Episodes

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Mel shares a powerful and deeply honest account of her journey through alcohol misuse, escalating substance use, mental health struggles, and the non-linear path toward recovery.

Growing up as a triplet in a family where drinking was normalised, Mel describes early identity struggles, belonging within pub culture, and how her use escalated in Brighton – from drinking to dangerous encounters with dealers and a chaotic lifestyle ...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Emma Hardy MP returns to the podcast to discuss some of the most urgent challenges facing Hull and the wider UK – including rising ketamine harm, worsening mental health pressures, and the city’s ongoing triple flood threat.

Recorded during a period of national uncertainty, Emma reflects on the cost of living crisis, social housing pressures, sewage and drainage issues, and the wider political culture that shapes how communitie...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Elly returns for her third appearance to share more than 30 years of insight from frontline harm reduction and public health work, with a particular focus on eliminating Hepatitis C across the UK.

Elly explains how treatment has transformed from long, punishing year-long interferon courses with severe side effects to today’s short-course tablets that are over 96 percent effective. Drawing on decades of clinical, operational and...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, we meet Henry Beercock, founder of Hull’s rapidly growing sober movement Alcohull Free. After nearly two decades of heavy binge drinking, Henry made a bold decision that changed his life: he stopped drinking, stepped away from his corporate career, and began rebuilding his health, identity and purpose from the inside out.

What started as a personal recovery journey quickly evolved into something bigger. Alcohull Free became a c...

In this special episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, 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, stigma, and the origins of the Believe in People podcast. In response, Alex...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Young Lee returns to explore what happens after the chaos of addiction — when the substances are gone, the dust has settled, and the real internal work begins.

Once seen as a rising talent in the music scene, Young describes how losing everything forced him to rebuild not just a life, but a self. Through daily spiritual practice, humility, service, discipline, and presence, he has found a quieter, deeper form of freedom - one r...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Ross shares an extraordinary journey from personal tragedy to public advocacy following the suicide of his father - a traumatic event that deeply shaped his mental health and identity.

Struggling to cope with overwhelming grief, Ross turned to alcohol and cocaine to numb the pain, leading to multiple suicide attempts and a period of profound crisis. A pivotal moment of clarity during hospitalisation marked the beginning of his ...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Matt speaks with Woody Albrow, the National Connecting Communities Lead at Change Grow Live, who shares an open and deeply personal account of his journey through addiction, spirituality and professional development.

Woody reflects on the early signs of substance use during his teens, including butane gas, cannabis, hallucinogens and eventually alcohol, which became his most destructive dependency. He speaks honestly about the ...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Matt speaks with Chris De Banks, founder of Not Saints - the UK’s only not-for-profit record label dedicated to supporting musicians in recovery. Through Chris’s lived experience, we explore the powerful intersection of music, addiction and sobriety, and the realities of navigating creative life without substances.

Chris reflects on his early experiences in the drug-fuelled 90s music scene, how substance use became normalised, ...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Matt sits down with Daniel Ramson, known online as TalkToBigDan, for a raw, provocative and unapologetically direct conversation about recovery, responsibility and the limits of traditional services.

Dan charts his journey from partying with rock stars to being sectioned, surviving drug-induced psychosis, and navigating the family fallout that followed. Rejecting the disease model of addiction, he advocates instead for radical ...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, John shares a powerful story of quiet transformation - a shift from binge drinking, late nights and emotional exhaustion to clarity, creativity and meaningful connection.

After a 5am moment of reckoning, John made a life-changing decision: to stop drinking. Not because he identified as an alcoholic, but because alcohol no longer aligned with the life he wanted to build. In the space that sobriety created, he discovered a new pa...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Paul Haley shares his extraordinary journey from the depths of heroin and crack cocaine addiction to a position of national leadership within Change Grow Live. After a near-fatal injecting injury became his rock bottom, Paul made the courageous decision to rebuild his life - a decision that would ultimately shape his future and the lives of thousands of others.

Nearly two decades into recovery, Paul now serves as Change Grow Li...

In this powerful transatlantic collaboration of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, host Amy Goldberg welcomes UK host Matt Butler into the guest seat, joined by special guest host Caitlin Morrison — sister of the late Matthew Perry and a driving force behind the Matthew Perry Foundation.

