Paul's People

After a short break The ARC is back. This week's episode is a little different. Paul interviews Nella, who does not give us the usual life story, but keeps the focus tight on Recovery. Nella discusses her first eight years clean. In this time, she built a life, got the partner, great job, went to meetings, gained social acceptability with no sponsor or step work. From the outside looking in, things were looking good. Nella relapses, keeps coming back. A beautiful little angel comes into her life motivating her to get clean. This time around, Nella is doing things differently. Getting herself a sponsor, currently working and living the changes the steps have brought her. Nella gives us an important story, discussing clean time as opposed to Recovery.Links for support over the nethttps://virtual-na.org   - Virtual NA Meetings Online & by Phone "Bringing Narcotics Anonymous Meetings to Remote or Isolated Addicts from around the world who may, for whatever reason, be unable to attend local face to face meetings."https://www.navic.net.au/meetings - Virtual NA meetings in Melbourne AustraliaIf you have any tips to share in regards to Recovery and lockdown, or just generally regarding making lockdown easier, please get on The ARC - Addiction Recovery Cast Facebook page and send us a message. 

Bruce tells us about growing up in Western Sydney in the 50s and 60s. At 17 he moves to Bondi Beach, where the party starts. Bruce talks of his joining the Royal Australian Navy, singing in the Punk Band World War 4 and producing hits like ‘Violence is Golden'. He tells is about being a young gay man in Australia, and how this was a jailable offence in the 1970s. This notion becomes more horrific, with the possible length of time in jail which Bruce reveals and the emergence of HIV in the early 1980s. He talks of the circumstances in which he receives his HIV results, which is truly incredible. The guys discuss a reading from the Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text, Chapter 4 - How It Works, Step One, pages 20-21. Bruce talks about meditation and his lifelong deepening spirituality, the responsibility of Recovery and issues that are common amongst gay men in who enter Recovery. A fascinating interview with a most beautiful man, for whom Paul has the utmost respect. And as usual listeners, please like, share, subscribe, review and give us feedback.Links for support over the nethttps://virtual-na.org   - Virtual NA Meetings Online & by Phone "Bringing Narcotics Anonymous Meetings to Remote or Isolated Addicts from around the world who may, for whatever reason, be unable to attend local face to face meetings."https://www.navic.net.au/meetings - Virtual NA meetings in Melbourne AustraliaIf you have any tips to share in regards to Recovery and lockdown, or just generally regarding making lockdown easier, please get on The ARC - Addiction Recovery Cast Facebook page and send us a message. 

Paul only had about 90 minutes' sleep last night. So, as his mate Dave P used to say about Paul's shares, "I don't know if he's being spiritual, or talking absolute shit." I guess that applies to this episode. Paul reflects upon a using dream he had a few nights ago. He discusses his experience with using dreams, their frequency, the way they impact him, and looks at some research regarding peeps in Recovery and using dreams. He angrily rambles a bit about spiritual shops, the ones that have the word 'magic' in the shop name, but spell it majik or magik. Then his defects come out when he discusses the shit they sell. Paul rattles on a bit more, discussing Jungian dream theory, how this assists him with his 11th Step, then finally acknowledges that 'using dreams' are a pretty normal thing for addicts in Recovery. Links for support over the nethttps://virtual-na.org   - Virtual NA Meetings Online & by Phone "Bringing Narcotics Anonymous Meetings to Remote or Isolated Addicts from around the world who may, for whatever reason, be unable to attend local face to face meetings."https://www.navic.net.au/meetings - Virtual NA meetings in Melbourne AustraliaIf you have any tips to share in regards to Recovery and lockdown, or just generally regarding making lockdown easier, please get on The ARC - Addiction Recovery Cast Facebook page and send us a message. And as usual listeners, please like, share, subscribe, review and give us feedback.

