Alex Wood Quits Everything

I read Kareem Abdul Jabbar's op-ed in the L.A times from this past weekend. My guest this episode, co-host of the Uncolonized Podcast, comedian, Bee Black. We talk about the everyday racism faced by black people, how he learned from his own prejudices and what we can all do moving forward.

I read another excerpt that was cut from my upcoming book but before that admit to a crisis of faith. My guest this episode if comedian George Rivard. Originally from the Yukon now making his home in Toronto. We talk quitting alcohol, cocaine, cigarettes, weed and even nutmeg. 

I read excerpts that were cut from the final draft of my book. My guest this episode, the founder of Lifeboat Counselling Services, it's Jordan Kearns. LCS is an online addiction and mental health counselling service. Jordan discusses the most common mistakes addicts make in recovery, relapsing, seeking help and what it's like to have a family member as an addict.

The intro for this episode is a special Mother's Day gift from me to all of your mothers. I talk about missing; comedy, the dog park and my ex.  This episode is all about mental health. My guest this episode, from the podcast "Sad in the City" it's: Marisa Bettino. We talk about her Bi-Polar 2 diagnosis and the hilarious struggle that is our mental health. 

My dog is doing better on dating apps than I am.  I also succumbed to the pandemic craze of doing something stupid to your hair.  This episode is all about inequality.  I interview James Kwak author of Economism:Bad Economics and the Rise of Inequality.  I also interview comedian and friend Peter Anthony about which Billionaires we would execute with a guillotine.  

Add red meat, dairy, chips and candy to the growing list of things I've quit.  In this episode I talk injecting bleach, the evils of chips, breakups and wisdom.  My guest, making his return to the podcast, Marito Lopez.  Marito relapsed last year but as always he comes back stronger than he was before.

My guest this episode is legendary boxer, "Irish" Micky Ward.  Ward is a 3 time winner of Ring Magazine's "Fight of the Year" and his life is the basis of the Oscar winning movie "The Fighter" starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale.  As inspiring as his boxing career was, the things he overcame outside of the ring are even more impressive.  We talk about the iconic trilogy with Arturo Gatti, addiction, family, childhood trauma and how boxing prepares you for life.  

Climate change, plastic in the ocean, porn relapsing, honoring Carole Baskin, Amazon's tax avoidance, nail biting, WWE in Saudi Arabia, my dog and so much more in the intro.  Then I interview Sarah Buchanan from the non-profit Environmental Defence.  We discuss what politicians and society at large could be doing to slow climate change and help out planet.

I’m on day 1,878 off cocaine day 1,570 off booze, day 1219 off hard drugs, day 1010 off cigarettes, day 704 off amazon, day 539 off plastic water bottles, day 522 off WWE, day 188 off cigars, day 92 off coffee, day 6 off buying anything new, day 6 off online shopping, day 3 off weed and until right now I was 739 days off this podcast. It's been 2 years since my last episode and a lot has happened.  Trigger warnings: everything 

It's day 365 off Weed, day 335 off caffeine, day 304 off biting my nails, day 275 off cigarettes, day 244 off red meat, day 212 off dairy, day 182 off porn, day 182 off cigars, day 151 off credit cards, day 121 off gossip, day 90 off sugar, day 59 off social media and day 31 off of my smartphone.  I did it.

I went to a Naloxone workshop that teaches people how to treat opium overdoses.  I'm also dealing with some pretty serious injuries before my upcoming fight and I talk about boxing helped get me sober.  It's part 2 of catching up with former guests.  I talk to; Robbie Stevenson now 6 months clean from Crystal Meth, Shawn who is coming up on two years sober and my girlfriend Laura, who is 8 months off of kratom.  It's the second to last episode, and I'm getting emotional.

