Loneliness & Love Addiction. School of Rock Bottom Thought #26: Darren

What if loneliness wasn’t just an emotion — but a symptom of something deeper? In this next quick thought, I revisit a conversation with Darren - a powerful and painfully honest moment about loneliness, love addiction, and why so many of us confuse validation with connection. This clip explores what it really means to feel lonely, even when surrounded by people, and how learning to sit with that feeling — instead of running from it — can become one of the most healing acts of self-awareness.We talk about the HALT method — hungry, angry, lonely, tired — and why recognising these emotional triggers can change the way we respond to pain. Loneliness, as you’ll hear, isn’t just about being alone. It’s about the ache of disconnection, the search for validation, and the quiet pull of old patterns that can keep us trapped. Love addiction often hides in plain sight, disguised as romance, attachment, or the pursuit of affection. But behind it can lie the same cycle of craving and withdrawal that drives any addiction.This episode asks a difficult but essential question — what happens when we stop trying to fill the void and simply face it? Sometimes, being alone is less painful than staying in something that keeps us small. Sometimes, sitting with discomfort is where real recovery begins.Listen or watch THE FULL EPISODESpotify - https://bit.ly/3QsOSf5YouTube - https://bit.ly/4a3ajKKApple - https://apple.co/3PajZvQAbout the “THOUGHT” series -Every other Monday at 5 PM, I’ll bring you a quick ‘thought’—a powerful moment from previous episodes designed to kickstart your week with insight, motivation, and connection. These shorter clips help us stay connected as a community, while every other Tuesday delivers a full, brand-new episode with fresh stories and lessons. Oliver is an ambassador for Alcohol Change UK and you can access support here - https://tinyurl.com/5dt5773ePodcasting is an expensive passion. To help me keep going, I'd really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee, thank you!https://buymeacoffee.com/olivermason1Or via PayPal - https://www.paypal.me/olivermason1paypalFollow Darren -Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/creativedazzlePodcast - https://theatreaudiencepodcast.com/Follow Oliver Instagram - https://tinyurl.com/2vt29sjvFacebook - https://tinyurl.com/34cwz59rTikTok - https://tinyurl.com/ujw4vxn9LinkedIn - https://tinyurl.com/yuemhnd7Threads - https://tinyurl.com/yk7vdeahX - https://tinyurl.com/3u5mnpds#loveaddiction #slaa #recovery