In this episode of The ARC- The Addiction Recovery Cast, Paul speaks to Kate. Paul had the expectation of having a gentle conversation early in this episode about how Kate has managed through lockdown. All very ho-hum on his part... The ARC is about the complexities, triumphs and sorrows that come with people, the show takes a huge turn from Paul's expectations, when Kate discusses the recent passing of her Oma (Grandmother) and how Covid 19 lockdown laws and interstate travel restrictions prevented Kate from attending her grandmother's funeral. Kate also discusses a time in her early teens where, as Paul can only describe, as a betrayal from her friendship group. Kate talks about how she has processed and responded to these issues in Recovery with a grace, clarity and compassion that comes with someone who is living the steps, and refers to her reading from Mark Manson's bestseller The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck. Links to support over the nethttps://virtual-na.org   - Virtual NA Meetings Online & by Phone "Bringing Narcotics Anonymous Meetings to Remote or Isolated Addicts from around the world who may, for whatever reason, be unable to attend local face to face meetings."https://www.navic.net.au/meetings - Virtual NA meetings in Melbourne AustraliaIf you have any tips to share in regards to Recovery and lockdown, or just generally regarding making lockdown easier, please get on The ARC - Addiction Recovery Cast Facebook page and send us a message. And as usual listeners, please like, share, subscribe, review and give us feedback.

Well, so much for the daily lockdown show. Paul has not been recording daily and lockdown is over here in Melbourne (for now). It has been five days since the last recording. Paul has been passing his lack of recording The ARC with, "Well, I've been busy," which is true, but what had been informing him in regards to his decision making in regards to his actions? In that Recovery way, it was a newcomer and an active addict that opened Paul's eyes to what was actually going on with him in the last week. In this episode, Paul refers to the Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text, literature from Recovery Dharma, reflects upon his extremist behaviour and how that fits with the teachings of Buddha (it doesn't) and, of course, he always considers the teachings of Marcus Aurelius.More information regarding Recovery Dharma can be found here: https://recoverydharma.org/Links to support over the nethttps://virtual-na.org   - Virtual NA Meetings Online & by Phone "Bringing Narcotics Anonymous Meetings to Remote or Isolated Addicts from around the world who may, for whatever reason, be unable to attend local face to face meetings."https://www.navic.net.au/meetings - Virtual NA meetings in Melbourne AustraliaIf you have any tips to share in regards to Recovery and lockdown, or just generally regarding making lockdown easier, please get on The ARC - Addiction Recovery Cast Facebook page and send us a message. And as usual listeners, please like, share, subscribe, review and give us feedback.

Paul was procrastinating this morning, feeling sorry for himself as he had a heap of admin for work that needed to be done by last Friday that he had to do today. This situation was made even more galling by the fact that if he had done this admin on the day that it needed to be done, it would have been a 20-minute job per day over 7 or 8 days. But no...Again he makes something simple into a freaking task. Did he get into it and smash it out this morning? No. He sits in his good chair (by the bay window), stares into space and lets his head give his self esteem a good old kicking ..."I'm useless. I can't get anything done. I'm totally useless, unemployable and unlikeable."Total lies. Paul has said before, "No one talks as badly to me as I do." This is where procrastination takes Paul, to a self-loathing, self-pitying place, which I am sure a lot of you know can be a dangerous place for someone in addiction Recovery. So, Paul takes action, starting small, recognising the benefits of taking action ... just starting. From the sludge of inaction, something stirs ... Paul shares a quote from French artist Henri Matisse, about taking action. He then pulls scripture from the Bible and marries it up with the thoughts of Marcus Aurelius and Chinese Philosopher, writer and founder of Taoism, Lao Tzu, allowing Paul to break the bonds of self. The Tao Te Ching is seen as one of the great philosophical works. The name translates to "the way of integrity". A PDF version of the book can be found here: https://www.unl.edu/prodmgr/NRT/Tao%20Te%20Ching%20-%20trans.%20by%20J.H..%20McDonald.pdfLinks to support over the nethttps://virtual-na.org   - Virtual NA Meetings Online & by Phone "Bringing Narcotics Anonymous Meetings to Remote or Isolated Addicts from around the world who may, for whatever reason, be unable to attend local face to face meetings."https://www.navic.net.au/meetings - Virtual NA meetings in Melbourne AustraliaIf you have any tips to share in regards to Recovery and lockdown, or just generally regarding making lockdown easier, please get on The ARC - Addiction Recovery Cast Facebook page and send us a message. And as usual listeners, please like, share, subscribe, review and give us feedback.

