Paul Drayton: Late ADHD Diagnosis, Sobriety & Starting OverPaul Drayton: Late ADHD Diagnosis, Sobriety & Starting Over
Busy Living Sober with Host Elizabeth Chance
Actor and author Paul Drayton talks candidly about alcohol dependency, a late ADHD diagnosis and the collapse of his high-profile marriage, sharing how these experiences led to prison, deep shame and eventually a different way of living. Host Elizabeth "Bizzy" Chance adds her own recovery perspective as they discuss accountability, resilience and finding reasons to stay sober through grief and chaos.
52:22•24 Sept 2026
Paul Drayton on Alcohol, ADHD and Rebuilding Life After a Public Divorce
Episode Overview
- Sobriety doesn’t have to be counted in years; focusing on staying sober today can feel more manageable.
- There is no single approach to sobriety; AA meetings help some people and not others, and that’s okay.
- Undiagnosed ADHD can drive self-medicating with alcohol and intensify feelings of failure, rejection and overwhelm.
- Public narratives about “the alcoholic” often ignore context, but taking personal accountability still matters.
- Life’s ongoing losses and stresses don’t stop, yet drinking on top of them usually makes survival far harder.
“I’m sober yesterday. I’m sober today. And I plan on being sober tomorrow.”
What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction? This conversation with actor and author Paul Drayton offers a raw, funny and sometimes shocking look at what happens when alcohol, late-diagnosed ADHD and a high-profile marriage collide. You’ll hear Paul talk frankly about being an alcoholic in recovery, describing how he once reached for drink in every emotional state: “If I was feeling this way, I would have had a drink.
If I was feeling that way, I would have had a drink.” Now, he keeps it simple: “I’m sober yesterday. I’m sober today. And I plan on being sober tomorrow.” The chat ranges from his childhood in Sunderland and early self-medicating with hot whiskey and milk, through drama school and London nightlife, to life as the husband of famous comedian Alan Carr.
Paul shares how people-pleasing, anxiety and undiagnosed ADHD left him overwhelmed, resentful and increasingly dependent on alcohol, even while he was keeping a home, running a farm and trying to stay creative. He opens up about the breakdown of his marriage, a serious legal incident that landed him in court and prison, and the brutal shame of seeing his worst moments turned into headlines.
Yet he keeps circling back to accountability and resilience, stressing that he doesn’t want a “poor me pity story” and that “you can get through it, but you haven’t got to drink on it.” Host Elizabeth “Bizzy” Chance brings her own long-term recovery experience, AA background and recent bereavement into the mix, so anyone juggling grief, addiction and mental health will hear something familiar.
With dark humour, strong language and honest discussion of relapse risk, late ADHD diagnosis and starting again at 55, this episode speaks to anyone who’s ever thought they’d ruined their life and wondered if it’s still worth trying. If you’re questioning your relationship with alcohol, ADHD or a partner in the spotlight, could Paul’s story be the nudge you need to keep going one more day?
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