Dr. Alice Kerby on Addiction and Life Beyond the Pink Cloud

09/16/21 • 25 min

3 Listeners

After suffering from severe stress while going through her doctorate, Dr. Alice fell into a downward spiral of alcohol abuse. This continued until she realized her problem, and she has been sober for three years since.

It's this experience that led Dr. Alice to starting the Beyond the Pink Cloud podcast, where she talks to people that have overcome their own battles with substance abuse, as well as inspired others by living their best lives.

Topics up for discussion this week include:

how the podcast grew from her own recovery from alcohol abuse
how the Covid-19 pandemic is leading to higher stress and addiction temptation
how we're adding to our stress levels while working from home
how the show's direction has evolved from recovery-focused to multiple fields of expertise across various topics
why she's inspired by people living their dreams
some of the hurdles that are hard to overcome when dealing with abuse
how the drinking culture of different countries affects addiction levels
the fear of sharing her story in the first few episodes
how she became a semi-professional fire dancer

Settle back for an open and honest discussion about addiction, recovery, and what that means to the people afflicted, and those surrounding them.

Connect with Dr. Alice:

Contact me: [email protected]

My equipment:

Recommended resources:

Season 4 of Podcaster Stories is sponsored by Accusonus. Make okay audio sound great with their built-in plugins to repair bad audio, for podcasters and creators alike! Visit podcasterstories.com/audio and use the coupon PodcasterStories10 at checkout to get a sweet 10% off the ERA Bundle Standard yearly subscription!

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Topics up for discussion this week include:

how the podcast grew from her own recovery from alcohol abuse
how the Covid-19 pandemic is leading to higher stress and addiction temptation
how we're adding to our stress levels while working from home
how the show's direction has evolved from recovery-focused to multiple fields of expertise across various topics
why she's inspired by people living their dreams
some of the hurdles that are hard to overcome when dealing with abuse
how the drinking culture of different countries affects addiction levels
the fear of sharing her story in the first few episodes
how she became a semi-professional fire dancer

Settle back for an open and honest discussion about addiction, recovery, and what that means to the people afflicted, and those surrounding them.

Connect with Dr. Alice:

Contact me: [email protected]

My equipment:

Recommended resources:

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Previous Episode

Introducing Mental Health and Us

This week is a little different. As some of you might know, I also run a couple of other podcasts - one, as a host, and the other as a co-host. Today, I want to share an episode from the podcast I co-host, Mental Health and Us.

It originally started out as a solo hosted show by my wife, Jaclyn, and was called Mental Health and me. It shared self-care and wellness tips to help other mental health sufferers and their loved ones cope.

Jaclyn uses her 20 year battle with both depression and anxiety to share what's worked for her, and how that could maybe help you. I personally suffer from mental health issues too, and it's an important topic, and one that I see more of in the podcasting space, both from a podcaster and a listener perspective.

In this episode, Jaclyn shares how a major health scare made her fear the worst, and why it's important to understand how your physical health is important to your mental health.

The Mental Health and Us podcast will be relaunching early October, and you can catch up with other episodes over at mentalhealthpodcast.ca

Next week we'll be back to the usual Podcaster Stories programming - thank you for letting me share this special episode with you.

Contact me: [email protected]

My equipment:

Recommended resources:

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Next Episode

On Taking a Mental Health Break

For regular listeners of the show, you'll have noticed it's been a bit quiet here since Season 4 launched.

Instead of the usual weekly series, only the first two episodes were published, and then silence. I sincerely apologize for this, it was definitely not the intent. Here's what happened.

As you'll know, the show features podcasters opening up about their personal stories. These are stories that may not have been heard before in public, and can be very raw and emotional, and I sincerely thank all of my guests so far for being so open with their stories. This can lead to emotions in me coming to the fore, when the struggles of a guest are ones I've been through myself, or loved ones around me have.

