Share

cover art for Hayley

Bryony Gordon's Mad World

Hayley

When today's Mad World guest first sought help, she didn't even realise she was a gambling addict. But within a few years Hayley had lost her job, her home, and she had arrived at a rehab centre with a small suitcase containing all of her possessions. 

This Addiction Awareness Week, Bryony has teamed up with Action on Addiction and the Forward Trust to bring you a conversation each day tackling a different element of addiction. Because even though we are slowly breaking down the stigma around discussing mental health, addiction - sadly - remains a taboo, even though we will all know someone touched by it.

Hayley tells Bryony how betting was actually a substitute for alcohol, describes the relief of speaking to others dealing with the illness, and lays bare the hurdles she had to clear to even get help.


Action on Addiction is a UK charity providing support to people who need rehab, as well as a wealth of resources for those battling addiction issues: https://www.actiononaddiction.org.uk |

You can find more information about organisations that offer free and confidential support at the end of this episode.


Read Bryony's columns: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/bryony-gordon/ |

For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/madworld |

Follow Bryony on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryonygordon/ |

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More episodes

View all episodes

  • PREVIEW: "I'm fed up with my adult child living at home - I'm moving out".

    07:45|
    This is a preview of Katie Morley's new podcast Money Confidential. Listen to the full episode here: https://podfollow.com/moneyconfidentialWould you let your adult child move back home and not pay rent? As the housing market becomes more unaffordable, many adults are not only relying on the bank of mum and dad, but the house of mum and dad, with reports suggesting there’s up to 5 million of them in Britain. For some this set up will be hunky dory, but for others it can lead to toe-curling conversations about money.In this episode, Katie chats to “Mark”. Last summer, his adult daughter moved back into the family home with her partner and family in tow. Nine months later, he’s had enough and he’s off. We also hear from financial expert Lisa Conway-Hughes and Telegraph columnist Michael Deacon on practical solutions as well as tips and tricks for navigating this awkward situation.✉️ Need your awkward money problem solved? Email Katie or send a voice-note to moneyconfidential@telegraph.co.uk✍️ Tell Katie your money dilemma and keep up with all our case studies every week: https://telegraph.co.uk/moneyconfidential💰 Discover more of our leading Money journalism: telegraph.co.uk/money📰 Subscribe to the Telegraph here: https://telegraph.co.uk/moneypodcast🗞️ Read more about adult children living at home and what you can do: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/adult-child-living-at-home-how-to-help-get-them-leave/💬 Follow Katie Morley on Instagram: @MoneyBackMorleyKatie Morley, The Telegraph's Consumer Champion, has won back £10 million in compensation for readers. Now, she's hitting the road for a brand new podcast, Money Confidential, to hear directly from you. Would you let your grown-up child move back home and not pay rent? Is it fair for your richer siblings to go skiing and leave you behind? Are private schools really worth it? This is the place where we discuss everyday money problems affecting your life and relationships.
  • Introducing: Money Confidential with Katie Morley

    01:18|
    Introducing a new podcast from The Telegraph: Money Confidential! Katie Morley, The Telegraph's Consumer Champion, has won back £10 million in compensation for readers. Now, she's hitting the road for a brand new podcast, Money Confidential, to hear directly from you. Would you let your grown-up child move back home and not pay rent? Is it fair for your richer siblings to go skiing and leave you behind? Are private schools really worth it? This is the place where we discuss everyday money problems affecting your life and relationships.Each episode, Katie is also joined by a financial expert in their field to help solve these dilemmas, as well as a Telegraph commentator offering their tuppence. And of course, as the name suggests, all problems can be shared in absolute confidence. If you've got something you'd like to get off your chest, Katie would love to hear from you. 🎧 To listen, search for Money Confidential in your preferred podcast app or click here.✉️Send Katie your money dilemma via email or voice-note: moneyconfidential@telegraph.co.uk.💰Discover more of our leading Money journalism: telegraph.co.uk/money
  • Introducing The Telegraph Women's Sport podcast

    01:06|
    Join Olympic hockey legend Sam Quek and a host of top guests to discuss all the big issues and talking points of women's sport, from from ACL injuries and activism to menstruation and motherhood.Follow now wherever you're listening to this. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
  • Gabor Maté

