Alcohol and trauma with Mark and Victoria Escott

08/17/21 • 44 min

We don't normally put trigger warnings on our blogs and podcasts at Club Soda. If ever there was a subject that needed it, though, it's alcohol and trauma. Trauma is a very personal experience. For those of us who've combined alcohol and trauma as a means to cope, this conversation is challenging. For this reason, we urge you to decide for yourselves if you're in the right headspace to hear it.
Our discussion today is with trauma specialists Mark, founder of School for Inspiring Talents and Life Chance Education, and his wife Victoria, a therapist specialising in trauma and addiction.

Alcohol and trauma specialists Mark and Victoria

Husband and wife super team Mark and Victoria Escott connected through their own recovery journeys from drugs, alcohol and trauma. Now, they help others who have had traumatic experiences. Trauma could be from a car accident, divorce, or childhood abuse. Their career paths are different but their work centres around the same goal: to help those in need of help to deal with alcohol and trauma.

Mark Escott

Mark is the CEO and co-founder of Life Chance Educations. He brings personal experience and professional training to his role in helping vulnerable children deal with adverse experiences in their early years. This led Mark to found the School for Inspiring Talents and Life Chance Education, where he helps children and their families heal from trauma and the unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as addiction, that have let them to seek help.

Victoria Escott

Victoria is a specialist counsellor for alcohol, drugs, addictive/destructive behaviour, trauma and PTSD. In recent years, Victoria's therapeutic practices have centred around people who have experienced a wide range of trauma. Victoria has a wealth of experience in dealing with addictions due to trauma and is particularly interested in attachment theory.

Deal with addiction, heal the trauma

The reason that this subject is so tricky is two-fold. As our guests discuss with Club Soda co-founder Dru, once we get a grip on problem drinking, often the uncomfortable feelings that we were masking with alcohol come to the fore. Without our coping mechanism, often that trauma feels completely overwhelming. But, as Victoria and Mark adeptly point out, there are many ways to process trauma without relapsing on our drinking goals. From self-soothing to individual or family therapy, there are many ways to find the right support. That includes our community right here at Club Soda.

As human beings, we need connection, and we need safety. SO any community that comes together where you have a connection, you can have social elements going on, it feels safe. In my book, the more options there are of those things, the better their chances are because we do we need each other.

Victoria Escott

Find Club Soda:
The Club Soda Tasting Room is at 39 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5RR
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Alcohol and trauma specialists Mark and Victoria

Mark Escott

Victoria Escott

Deal with addiction, heal the trauma

Victoria Escott

Find Club Soda:
The Club Soda Tasting Room is at 39 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5RR
Find us on Instagram

Previous Episode

Sober Empowerment with Harriet Waley-Cohen, Janey Lee Grace, and Ian Young

This week's podcast features guest host, women's leadership and empowerment coach, and long-time friend of Club Soda, Harriet Waley-Cohen. Harriet is joined by author and podcaster Janey Lee Grace and addiction consultant Ian Young. This inspirational trio discusses how sobriety has helped them and their clients to become more empowered.

Meet your Empowering Hosts

Harriet Waley-Cohen

Harriet has been on her own sobriety journey for the last 18 years. Since she gave up drinking in 2002, she has been helping people realise personal empowerment and true potential in sobriety. Harriet comes at coaching from a very real place - she herself has had many life experiences, having recently survived breast cancer, all whilst being sober. You can find out more about Harriet's public speaking and coaching workshops on her website, or join her free Facebook page, Harriet's Inner Circle.
Janey Lee Grace

You may know Janey as being co-presenter on the UK’s biggest radio show, BBC Radio 2’s Steve Wright in the Afternoon. Janey also hosts her own podcast, Alcohol Free Life, and is an ambassador for the empowerment that sobriety can bring.
Janey is also the author of several books on Holistic Living, and her recent publication, 'Happy Healthy Sober: Ditch the booze and take control of your life' is available on Amazon now.
Ian Young

Ian knows recovery from the inside out. His struggle with drugs and alcohol gave him the insight to act; he's the founder of two of the largest drug rehabilitation services across the UK and Europe. Ian now lives in Phuket, Thailand, where he runs his private practice, Sober Services Global, as well as rehabilitation services in Southern Thailand. As you'll hear, empowerment has been a tool that Ian has found invaluable in supporting those in active addiction and their families.

Find Club Soda:
The Club Soda Tasting Room is at 39 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5RR
Find us on Instagram

Next Episode

Sober clubbing with Dr Avi from Move4Love

Changing our drinking habits doesn't have to mean changing the things that give us joy. This includes the sociable elements of going out, such as music and dancing. Sure, we may be a bit nervous of raving away without alcohol turning off the self-counscious switch. In our interview with practicing doctor and mindful DJ Dr Avi, founder of Australian movement Move4Love, we learn how popular and fun sober clubbing really is!
What is Move4Love?

Move4Love is a global movement started by Dr Avi in 2017 which centres around movement and wellbeing. The movement aims to create safe and supportive spaces for people to express themselves via music and dance. Move4Love is an inclusive sober clubbing experience for people of all ages, fitness levels, cultures, and backgrounds. This alcohol and drug-free experience is run by international DJs and aims to prescribe a large dose of fun and physical movement to those who are embracing a sober lifestyle.

Use music as a tool...to help you de stress, because it can change your state relatively quickly. You can use music to just chill out, change your state, move to it and just dance.

Dr Avi

The movement, which was started in 2017, involved sober clubbing events that took place in Australia. Since the pandemic put a stop to music events, Move4Love has engaged with 'moverrs' globally by taking their events online. What started with Facebook live streams became private Zoom events. So, over the last 16 months, the way Move4Love engage with their community and also the events themselves, have changed.

What do Move4Love's sober clubbing events look like?

Move4Love's philosophy is that everything is rooted in love - freedom from addiction is a form of self-love. But, as Dr Avi says in our podcast, the English language only has one worked for love. The Greeks, however, have 4 words for live; family love (Storge), romantic love (Eros), friends love (Philia) and unconditional love for self & humanity (Agape). Each of Move4Love's recent events center around these 4 themes.

We've been playing on the on the four themes in our events; we have mindfulness and meditation, and we have some movement, we have the rave part. And then we close off with gratitude. And that's that whole four in one experience that you get.

Dr Avi

Find Club Soda:
The Club Soda Tasting Room is at 39 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5RR
Find us on Instagram