Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma

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Believe in People is the UK’s leading podcast dedicated to addiction, recovery, lived experience storytelling, and the power of peer support in transforming lives. Produced by ReNew, the series brings honest, unfiltered conversations with people who have faced addiction, homelessness, trauma, stigma, prison, relapse and recovery and found a way forward. Hosted by Matt Butler and produced by Robbie Lawson, each episode provides real insight into the experiences behind substance use, the roots of trauma, and the pathways into healing and long-term recovery. You will hear from public figures, frontline workers, peer mentors, musicians, parents and people with lived experience who are changing communities across the UK. Whether you are in recovery, supporting someone, working in treatment services, or simply curious about what real recovery looks like, this podcast offers depth, truth and hope. With new episodes released regularly, Believe in People is for anyone seeking honest stories, practical learning, and a deeper understanding of how people rebuild their lives. 🎙 2025 British Podcast Award Nominee - Best Interview 🎙 2025 British Podcast Award Nominee  - Best Factual 🎙 2024 British Podcast Award Winner - Best Interview 🎙 2025 Radio Academy Award Nominee - Best Speech & Entertainment 🎙 2024 Radio Academy Award Nominee - Best New Podcast www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com  Search terms: addiction, recovery podcast UK, lived experience stories, peer support, substance misuse recovery, trauma and recovery. 

  1. Why Tier 2 Oliver McGowan Training on Learning Disability and Autism Matters

    5D AGO

    Why Tier 2 Oliver McGowan Training on Learning Disability and Autism Matters

    This short episode of Believe in People Extra shares an exclusive preview from our upcoming full conversation with Paula McGowan OBE, whose son Oliver’s death led to the introduction of The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training across health and social care in England. This preview focuses on one critical question: why Tier 2 training matters, and why listening to people with lived experience is not optional, but essential for safety, dignity, and life itself. Paula explains why Tier 2 training must be delivered face to face, why it is led by experts with lived experience, and why cutting corners in training is never about saving money, but about risking lives. What Is The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training? The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training was introduced following Oliver’s death, to address systemic failures where autistic people and people with a learning disability were not listened to, misunderstood, or harmed through avoidable mistakes. The training is now a legal requirement in health and social care settings in England. You can book the training here https://www.olivermcgowantraining.com/book-training Official government guidance and statutory expectations can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oliver-mcgowan-code-of-practice/the-oliver-mcgowan-draft-code-of-practice-on-statutory-learning-disability-and-autism-training #believeinpeople #believeinpeoplepodcast #believeinpeopleextra Click here to text our host, Matt, directly! 🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us. 🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it. Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone. If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service. https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service 📩 Podcast Contact: robbie@believeinpeoplepodcast.com 🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six) 🔗 Listen & Subscribe Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923 ...

    5 min
  2. Chiedu Oraka: The Black Yorkshireman. Culture, Identity, Drugs and Prison to Supporting Coldplay

    JAN 15

    Chiedu Oraka: The Black Yorkshireman. Culture, Identity, Drugs and Prison to Supporting Coldplay

    In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Chiedu Oraka, one of the UK’s most distinctive emerging voices in rap, also known as The Black Yorkshireman, joins Matt to discuss dual identity, stigma, and the turning points that reshaped his life.  Born and raised on a Hull council estate in a Nigerian household, Chiedu grew up balancing two worlds: cultural expectations at home and the pressure to fit in outside - while carrying the weight of how others perceived him. We explore how racism, reputation, and “estate survival” shaped his early choices, including the realities of alcohol culture, drugs, crime, and being labelled from a young age. Chiedu speaks candidly about the contradiction that defined a pivotal year: going to prison and going to university in the same year - and how that collision forced a change in direction. Now, after performing at Glastonbury, opening for Coldplay, and supporting Skepta on tour, Chiedu reflects on success without abandoning his roots - using his platform to challenge stigma, widen perceptions of Black British identity and to pass the ladder down for young people who feel written off. This episode offers practical insight for people in recovery, family members, frontline practitioners, and anyone interested in real stories of change. Search terms: addiction recovery podcast UK, stigma and recovery, lived experience stories, drugs and alcohol culture, racism and identity, peer support, trauma and recovery. #believeinpeople #believeinpeoplepodcast Click here to text our host, Matt, directly! 🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us. 🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it. Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone. If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service. https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service 📩 Podcast Contact: robbie@believeinpeoplepodcast.com 🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six) 🔗 Listen & Subscribe Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923 ...