    58:27|
    Gabor Maté is a doctor and expert in addiction, stress and childhood development. But he's also something of a revolutionary, challenging all our assumptions about what it is to be well. His book, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, was a great comfort to Bryony when she had to get sober, and you've probably heard her talk about it with other guests here on Mad World. His new book, The Myth of Normal, looks at trauma, illness and healing in a toxic culture.Gabor joins Bryony to talk about why he would ban the word 'addict' and how he thinks that in 150 years we'll look back in horror that we've been separating the mind and the body in healthcare.The Myth of Normal, by Gabor MatéThis bonus episode was recorded to mark Addiction Awareness Week by Action on Addiction and the Forward Trust. Find our more here about their campaign for #SupportNotStigma.Read Bryony's columns: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/bryony-gordon/ |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/madworld |Follow Bryony on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryonygordon/ |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
  • Joe Tracini

    56:51|
    This episode contains discussion of suicide.Joe Tracini is an actor, comedian and champion magician. He's also frequently suicidal. Joe suffers from borderline personality disorder and since speaking publicly about it, he's not shied away from talking about the 'unfashionable' side of mental illness. He's now written a book called '10 Things I Hate About Me: how to stay alive with a brain that's trying to kill you', which he says he wrote to save his life.Joe joins Bryony to talk about the worst thing he's ever done and why he decided to commit it to paper, introduces Bryony to 'Mick', his name for his BPD, and asks listeners to always remember one phrase: wait for a bit.10 Things I Hate About Me: how to stay alive with a brain that's trying to kill you, by Joe Tracini Find out more about National Suicide Prevention DayRead Bryony's columns: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/bryony-gordon/ |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/madworld |Follow Bryony on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryonygordon/ |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
  • James Purefoy

    53:43|
    James Purefoy is one of Britain's most prolific actors, appearing in everything from the Royal Shakespeare Company to Netflix's Sex Education. But his latest film, Fisherman’s Friends: One and For All, while ostensibly about a bunch of Cornish blokes who sing sea shanties, is really about the fragile issue that is male mental health. James joins Bryony to talk about dealing with the grief of his father, while playing a character grieving their father, boarding schools as a place to 'cauterise people’s emotions' and the power of articulating your pain. Fisherman’s Friends: One and For All is in cinemas across the UK and Irelands from Friday 19th August |Read more from Bryony: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/bryony-gordon/ |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/madworld |Follow Bryony on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryonygordon/ |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
  • Charmain Bynoe, author of 'The Estate, My Life Working on the Front Line of Britain's Housing Crisis'

    59:41|
    Charmain Bynoe is one of our favourite guests here at Mad World, an unsung hero making a difference in our communities. She's a housing officer for Southwark, in London, and you may have seen in the Channel 4 TV series, Council House Britain. The work she does in helping vulnerable people is vitally important, but often overlooked. Now she's written a book, The Estate, which lays bare the challenges so many are facing in the midst of the UK's housing crisis.Charmain joins Bryony to talk about helping those dealing with hoarding, how the community spirit on estates is so important, plus how she dealt with her own burnout and important of 'letting the TV watch you'.The Estate: My Life Working on the Front Line of Britain's Housing Crisis, by Charmain Bynoe |Read more from Bryony: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/bryony-gordon/ |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/madworld |Follow Bryony on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryonygordon/ |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
  • Salma El-Wardany

    40:49|
    Salma El-Wardany has been described as a half Egyptian, half Irish Muslim writer, travelling the world, eating cake and dismantling the patriarchy - but even that doesn't quite sum up the unapologetic brilliance of her. Now, she's released her first novel, These Impossible Things, which charts the friendship of three British Muslim women and what life throws at them. Salma joins Bryony to talk about the hurt of not finding yourself in the pages of the books you love, the impact of growing up Muslim in the wake of 9/11, and why she wants all women to have the pleasure of the soft things in life. These Impossible Things, by Salma El-Wardany |Read more from Bryony: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/bryony-gordon/ |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/madworld |Follow Bryony on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryonygordon/ |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
  • Abi Morgan

    50:33|
    Abi Morgan is the BAFTA and Emmy award-winning screenwriter of films like Suffragette, Shame and The Iron Lady, as well as creating the impossibly brilliant BBC drama The Split. But all the screenwriting expertise in the world could not have prepared her for the series of cataclysmic events that shattered her life three years ago. Now she's written a book about those events, 'This is Not a Pity Memoir.' It's a love story, but not as you know it.Abi joins Bryony to talk about the 'quiet drama' of a loved one in a coma, continuing to find joy in the darkness, and the terrifying realisation that she couldn't hide behind actors and directors in her own life.This is not a Pity Memoir, by Abi Morgan |Read more from Bryony: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/bryony-gordon/ |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/madworld |Follow Bryony on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryonygordon/ |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.