There's less than 10 days left before I complete season one of the podcast and my challenge to quit all of my vices.  In this episode I catch up with past guests to see how they are doing now in they're sobriety.  Joining me; from "Swimming Lessons" is John Mostyn, from "Future Bird" Meg Mackay and from "Our Own Worst Enemy" Marito Lopez. 

There's less than two weeks left in season one and an unexpected death nearly pushed me to drink.  What would this podcast be without some a near relapse and death?  My guest this episode is a talented writer for Vice, Jordan Foisy.  He hasn't had a smart phone for two years!  We talk about how much better he feels with a flip phone, how confusing it is to other people and the evil's of 24/7 social media. 

I'm 12 days off of my smart phone and I'm reading a book for the first time in longer than I care to admit.  I'm sleeping better and my eyes don't feel strained since I'm not staring at a tiny glowing screen for large portions of the day.  My guest this episode, Melissa Story!  She's 4 months off of rehab and had an outpatient rehab treatment to kick the bud.  We talk about how much better her entire life has gone in such a short amount of time since then. 

There's less than one month left in season one and I'm on day 5 off of my smartphone.  Another incredibly tempting night, an instant classic heavyweight title fight and a trip to the museum were my last few days in New York.  My guest this episode is up and coming comedian, Ana-Marie Stoic.  She is 18 months off of booze, with a few slips in there because we all slip.  We talk about her home country and how children drink and smoke.  We also talk about the links between mental health and addiction. 

Look, if you aren't a fan of the intros where I'm sad and I feel bad for myself then you should just fast forward through this pity party.  BUT if you have your pity party hat on, then this is the intro for you.  I hated myself on the Today Show and I almost relapsed because of it.  My guest this episode is Ian Fidance.  We talk about his addiction to cocaine, alcohol and prostitutes.  We also go into both of our repeated relapses and why we hope this time is the one that sticks for both of us.  One of my favorite interviews. 

I'm in New York again because NBC has flown me here to be a guest on the Today Show to talk about the podcast and my addictive personality.  Not bad for a podcast that started 11 months ago that took me 1500 takes for the first episode.  My guest is ONE of my best friends, Dylan Gott.  Dylan is a month off of booze and I couldn't be happier that he has a friend like me in his life. 

February 15th 2018 marks three years since I last did cocaine.  It's the longest I've gone in my adult life.  I remember the bad times of hard drug addiction, relapses, licking bathroom floors and the positive changes that have happened to me since then.  My guest this episode is my good friend, Alexis O.  Over the last 8 months she has quit drugs, alcohol and cigarettes.  We talk about what made her want to make these changes and taking her mental health seriously for the first time.

I'm 10 days off of social media and I feel less like a zombie already.  I used my credit card and I'm not happy about it.  Although I am happy that Laura and I have found a place to live.  My guest this episode is Joel who is 9 months clean from oxycontin, percocet and heroin.  We talk about the sports injury that lead to his addiction, his rehab and the group therapy that helped him to get clean.  

I'm on day 3 off of social media and I am shocked at how difficult it is to quit.  I monitored how many times I had an impulse to check Facebook/Instagram/Twitter on the first day and it was 48 times.  Yikes.  I've also signed up for my first boxing fight and I'm moving in with my girlfriend.  My guest this episode is entrepreneur, Allie Sweeting.  We talk about the why Snapchat was playing havoc with her anxiety and how she was able to quit it. 

I somehow got food poisoning with all of my healthy eating.  I also got a new tattoo and I was able to break out of a stand-up slump to have a great weekend headlining a club.  I've lost 13 lbs. since I quit sugar.  My guest this episode is JD(protected for privacy reasons).  He's one year off of cocaine.  We talk about his darkest time when he did 14 grams of coke in two days and how his new relationship is helping him stay off the powder.  Apologies for some audio difficulties. 

I've been hitting Tide Pods 24/7 and the withdrawal is harsh.  I also share some sugar-free dishes you can make at home and give advice to the emails I've been getting from across the world to addicts and loved ones of addicts.  My guest this episode is international headlining comedian, John Hastings.  We talk about his past life as a 340 lbs. man and his current struggles with being a workaholic. 

