Tom H. Age 34 Sober since: 9/6/17

Tom H. Age 34 Sober since: 9/6/17

Ever wondered what it takes to finally say, "I’m done" when alcohol has wrecked almost every corner of a life? This episode follows Tom H., 34, sober since 6 September 2017, as he talks frankly with host Mike S. about chaos, consequences and the quiet crash of an emotional rock bottom.

Tom doesn’t shy away from the damage: divorce, bankruptcy in three countries, lost jobs, trouble with the law and nights sleeping in Penn Station while still trying to hold down government research work from a Starbucks. Yet, as he says, "my rock bottom was purely emotional.

I was exhausted." That exhaustion eventually led him to break down in front of his mum and ask to go to a meeting, ending his drinking with a glass and a half of boxed white wine.

You’ll hear one shocking story of him walking toward a bar during the Bataclan terror attacks in Paris just to get more wine, alongside a far more mundane but chilling picture of daily life at the end: waking up between noon and 3pm, finishing whatever booze was left, chain-smoking through nausea and living on boxed wine, whiskey and Tostitos.

Tom also shares what it was like growing up with two alcoholic parents, losing his father in a drunk-driving crash, and later being forced into AA by his high school. There’s a mix of dark humour and raw honesty as he talks about doing the "12 in 12" crash-course steps on Long Island, wrestling with heavily religious meetings, finding sponsors, making amends and realising he’d been "acting like a 16-year-old" well into adulthood.

This one’s for anyone who’s ever thought their life wasn’t "bad enough" to justify getting help. If emotional exhaustion has ever felt like your rock bottom, what might your next honest step be?