Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma

In this special live edition of Believe in People, we're celebrating a podcast first.
For the very first time, we took the podcast to the stage, recording live in front of more than 500 audience members at the DDN Conference, one of the UK's largest events dedicated to drugs, alcohol and recovery.
Joining us for her third appearance on Believe in People, Michelle Heaton reflects on more than five years of recovery from alcohol and cocaine addiction. She speaks openly about the progression of addiction, the impact of early surgical menopause, motherhood, shame, treatment, fellowship, and rebuilding life in recovery. Michelle also shares the moment that changed everything, how peer support helped save her life, and why recovery is about far more than simply stopping drinking or using drugs.
Following the live interview, we've also included the audience Q&A, where audience members put their own questions to Michelle, leading to honest, emotional and thought-provoking discussions about recovery, stigma, parenting, menopause and hope.
Whether you're in recovery yourself, supporting a loved one, working in health and social care, or simply interested in real stories of change, we hope you enjoy this special live episode.
Topics that Matt and Michelle discuss incldue:
pop fame versus what addiction looks like in real life 
“food noise”, dieting, stimulants and the long build-up of addictive behaviour 
early surgical menopause, health scares and the slide into alcohol dependence and cocaine addiction 
why hospital stays and getting caught do not stop compulsive use 
punishment, self-hate and feeling at peace with dying 
the moment visible recovery makes help feel possible 
letting go of the fantasy of drinking normally 
recovery friendships, separating your life from your fellowship, learning to say no 
women’s stigma, motherhood shame and fear of losing children 
rehab and detox versus long-term support in AA and CA 
menopause, hormones, HRT access and being misdiagnosed 
triggers and finding joy without substances 
Search terms: addiction recovery podcast UK, Michelle Heaton podcast, alcohol addiction recovery, cocaine addiction recovery, women in recovery, lived experience stories, peer support, trauma and recovery, recovery community, substance misuse.

Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!
🎧  If this episode connected with you, please subscribe and review. It directly helps us reach more people affected by addiction, trauma and stigma. 
🔗 Then share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!
Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com 
Believe in People is a platform for lived experience, recovery insight and honest conversation. Whether you’re in recovery, supporting someone who is, or working on the frontline, this podcast exists to inform, challenge stigma and inspire change.
If you or someone you know needs support with drugs, alcohol, housing, domestic abuse, or mental and physical wellbeing, free and confidential help is available via Change Grow Live:
📩 Contact: robbie@believeinpeoplepodcast.com
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” - Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)
Listen & Subscribe:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts
🎙️ Facilitator: Matthew Butler
🎛️ Producer: Robbie Lawson
🏢 Network: ReNew

In this episode of Believe in People, Lewis Raymond Taylor shares the extraordinary story of how he went from addiction, violence and repeated prison sentences to becoming the founder of a global coaching business that has trained more than 15,000 coaches across 87 countries.
Lewis opens up about childhood trauma, addiction, prison, violence, personal responsibility and the moments that forced him to completely rebuild his identity. Together, we explore why addiction is often an attempted solution to deeper pain, what genuine transformation looks like, and whether people can truly change.
The conversation also explores the ideas behind Lewis's new book, UNLIMITED. Rather than offering another self-help theory, the book presents principles forged through lived experience and refined over years of coaching thousands of people around the world. We discuss the importance of confronting your past, rewriting the story you tell yourself, discovering purpose, making fear your ally, embracing radical authenticity, taking imperfect action, breaking destructive habits, creating value through service, overcoming setbacks, and unlocking the potential that already exists within you.
Whether you're rebuilding after addiction, overcoming trauma, navigating mental health challenges or simply looking to create lasting change, this episode is packed with practical insight and honest reflection.
In this episode we discuss:
• Childhood trauma and adversity
• Addiction, crime and prison
• Recovery and personal responsibility
• Identity transformation
• Building purpose after rock bottom
• Fear, resilience and authentic living
• Breaking destructive habits
• Entrepreneurship and success after prison
• The philosophy behind UNLIMITED
• Psychopathy, leadership and human behaviour
If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to check out UNLIMITED by Lewis Raymond Taylor - a practical guide to taking ownership of your life, turning adversity into strength, and becoming the person you're capable of being.
You can get your copy here: unlimitedbook.co.uk
Search terms: addiction recovery podcast UK, Lewis Raymond Taylor, UNLIMITED book, prison rehabilitation, trauma recovery, personal responsibility, psychopathy, mental health, entrepreneurship, lived experience, peer support, substance misuse.
Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!
🎧  If this episode connected with you, please subscribe and review. It directly helps us reach more people affected by addiction, trauma and stigma. 
🔗 Then share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!
Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com 
Believe in People is a platform for lived experience, recovery insight and honest conversation. Whether you’re in recovery, supporting someone who is, or working on the frontline, this podcast exists to inform, challenge stigma and inspire change.
If you or someone you know needs support with drugs, alcohol, housing, domestic abuse, or mental and physical wellbeing, free and confidential help is available via Change Grow Live:
📩 Contact: robbie@believeinpeoplepodcast.com
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” - Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)
Listen & Subscribe:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts
🎙️ Facilitator: Matthew Butler
🎛️ Producer: Robbie Lawson
🏢 Network: ReNew

