If you think you’re in control of your drinking, listen to this. Today I sit down with Leanne Bayliss, who went from cocaine and alcohol addiction to raising a disabled child alone while rebuilding her life sober. This is not a journey about one period of struggle. It’s about what happens when you hit bottom repeatedly, and the moment you realise it’s live or die.

Leanne speaks about the reality of addiction, from early coping mechanisms like bulimia to a life dominated by alcohol, cocaine and dependency on anything that could either elevate or sedate her mind. Diagnosed later in life with ADHD, she explains how substances became both escape and survival, creating a cycle that felt impossible to break. What emerges is not a neat narrative, but a deeply human one—messy, confronting and recognisable.

At the centre of this episode is a moment that changes everything. An attempt on her life that becomes the turning point. Not because everything suddenly gets better, but because it forces a decision. Stay or go. Live or die. From that point, recovery begins...not as a single choice, but as a daily commitment.

The conversation moves into territory many avoid. Motherhood in addiction. Raising a child through over 100 medical procedures while battling alcohol dependence. The guilt, the denial, the rationalisation, and the quiet moments no one sees. Leanne doesn’t sanitise any of it. She articulates something many people feel but rarely admit: the internal conflict between love for your child and the pull of addiction.

There’s also a clear, grounded discussion about sobriety itself. Labels like “alcoholic”, the role of trauma, and the uncomfortable truth that there is no single path to recovery. Both Oliver and Leanne challenge rigid thinking in the recovery space, making it clear that what matters is not how you get sober, but that you do.

They explore the neurological side too. ADHD, dopamine regulation, and why substances like alcohol and cocaine can feel like solutions rather than problems—until they aren’t. It’s a nuanced look at addiction that goes beyond willpower and into wiring, environment and lived experience.

They talk about risk. The idea that you might have another drink in you, but not another recovery.

This isn’t a journey wrapped in clichés or easy answers. It’s about responsibility, awareness, and doing the work - especially when no one is watching.

Leanne is the author of the upcoming books From Cocaine to Rice Cakes and Single Mom Syndrome, where she shares unfiltered truths about sobriety, motherhood, and choosing yourself. Leanne is 5 years clean and sober.

Oliver is an ambassador for Alcohol Change UK, support here - https://tinyurl.com/5dt5773e

Sponsor -

www.gavinsisters.co.uk promo code SCHOOLOFROCKBOTTOM for 10% off!

Support the podcast -

https://buymeacoffee.com/olivermason1

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Topics -

0:00 Trailer & Intro

2:55 A rock bottom moment

4:25 Navigating multiple challenges

6:25 Addiction would have killed me

8:40 Using everything to feel better

12:40 Why alcohol stopped bulimia

15:15 Why Leanne wanted to use drugs and alcohol

16:45 Gaining insight along the bumpy road to recovery

18:55 Wanting to destroy rather than fix

20:15 Alcoholic at 16?

23:55 Use recovery labels to empower you!

26:40 Are you really powerless?

28:25 Be careful where you get your advice

30:55 Cocaine, alcohol & ADHD

35:10 Being a sober mum is better

39:40 We love taking hostages

41:10 Being triggered by morning drinking

43:10 Can I control my drinking now?

45:30 Helping those who are depressed

50:40 How Leanne got clean and sober

53:55 Why recovery is different for everyone

57:55 Why helping others helps you

59:55 From cocaine to rice cakes

Follow Leanne

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/soberlittlemotherred

Follow Oliver

https://linktr.ee/olivermason

WATCH on YouTube - https://tinyurl.com/32r6ppec

Apple - https://tinyurl.com/y3n2chk3

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