    1h 26m
  3. Questioning Your Drinking? One Simple Shift That Helped Amy Jo Johnson Live Sober

    12/31/2025

    Questioning Your Drinking? One Simple Shift That Helped Amy Jo Johnson Live Sober

    In this episode of Believe in People Extra, Amy Jo Johnson shares why she chose to stop drinking - not because her life had fallen apart, but because alcohol was making her anxiety louder and everyday life harder to manage. She shares the simple mindset shift that helped her most: giving herself permission to drink, and realising she didn’t actually want to. Amy Jo also reflects on how not drinking changed her friendships, why some social situations stopped feeling fulfilling, and how having support at home made it easier to follow through. This short episode explores: Why you don’t need rock bottom to change your drinkingHow removing alcohol can reduce anxiety and mental noiseWhat happens to friendships when drinking is no longer the focusIf you’re questioning your relationship with alcohol, feeling unsure about stopping, or wondering whether you’re “allowed” to want something different, this clip may help you take a first step. To listen to the full episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/amy-jo-johnson-alcohol-free-loving-life-pink-power/id1617239923?i=1000653697345 Click here to text our host, Matt, directly! 🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us. 🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it. Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone. If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service. https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service 📩 Podcast Contact: robbie@believeinpeoplepodcast.com 🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six) 🔗 Listen & Subscribe Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923 ...

    10 min
  4. Joe Sealey: Cocaine Addiction, Alcohol and Recovery Behind the Real Housewives Of Cheshire

    12/24/2025

    Joe Sealey: Cocaine Addiction, Alcohol and Recovery Behind the Real Housewives Of Cheshire

    In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Joe Sealey joins us to discuss cocaine addiction, alcohol misuse, grief, and recovery. Known to millions as a cast member on The Real Housewives of Cheshire, Joe shares the story that existed long before the cameras - the career-ending injury that ended his football dream, the sudden death of his father, and how trauma and loss of identity pulled him into addiction. We explore themes of addiction recovery, trauma, peer support, mental health, and the lived experiences that shaped Joe’s journey. Joe describes the moment cocaine felt like it saved his life, how quickly things escalated into dependency, the cycle of relapse and secrecy, and the impact addiction had on his family. He also reflects on what finally changed, why honesty became his turning point, and how routine, communication, and taking recovery one hour at a time helped him rebuild. This episode offers practical insight for people in recovery, family members, frontline practitioners, and anyone interested in real stories of change. Search terms: addiction recovery podcast UK, lived experience stories, peer support, trauma and recovery, substance misuse. Click here to text our host, Matt, directly! 🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us. 🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it. Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone. If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service. https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service 📩 Podcast Contact: robbie@believeinpeoplepodcast.com 🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six) 🔗 Listen & Subscribe Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923 ...

    1h 2m
  5. Struggling to Stop Drinking? What Michelle Heaton Learned About Recovery

    12/12/2025

    Struggling to Stop Drinking? What Michelle Heaton Learned About Recovery

    In the first episode of Believe in People Extra, our new spin off miniseries, Michelle Heaton speaks openly about what it feels like to want to stop drinking and not be able to. She explains the medical dangers she didn’t understand, the shame that kept her stuck, and why addiction isn’t about a lack of willpower. Michelle shares the moment that changed everything: seeing someone else in recovery who had what she wanted - and realising she didn’t have to do this alone. This short episode explores: Why stopping alcohol suddenly can be unsafeHow peer support works when willpower doesn’tWhy rehab helped, but free AA and CA meetings keep her soberIf you’re thinking about recovery, supporting someone else, or searching for a place to start, this clip may help you take the next step. To listen to the episode in full  https://open.spotify.com/episode/1THTnfwpdcL22CaDFTkvNm Click here to text our host, Matt, directly! 🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us. 🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it. Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone. If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service. https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service 📩 Podcast Contact: robbie@believeinpeoplepodcast.com 🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six) 🔗 Listen & Subscribe Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923 ...