The TikTok sensation known to millions as "Sober Queen" joins us on Believe in People.
Carole Watson's story is unlike anything we've featured before. Her addiction began at just ten years old and continued for more than 45 years through drugs, alcohol, crime, prison, abusive relationships, health scares and repeated brushes with death.
Known online for her brutally honest recovery content, humour and storytelling, Carole has built a huge following on TikTok as @carolebosswatson, inspiring people across the recovery community with her no-nonsense approach to sobriety.
In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore childhood trauma, domestic abuse, crack cocaine, prison life, organised crime, self-worth, motherhood, recovery and the moments that finally led Carole to choose a different life.
There is simply too much life to fit into a single episode description. From East End gangsters to prison wings, from addiction to TikTok fame, Carole's journey is raw, shocking, funny and ultimately full of hope.
In this episode:
Addiction beginning at age ten
Crime, prison and crack cocaine
Domestic abuse and trauma
Health scares and rock-bottom moments
Recovery, self-worth and accountability
TikTok fame and building a recovery community
Practical advice for staying sober
Now approaching two years sober, Carol's story proves that no matter how long addiction has been part of your life, recovery is always possible.
Search terms: addiction recovery podcast UK, lived experience stories, peer support, trauma and recovery, prison recovery, crack cocaine recovery, TikTok recovery community, women in recovery, Believe in People podcast.
Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!
🎧  If this episode connected with you, please subscribe and review. It directly helps us reach more people affected by addiction, trauma and stigma. 
🔗 Then share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!
Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com 
Believe in People is a platform for lived experience, recovery insight and honest conversation. Whether you’re in recovery, supporting someone who is, or working on the frontline, this podcast exists to inform, challenge stigma and inspire change.
If you or someone you know needs support with drugs, alcohol, housing, domestic abuse, or mental and physical wellbeing, free and confidential help is available via Change Grow Live:
📩 Contact: robbie@believeinpeoplepodcast.com
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” - Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)
Listen & Subscribe:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts
🎙️ Facilitator: Matthew Butler
🎛️ Producer: Robbie Lawson
🏢 Network: ReNew

