Rock (bottom) and roll: Is there an indelible link between music and drinking?

11/12/24 • 45 min

Is a rock-and-roll lifestyle a shortcut to hitting rock bottom?

Cess invites his musical pals Louis Brennan and Tom Bowen, who both stopped drinking during the pandemic, to explore the dangerous dance between sonic creativity and intoxicants.

It's a wild jig – and a level lower than usual for Upper Bottom listeners. Indeed, Tom reveals that he was shocked into giving up boozing after a doctor said he had only a year left to live if he didn't change his lifestyle.

However, the episode is timely, given the tragic premature death of musical megastar Liam Payne. RIP.

Booze News items:

UK Addiction Treatment Centres: Liam Payne: A talent lost – Alcoholism, struggles, and tragic death (https://www.ukat.co.uk/blog/celebrity/liam-payne-a-talent-lost/)

The Independent: Donald Trump reveals real reason he doesn’t drink alcohol (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/donald-trump-reveals-real-reason-he-doesn-t-drink-alcohol/ar-AA1t5Lzt)

BBC: Pub garden smoking ban dropped from government plans (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c79ze8gv1w4o)

The Independent (via MSN): ‘I wish I’d never taken it’: More young people seeking rehab as ketamine addiction spirals in the UK Story by Holly Evans (https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/i-wish-i-d-never-taken-it-more-young-people-seeking-rehab-as-ketamine-addiction-spirals-in-the-uk/ar-AA1tqBwF)

#soberjourney
#sobercurious
#soberadvice
#sobriety
#rockandroll
#sobermusicians

#UpperBottomPodcast

#sobermovement

Is a rock-and-roll lifestyle a shortcut to hitting rock bottom?

Cess invites his musical pals Louis Brennan and Tom Bowen, who both stopped drinking during the pandemic, to explore the dangerous dance between sonic creativity and intoxicants.

However, the episode is timely, given the tragic premature death of musical megastar Liam Payne. RIP.

Booze News items:

UK Addiction Treatment Centres: Liam Payne: A talent lost – Alcoholism, struggles, and tragic death (https://www.ukat.co.uk/blog/celebrity/liam-payne-a-talent-lost/)

The Independent: Donald Trump reveals real reason he doesn’t drink alcohol (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/donald-trump-reveals-real-reason-he-doesn-t-drink-alcohol/ar-AA1t5Lzt)

BBC: Pub garden smoking ban dropped from government plans (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c79ze8gv1w4o)

#soberjourney
#sobercurious
#soberadvice
#sobriety
#rockandroll
#sobermusicians

#UpperBottomPodcast

#sobermovement

Previous Episode

Rising from Upper Bottom: What have we learnt from our podcast journey?

To mark episode 40, co-hosts Ollie and Cess have a heart-to-heart about the progress of the podcast, which began in February.

They've packed a lot in the last nine months, spoken about their troubles and interviewed the great and the good in this space – but has it all been a form of therapy, albeit in a public forum?

The soul-searching comes as listener numbers are stubbornly not rising – but does that matter? What's next for Upper Bottom? Have Ollie and Cess been cured? Or is that when complacency sets in?

Watch this space ...

Booze News items:

Newcastle Chronicle: Newcastle nightclub packed out as top DJ hosts city's first ever sober rave (https://uk.news.yahoo.com/newcastle-nightclub-packed-top-dj-124051796.html)

The Grocer: Alcohol industry rages as duty set to go up in line with inflation (https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/alcohol-industry-rages-as-duty-set-to-go-up-in-line-with-inflation/697266.article)

Daily Mail: Ozempic could be dished out to help curb boozing and prescription drug addiction

(https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13974337/Ozempic-dished-help-curb-boozing-prescription-drug-addiction.html)

The Telegraph (via MSN): Dear Richard Madeley: My recently sober friend blames me for his drinking behaviour (https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/celebrity/dear-richard-madeley-my-recently-sober-friend-blames-me-for-his-drinking-behaviour/ar-BB1qIMNI)

#soberjourney
#sobercurious
#soberadvice
#sobriety

#UpperBottomPodcast

#NoLowDrinkTrends

#sobermovement

Next Episode

Avoiding rock bottom: What do drinkers hope to find at the bottom of the glass?

Dr Fiona Dowman, a clinical psychologist and addiction specialist, joins Cess and Ollie and shares many illuminating insights for Upper Bottoms – and those who have dropped lower.

What are the signs of addiction? Are some people more predisposed to addiction than others? What are drinkers hoping to gain from boozing hard? And what are the tools and tips to gain better control over one's "relationship with alcohol", as Fiona, Founder of Purple Bridge Psychology, calls it?

These puzzlers and more are answered. You'll also discover the benefits of establishing personal values, mindfulness, and acceptance and commitment therapy. This episode is packed with great, timely advice, given we are nearing the start of the indulgent festive season.

Booze News items:

London Review of Books: La Chasse au Pinard (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n21/julian-barnes/la-chasse-au-pinard)
Good Housekeeping (via MSN): "We're a 'half sober' couple - I drink but my husband doesn't" (https://www.msn.com/en-gb/foodanddrink/news/we-re-a-half-sober-couple-i-drink-but-my-husband-doesn-t/ar-AA1tJC7P)

Psychology Today: Reframe Addiction: Why Sobriety Is Not Just Recovery (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sober-curiosity/202411/reframe-addiction-why-sobriety-is-not-just-recovery)

Lad Bible: Man breaks sobriety after 18 months and shares 'surprising' impact it had on him (https://www.ladbible.com/news/health/what-happens-to-the-body-when-you-break-sobriety-958032-20241114)

#soberjourney
#sobercurious
#soberadvice
#sobriety
#addiction

#UpperBottomPodcast

#sobermovement