The withdrawal of quitting sugar has eased up but I'm dreaming about pizza almost nightly.  But there is good news, my article for Vice about quitting addictions saw me receive tweets and emails from people across the world struggling with addiction.  My guest this episode from the Brazilian version of "Saturday Night Live" and her stand-up show "Comedy as a Second Language" it's Carol Zoccoli.  We talk about being a perfectionist and how she quit; cigarettes, sugar, coffee and alcohol.  

I'm on day 3 off of sugar, and I am angry.  The withdrawal from sugar is way more intense than I expected.  On New Year's Eve I performed on one of the biggest shows of my life and then two days later was consumed with rage over a social media fight.  My guest this episode, from Roast Battles on Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live and star of LetterKenny it's K. Trevor Wilson.  KTrev was diagnosed with diabetes a year and a half ago and since then has quit sugar(pretty much) and lost 80 lbs.  He tells us how he was able to do this and how much better his life is now.

This past week marked 2 years off of booze.  My 31st birthday.  And a little known holiday called Christmas.  I was awarded a championship belt by my family and almost got into a bar fight in a comedy club.  I also brought my girlfriend home for her first Christmas.  My guest this episode is veteran Canadian comedian, and one of my best friends, Wafik Nasralla.  He has quit bar drugs, drinking, weed and cigarettes roughly the same time I did.  We talk about God and how he is a better father now.

It's December 17th and I just finished headlining some extremely drunk Christmas parties.  I was definitely tempted to smoke after.  I reached a goal to bench press 200 lbs by the end of 2017, SICK RIGHT?!  My guest this episode is Isabelle Zolton.  We talk about her 2 years off of sugar.  What her diet is like, how she tries to feed her children,how sick she felt after eating a chocolate bar on Halloween and how she struggles with an eating disorder.  

I'm 10 days off of gossip, it is challenging but I'm already seeing mental health benefits from quitting.  I finally felt the affects of quitting porn and took it out on someone close to me.  I'm also preparing for a sober holiday season.  My guest this episode is uber talented comedian, Che Durana.  Che is 6 months off of porn.  We talk about his huge lifestyle changes over the past three years and how it's contributed to his recent career success.  Also, some light BDSM talk. 

It's day 3 off of gossip and I miss trashing people.  I talk about a stunning research paper that showed human beings pay attention to negative gossip more than things we feel positively towards.  I also accidentally ate some milk.  My guest this episode, Vandad Kardar who is 2 months off of gambling.  We talk about his 25 thousand dollar gambling debt, the treatment he is going to for it and how he was able to keep it a secret for so long.   

I was almost broken this week by a deep dish pizza, an open bar and an engagement party.  But I haven't cracked and I am still going strong.  My guest this episode is talented comedian, Rob Bebenek.  We talk about his addiction to call of duty and how he was playing more than 40 hours a week at one point.  We dive into the similarities between video games and drugs.  We also talk about his recent uptake in alcohol and why he deleted facebook from his phone. 

I reveal a secret, painful new addiction that has come into my life.  I also talk about how hard the next four months is going to be quitting sugar, social media, my smartphone and gossip.  My guest this episode is comedian Adrienne Fish.  We talk about her coke addiction and the toxic relationship that lead to her being homeless for a short period of time and how she was able to overcome it.  And also our mutual social media addiction. 

I'm on day 10 off of credit cards and I have a 102 degree fever!  I faced maybe my biggest temptation this past week that nearly derailed the podcast.  Also, I may have a plan for season 2 of the podcast.  My guest this episode is comedian Jeff Paul.  He had 27 thousand dollars in credit card debt and now it's zero.  He's also been off of cigarettes for 7 years.  We talk about how his divorce lead to him spending money he didn't have, smoking, drinking and impersonating a police officer. 

