Ep 33. Knocking on death's door with Mike Faria

Mike Faria is lucky to be alive. In January 2020, he was taken to hospital in the back of an ambulance and placed in an induced coma to prevent his vital organs from shutting down. He had been drinking himself to death and he hadn’t even realised how serious his condition had become.

After making a miraculous recovery, Mike was brought out of his coma and sent home to regain his strength however doctors weren’t sure if he’d make it to the end of the year due to the extensive damage to his liver.

In this conversation, Mike and I talk about the progressive nature of addiction and how alcoholism crept up on him slowly over a number of years.

Mike shares openly about the setbacks he’s encountered in recovery and compassion shows himself after a relapse. Today Mike continues to fight for his recovery, finding strength in his faith and his passion of spreading awareness around alcohol addiction.

In this episode we also discuss:

• Showing signs of addiction from an early age (13min)
• Using different drugs to fill different voids (17min)
• Processing emotions in sobriety (19min)
• Physical signs of alcohol poisoning and dependency (38min)
• Being given a second chance at life (50min)
• Returning to alcohol (53min)
• How to maintain your recovery (60min)

To see Mike’s Behind The Smile photo, head to Ash’s website. 

You can check out Mike’s IG here: @jerzeymike 

You can follow Ash and Behind The Smile on IG here: @ashbutterss 

If you or someone you know if struggling with addiction, please reach out for support. Some support options include:

• A healthcare professional
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Lifeline or Beyond Blue (Australia)
• CheckPoint (global)