He Drank for 25 Years… And Didn’t Recognize Himself Anymore
Sober Motivation: Sharing Sobriety Stories
Brad McLeod
4.8 • 596 Ratings
🗓️ 7 April 2026
⏱️ 64 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Quit drinking is not about willpower. It is about the moment you realize you cannot keep living like this anymore.
For over 25 years, alcohol was part of Paul’s life. From the outside, everything looked fine.
But inside, the anxiety was building, the anger was growing, and he was slowly becoming someone he didn’t recognize.
There was no rock bottom.
Just a quiet realization that something had to change.
In this episode, Paul shares what it really looks like to live that way for decades, the denial that keeps people stuck, and the moment he finally chose to quit drinking.
If you have ever questioned your drinking or felt stuck in the cycle, this one will stay with you.
Paul on Instagram: Click Here
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Great to have you for another episode. Brad here. Right before we get into it, two seconds of your time. |
| 0:06.3 | I recently started adding video podcast episodes to YouTube and I'm 125 subscribers away from reaching |
| 0:13.1 | a thousand. If you could take two seconds out of your day, go over there and subscribe to the channel. |
| 0:18.4 | Tell a few of your friends. Thank you so much. Now let's get to the |
| 0:21.6 | show. I drank on my own from a young age, stealing the mum's vodka and stuff like that, |
| 0:27.0 | you know, and trying to fill it back up water. But I knew I had a problem then because I would have |
| 0:31.4 | a sip and then I would like, oh, I need to go and have another one. But looking back at it now, |
| 0:39.3 | obviously hindsight is a beautiful thing. And I wasn't an alcoholic from a young age. |
| 0:42.3 | For over 25 years, alcohol was part of Paul's life. |
| 0:45.3 | It was how he dealt with pain, how he showed up, and how he escaped. |
| 0:49.3 | And for a long time it worked, or at least it felt like it did. |
| 0:52.3 | Because on the surface, everything looked fine. |
| 0:54.9 | But underneath, the anxiety was building and the anger was growing, and the gap between who he |
| 0:59.9 | was and who he wanted to be kept getting wider. And everything had to change. And this is Paul's |
| 1:05.3 | story on the sober motivation podcast. Great to have you back for another episode here on the podcast. |
| 1:12.1 | Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and drop your thoughts of this episode in the comments below. Welcome back to |
| 1:17.5 | another episode of the Sober Motivation podcast. Today we've got Paul with us. Paul, how are you? |
| 1:22.2 | Yeah, good. Thank you. Thanks for having me, Brad. Yeah, of course. Thank you so much, man. What was it |
| 1:27.3 | like for you growing up? Um, yeah, for me growing up,. Yeah, of course. Thank you so much, man. What was it like for you growing up? |
| 1:29.3 | Yeah, for me growing up, it was quite a sort of turbulent and chaotic childhood. |
| 1:36.2 | And yeah, it was pretty crazy, man. |
| 1:39.4 | It was lots of stories to tell, wild ride at times and yeah drinking was you know a prominent part of |
... |
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