Paul starts this episode with lame and self-congratulatory excuses for not dropping this 'daily' podcast on a daily basis. He then bangs on about someone living in his area putting anonymous passive aggressive notes on the windshields of the cars in his street. Needless to say, this has filled Paul with obsessive, self-centred, violent thoughts about someone whose identity he does not even know, creating a whole mythos where the anonymous note writer is in front of him in tears profusely apologising, having received Paul's justice, Paul being right and everyone around him showering him with roses and adulation. It ain't going to happen. Hence this podcast is about acceptance, the present moment, how wanting to control and not accepting our powerlessness only leads to pain. Step 1 stuff, the stuff that Paul's sponsors have been banging on about to him for years (if you want to listen to an interview with Paul's sponsor, check the interview episode with Jack). Paul waffles about this through the writings and teachings of the Stoic Philosophers, whose concepts and ideas about acceptance, powerlessness and control were being tossed around and written about two thousand years ago. Good stuff for Paul, who needs all the help he can get. PDFs of the reading Paul discusses in the podcast: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2680/2680-h/2680-h.htm"Discard your misperceptions. Stop being jerked like a puppet. Limit yourself to the present."The Enchiridion (The Handbook or The Manual) by Epictetus: https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/files/Enchiridion.pdf"Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions."Links to support over the nethttps://virtual-na.org   - Virtual NA Meetings Online & by Phone "Bringing Narcotics Anonymous Meetings to Remote or Isolated Addicts from around the world who may, for whatever reason, be unable to attend local face to face meetings."https://www.navic.net.au/meetings - Virtual NA meetings in Melbourne AustraliaIf you have any tips to share in regards to Recovery and lockdown, or just generally regarding making lockdown easier, please get on The ARC - Addiction Recovery Cast Facebook page and send us a message. And as usual listeners, please like, share, subscribe, review and give us feedback.

Prior to the recording of this episode, Paul has again had another late night, and it is starting to show. So, let's hear from someone healthier than him and listen to a recording made a few weeks ago where Steph talks to Paul about reaching her 18 months, what she had to do get there and and how it feels. https://virtual-na.org   - Virtual NA Meetings Online & by Phone "Bringing Narcotics Anonymous Meetings to Remote or Isolated Addicts from around the world who may, for whatever reason, be unable to attend local face to face meetings."https://www.navic.net.au/meetings - Virtual NA meetings in Melbourne AustraliaIf you have any tips to share in regards to Recovery and lockdown, or just generally regarding making lockdown easier, please get on The ARC - Addiction Recovery Cast Facebook page and send us a message. And as usual listeners, please like, share, subscribe, review and give us feedback.

Apologies about the lateness of today's podcast. It is completely Paul's fault. After giving an informative podcast yesterday in regards to sleep hygiene, Paul spent the evening absorbed in various projects, whilst listening to Gladys Knight, Martha and the Vandellas, the Commodores and other legends of Motown. This insanity continued well into the evening, through to the next morning, when he finally went to bed at 4.30am.He was up at his usual 7.30. Needless to say he was sleep-deprived, causing Paul to make some modifications to his day, keeping his actions realistic given his fatigue (I guess you could call that self care; the evening before certainly wasn't). Given this, today's podcast is about just that, honouring where you're at any given day, whether it be feeling energetic, or feeling sluggish. Examining possible causes of ongoing fatigue, and possible treatments, and behaviour modifications that can help.https://virtual-na.org   - Virtual NA Meetings Online & by Phone "Bringing Narcotics Anonymous Meetings to Remote or Isolated Addicts from around the world who may, for whatever reason, be unable to attend local face to face meetings."https://www.navic.net.au/meetings - Virtual NA meetings in Melbourne AustraliaIf you have any tips to share in regards to Recovery and lockdown, or just generally regarding making lockdown easier, please get on The ARC - Addiction Recovery Cast Facebook page and send us a message. And as usual listeners, please like, share, subscribe, review and give us feedback.

