with substances from an early age. Cara speaks openly about drinking to blackout as a teenager, using cannabis and ketamine, and later progressing in

In this special episode of Believe in People: EXTRA, we present a unique collaboration with Apple Music and the Radio Academy Award-winning podcast Classical Connections, hosted by world-renowned pianist and composer Alexis Ffrench . Originally broadcast as part of the celebrated 60-Second Sonata segment, Alexis invited host Matthew Butler to share a deeply personal reflection on trauma, addiction and stigma. In response, Alexis composed an original piano piece that can be heard at the end of th