A Way Out Of Cocaine & Drug Addiction! School of Rock Bottom 12: Sebastian Wocker

[TW//Drug Misuse, Suicidal Thoughts] Today I welcome singer, songwriter and author of the Amazon bestseller The Joy of Addiction, Sebastian Wocker. Aged 17, Wocker landed the principal part of Woof in the 1983 European tour of the musical Hair where, suffering teenage angst, low self-worth and low self-esteem, he went into a deep depression and had to throw in the towel after two months. He returned to his safe haven of drugs and alcohol in London, where he auditioned for and got into LAMDA (London Academy of Dramatic Arts), only to drop out after two days because he 'couldn't stand all those happy clappy prima donnas'. The real reason? He was an addict, hopelessly hooked on drugs and alcohol and didn't want to be found out. Sebastian takes us on a compelling journey down the abyss of alcohol, cocaine, speed, cannabis, hallucinogen and prescribed drug addiction, leading him to various rock bottoms and 'dark nights of the soul'. Then, aged 21, a moment of inspiration: a seed planted by his long suffering mother finally got him into the 12-step programme, offering him the life-changing gift of recovery. For anyone struggling with addiction, he shares how he got himself out and continues to live life, a day at a time — a free man. Having found recovery in 1987, Sebastian formed indie-rock band Yeah in 1990, playing the London, Hamburg and Berlin club circuits. After a five-page interview with Die Zeit Magazine in 1992, Yeah appeared on various radio and TV shows and in 1993 was awarded The John Lennon Talent Award in Hamburg. In 1998 he wrote and produced World Cup Crescendo for TV impressionist Alistair McGowan. In 2002 he signed as a songwriter for Global Chrysalis Publishing, writing numerous songs for Cherry Red Records and Universal Records and released his solo album: Don Sebastiano, The Spaghetti Tree. In 2007 Wocker recorded the soundtrack of German movie Pornorama with Mousse T and, in 2010, was the singing voice for Tobias Menzies in the award winning independent motion picture Forget Me Not. Sebastian has written as a journalist for The Independent, Mr Partner Magazine (Japan), Camden New Journal and Ham and High Express. He is currently journalist and editor of the Hampstead Village Voice and has interviewed various household names including Emma Thompson, Russell Brand, George Graham, Giles Coren and Martin Bell. Wocker is currently recording an audiobook for his best selling book The Joy of Addiction, out on Audible from February 2024 and is writing the sequel: The Joy of Relapse. He is currently the lead singer/song writer of indie band Ridiculous with Jon Moss, Erran Baron-Cohen and Peter Noone. Ridiculous has just recorded their debut single Everybody Loves That Girl at Abbey Road Studios. Topics - 0:00 Intro 4:30 Sebastian's many rock bottoms and finding recovery 18:40 Why Sebastian used drugs as a teenager 24:30 Drug use in young people in 2023 27:15 Cocaine 29:42 Using drugs to escape 31:45 The walk of shame 36:30 What is the 'joy of addiction'? 38:30 The joy of being in recovery 42:50 Advice for teenagers and parents who are struggling with drug misuse If you've been affected by any of the issues discussed on today's episode Sebastian recommends the following services: https://ukna.org/ www.cocaineanonymous.org.uk/ www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/ https://familiesanonymous.org/ https://al-anonuk.org.uk/ https://al-anon.org/newcomers/teen-corner-alateen/ This Podcast is not for profit but my goal is to break even. Please donate here. Thank you! https://bit.ly/3kSucAs Buy 'The Joy Of Addiction' https://amzn.to/3N2fXTY Follow Sebastian Instagram - https://bit.ly/3Pdwl6V Twitter - https://bit.ly/46baXVU Facebook - https://bit.ly/3NoLpgx Follow Oliver Instagram - https://bit.ly/3IemHLY Twitter - http://bit.ly/3GQYj2l Facebook - http://bit.ly/3w8S1Gx LinkedIn - http://bit.ly/3kp4ymC TikTok - https://bit.ly/3YGLsYm Listen or watch on: YouTube - https://bit.ly/43uN4pJ