In Recovery, you may have heard the old cliché "insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results". In Paul's case, he often knows the result will be a freaking disaster but does it anyway! In this podcast, Paul discusses sleep hygiene, habits that help you have a good night's sleep. Paul discusses all the things that he should be doing to get a good night's sleep, he examines what sleep actually is, the sleep cycle, and the numerous benefits it can bring, both physically and mentally.As an old timer in Recovery said, "Doing the next right thing is important, but doing the last right thing is equally important." The last right thing for the day - getting a great nights sleep - can set us up for the next day. https://virtual-na.org   - Virtual NA Meetings Online & by Phone "Bringing Narcotics Anonymous Meetings to Remote or Isolated Addicts from around the world who may, for whatever reason, be unable to attend local face to face meetings."https://www.navic.net.au/meetings - Virtual NA meetings in Melbourne AustraliaIf you have any tips to share in regards to Recovery and lockdown, or just generally regarding making lockdown easier, please get on The ARC - Addiction Recovery Cast Facebook page and send us a message. And as usual listeners, please like, share, subscribe, review and give us feedback.

Today Paul rambles about the importance of maintaining routine. He talks about the physical and psychological benefits of routine, and provides practical tips to maximise these outcomes.https://virtual-na.org   - Virtual NA Meetings Online & by Phone "Bringing Narcotics Anonymous Meetings to Remote or Isolated Addicts from around the world who may, for whatever reason, be unable to attend local face to face meetings."https://www.navic.net.au/meetings - Virtual NA meetings in Melbourne AustraliaIf you have any tips to share in regards to Recovery and lockdown, or just generally regarding making lockdown easier, please get on The ARC - Addiction Recovery Cast Facebook page and send us a message. And as usual listeners, please like, share, subscribe, review and give us feedback.

The ARC (Addiction Recovery Cast) team have decided to drop a short daily podcast regarding getting through recovery during lockdown. The state of Victoria has just entered its fifth lockdown, with around 11 million people across Australia also in lockdown. Paul was talking to friends and loved ones within the first 24 hours of lockdown 5.0 down here in Melbourne. Pretty much every person Paul spoke to told him about how stressed they were feeling, telling of their mood lowering, going under and just basically being over it. Given this common experience, the team had a discussion and have decided to do a 10- to 20-minute daily podcast focussing on a tip a day regarding maintaining Recovery, and looking after your mental health during lockdown. Paul discusses links to 12 Step Meetings in this podcast, the links are provided below:https://virtual-na.org   - Virtual NA Meetings Online & by Phone "Bringing Narcotics Anonymous Meetings to Remote or Isolated Addicts from around the world who may, for whatever reason, be unable to attend local face to face meetings."https://www.navic.net.au/meetings - Virtual NA meetings in Melbourne AustraliaIf you have any tips to share in regards to Recovery and lockdown, or just generally regarding making lockdown easier, please get on The ARC - Addiction Recovery Cast Facebook page and send us a message. And as usual listeners, please like, share, subscribe, review and give us feedback. 

Thursday Recovery check-in, July 15, 2021. This check-in was going to be about something totally different, but a few minutes before recording, Steph reminded Paul that he had 18 months up.

This week Anthony joins Paul and Steph on The ARC. Steph describes Anthony as having had “one of the most transformative recoveries” she has seen. Anthony discusses his mental health and addiction issues, how he made an identity of these and, as has he put it, played the victim. Anthony tells us about his Egyptian family, his parents being in the medical profession and the academic pressure he felt as a child. Like many of our other guests, he tells of feeling like an outsider amongst his school friends and how drinking alcohol for the first time at the age of 12 brought him a feeling of peace. He discusses his university studies, being asked to leave the family home, lying about being clean, the impact his drug use had on his relationships, his suicidal ideation, and attempts. Anthony tells us how he got clean and into Recovery, being able to care for his ill father,  all while studying his Psychology Honours, with the goal of becoming a clinical psychologist. (As always, thanks to Whitt for our intro and outro music 'Breathin' Moonshine'.)