    9 min
  6. Patti Clark: Alcohol, Relapse, Women’s Recovery Spaces & Breaking Generational Patterns

    12/05/2025

    Patti Clark: Alcohol, Relapse, Women’s Recovery Spaces & Breaking Generational Patterns

    In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, Patti reflects on a lifetime shaped by silence, trauma, and survival. Growing up in a dysfunctional home in 1970s San Francisco - marked by alcoholism, emotional neglect, and parents who barely spoke - she began using alcohol and drugs at just 13 to escape overwhelming pain. By 16 she had lost her mother to alcoholism, a loss that profoundly shaped her understanding of addiction, identity, and generational trauma. Patti shares candidly about early experiences with hallucinogens during the counterculture era, the years she spent bartending in Alaska amid heavy cocaine use, and the moment she chose life over self-destruction. She describes the powerful impact of her first women-only 12-step meeting, the birth of long-term sobriety, and the choice to get clean before having children so she would never repeat the patterns she grew up with. After nearly 13 years in recovery, Patti later faced relapse - driven by disconnection, loss of community, motherhood identity shifts, and the seductive “yummy mummy” drinking culture. She unpacks how secrecy, co-dependency, and convincing self-talk sustained her relapse, and the moments that finally brought clarity: writing her first book while still drinking, confronting her own hypocrisy, and acknowledging that recovery requires honesty, therapy, and belonging - not just abstinence. Together, Patti and Matt explore the deeper roots of addiction: trauma, loneliness, the search for meaning, and the societal and gendered pressures that shape women’s drinking. Patti critiques patriarchal elements of traditional 12-step structures, highlights the importance of women-centred spaces, and explains why she has gone on to start recovery groups in New Zealand, Portugal, and beyond. This is a rich and layered conversation about breaking generational cycles, redefining identity in motherhood, and building a recovery community grounded in compassion, inclusion, and truth. In this episode: Growing up in silence, emotional neglect and an alcoholic homeEarly use of alcohol, speed and acid from age 13Hallucinogens in 1970s San Francisco drug cultureLosing her mother to alcoholism at 16Bartending in Alaska, cocaine use, and the “fClick here to text our host, Matt, directly! 🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us. 🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it. Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone. If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service. https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service 📩 Podcast Contact: robbie@believeinpeoplepodcast.com 🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six) 🔗 Listen & Subscribe Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923 ...

    1h 13m
  7. Andy Woodward: Trauma, False Accusation, Alcohol Recovery and Rebuilding Life After Collapse

    11/21/2025

    Andy Woodward: Trauma, False Accusation, Alcohol Recovery and Rebuilding Life After Collapse

    In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, we conclude our two-part conversation with Andy Woodward, who reflects on the long-term psychological effects of childhood trauma and how those experiences shaped his later struggles with alcohol use, anxiety and identity. Andy shares how a false rape accusation in 2015 became a devastating turning point - stripping away the structures that once grounded him, including careers in both professional football and policing. Without those frameworks, unresolved trauma resurfaced, and alcohol became a way to cope with fear, panic and overwhelming emotional distress. Through honest reflection, Andy discusses the spiral into binge drinking,the psychological impacts of trauma,the difficulty forming safe relationships,the misconceptions around addiction,and the challenges of seeking meaningful help within rigid or judgemental systems.He also speaks candidly about the profound media attention following his 2016 disclosures, and the lack of aftercare that left him vulnerable and unsupported. A central theme of this conversation is the recognition that substance misuse often develops as a response to prolonged emotional pain - and that sustainable recovery begins with understanding that link. This episode is a powerful and compassionate exploration of trauma, survival and change - and what it means to rebuild life with honesty, humility and hope. In this episode: How childhood trauma resurfaced later in lifeThe psychological fallout of a false rape accusationAlcohol use as coping, binge cycles and relapse psychologyAnxiety, panic, fear and relationship difficultiesMedia exposure, vulnerability and lack of aftercareRehab, 12-step work and multiple recovery pathwaysMindset, meditation and living in the presentHope, acceptance and rebuilding life after collapseSearch terms: trauma and addiction recovery, false accusation lived experience, alcohol recovery UK, mental health and panic, relapse and recovery psychology, lived experience stories, stigma and trauma. Click here to text our host, Matt, directly! 🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us. 🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it. Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone. If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service. https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service 📩 Podcast Contact: robbie@believeinpeoplepodcast.com 🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six) 🔗 Listen & Subscribe Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923 ...

