From Injecting Crystal Meth To The Olivier Awards! School Of Rock Bottom 14: Robert Hands

[TW//Crystal Meth, Intravenous Drug Use] Today I welcome Olivier Award nominated actor Robert Hands who trained at Bristol Old Vic and has been an actor for 35 years appearing in leading roles in film, theatre, television and West End musicals. Robert quit alcohol in his late 20's but many years after was offered to smoke methamphetamine and within three months he was injecting crystal meth. Robert lost absolutely everything but he then went on an incredible journey of recovery and getting his career and life back on track. Robert now has a happy and healthy life and he is a hero for telling his story today to help others. Robert was recently nominated for an Olivier Award for his role in 'Come From Away' in The West End at The Phoenix Theatre and has a huge body of theatre work at all the top venues. He also played Sir Robin in the original London cast of 'Spamalot!' and is a a member of Edward Hall's world-renowned all male Shakespeare company 'Propeller.' He also played the lead in the cult horror film 'The Lesson', as well as appearing regularly on the tv in Endeavour, Berlin Station, Noughts and Crosses, Tom Jones and the yet to be screened 'Masters of the Air” for Apple TV. He is probably best known for his television roles in Sharpe's Battle, Doctor Who and The House of Eliott, as well as the films Charlotte Gray, Anna and The King, and the Academy Award-winning (Best Picture) Shine. 0:00 Intro 3:29 Robert's rock bottom 18:27 What is crystal meth? 20:08 Robert's progression to injecting 30:48 The dangers of methamphetamine 32:45 Breaking down the stereotypes of a drug addict 35:58 Low self esteem, addiction and performing 40:15 How do you balance challenges of the performing arts industry and relapse? 46:58 Chem sex 48:28 How Robert became a survivor 53:28 Inspiration for those that feel hopeless This Podcast is not for profit but my goal is to break even. To help me make more please donate here. Thank you! https://bit.ly/3kSucAs If you've been affected by any of the issues discussed on today's episode we recommend contacting the following organisations: SMART Recovery - https://smartrecovery.org.uk/ Narcotics Anonymous - https://ukna.org/ Follow Robert Instagram - https://instagram.com/rob.hands Twitter - https://twitter.com/RobertHands7 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://youtu.be/2qlhqijv3hI Spotify - https://bit.ly/46Om6fl Apple - https://apple.co/41IrJt4 or search 'School of Rock Bottom' where you listen to your podcasts. About this podcast - Welcome to the School Of Rock Bottom Podcast with Oliver Mason. I work as an actor, voice-over artist, Performing Arts School Principal and a Mental Health Coach. It's these careers and passions combined that have inspired this podcast! People working in the entertainment and performing arts industry are twice as likely to experience depression, are up to 15x more likely to suffer from anxiety and those working across all the creative industries are 3x more likely to suffer a mental health problem. In this podcast, we invite creatives who have lived through a rock bottom but have survived! These stories need to be heard to help others realise that no matter how bad things seem there is hope and always a way out.