In this powerful episode of How's Your Ma, we sit down with Callie and her mum Bella as they openly share their experiences with addiction, alcohol, drugs, homelessness, toxic relationships and recovery.

Their stories are deeply connected, but both women had to find their own way out of addiction. Bella speaks about years of alcohol addiction, how it affected her family and the moment she finally realised she needed help. Callie shares her experience with addiction, abusive relationships, homelessness and becoming a mother while struggling with substance abuse.

Most importantly, they talk about what happened after recovery — rebuilding their lives, rebuilding their relationship with each other, and breaking the cycle for the next generation.

This is an incredibly honest conversation about addiction, family, trauma, recovery and finding yourself again.

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Introduction: Meet Callie & Bella
01:11 – Callie opens up about addiction
02:29 – Drinking from a young age
04:07 – Callie's addiction gets worse
05:34 – Becoming a young mother
08:47 – Bella's story begins
10:35 – Moving to Tallaght and starting a family
11:45 – Bella's relationship with alcohol
13:07 – “I wanted to die”
14:35 – The moment everything started to change
16:17 – The friend who was one year sober
18:19 – Bella decides to go to AA
20:47 – When drinking became antisocial
22:15 – Trying to hide addiction from the kids
23:42 – Trying to control drinking
25:14 – Drinking, money and addiction
26:05 – Callie's journey into recovery
27:44 – Addiction, pregnancy and motherhood
28:30 – Homelessness and drinking
30:00 – Living in a family hub
31:35 – Choosing sobriety
32:22 – Toxic relationships and abuse
34:08 – Leaving addiction and rebuilding her life
34:47 – Two years sober and a new relationship
35:30 – Mother and daughter finally reconnect
36:29 – Breaking the family cycle
39:00 – Addiction affects the whole family
40:13 – When drinking takes over your life
41:12 – The financial impact of addiction
43:17 – Losing friends and finding new ones
45:08 – Getting professional help
47:18 – Finding yourself in recovery
48:30 – New friendships and healthy relationships
49:13 – The importance of sponsors
50:37 – What does the future look like?
51:01 – Discovering a new passion
53:06 – Finding a career later in life
55:21 – Callie's future after recovery
57:19 – “What if I can?”
57:46 – Breaking the cycle
58:13 – Final thoughts & seven years of recovery

How's Your Ma brings real people into the room to tell their stories, in their own words.

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