It's the start of a new month, so that means I quit something else.  November is credit cards.  I talk about having my credit card maxed out for years, throw out some global credit card debt statistics and compare credit cards to drugs.  My guest this episode is Toronto comedian, Tamara Shevon.  She quit credit cards in 2008.  We talk about how credit cards fueled her drug usage, how she was able to quit credit cards and get her financial situation back on track.

It's the end of October and I just had my first ever sober Halloween.  I also had my second sleep test in as many weeks, and I've been struggling with a lot of temptation this month.  My guest this episode is my old roommate, Mo.  He was raised in a refugee camp in Palestine before moving to Canada 3 years ago.  We talk about growing up in a war torn country, the death of his best friend, staying hopeful in tough times and how he's been able to quit smoking cigarettes. 

I have strep throat.  Again.  Last night I had an overnight stay at a sleep clinic.  I've also been having frequent relapse dreams.  So while it has been a stressful week, I feel confident in my sobriety.  My guest this week is, Kasha Zaraski, a Yogi/comedian and porn addict.  We talk about the difficulties in quitting porn vs meat and dairy, whether women watch as much porn as men and meditation.

I'm 10 days off of porn and cigars.  I had a Thanksgiving to remember with my family, where they made me special personalized dishes without and dairy in it.  My guest this episode is Toronto comedian, Joey Harlem.  He is a former strip club DJ and porn addict.  We talk about how his job contributed to his addiction, erectile difficulties and how he has learned to watch porn in moderation.

I'm 6 months into the podcast and I'm halfway home.  I've returned from my western tour and I'm back in Toronto, 3 days off of porn and cigars.  My guest this episode, Nathan Macintosh.  This year he taped a set for Conan and also quit watching porn.  We talk about the negative ways porn affect us, our relationships, our view of women and why we wanted to quit.   

I've been on tour for two weeks and I am feeling it.  Too many cigars, too much social media and too much porn has me feeling awful.  My guest this episode is Vancouver comedian, Mark Hughes.  We talk about his heroin addiction that started at age 15, going to prison for 7 years, living on the street and most importantly his 11 years of sobriety. 

I'm 3 days into my tour of western Canada, this episode is coming from Calgary, Alberta. I went 4 days without cigars, and then had cigars.  They're now on the list.  I also climbed a mountain and did a show in a bowling alley.  My guest this episode is Kim Schneider, hot shot lawyer and comedian.  We talk about her shopping addiction which saw her spend 75 thousand dollars on clothes over the past 3 years. 

I'm on day 3 off of dairy and I've done some research.  Dairy has similar effects on the brain as opiates.  I'm still on the cigars but I have cutdown, but it's become clear that I will probably have to include them in the podcast to kick the habit.  My guest this episode is Michelle Shaughnesy who has been a vegan for 7 years.  We talk about her struggle with weight, an eating disorder and trying to treat herself right. 

I'm smoking cigars.  Frequently.  I'm going to have to find a way to quit them or It's going to count as a fail on this podcast.  I was at one of my oldest and dearest friends weddings and it's snowballed since then.  I also drank a non-alcoholic beer.  My guest this episode is Shannah Williamson aka burlesque dancer, Daisy Badcock.  She's 18 months off alcohol and drugs.  We talk about, her being a sober bartender, how AA has worked for her, scrubbing the bathroom floor with a toothbrush and the variety show fundraiser she's doing to raise money for CAMH.

I bumped into my old drug dealer on the street and did he have a story for me.  I also had a vicious cigarette craving during Dunkirk and received a touching email from one of my listeners.  My guest this episode is comedian and actor, Anto-Chan.  We talk about his gambling addiction.  We also cover his problems with porn, soda and his button making business that is helping him cope. 

