Ep 175. A Rapid Road to Rock Bottom and Finding a Life Worth Living, with Rosie EldershawEp 175. A Rapid Road to Rock Bottom and Finding a Life Worth Living, with Rosie Eldershaw
Behind The Smile with Ash Butterss
Ash Butterss talks with Rosie Eldershaw about her rapid slide into severe alcoholism, multiple rehabs and near-fatal withdrawals, and how a 12-step program and simple daily routines support her three years of sobriety. The conversation highlights shame, ego, spiritual resistance, and the quiet, joyful life Rosie has built in recovery with her dog, yoga, and a loving partner.
56:17•17 May 2026
From Hand Sanitiser to Healing: Rosie Eldershaw’s Rapid Fall and Rise
Episode Overview
- Alcohol withdrawal can be medically dangerous, and stopping abruptly without support nearly cost Rosie her life.
- Recovery started to stick when Rosie joined a 12-step program, allowed others to help, and began doing the spiritual practices she had resisted.
- Keeping sobriety to one day at a time, rather than “never again”, made staying alcohol-free feel manageable.
- A simple structure of morning gratitude, movement, and quiet evenings helps Rosie stay grounded and content.
- Connection with recovery, yoga, and dog park communities, plus an honest, supportive relationship, keeps her feeling a part of rather than alone.
“I didn’t have the guts to die. I just didn’t want to live.”
Witness the remarkable journeys of those who have faced addiction head-on, as Ash Butterss sits down with Rosie Eldershaw, a self-described country girl from Wagga Wagga who hit rock bottom fast and now has a little over three years sober. Rosie talks through how a single glass of wine at home, which felt “really classy” and “like I was on the movies,” spiralled into a bottle of spirits a day in under a year.
She explains the terrifying shift from nightly wine to 24/7 drinking, seizures, and the desperation of drinking hand sanitiser and mouthwash just to keep withdrawal at bay.
As she puts it, she was the bubbly, smiling hospitality worker on the outside while inside she was “screaming in my head going, I am not okay.” The episode walks through multiple rehab stays, being politely asked to leave for breaking rules, and the moment things finally changed: going to a 12-step meeting out of sheer spite and feeling her ego melt when people there were simply glad she’d turned up.
From that point she started doing the spiritual work she’d once written off as “a bit of a wank,” and the obsession to drink began to ease. You’ll hear how Rosie’s life now centres on simple joys: Bikram yoga, running, the dog park with her beloved Jack Russell-cross Roger, and a deeply loving relationship with her partner Isaac, who fully supports her putting recovery first.
She shares practical tools too: a non-negotiable morning routine of gratitude and asking to be kind, daily movement, chilled evenings, and staying plugged into recovery, yoga, and dog park communities. If you’ve ever felt like you’re “dying on the inside” while keeping up a smile for everyone else, this raw, funny, and honest chat might be the nudge that tells you you’re not alone and change is possible.
What small decision could you make today that leaves the door open to a different life tomorrow?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.