From Casual Drinking to Full-Blown Alcoholism. School of Rock Bottom 40: Oliver Mason

[@OliverMason1]

Huge thanks for stopping by my channel and hearing my story! If you got something from Issy & I's conversation please just like this video and hit subscribe. Please also drop me a comment - I promise to reply x❤

[@Nolaughingmatter23]

Excellent, insightful talk on addiction and recovery. I remember I went out on a Friday night- when I woke up I naturally thought it was Saturday it was Monday. How I stopped was I likened my addiction to an 8 year old fat kid bully who has hijacked my subconscious and who tries every trick including producing awful thoughts, emotions, false perceptions, hurt ego etc etc. All to get me back using. I nickname this bully Buzelis and I separate. It worked.

[@OliverMason1]

@@Nolaughingmatter23 this is fantastic - I do the same! I call mine the liar....

[@Nolaughingmatter23]

Great listen dude- coaching on faith, panic attacks, social help was excellent- really the best listen on recovery I've heard. Do you still go to the pub, weddings etc?

[@OliverMason1]

@@Nolaughingmatter23 thank you so much 🫶🏻 yes! I only say no to things now because I don't want to go not because alcohol is there 🙏🏻

[@archangel_josh]

You mention the children we used to be - often when I got drunk I'd put on The Neverending Story (a film I LOVED as a child) and just cry and weep and think "What happened to me? Why am I like this? I can't stop drinking." I'll be 2 years sober in a few weeks and I'm absolutely thriving. I feel like a human god, a sober super hero. I have this enormous sense of Buddha-like joy. It's Christ Consciousness. It's what we were meant to be as fully awakened human beings.

[@OliverMason1]

@@archangel_josh this is beautiful, man! I love this I can relate - HUGE CONGRATULATIONS ❤️❤️ I hope to see you on the channel again soon. Keep up the great work 👍🏻✅

[@MJA5]

it seems to me that after you achieve sobriety, you can actually see things with that unbridled wonder of your younger self once more.

[@OliverMason1]

@@MJA5 ❤️

[@MelissaMcGovern-r9c]

I still have a copy of that movie…DEFINETLY top 5 favorites for me

[@OliverMason1]

@MelissaMcGovern-r9c ❤️

[@KathleenAlex-ic3kc]

28 years old and I hit rock bottom. I knew where my Grandpa's shotgun was and I knew how to load it. My sobriety date is December 15,1981. Grateful to God and AA 🙏❤️🙏

[@OliverMason1]

Thank you for sharing & being part of the community 💓

[@heidibell3016]

Envying the street drunk is so relatable to me. How is that even a valid thought ? I've never heard someone admit that. Very powerful. I've been doing the sober/relapse journey especially this last year. I'm sober today. Thank you, so glad i found your pod !! ❤

[@OliverMason1]

Thanks for your comment and it's great to know that my liar (addiction) makes up the mad nonsense that yours does! You're certainly not alone. Hope to see you here soon!

[@moirahill6397]

Luckily, I realised, about 2 months ago that if I carried on drinking, I was sure to go into full blown addiction. I had been drinking socially, at the weekends for about 30 years and it was fun but now I live in the countryside, have changed my career and was drinking every few days. I started to become preoccupied with when I would have my next drink when suddenly... I had an epiphany that I must be addicted to alcohol and that it's going to get very bad. So I stopped. That was 64 days ago and though I didn't have any physical reaction to just stopping, I have not stopped thinking about alcohol every few minutes since then. It's extremely annoying but I will carry on staying sober because I won't let it beat me. Thank you for this video, it has helped me to stay focused on my sobriety.

[@OliverMason1]

@@moirahill6397 well done you! It gets so much easier with time and it is so worth it. I wish you every success and please reach out should you need further support. I hope to see you on the channel again - let me know how your recovery is going & stay in touch 🙏🏻

[@moirahill6397]

@@OliverMason1 Thanks so much!. Sending big hugs 🫂

[@OliverMason1]

@@moirahill6397 and to you ❤️

[@mackfin8869]

Keep going ❤

[@OliverMason1]

Huge thanks to you ❤️

[@archangel_josh]

Just have to add that I also used to feel jealous of the homeless too! This was when I was drinking but I used to think "Wow, they don't have to pay rent or go to work...they can just drink in a park all day long!" This was when drinking was fun for me and I didn't realise how it could make you completely miserable and not even work. In the end when I was drinking that euphoria didn't even occur, I would just get drunk and be sad.

[@D-Fens_1632]

I used to watch a lot of videos of people who tricked out trucks and vans to live in, assuming that would be me someday. I quit drinking, but I could actually see myself living out of an RV someday.

[@MJA5]

the way I try to explain it is like a big fence or wall, and it’s tall and you can’t see over it or what’s on the other side, so you can’t conceive climbing over it or understand why it’s worth the effort, but once on the other side you understand feeling joy again. The giant wall also has doors in it, but they might only be evident after you reach the other side.

[@OliverMason1]

@@MJA5 excellent, love this 👏🏻👏🏻

[@beckybuvat2500]

Wow your story is very powerful, thanks for sharing it. I can so identify with so many things you said, especially "My ego was so huge and my self esteem was so low", that has really given me food for thought! I'm really glad I clicked on this podcast today, because after 3 years of sobriety I'm starting to have sneaky thoughts about drinking moderately and after listening to your story I realise that it's my mind playing tricks on me. I liked and subscribed 👍🙏

[@OliverMason1]

@@beckybuvat2500 Hi Becky, thanks for sharing & welcome to the community 🙏🏻 Please check in whenever you need to and keep going! Addiction will always look for new ways to convince us 'things have changed'. I wish you continued strength 🙏🏻💪🏻

[@D-Fens_1632]

High ego, low self esteem is what causes those rambling social media lectures that seem brilliant at 3 am but regret the next day.