Thursday Recovery check-in, July 8, 2021. Recorded in front of a warm crackling fire on a chilly Melbourne winter afternoon, Paul and Steph bring you the first of your weekly Recovery check-ins.

Steph and Paul interview their first international guest. From the land of maple syrup, Maya tells us her story. From living in a commune on a Canadian prairie, her low mood as a child, an incident when she was three perpetrated by a six-year-old boy that is as heartbreaking as it is chilling. Being addicted to methamphetamine at 16, being kicked out of various schools, then out of the education system in its entirety. Detoxing in a juvenile correctional facility, fights, overdosing, being a mother and her dealings with Canadian Family Services, grief in recovery, eating disorders. Despite all this, and the challenges she has faced since getting sober, Maya continues to grow and leaves us with a beautiful message of Recovery for all of those who are still seeking it. (As always, thanks to Whitt for our intro and outro music 'Breathin' Moonshine'.)

A very special episode of The ARC this week. Steph is back, not as a guest, but as the newest member of The ARC team, co-hosting the show with Paul. Steph and Paul talk to Simon. Simon's in early Recovery, being a couple of weeks off six months clean. Paul and Simon discuss how they met, their friendship forming around the fact that the number combination 11 11 (eleven eleven) holds important symbolism for them both. Simon discusses his ink, the suffering it caused him in deceiving others regarding his using, his anger, how he manages this, childhood ADHD, his Italian family, his love of Italian cuisine, and the importance of his Recovery routine.Simon speaks frankly and openly about where he has been and what he has to do. This resulting in him being what Steph describes as the “gentle and calm” man he is today with the rewards of Recovery already coming. 

This week Paul speaks to Tiesha, she discusses her reading which comes from the Andre Aciman book, now film, Call Me by Your Name. A range of issues are discussed and how Recovery has impacted upon them. Tiesha, living clean in mind, body and spirit, honouring her body, being mindful of what she consumes, exercise, and her impact upon the world. Tiesha also discusses love, her family, school, hospital admission for mental health (Paul reminisces upon his Psych Ward romance), travel and her first 12 months of Recovery…

In this episode of The ARC Paul interviews Dan. Paul's first impression of Dan many years ago was "here is one serious motherfucker." They have subsequently become good friends, Paul considering Dan part of his inner circle. They discuss love, family, relationships, distance, nature, crime, sport, literature, art and music. Dan blindsides Paul with the revelation he played for Victoria in a team sport at one stage. They discuss the calm pursued by monks and junkies, the time when Dan broke his jaw, the importance of honesty and of starting and maintaining effort. Dan also talks to Paul about meditation and Buddhist Recovery. Dan has an exhibition of his paintings at Red Gallery, 157 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North, Victoria, Australia in July 2021.  See Dan's work on Insta: https://instagram.com/dan_g_newtonBTW that cat you hear meowing at about the 55-minute mark is not your cat, but Paul's cat Kitty (yes, that is her name) meowing to get Paul's attention. 

In this episode the tables are turned and Paul is interviewed by a previous guest, Steph. Paul starts off describing his years of amphetamine and heroin addiction, criminal activity, subsequent homelessness and his slow path to recovery. Steph then takes Paul back through his childhood and adolescence, exploring the beginnings of his attraction toward drugs.

Paul approached Steph to be a guest on The ARC as he found her enthusiastic commitment and application of her recovery inspiring. Apart from addiction recovery, Steph discusses a multitude of issues. Sexual trauma, mental health, eating disorders, therapies she partakes in for the treatment of these issues, and how the Narcotics Anonymous program underpins these treatments. Steph also discusses family, being a mother, relationships, photography, life on life's terms, the lengths she is prepared to go to achieve and maintain her recovery, and the results of her work leading to a life of joy and connection. 

