For many people with a substance use disorder, stigma may stem from the inaccurate beliefs that addiction is a moral failing, instead of what we know it to be—a chronic, treatable disease from which you can continue to lead a healthy, happy life.
Holding a master’s degree in communications and media studies, this week’s guest Lotta Dann worked for 25 years as a TV journalist and producer, while also developing a dependency to alcohol.
With the help of penning an anonymous blog called 'Mrs. D Is Going Without' which became a best-selling memoir of the same name, Lotta got sober in 2011. She has since published 'Mrs D is Going Within' and 'The Wine O’Clock Myth: The Truth You Need to Know About Women and Alcohol'.
Lotta now manages the large online peer support community Living Sober, funded by the New Zealand Drug Foundation and Health Promotion Agency, and works as a Lived Experience Facilitator of Addiction 101 workshops through Blueprint for Learning.
Stay tuned as Lotta joins me to share her personal experiences on the journey to sobriety, the role of judgement and stigma, and how you can support someone in need.