'My Authentic Self' || IAN McGEE

Ian joins the show from Darlington, England. He is 18+ months sober and is living his best, authentic life! If you follow Ian on IG (which I highly recommend @sober_fitness_living) you will know that Ian has had a massive body transformation over these past 2 years. That is just the cherry on the top for Ian, though, as you will hear - he champions the mental health side of physical activity more than anything else! Topics include: Coming from a working-class family, the youngest of 3 kids, heralded as the "Saviour" of the family due to his good behaviour, how he became a people-pleaser as a result, having a feeling of not being wanted, not fitting in, his love affair with vodka, the "confidence" he got from drinking, a 2.5-year sober stint in his mid-20s (and what knocked him off that path), being a chameleon in social settings, being gay in the '80s. ...not being able to see how great his life was in the depths of his addiction, how alcohol led to drug use, hiding drinks around the house, rotating liquor stores so the vendors didn't think he was a daily drinker, and how the lockdown sped up his self-destructive behaviour to the point he had to make a decision... Recipe for recovery: AA, painting, gym and nutrition, therapy, journaling, setting boundaries (saying "no"). I will paraphrase one of the best quote from Ian: "I know I have another relapse in me, but I don't think I have another recovery". Wow.