If You Want to Know Why You’re Using Drugs, Stop Using Drugs with Ex-Addict and Founder of ADAPT Eddie Cob

Kirk and Dan are joined by Eddie Cob, founder of ADAPT a charity which helps addicts seek recovery from addiction free of charge. Eddie started using drugs at a young age and shares in this episode her own experiences of addiction, recovery and life after drug addiction including life with her heroin-addicted partner. Eddie, Kurt and Dan explore the reasons behind addiction including the inability to deal with emotions, and feelings of shame but why ultimately it is always very complicated and difficult to understand addiction, regardless of who you are, where you’re from and what you’re addicted to.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Eddie founded ADAPT in 2019, firstly as a single dry house, ADAPT now has 10 dry houses.
• Recovering addicts often crave structure and so this is something Eddie incorporated into the houses including counselling sessions.
• Eddie’s support and help come from a unique place of having experienced drug addiction, she has a perspective many professionals in the space do not have.
• Eddie suffered from overeating as a child and teen which she now recognises as a coping mechanism and is still something she struggles with. There were a lot of feelings of shame in this for her which were further exacerbated when she was bullied badly at school.
• At 15 she started taking cocaine to fit in and her drug use accelerated quickly, especially when she realised it was making her lose weight.
• After travelling, Eddie was taking Valium and drinking a litre of vodka a day, she managed to wean herself off both of these before entering her first drug treatment centre.
• Addicts need love through their addiction, you can still have good boundaries with friends who are addicted whilst letting them know you are there for them.
• When you have been addicted you get so used to feeling numb, as soon as you’re sober you feel all your emotions at once, it can be overwhelming.
• Eddie got into a relationship with an ex-heroin addict, something she wasn’t aware of until he relapsed which then introduced her to a whole new side of addiction and drug taking.
• Addiction is about why you use not what you’re addicted to.
• Eddie felt the shame attached to her partner's addiction, she would do anything to try and defend and protect him.
• Eddie’s son Jack was born in 2016, her partner had managed to stay clean for 9 months but relapsed on the day their son was born.
• If you are struggling with a family member’s addiction, putting in small achievable goals or boundaries can be more successful than ultimatums.
• Seeing many people not getting the treatment they needed and being part of her own family that was struggling with addiction, Eddie wanted to do something to help so she founded ADAPT.
• After 8 years clean, the pressure of life during the pandemic caused Eddie to relapse and this time she took heroin and crack. This relapse lasted for 18 months and included an overdose.

BEST MOMENTS

"When you’re in active addiction you have no structure”

“I never spoke about it because I believed everything I was being told”

“Find someone you trust and talk to them about it”

“If you want to know why you’re using drugs, stop using drugs”

“Heroin…there’s no words to describe it”

“Once I get into something I can’t get out of it”

“You cannot fight with the disease, there’s no winning”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://adaptoxford.org.uk/team

https://www.cocaineanonymous.org.uk

CONTACT METHOD

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Facebook

Twitter

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Daniel O’Reilly

Daniel O’Reilly is one of the UK’s Largest Influencers, a comedian, actor, musician, viral video star and social influencer. With a portfolio of businesses Daniel enjoys a busy lifestyle mixed with business and pleasure. Daniel is a father to two beautiful girls and enjoys spending quality time with them and his wife Shelley. With 2022 being a busy year, Daniel sold out his O2 stand-up show, released his British movie 'The Last Heist' and is currently preparing for the upcoming release of his other film 'Miss The Kiss'. Daniel is a creative through and through, with a passion to strive in everything he does. Daniel is looking forward to the release of his podcast 'Menace 2 Sobriety' in 2023, his long-term position on GB News, Headliners, and the growing slate of films in the works with his production company, HYPRR.

Kirk Norcross

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“My name is Kirk Norcross, I’m 34 years old, I had a pretty good run, a TV career which I can’t even remember hardly any of that, drugs consumed my life I always used drugs like an addict but I didn’t use them all the time until my fiancé split up with me for no reason and never gave me a reason and I was so upset, hurt and confused. I started using drugs to self-medicate to shut my brain down to stop thinking and then spiral turned and turned and turned until I was like a wrecking ball everywhere I went every penny I had went on drugs, my whole life revolved around drugs I tried recovery a couple of times and kept relapsing then I lost my due to suicide, and it was like something clicked in my head that I need to step up to the plate and be the man that my father wanted me to be, and from then on, I’ve been so as of today’s date I am 583 days sober haven’t touched any drugs or alcohol or any other mind-influencing substance since then.”

Menace 2 Sobriety, podcast, actor, comedian, sobriety,sober, story, years sober, consequences, behaviour,alcoholism, drug addiction, denial, insecurity, fear-driven,rock bottom, sober, rehab, suicidal, addict,realization, struggle, addiction, rock bottom, denial,curiosity, hope, denial, gratitude, self-awareness,behaviour, guilt, shame, emotions, gratitude,self esteem, gratitude, sober life, drugs, confidence,sobriety, ego, drinking,

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