Kate Smith is an ex 'Mad Woman' (aka high-powered advertising guru), mountaineer, wife, pet-owner, and sober. Click below to watch or listen to my Sobriety Chat with Kate. Apologies for the glitches at the top of the video and also for my muffled audio. The good news is Kate can be heard loud and clear! You'll hear her talk about the many thousand 'Day One's she had, the confusion of being in active addiction, the work she's done in therapy to identify and separate from her 'addict brain', the boozy advertising industry and pushing past shame to be open about recovery. If you want more of Kate, she can be found on Medium and Instagram.
Thank you Kate, I found this so inspiring, your story (and geographical location!) feels very close to home for me. Thanks for your honesty and insight.
Great stuff Kate! Loove these chats. Taking it beyond the soundbite is so powerful. There’s no one size fits all. The more we can share in these conversations the less we have live soley in our own heads. Bravo!
Thank you Matt!
Thank you…a tremendous talk with so many helpful sound bites. Has made a huge difference to me today. Would love your therapist details if possible?
I’m so glad it has helped you. I’m afraid I’m not able to give you the name of my therapist but you can find people by googling ‘addiction counsellors’ and my suggestion would be to find someone who has personal experience of addiction. Take care of yourself. x
Omg just listened to you Kate. I love this. It is exactly how I feel. I’m 228 days -1 day slip. Always felt so bad having to start at day 1 again. I’ve been trying to stay sober for around 15 years . But feeling good. I too loved Friday drinks
227/228 is fantastic! And it will keep getting better. Take care of yourself and keep going, it is so worth it, even on Fridays 😜
Thanks for this Lotta and Kate. Its timely as my lapses seem to be moving into a relapse, and my addict brain is telling me lies -a -there’s an end point, so its ok. After June I finish my Masters so have a lot less stress and wont need the wine. B- Im not as bad as I used to be, so that’s good. Both of these are clearly denial- I need to get this sorted. Interesting Kate about somehow in a split second almost you know you are going to drink. Thats how I feel on days that I drink and its very hard to fight.
Sorry that you are going through this – feeling stuck in that place where you know what you’re doing but feel powerless to stop is a very painful place to be. Of course the booze doesn’t really deal with stress – it makes us more stressed and more anxious. Your addict brain is telling you you ‘need’ it but this isn’t true, and you know it, but in that moment it feels overwhelming. Willpower alone wasn’t enough for me, by definition, it’s not enough for anyone who is addicted. I needed help to begin to seperate Addict Kate from me. May you find peace and freedom, don’t let your addict brain trick you into feeling that it’s hopeless or you’re weak or bad. You can recover. Xx
Thank you both so much. Such a powerful and timely talk. Your comments on the advertising of alcohol were so enlightening. I understand, after listening to you, that my best way forward for sucess is to get help. Thank you and I wish kate all the very best. Kia kaha
I’m glad it helped Denny and I hope you can find freedom. It isn’t easy, but it is worth it!
Sorry that you are going through this – feeling stuck in that place where you know what you’re doing but feel powerless to stop is a very painful place to be. Of course the booze doesn’t really deal with stress – it makes us more stressed and more anxious. Your addict brain is telling you you ‘need’ it but this isn’t true, and you know it, but in that moment it feels overwhelming. Willpower alone wasn’t enough for me, by definition, it’s not enough for anyone who is addicted. I needed help to begin to seperate Addict Kate from me. May you find peace and freedom, don’t let your addict brain trick you into feeling that it’s hopeless or you’re weak or bad. You can recover. Xx
Thank you Lotta and Kate!! Great interview. Could relate to so much of this.
Thank you Jo!
Thank you Jo!
I loved this so much Kate and Lotta
Today is one of many many day ones. I was sober for 3 years and just can’t get back on the wagon for any length of time. It is going to kill me. I feel so guilty and angry with myself for not sticking to my commitments I have downloaded the book you recommended and going to get to know and learn to deal with addicted me. Thank you so much
Hi Polly. It’s your Addict voice that is stirring up anger and guilt, your addict wants you to feel bad about yourself, that keeps you trapped. The truth is that you are struggling with a highly addictive drug that changes how our brains work. Have you come across Annie Grace? She has a book called ‘The naked truth’ which is really good on this. May you feel find freedom!