I'm back from New York and 17 days off of red meat.  I took part in a lewd pubic act, saw priceless art and I'm still trying to heal a broken bone.  My guest is Yuk Yuk's comedian and friend, Blayne Smith.  He's two months off of heroin. We talk about his physical withdrawal, how he's never been a smoker and his mental health issues.  

I'm on day 6 off of red meat.  Missing bacon is being aided by being in the Hamptons and swimming in the ocean for the first time in my life.  My guest this episode is rising talent in the Toronto comedy scene, Laura Leibow.  We talk about, how she kicked opium of many different kinds over many years, the overdose death of her friend and falling in love with her new boyfriend. 

Recorded in the basement that I quit drugs and alcohol in, this episode is two days after Just for Laughs.  My guest this episode is my mom!  She has been a smoker for 40 years and she quit 30 days ago with me.  We talk about, smoking as a teenager, smoking while pregnant, my cocaine addiction, her failed attempt at quitting after our dog Bob died and how she is going to make it stick this time. 

Recorded at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, 2 days after the biggest show of my life.  I'm surrounded by free alcohol and drugs.  Thankfully there's enough free poutine to circumvent those.  My guest is London, England based comedian and star of his own Vice show, Bobby Mair.  We talk about Bobby quitting drugs, booze and how they almost cost him his marriage and career. 

I have a big announcement.  You'll have to listen to find out what it is.  My guest this episode is my old friend, Dom Pare.  His mother died 5 days before we recorded.  We talk about his addiction to anger, seeing a therapist, Kevin Pillar and the similarities between rage addiction and drug/alcohol addiction.  

I've just passed the longest I've ever gone in my adult life without smoking.  I'm 11 days off of cigarettes and the cravings are less rage inducing.  I was able to make it through my friend's wedding while a lot of people were smoking by eating donuts and sucking straws.  My guest this episode is talented, fast rising comedian, Jarret Campbell.  He quit smoking 10 days after I quit drinking, 18 months ago.  We talk about coughing up bile, small town speed balls, if he is a problem drinker and trash talk each other.  There's some distortion on the audio from the 28 minute mark to the 38 minute mark.  Apologies. 

The time has come.  I'm day 3 off of cigarettes.  Withdrawal, mood swings, screaming in a park in front of children and eating ice cream.  I also went to a bachelor party, a strip club and accidentally had a sip of gin(my first in 18 months).  My guest this week, amazing comedian, Nick Beaton.  He's 3 weeks off of cigarettes and feeling great.  We talk about, stealing smokes from our parents, Allen Carr's book, working out, coughing up bile, relapsing and how confident he feels this time.  

I bombed two sets this week and my sobriety morale is about as low as it's been in great while.  I'm having relapse dreams, thinking about drugs/alcohol constantly and I'm consumed with jealousy from people having summer patio beers.  I also did a horrendous job of trimming my nails.  My guest is fantastic comedian, Todd Graham, who is 6 years off of booze.  We talk about alcohol affecting his marriage, weight gain, drunken trips down the stairs and how his cravings are completely gone now. 

I'm 79 days off of weed, 49 days off of caffeine and 18 days off of biting my nails.  My girlfriend has been released from the hospital for the second time, I weigh more than I have since I quit drinking in December 2015 and I helped an old drunk passed out in the street.  My guest this episode from the podcast "The Crimson Wave", Natalie Norman.  She is a self described food addict.  We talk about being body positive, eating disorders, "salad Mondays" and how food addiction is similar to drug addictions.  

5 days after being released from the hospital, my girlfriend is back in.  There's been further complications from the miscarriage.  Her strength through all of this has been my inspiration to not deal with this stress at the bar or at a dealer's house.  We also said something pretty important to one another in the emergency room.  My guest this episode is Jason Maslakow, better known as Toronto Maple Leafs celebrity, superfan, "Dart Guy".  We talk about him becoming a viral sensation from cigarettes, his failed attempts at quitting, his current attempt at quitting for charity and how tough the Leafs' next playoff run will be without smoking.