How do you truly start over, and what does real reinvention look like?

In this episode of The Big Drink Rethink, Anna Donaghey talks with Andrew Drasen, author, speaker, and survivor, about life beyond sobriety — diving into identity, purpose, and hope.

Andrew’s journey goes far beyond addiction, spanning imprisonment, loss, and the search for meaning. He shares his struggles with self-image, rebellion, and choices that led to incarceration, as well as the heartbreak of losing loved ones, including his fiancée Caroline.

Together, Anna and Andrew explore how we cling to unsustainable identities, and how radical acceptance, creative rebuilding, and writing his memoir A Vision of Hope became acts of healing. This conversation is a reminder that change is possible. Healing isn’t the end — it’s the beginning.

Highlights

00:00 Rethinking drinking and identity
01:15 Andrew’s story: addiction, loss, and the reckoning
02:42 Childhood, self-image, and early substance use
04:04 Identity as “life of the party” and rule-breaking
07:58 The snowball effect: risky behaviour and its consequences
09:40 False bravado, ego, and self-worth
13:01 First arrest and inevitability of trouble
15:49 Escalating to heroin and survival mode
17:47 Turning points: a break in sentencing and glimpses of hope
20:00 Recovery, 12-step meetings, and writing
21:32 Grieving loss, healing through creativity
22:07 Losing Caroline, deep identity work, and transformation
33:29 Andrew’s recovery framework
38:28 If you’re afraid of change: the courage to try
40:00 Recovery as a beginning, not an end

Listen on Spotify

Explore more conversations on the Podcasts page.

Ep 113: The Courage To Become Someone New | Rethinking Alcohol

Highlights