Described in the media as a high-profile AOD (alcohol and other drugs) worker, Carlo discusses what he does to maintain Recovery. Carlo talks of his active participation in Recovery and the obligation he feels to provide to others the opportunity that was given to him. He also reminisces upon his childhood, his joy of growing up in an Italian family, the challenges they faced and the amazing work of his mother, one of the founders of the Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA). Carlo runs Integrated Treatment Services, a service for men who need to maintain Recovery, and can be contacted on 0415 203 645 or via email at carlo@integratedtreatmentservices.com.au

The ARC host Paul Watkins and producer Scott Wallace discuss the glorious reincarnation of the podcast formerly known as 'Paul's People'. They reflect on the interviews conducted so far and talk about the future of the The ARC. 

In the first show of Season 2 Paul speaks to Dennis. Paul's first memory of Dennis was when his best mate Dave pointed him out. Dave advised "I'd advise you get to know that bloke, he'd be good for your Recovery". Dennis talks about his interests, what it's like to have decades in Recovery, illness and his family. He discusses his father and their shared love of Cricket. Paul learns that Dennis enjoys bird watching (did you know Melbourne's Western Treatment Plant, aka the Werribee sewerage farm is considered one of the worlds greatest bird habitats)! Scotland is discussed, his application of 12 Step Recovery when faced with a serious illness, along with the love he feels for his wife, his family and how his Grandson kept Dennis accountable one afternoon...

This is one of our special episodes that explores an issue related to mental health and recovery. Paul, drawing on his professional work in the mental health field, gives advice for loved ones, friends and acquaintances of people who may be at risk of suicide. Note: this episode may cause trauma and suffering for those touched by suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

Paul's recovery role model Wazza joins us for Part 2 of his interview. Growing up in Nepal, the son of Christian missionaries, Wazza's time on the planet has been anything but average. Wazza takes us through his life, from the pet monkey of his childhood, to the monkey on his back as a young adult and then right through to recovery from addiction. His work now in the recovery field takes him into prisons, Parliament and everything in between.

Paul's recovery role model Wazza joins us. Growing up in Nepal, the son of Christian missionaries, Wazza's time on the planet has been anything but average. Wazza takes us through his life, from the pet monkey of his childhood, to the monkey on his back as a young adult and then right through to recovery from addiction. His work now in the recovery field takes him into prisons, Parliament and everything in between.

Alex joins Paul to talk about his life of addiction and recovery. Starting in the UK, Alex then moves to Australia where, at a young age, he becomes fascinated with the allure of drugs. Dealing with issues of psychosis and coming to terms with his sexuality, Alex slowly moves into a lifestyle of addiction until one day a close friend alerts Alex's mother to the extent of his substance abuse. This begins the road to recovery, one that Alex still walks years later. (Thank you to Whitt from Spiderbait for our theme music 'Breathin Moonshine'.)

When Paul first met Owen, Owen was an addict living in his car. Now he is studying to get his commercial pilot's licence. In this episode, Owen takes us through his childhood, where he was left to fend for himself as his alcoholic mother lay passed out on the couch. He remembers going to other kids' houses and being surprised to find mothers that were conscious and could interact. With a growing curiosity about what other households looked like, Owen began a series of impromptu 'visits' to homes all around his childhood neighbourhood, mostly via bathroom windows and removed roof tiles. This lifestyle led to an adolescence of burglary, theft, alcohol, clarinet playing and drugs. Owen tells the story of how all this played out in adult life (spoiler alert: not well), and his eventual transition into recovery.

Lissy is a talented artist, musician, yoga instructor and a strong animal rights activist. Her courage to speak out for what she believes in hasn't come easily. Despite being from a prominent, high-achieving Australian family, Lissy suffered childhood trauma that led to self-medication through drug addiction. In this episode, Lissy takes us through her story.

We've lost the bit of paper where we wrote down the episode description. We've been saying we'll just write it again from scratch. We've been saying that for about three months. So in the meantime, we're putting this episode up. Bloody hopeless. Sorry, Sarah. We'll put up a proper description ASAP.