Some of you may know this about me from an earlier episode where I spoke with my wife, but I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety around 4 years ago. For the majority of the time, it's something that I can manage, but now and again the shadows block out the light.

This has been particularly true with Covid, and its impact on all our lives. Everything has changed, and sometimes it's hard to see where all this might end. Especially when you have two young kids that you're doing everything you can to protect them, in a world where not everyone wants to be part of that protective community.

Anyhoo... as a result of the increased emotions from the stories shared by my guests, and sheer fight or flight exhaustion in trying to keep my family safe, I decided to take a mental health break where I could focus on the lighter side of life.

Summer at the beach, getting out on the lake, experiencing the beautiful natural surroundings of where we live, etc. And it was exactly what I needed to refresh both my creative and personal energy.

So, Podcaster Stories will return very early in the New Year. I have some amazing guests lined up, and each one has an incredibly inspiring story to share.

In the meantime, to keep the podcasting juices flowing, I've just launched a new show called Memories of 3DO, which looks at the history of a gaming console classic that was ultimately doomed to fail. This is a fun little project for me, and may lead to others in a series.

The show is snackable content, with each episode less than 5 minutes long. If classic video games are your thing, you can find out more at 3dopodcast.com

Thanks so much for being part of the Podcaster Stories community, and thanks for your messages and emails asking if everything was okay, I sincerely appreciate them.

Until the next time, stay safe and take care.

Contact me: [email protected]

My equipment:

Recommended resources:

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Podcaster Stories - Dr. Alice Kerby on Addiction and Life Beyond the Pink Cloud

Transcript

Alice00:00:00.119

That was a wonderful piece of advice. Actually, a friend gave me, he was like, just try this for six months. You can always go back to drinking. And that really made it very possible for me. And I liked that perspective and I share that frequently because it takes this scary nature of, oh my God, I have to change this forever. But you can do six months. Most of us can look at that time period and say, okay, this is doable. Why don't I try this? Why d

Dr. Alice Kerby on Addiction and Life Beyond the Pink Cloud Top Questions Answered

What is the podcast "Beyond the Pink Cloud" about?

"Beyond the Pink Cloud" focuses on recovery from alcohol addiction and ways to thrive beyond recovery.

Who hosts the podcast "Beyond the Pink Cloud"?

Dr. Alice Kirby, a physical therapist and trauma practitioner, hosts the podcast.

Why is having a community network important in addiction recovery?

Having a community network of people who understand addiction can provide support, understanding, and accountability during the recovery process.

Why is trying sobriety for a set period recommended?

Trying sobriety for a set period, like six months, can make it less intimidating and help individuals evaluate the impact of alcohol in their lives.

How does drinking culture differ between the UK and Canada?

The UK has a more celebratory attitude towards alcohol, while Canada manages its party culture better with fewer late-night venues and a less prominent pub scene.

How can being vulnerable and sharing personal experiences help others in recovery?

Being vulnerable and sharing personal experiences can help others by providing relatability, inspiration, and guidance along their own recovery journeys.

What is fire dancing?

Fire dancing involves using staffs or chains with wicks soaked in fuel and lighting them, creating visually stunning performances.

How can one start a successful podcast about addiction?

Starting a successful podcast about addiction involves doing research on podcast platforms, seeking advice from experienced podcasters, and being willing to be vulnerable and share personal experiences.

Where can Dr. Alice Kirby be found on social media?

Dr. Alice Kirby can be found on Facebook at Alice Kirby and on their website, Kirby Method Consulting.

What are some recommendations given by the podcast host at the end of the episode?

The podcast host encourages listeners to leave reviews and share the episode to help reach more people in need of addiction recovery resources.

Show more Questions

If you like this episode you’ll love

The Women's Eye with Stacey Gualandi | Women Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Authors and Global Changemakers

Detective Trapp

S-Town

Aspen Ideas to Go

Heavyweight

Episode Comments

Generate a badge

Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode

Select type & size

Copy