The Alcohol 'Problem' Podcast

In this episode we discuss alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD), what it is, its treatment, and hear Lesley's experience as a survivor of ARLD and transplant. Lesley was a patient of Dr Ashwin Dhanda, a liver specialist, and both provide their insights into the condition and how society should do more to raise awareness of and prevent alcohol-related harm and ARLD.
Ashwin Dhanda is Professor of Liver Medicine at the University of Plymouth and a liver specialist at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust. He leads a programme of research around stigma in alcohol-related liver disease including identifying causes of stigma and how it affects people and designing interventions to tackle it.
Lesley was diagnosed with ARLD in December 2019, which led to a liver transplant in December 2019. She is part of a liver support group supporting other patients and working as a patient representative with Ashwin on a research project around stigma in alcohol related liver disease and helping the research team design interventions to tackle it from a patient/peer perspective.
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If you are interested in one-to-one support for your drinking with Dr James Morris, contact him at DrJamesMorris.com


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In this episode I speak to Nathan Joseph, an online fitness coach and author of The LCA method recipe book. 
Nathan discusses his own personal journey through battling mental health issues, and how alcohol has played both positive and negative roles in his life. In Nathan's experience, alcohol use has been a big part of his social life and important memories, but also a barrier to his fitness and wellbeing. Nathan talks with openness about his own experience and passion for helping others without judging people for their choices. 
Nathan posts regularly on Instagram, offers online fitness coaching and his recipe book can be purchased here. 
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If you are interested in one-to-one support for your drinking with Dr James Morris, contact him at DrJamesMorris.com


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For more episodes visit https://alcoholpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

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In this episode I talk to Dr Gabriel Caluzzi about drink spiking, methanol poisoning & young people's drinking. 
Dr Caluzzi is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research at La Trobe University. His interests include youth and gendered drinking practices, and he recently co-authored the book “Young People, Alcohol, and Risk: A Culture of Caution”.
For further reading on drink spiking, see:
Burrell A, Woodhams J, Gregory P, et al. Spiking prevalence and motivation: A review of the literature: National Crime Agency, 2023.
Caluzzi G, Wilson I, Riordan B, et al. Alcohol and legitimate victimhood: Analysing Reddit posts to understand perceptions of alcohol’s role in drink spiking and sexual violence. International Journal of Drug Policy 2025;138:104743. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104743
For further reading on youth drinking, see:
Vashishtha R, Pennay A, Dietze P, et al. Trends in Adolescent Drinking Across 39 High-Income Countries: Exploring the Timing and Magnitude of Decline. European Journal of Public Health 2020:1-8. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckaa193
Caluzzi G, Livingston M, Holmes J, et al. Declining drinking among adolescents: Are we seeing a denormalisation of drinking and a normalisation of non-drinking? Addiction 2022;117(5):1204-12. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15611 
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If you are interested in one-to-one support for your drinking with Dr James Morris, contact him at DrJamesMorris.com


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For more episodes visit https://alcoholpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

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In this episode I talk to Prof. Georg Schomerus, Professor and Chair at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig. Prof Schomerus is a leading academic in the field of stigma towards alcohol and mental health problems.
We discuss the nature of stigma towards alcohol problems, what drives stigma, how it relates to social behaviours and wider world events, and what can be done to challenge stigma. 
Support the show
If you are interested in one-to-one support for your drinking with Dr James Morris, contact him at DrJamesMorris.com


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For more episodes visit https://alcoholpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

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In this episode, Aunee Bhogaita, shares her lived experience of alcohol problems and recovery. Aunee is a South Asian woman who has empowered herself through her experiences of sexual abuse, domestic abuse and alcohol addiction in order to challenge stigma and taboo surrounding these issues and help others.
We discuss her early experiences of trauma as laying the foundations for her alcohol problems, her life story, her challenges and successes, and her recovery journey. 
Please note: This episode includes mention of sexual abuse, domestic abuse and mental health difficulties including suicide attempts. It does not go into detail about these events but listener discretion is advised.
Note from the host Dr James Morris:
Aunee describes her past traumatic experiences with inspiring openness and bravery. It is one of the most powerful lived experience accounts I have heard, and Aunee beautifully demonstrates how recovery is possible and how it exists as a fundamentally a human experience. I am hugely grateful to have had her on the show for this episode, she is a truly inspiring individual. 

Support the show
If you are interested in one-to-one support for your drinking with Dr James Morris, contact him at DrJamesMorris.com


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For more episodes visit https://alcoholpodcast.buzzsprout.com/

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