Together, they explore the intersections of recovery, resilience and legacy through an intimate conversation about how storytelling dismantles stigma, how lived experience shapes advocacy, and why...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Matt sits down with ultramarathon runner Tom Fitzsimons, whose extraordinary journey from alcohol addiction to running 3,073 miles across the United States in 100 days stands as one of the most powerful testaments to human resilience and purpose.

Through raw, candid storytelling, Tom shares how running became his lifeline - a way to reclaim identity, process trauma, and rebuild a life grounded in meaning rather than self-destru...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Matt begins the first part of a deeply personal two-part conversation with Sarah Hicks, whose story spans addiction, trauma, abusive relationships, grief and the long journey back to self-worth.

Sarah reflects on her early experiences with substance use, unpacking how emotional neglect, generational patterns and unhealthy family dynamics shaped her understanding of love, loyalty and survival. She speaks candidly about the damag...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, we continue the second part of a powerful two-part conversation with Sarah Hicks, who shares her courageous journey through trauma, justice and long-term recovery.

Speaking with clarity and unflinching honesty, Sarah reflects on her experience of surviving sexual assault and the profound psychological impact that followed. She details the systemic barriers she encountered while seeking justice - from investigative inconsistenci...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Matt speaks with Chris Tait - keyboardist for Electric Six and founder of Passenger Recovery, a Detroit-based organisation supporting musicians and creatives in sobriety. Together they explore what happens when the highs of the music industry collide with the depths of addiction.

Chris reflects on using alcohol as a coping mechanism from a young age, the culture of excess and self-destruction that permeates the music world, and...

In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Matt jumps straight into a heartfelt and unflinching conversation with Shev, who reflects on the emotional weight of adult responsibilities placed on her from an early age - including becoming a mother at just 17.

Shev speaks candidly about the wounds of abandonment, the complexity of family relationships, and how alcohol use quietly escalated while working in the pub industry. She challenges the stigma that surrounds single mo...

Join Matt for a gripping and emotional conversation with Tom, a former talent agent whose high-flying lifestyle in central London masked a devastating struggle with cocaine addiction. Tom recounts the harrowing moment he realised he was using drugs while bringing his new-born daughter home - a wake-up call that forced him to confront the grip addiction had on his life. Reflecting on his own childhood, Tom explores the psychological toll of drug-induced psychosis, self-blame, and the destructive ...

Matt is joined by Ollie for a raw and introspective conversation tracing his journey from early childhood trauma to recovery. After losing his mother at just eight years old and navigating the fallout of his father’s 22-year prison sentence at fifteen, Ollie turned to cannabis as a coping mechanism - eventually becoming heavily dependent and identifying as a self-proclaimed “weed connoisseur.” He candidly reflects on how his rationalisation masked the deep mental health toll, including psychotic...

Join Matt for an extraordinary conversation with Andre, whose story spans over three decades in a Los Angeles prison following convictions for armed robbery and murder.

Opening with a raw account of the grief, addiction, and desperation that drove his actions, Andre offers a gripping exploration of life inside the U.S. prison system - marked by gang violence, racial segregation, and institutional corruption. What sets this episode apart is Andre’s profound introspection, as he reflects on the c...

Join Matt as he sits down with Emma, whose powerful and unflinching account traces a journey through addiction that began at just 11 years old. Growing up in a family shaped by substance use - her father’s addiction and her grandmother’s role as a local drug dealer - Emma’s path quickly escalated from early experimentation to heroin and crack cocaine dependency by 23. She shares pivotal and harrowing moments, including a public overdose and being revived with naloxone, offering a stark portrait ...

Johnny Borrell - guitarist, singer, and frontman of Razorlight - joins Matt for an honest and introspective conversation about teenage heroin addiction, the road to recovery, and the stigma surrounding substance use in the music industry. Johnny shares the emotional fallout of being removed from his band due to drug use and how a combination of supportive relationships and the unlikely refuge of Championship Manager helped him begin to rebuild. Reflecting on the intense pressures of recording Ra...

Adam Maxted - professional wrestler and Love Island reality TV star - joins Matt for an unfiltered conversation about life in the spotlight, the pursuit of physical perfection, and the emotional complexities behind public success. From his early days navigating a limited wrestling scene in Ireland to the explosive fame that followed his appearance on Love Island, Adam shares the highs and lows of a career shaped by sudden recognition, body image pressures, and the creation of his larger-than-lif...