Alcoholism, Escapism & Getting Sober – Jeff Leach

Comedian Jeff Leach joins Forrest to talk alcoholism, drugs, weed, escapism, depression, grief, and the brutal losses that finally forced him to change. They get into using booze and drugs to escape reality, near-death moments at music festivals, getting jumped in Lithuania over cocaine, and watching his dad slowly die from drinking. It's raw, funny, and packed with real stories about blackouts, weed dependency, emotional dysregulation, suicidal thoughts, losing friends and parents, and how he's rebuilding his life around honesty, acceptance, and actually feeling his feelings instead of running from them. 🎧 If you're struggling with alcohol, weed, grief, or that urge to escape your own brain, this episode hits hard and still makes you laugh. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on addiction, recovery, mental health, and comedy. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:25 Meet Jeff Leach: comedian, actor, voice actor, clown for hire 3:13 "What's your problem?" – Jeff's alcoholism, drugs, weed, and mental health 5:03 Rave culture, drum & bass, and doing ecstasy, coke, MDMA, ketamine 9:03 Using weed after quitting booze and the real reason Jeff kept smoking 9:56 Addiction as escapism: wanting to shut off your own brain 15:04 Forrest's gambling addiction vs Jeff's drinking: escaping reality in different ways 18:44 Losing hours in casinos, Vegas design, and how gambling hijacks your brain 22:02 The $18,000 blackjack hand where Forrest thought his heart might explode 23:58 Jeff's heart stopping at a music festival after a huge drug cocktail 32:25 Beaten unconscious in Lithuania after a cocaine deal goes wrong 36:36 Jeff's dad's alcoholism, slow self-destruction, and what his death taught him 37:52 Best friend's suicide, grief, and why those losses forced Jeff to really live 41:52 "Playthroughs," reincarnating yourself, and finding purpose after addiction 54:03 Brad Pitt's "B PIT" license plate, fame as an addiction. 🎙️ Find Vince Carone: 🔗 Website: https://jeffreyleach.com/ 📸 Instagram: ttps://www.instagram.com/jeffleach/?hl=en ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC487HjN3m6dpCb1YAa6VpWQ