The Alcohol 'Problem' Podcast James Morris

In this episode we discuss alcohol treatment with two highly experienced practitioners, Dr Luke Mitcheson and Dr Mike Kelleher. We cover key components of effective treatment, mental health and other important issues, and other important issues such as the importance of the individual in leading their recovery. 

Dr Luke Mitcheson is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and Clinical Advisor to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. He has worked in mental health and drug and alcohol treatment services since 1993 and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust since 1998.  He is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist and Accredited Therapist with the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists. 

Dr Michael Kelleher is a consultant addictions psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. He trained in addiction psychiatry at the Maudsley hospital and Institute of Psychiatry in London and is a Clinical Advisor to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.
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In this episode we talk to Millie Gooch, founder of Sober Girl Society. Millie talks about her journey to sobriety and how this led her to setting up alcohol free spaces and events for the sober curious. We discuss the current role of sobriety and possible reasons behind recent growth in sobriety movements, mindful drinking and other alcohol-free communities. 

As a journalist, Millie has written for a range of publications and has been featured everywhere from ELLE and Stylist to the BBC and British Vogue. Her debut book, The Sober Girl Society Handbook, was released in January 2021 and in 2022, she received the Media Award from the Research Society on Alcohol for her contributions in helping disseminate empirical research on alcohol and creating a safe space for people to explore alcohol-free living. She is an ambassador for Alcohol Change UK
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In this episode we talk to Joe Heeney about his life and experience of alcohol problems and recovery.

Joe is a former CEO of Resolve, a drug and alcohol treatment service based in Hertfordshire, which he founded in 2008 after experiencing his own drug and alcohol issues. Joe worked for 14 years in the Fire Brigade at a time when heavy drinking was normalised. Joe is now retired and lives in the Peak District with his wife. He now enjoys playing golf and spending time with his family and friends.
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In this episode Dr James Morris evaluates the Huberman Lab's alcohol episode, particularly addressing why the language and terms used around alcohol problems are important. For instance, whilst the Huberman Lab's episode provides a detailed description of the ways alcohol can affect the brain, body and health, in using alcoholism terminology it overlooks a number of important issues. Notably, alcoholism is a non-scientific concept and embedded with stigma and myths about alcohol problems and their causes. Dr Morris therefore discusses why, except when people self-identify as 'alcoholics' (for instance as per Alcoholics Anonymous), scientists and the general public at large should avoid using alcoholism terminology, and instead consider terms like alcohol problems, alcohol dependence or alcohol use disorder.

You can view this podcast on Youtube here.

You can read more about the issues around how alcohol problems are understood in one of my articles here or one of my publications in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
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In this episode we explore what Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is and how it works.

First we talk to Dr Hannah Glassman, a qualitative researcher and psychologist who has published multiple studies on experiences of people in AA. Next we talk to Prof John F Kelly who has conducted extensive research into how recovery and AA groups work.

We examine a range of issues including the history of AA, expectations and traditions typically found in AA, who AA may or may not be suitable for, how AA may help those it does, and why it is not for everyone who experiences alcohol problems.

Dr Hannah Glassman's publications on experiences of AA can be found here.
Prof John F Kelly's publications on addiction and recovery can  be found here.

A Cochrane review into the effectiveness of AA can be found here.

References mentioned in the show include:
Overlapping Mechanisms of Recovery between Professional Psychotherapies and Alcoholics Anonymous; Marcovitz et al. (2020) Denial in addiction; Hannah Pickard (2016)Reconstructing ‘the Alcoholic’: Recovering from Alcohol Addiction and the Stigma this Entails; Hill & Leeming (2014) 

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In this episode we talk to Prof. Matt Field about the evidence behind Dry January and temporary abstinence. We discuss what is known about the possible health and other benefits for drinkers from  temporarily abstaining from alcohol.  This includes who temporary abstinence may or may not be suitable for and implications for understanding drinking and alcohol addiction or dependence.

Professor Matt Field is a Professor of Psychology specialising in addiction at the University of Sheffield. He has published extensively on a range of addiction related topics including evaluations of Dry January, and is involved in ongoing research on the subject. 
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