For Ella, growing up in Bondi Beach wasn't the seaside paradise of tourism brochures. An athletic, active childhood was interrupted by a serious knee injury at age 11. With her leg in a cast for a year, in constant pain and gaining weight, Ella's self-esteem withered, and in its place the tendrils of self-loathing began to take root. At age 12, Ella started smoking cannabis. This brought on, as she puts it, ‘an overwhelming sense of relief' and a 'quietening of the head': a reprieve from her relentless inner self-critic. This was followed by a gradual escalation of substance abuse, with all the associated miseries and – to be fair – some strangely productive phases: ice-fuelled, four-day sleepless essay-writing sessions that resulted in a double degree! But apart from these few highs, the trajectory was ultimately downward, and in this episode Ella describes the darkened rooms of those lower levels. Finally, hitting a floor of exhaustion, having spent two thirds of her life in addiction, Ella decided to get clean. And she did. And she is.

A recovering addict, Paul's sponsor, Jack, was initially attracted to the recovery community by the huge amount of sex available. From the hard grind of those early years, Jack has gone on to become an activist, researcher and policy writer fighting for those affected by addiction, hepatitis, HIV and AIDS. Dubbed a 'Hep Hero' by Hepatitis Victoria, Jack has obtained a PhD and ongoing research funding to pursue his ambition of changing the world for the better.

Ness talks about pissing off the Dalai Lama, being a stripper, Varanasi exploding skulls, walking her pet donkey in the local park, a Disney dove on mother's shovel, psychotic roll calls at Lord of the Flies High, her Hungarian resistance refugee dad, a 10-year heroin habit, being a talented Dutch hatter and other normal stuff.

Pinned down by gunfire in Afghanistan watching Summer Heights High on a laptop on the floor. This and other stories from Geoff, who talks about his international development and humanitarian assistance work in 'the most messed up places in the world'. Geoff also talks about his recent experience of adjusting to 'civilian' life' as an American living in Australia. The talk then moves to his use of 'Bolivian products' and overcoming addiction. All set against a soundscape of Australian summer cicadas and the plaintiff meows of Chutney the cat (brother of Paul's cat, Kitty).

An unsent note found in a school uniform casts Kass into the underworld. Kass takes us through her journey. Telling us about feelings of childhood abandonment, living between Greece and Australia: the Western Districts of Victoria, Athens, Camberwell, the Blue Mountains, fine wool marino sheep, and the constancy of her grandparents. She then tells of the note in her pocket that changed everything, teen pregnancy, going to the same school as Nicola Lynas and Carmen Chan, her continued feelings of displacement within two cultures, her family and herself. Kass talks of her desperation for something different, her search for God and meaning beginning on the floor of a psych ward flipping through the Yellow Pages. Trauma, injury, the anaesthesia of heroin, the madness and toil of getting clean, staying clean and rebuilding herself to the woman Paul describes as 'a damn decent human being', full of hope and striving for integrity.

Bassam drops in to tell us about growing up a Muslim boy in a Catholic School, his Christian friends, and his desire to become an altar boy! Bassam runs away from the family home, lives with his grandmother and opens his own cafes in his 20s. The story of the successful migrant family hits a bump when Bassam gets entangled in a world of drug dealing and jail. But it is while he is serving time at a prison dairy farm that Bassam befriends Bongo 2256. It is here Bassam makes a decision to lead a more compassionate life. A decision he practices to this day ...

In his last week before going to jail for 5-6 years for cocaine trafficking, Jules drops in for a chat. The story starts with Jules's grandfather fighting against the Nazis in WW2 Greece, then moves to his father, who disapproves of childhood Jules' excessive weight: the result of an illness. In an attempt to win his father's love, Jules becomes a successful boxer, but in the process sinks deeper into the underworld element connected to the boxing world. Jules gets addicted to drugs and things go downhill from there. But there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Ineke talks about falling off a four-storey building while sleepwalking, the very public murder of her father, being a high-flying PR woman in London and New York, addiction to substance use, and then pulling it all back together to live a life where there's 'not much to report': just how she likes it these days.