[@D-Fens_1632]

And I don't think we ever shut off those sneaky thoughts. Just gotta learn to laugh at them.

[@OliverMason1]

@D-Fens_1632 💪👌

[@OliverMason1]

@D-Fens_1632 ninja move ❤️

[@amossnowdaharleyman9179]

I worked at a brewery for 10 years. They gave employees 6 cases of free beer a month and we were also allowed to drink beer on the job. Good/bad job.

[@OliverMason1]

Wow! 😳

[@happyapple4269]

good job.

[@OliverMason1]

Thank you 🙏🏻😊 Hope to see you again soon

[@RR-gp3qy]

There are many platitudes surrounding abstinence. It's something that very much irritates me. I dont know how to react when I'm being told such things.

[@OliverMason1]

@@RR-gp3qy please expand - very interesting comment 🤌

[@stevelkinevel7884]

Hey oli. It’s Steve from our old crew at blackdale school. Really pleased to hear about your recovery. sorry the journey was tough. Keep up the great work mate. Proud of you.

[@OliverMason1]

Steve! How lovely hearing from ya. Much love and hope to see you soon. Thanks for the kind words old friend x

[@johnnyb1829]

Thank you both for sharing your story,

[@emmacb2411]

Absolutely so proud of you for speaking about your own experiences. I hope your words help others in similar circumstances, I have no doubt they will.

[@OliverMason1]

@@emmacb2411 huge thanks to you ❤️

[@johnnyb1829]

Thank you both for sharing your stories,

[@OliverMason1]

@@johnnyb1829 thanks for joining us - hope to see you again on the channel soon. All the best ❤️

[@frazierseager8723]

Inspiring Oli- thanks for sharing your story so much of it is relatable ❤️💯🫵🏼so honest and beautifully articulated x

[@gerardmoloney9309]

Well done Oiver..you are a tower of strength..

[@OliverMason1]

@@gerardmoloney9309 Huge thanks to you - welcome to the community & hope to see you here soon 🙏🏻❤️

[@AddictedToMore_]

Just started my channel on addiction and just hit 170 Subs! We got this Oliver!

[@OliverMason1]

@@AddictedToMore_ congratulations 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 you got this too!

[@bruno12_3]

Fantastic I can relate to so much I had so many Christmas days like you

[@OliverMason1]

@@bruno12_3 Thank you ❤️ How are you now?

[@JaxLovesGod]

Well done Oli - great to hear your story.

[@OliverMason1]

Thanks 🙏🏻

[@Bridgetjune666]

Very inspiring! Thank you so much for sharing❤

[@OliverMason1]

Thanks for joining us ❤️💪🏻

[@words4dyslexicon]

i think it doesn't matter whether people define addiction as a disease or not, the point is, do you need to quit? do you want to quit? becuz after years of heavy drinking, (to the point of delirium tremens from withdrawal) years of depending on alcohol, i was lopsided. when i quit, it was like learning to walk all over again, baby steps, but i have to learn this now cuz there was no life left in that bottle..

[@OliverMason1]

@@words4dyslexicon TRUTH! It's all that matters. Words, definitions, mean nothing it's all about willingness to change - congratulations to you. I hope to see you here again ❤️

[@words4dyslexicon]

​@@OliverMason1 thank you 🙏💜🕯💧🌱🐾👣🌿🌎🕊

[@dswLIVE]

How cute is this misses?!❤😊

[@scriming]

WHY the CAPTIONS?

[@OliverMason1]

@@scriming Good morning from UK ⛅ There are only captions in the intro which is 90 seconds or less - does this spoil your experience? After that, you can turn them on or off within KZbin. 🙏🏻

[@JennyMiranda-n2b]

Well done oli your truly an inspiration, 👏

[@OliverMason1]

❤

[@Odipodi]

I have 6 beers on a Saturday afternoon .I don't drink at all the rest of the week. Do i have a problem with alcohol ?? It's just a routine, and I enjoy it. Do I have a major problem???

[@OliverMason1]

@@Odipodi hey there my friend. The only question I ask myself is this: "Can I be SURE I can stop at 1 drink?" My honest answer is NO - I can't be 100% sure. Could you have 1 beer on a Saturday afternoon if you needed to and then stop? An alcoholic just doesn't know if it will be 1 or 20, if they'll drink one day or 3 in a row (or longer).

[@karentonks7581]

When you look at the red background for long enough and then close your eyes it turns blue

[@OliverMason1]

Wow! Going to try that 😉😁

[@Stevo_YouTube]

I started to think it would be easier to kill myself than to quit drinking, and that would be the best way to stop. That actually scared me into going AF. 500 days AF and not really been tempted to drink again. I closed the door and nothing would give me a good enough reason to open it again.

[@OliverMason1]

@@Stevo_KZbin wow, this is a powerful comment. Thank you. I can relate and agree. Proud - keep going ❤️🙏🏻

[@MelissaMcGovern-r9c]

@@Stevo_KZbin what is AF?

[@OliverMason1]

Alcohol Free x

[@sebastianjaniak3851]

Well done Oli

[@OliverMason1]

Thanks 👍🏻

[@CP-np4rw]

😊

[@OliverMason1]

Thank you for watching ☺️

[@AddictedToMore_]

The Thunderstorm of North London

[@OliverMason1]

🤣

[@image30p]

Hang-ziety lol

[@stevelkinevel7884]

Hey oli. It’s Steve from our old crew at blackdale school. Really pleased to hear about your recovery. sorry the journey was tough. Keep up the great work mate. Proud of you.

[@OliverMason1]

Steve! Great hearing from you and thank you so much for the kind words! X