    1h 23m
  8. Andy Woodward: Childhood Trauma, Football Abuse and the Silence That Hid a Predator

    11/21/2025

    Andy Woodward: Childhood Trauma, Football Abuse and the Silence That Hid a Predator

    In this episode of Believe in People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma, we begin the first of a powerful two-part conversation with Andy Woodward, the former professional footballer whose bravery exposed one of the biggest safeguarding scandals in British sporting history. Andy was the first to go public with his experience of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of youth coach Barry Bennell, a predator enabled by a culture of silence that protected reputations instead of children. With striking honesty, Andy explains how abusers groom not only children but entire families, using trust, authority and the “position of trust” to create a fortress around their behaviour. This episode also explores the wider emotional toll of Andy’s early experiences, including the devastating connection between his abuser and the man who murdered his aunt - a trauma that echoed across generations and shaped the course of his adult life. Part One lays bare the origins of a profound reckoning: how childhood trauma fractures identity, how the football world concealed the truth for decades, and why speaking out became the catalyst for change. Part Two will explore Andy’s journey through pain, addiction, survival and healing - a testament to how recovery begins with telling the truth. In this episode: Growing up in football and the culture that enabled abuseHow Barry Bennell groomed families as well as childrenThe weaponisation of trust, authority and reputationThe psychological and emotional impact of long-term abuseThe connection between Bennell and the murder of Andy’s auntThe beginnings of a personal reckoning that would change British sportSearch terms: childhood trauma podcast, football abuse scandal, Andy Woodward interview, lived experience stories, trauma and recovery, safeguarding in sport, mental health, addiction and trauma Click here to text our host, Matt, directly! 🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Please take a moment to leave a review — it helps others find us. 🔗 Then share this episode with someone you know who could benefit from it. Browse the full archive at 👉 www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com This podcast is a toolkit for recovery & resilience. Whether you’re in recovery or seeking to understand addiction, there’s something here for everyone. If you want to change your direction, grow as a person, and live life to its full potential, Change Grow Live is here to help you. We’re here for you if you need help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Change Grow Live services are free and confidential. Click the link below to refer yourself to your local service. https://www.changegrowlive.org/local-support/find-a-service 📩 Podcast Contact: robbie@believeinpeoplepodcast.com 🎵 Music: “Jonathan Tortoise” by Christopher Tait (Belle Ghoul / Electric Six) 🔗 Listen & Subscribe Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4Cr4wzZ6bxku1cRcoYKbGK Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/believe-in-people/id1617239923 ...

    1h 19m
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About

Believe in People is the UK’s leading podcast dedicated to addiction, recovery, lived experience storytelling, and the power of peer support in transforming lives. Produced by ReNew, the series brings honest, unfiltered conversations with people who have faced addiction, homelessness, trauma, stigma, prison, relapse and recovery and found a way forward. Hosted by Matt Butler and produced by Robbie Lawson, each episode provides real insight into the experiences behind substance use, the roots of trauma, and the pathways into healing and long-term recovery. You will hear from public figures, frontline workers, peer mentors, musicians, parents and people with lived experience who are changing communities across the UK. Whether you are in recovery, supporting someone, working in treatment services, or simply curious about what real recovery looks like, this podcast offers depth, truth and hope. With new episodes released regularly, Believe in People is for anyone seeking honest stories, practical learning, and a deeper understanding of how people rebuild their lives. 🎙 2025 British Podcast Award Nominee - Best Interview 🎙 2025 British Podcast Award Nominee  - Best Factual 🎙 2024 British Podcast Award Winner - Best Interview 🎙 2025 Radio Academy Award Nominee - Best Speech & Entertainment 🎙 2024 Radio Academy Award Nominee - Best New Podcast www.believeinpeoplepodcast.com  Search terms: addiction, recovery podcast UK, lived experience stories, peer support, substance misuse recovery, trauma and recovery. 

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