In this episode of Believe in People, Kaitlin Reeve, known online as Sober As A Mother Focused, joins us to discuss motherhood, addiction recovery, trauma, shame, and the unique barriers women face when seeking support.
Kaitlin shares her deeply personal journey from childhood trauma and early substance use to cocaine addiction, cannabis dependency, and ultimately long-term recovery. We explore the fear many mothers experience around disclosing addiction, concerns about social services involvement, the stigma placed on women compared to men, and why so many mums remain trapped in addiction for longer than necessary.
The conversation examines the reality of parenting while in active addiction, the challenge of rebuilding relationships with children, and the emotional work required to repair trust. Kaitlin speaks openly about guilt, shame, self-forgiveness, and how recovery transformed not only her relationship with substances but also her role as a mother.
We also discuss 12-step recovery, the importance of safe spaces where women can be honest without fear of judgement, and the misconceptions surrounding addiction, relapse, cravings, and recovery. Kaitlin offers a powerful perspective on why addiction is often hidden in plain sight and why compassion, understanding, and lived experience must play a greater role in supporting mothers seeking help.
This episode offers practical insight for people in recovery, family members, frontline practitioners, and anyone interested in real stories of change. It is a conversation about stigma, secrecy, resilience, and what it takes to choose recovery when everything feels at risk. 
Topics Covered
 Motherhood and addiction 
 Fear of losing children when asking for help 
 Childhood trauma and adverse experiences 
 Cocaine addiction recovery 
 Cannabis dependency 
 Women and recovery 
 Parenting in sobriety 
 Shame, guilt and self-forgiveness 
 12-step recovery 
 Stigma and substance misuse 
 Lived experience and recovery advocacy 
Resources
📱 Instagram: @soberasamotherfocused
About Kaitlin Reeve
Kaitlin Reeve is the creator of Sober As A Mother Focused, an online platform dedicated to raising awareness around addiction, recovery, motherhood, and mental health. Through honest storytelling and lived experience, she shares the realities of recovery as a parent and advocates for safer, more compassionate support for women affected by substance use.
With more than 17,000 followers online and over three years of continuous sobriety, Kaitlin uses her platform to challenge stigma, offer hope, and encourage honest conversations about addiction and recovery. She is currently training as an addiction therapist and continues to support others through education, advocacy, and lived experience. 
Search Terms
addiction recovery podcast UK, motherhood and addiction, mums in recovery, women and substance misuse, cocaine recovery, cannabis addiction recovery, trauma and recovery, lived experience stories, peer support, Believe in People podcast
Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!
🎧  If this episode connected with you, please subscribe and review. It directly helps us reach more people affected by addiction, trauma and stigma. 
🔗 Then share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!
Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com 
Believe in People is a platform for lived experience, recovery insight and honest conversation. Whether you’re in recovery, supporting someone who is, or working on the frontline, this podcast exists to inform, challenge stigma and inspire change.
If you or someone you know needs support with drugs, alcohol, housing, domestic abuse, or mental and physical wellbeing, free and confidential help is available via Change Grow Live:
📩 Contact: robbie@believeinpeoplepodcast.com
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” - Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)
Listen & Subscribe:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts
🎙️ Facilitator: Matthew Butler
🎛️ Producer: Robbie Lawson
🏢 Network: ReNew

In this special episode of Believe in People: EXTRA, recorded on the road at the British Podcast Show in London, we sit down with broadcaster Richard Bacon for an honest conversation about alcohol addiction, cocaine use, stigma, and what it means to live with risk while trying to build a stable life.

Richard traces the story back through family history, from a grandfather who died of alcoholism to a mother he believes is addicted but does not recognise it, and he reflects on the role of genetics in substance use. He describes how drink and drugs in his late teens felt like they “flipped a switch”, and why that matters when you are trying to make sense of cravings, habit, and shame without reducing everything to willpower.

We also talk about public consequences and recovery support. Richard revisits being publicly sacked from Blue Peter after cocaine use, his experience of trying Alcoholics Anonymous, and why it did not quite fit despite his respect for it. From there, the conversation moves into harm reduction: drinking less, using medication intended to blunt alcohol’s impact on the brain, taking vitamins and mineral supplements, and staying alert to the real dangers of heavy drinking, including accidents and long-term brain health.
Richard is now the founder of Yes Yes Media, a format and new media company backed by Elisabeth Murdoch and Jane Featherstone’s SISTER, alongside producer Arthur Essebag’s Satisfaction Group. The company develops original entertainment formats across television, digital media, gaming and interactive technology, with collaborators including Courteney Cox, Johnny McDaid and Savan Kotecha. Richard describes the company’s vision as creating entertainment designed for the “TikTok era”, where audiences can interact with stories across multiple devices and platforms. 
Click here to text our host, Matt, directly!
🎧  If this episode connected with you, please subscribe and review. It directly helps us reach more people affected by addiction, trauma and stigma. 
🔗 Then share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!
Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com 
Believe in People is a platform for lived experience, recovery insight and honest conversation. Whether you’re in recovery, supporting someone who is, or working on the frontline, this podcast exists to inform, challenge stigma and inspire change.
If you or someone you know needs support with drugs, alcohol, housing, domestic abuse, or mental and physical wellbeing, free and confidential help is available via Change Grow Live:
📩 Contact: robbie@believeinpeoplepodcast.com
🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” - Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six)
Listen & Subscribe:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts
🎙️ Facilitator: Matthew Butler
🎛️ Producer: Robbie Lawson
🏢 Network: ReNew