How do you quit drinking when alcohol is the only thing that stops your panic attacks? When you have been drinking vodka out of a water bottle since music college just to get on a tube, attend a lecture, or walk onto a stage?
This week on One for the Road, Sober Dave talks to Rachel Lander, a session cellist who has performed with London Grammar, George Michael, Elton John, and Roger Waters. She is also 16 years sober and a trustee of Music Support UK.
Rachel shares the full alcohol story. The first panic attack at seven. The cello as her first addiction. The Royal Academy of Music scholarship at 18. The discovery that vodka could silence the anxiety roaring up her throat. The bottle in the bag at the Bridgewater Hall. The DTs by 23. The day a therapist finally named it. The seven months of negotiating in meetings before the relapse that broke her denial. And the 16 years of sober life that followed: marriage, divorce, two children, a career back on stage, all without picking up a drink.
If you drink to manage anxiety, if alcohol feels like medicine, or if you are sober curious and trying to make sense of why you drink the way you do, this conversation will hit hard.
I’m proud to be releasing this episode during #AddictionAwarenessWeek2023 when Music Support, alongside other amazing organisations (including@actiononaddiction and my friends at @nacoauk) come together to call for addiction to be treated as a serious mental health condition and seek access to treatment, support and care so recovery can be possible for everyone.
You can find Rachael on her Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/rachaellander84/
If you want to connect with me via Instagram, you can find me on the instahandle @Soberdave https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/
or via my website https://davidwilsoncoaching.com/
Provided below are links for services offering additional help and advice.
www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-services
Show producer- Daniella Attanasio-Martinez
Instagram - @TheDaniellaMartinez
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