Ep 171. Behind the Spotlight, Naomi Eyers on Life from the Stage to 31 Years of SobrietyEp 171. Behind the Spotlight, Naomi Eyers on Life from the Stage to 31 Years of Sobriety
Behind The Smile with Ash Butterss
Performer Naomi Eyers talks about her journey from global stages and heavy drinking to 31 years of sobriety, sharing how addiction, trauma, love addiction and a heart attack led her to deeper spiritual work and community. The conversation focuses on what long-term recovery can look like behind the spotlight, including relapse of behaviours without returning to alcohol.
1:42:11•19 Apr 2026
From Stage Lights to Inner Peace: Naomi Eyers on 31 Years Sober
Episode Overview
- Alcohol may feel like instant relief at first, but chasing that first sense of peace leads to escalating chaos and shame.
- Trying to control drinking – counting glasses, saving bottles, bargaining with yourself – can be a clear signal that alcohol is in charge.
- Putting down the drink is only the beginning; the real work is facing the thoughts, pain and trauma that alcohol once masked.
- Spiritual routines such as morning readings, meditation and two-way prayer can bring guidance and calm when self-will has failed.
- Even with decades of sobriety, it can be necessary to seek extra help, including rehab and therapy, when life becomes overwhelming.
“Stopping drinking is not that hard, staying stopped is really hard.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? For many, it’s hearing from someone like performer Naomi Eyers, who has 31 years of sobriety and is still willing to admit she’s a “really, really slow learner” in recovery. Here, Naomi sits down with host Ash Butterss to talk through a life lived on big stages and behind bigger masks.
From Adelaide boarding school and early sugar binges to Bundaberg rum at 14 and cocaine-fuelled nights on the Sydney music scene, Naomi shares how alcohol once brought “divine… peaceful” silence to the chaos in her head – and why that peace never lasted. You’ll hear how her hit cabaret act The Fabulous Singlettes took her to London’s West End and global tours, yet every career milestone still left a gaping hole inside.
Naomi explains the madness of controlled drinking, the moment she realised “it’s you that’s got the problem”, and the raw early days of sobriety where being on a bus with a happy couple felt unbearable. Ash and Naomi talk honestly about spiritual practice, including Naomi’s early-morning “two-way prayer”, her resistance to the idea of a higher power, and the slow shift from chasing status to craving inner peace and usefulness.
She’s candid about swapping alcohol for other addictions, love addiction and codependency, a stress-induced heart attack, and eventually admitting herself to South Pacific Private after a devastating breakup at 29 years sober. Through it all, Naomi keeps her humour and humility: “Stopping drinking is not that hard, staying stopped is really hard.” Her three non-negotiables now? No alcohol, daily connection with something greater, and community with other recovering people.
Anyone who’s ever thought, “I should be better by now” in sobriety will feel seen here. Ready to hear what long-term recovery can really look like, mess and all?
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