People First Radio – March 19, 2026People First Radio – March 19, 2026
People First Radio
Writer Jordan Kauchuk shares candid experiences of alcohol use disorder, relapse and treatment, while Dr Colette Smart explains complex PTSD and its impact on mental and physical health. Together, their conversations highlight stigma, compassion in healthcare, and the importance of trauma‑informed support for recovery.
0:00•21 Mar 2026
Alcohol, Trauma and Honest Conversations on Recovery
Episode Overview
- Alcohol use disorder is described as a disease affecting mind, body, spirit, and social life, rather than a moral failure or lack of willpower.
- Relapse is framed as common in addiction, with compassion and continued support from healthcare professionals and outreach teams being crucial.
- Access to detox and treatment is limited and slow, making knowledgeable, compassionate intermediaries (social workers, outreach staff) vital in helping people through the process.
- Recovery tools can include medication, 12‑step meetings, spiritual practices, exercise, writing and community support, with each person building their own “menu” of supports.
- Complex PTSD often stems from prolonged relational trauma and may show up as depression, anxiety or other diagnoses, so trauma‑informed, non‑judgemental care that asks “what happened to you?” is essential.
“It’s not a matter of being a lush… it’s a mental health disease of the mind, body, and spirit.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? This episode of People First Radio brings together two very different, yet deeply connected, conversations about alcohol use disorder and complex trauma. First, writer and television producer Jordan Kauchuk shares his long, messy and very human relationship with alcohol.
You can’t take it out, but you just learn to walk with it.” Jordan pushes back against the idea that alcoholism is about weak morals or being a “lush”, stressing that “alcoholism and alcohol use disorder does not discriminate” and that people with addictions “are not bad people… they make some bad choices.” Jordan also gives a rare, practical picture of what seeking help looks like: long waits for limited detox beds, being told to keep drinking a little while waiting, and the vital role of compassionate healthcare workers and outreach teams who say, “It’s okay.
He talks frankly about being in and out of treatment for three decades, calling alcohol use disorder “a disease of the mind, body, and spirit” and joking that it’s like “walking with a rock in your shoe. Let’s get you feeling well again.” He highlights the importance of community – 12‑step meetings, sober houses, alumni groups and writing about his experiences – as tools in his recovery “menu”.
The second half shifts to psychologist and UVic professor Dr Colette Smart, who breaks down complex post‑traumatic stress disorder. She explains how prolonged, often relational trauma can show up later as depression, anxiety, substance use or relationship difficulties, even when trauma isn’t obvious on the surface.
Dr Smart stresses that many behaviours are “adaptations for survival rather than symptoms just to be fixed,” and calls for healthcare that asks “what happened to you?” instead of “what’s wrong with you?” Together, these conversations link alcohol use disorder and complex trauma in a way that feels honest, practical and deeply compassionate.
If you’ve ever wondered why stopping drinking isn’t as simple as “just say no”, or why past trauma can echo through adulthood, this might be the perspective you’ve been waiting to hear.
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