THIS is How You Get Off the Addiction Rollercoaster

THIS is How You Get Off the Addiction Rollercoaster

What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This conversation between host Tim Westbrook and veteran interventionist Dr Louise Stanger gives you a front‑row seat to the messy, hopeful reality of getting off the addiction rollercoaster. You’ll hear how Dr Stanger’s own history with “a household full of substance use, mental health, suicide, and five sudden deaths” shaped her lifelong work with families.

She explains why addiction is “a brain disease” and why real change demands new behaviours from everyone involved, not just the person drinking or using. As she puts it, “sometimes we love our families, we’re killing them softly.” A big chunk of the chat focuses on families who feel stuck watching a loved one spiral.

Dr Stanger walks through practical language they can use, including her “five magic words” (Oh, No, Yes, Really, Whatever) to shift from reacting to calmly responding. Tim adds his own experience of seeing families resist tough boundaries, especially when they fear a child or parent ending up on the street. The pair also talk about the “trauma bubble” created by Covid‑19 and how collective stress has intensified drinking, anxiety, and grief.

Dr Stanger stresses that recovery is a long game: it “takes 90 days to begin to change a behaviour”, which is why brief stints in treatment rarely stick without ongoing support and strong family changes. For anyone trying to choose a treatment centre, Dr Stanger lays out concrete questions to ask about clinical staff, philosophy, accreditation, and whether the programme genuinely works with your age group, mental health needs or chronic pain.

If you’re feeling worn out by someone’s addiction and don’t know what to do next, this episode offers straight‑talk, a bit of humour (including her infamous blue “addiction” glasses), and clear direction. Could this be the nudge your family needs to step off the rollercoaster?