Billy McKay traces twenty seven years of heroin addiction back to a childhood marked by fear, shame, and being sent to a boys home at twelve. He explains how gangs first gave him belonging, how heroin became his identity, and why he sees addiction as the egoic mind's scream for pain.

After prison, psychiatric wards, and the death of his mother, Billy reached the grief driven rock bottom that finally changed his direction. Now more than twenty one years sober, he shares the small voice that told him to stay, the spiritual principles that helped him rebuild, and the mission behind his book, Who Turned the Light On?

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Meet Billy McKay
4:56 Brother's Abuse and Shame
9:37 Sent to a Boys Home
15:54 Glue, Drink, and Gangs
22:53 Heroin Addiction Begins
28:24 The Hidden Slavery
30:47 His Mother's Death
35:28 Two Voices at the River
39:18 Twenty One Years Sober
47:59 His Book and Mission

Find Billy McKay:
Website and free recovery resources: https://billymckay.net/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/who_turned_the_light_on_/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whoturnedthighton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19CAZxf3pA/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/who-turned-the-light-on-40baa2152/
Who Turned the Light On on Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/0bKUz4cY

One Last Hit Podcast: real stories of addiction, survival, and coming back from the edge.

📖 Get the Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJV2N32T

🎧 Get the Audiobook: https://shop.onelasthitbook.com/product/one-last-hit-audiobook/

📚 Get the Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/9699599987

📗 Get the Hardcover: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HKDFZCNM

🎙️ Podcast home: https://onelasthitbook.com/podcast

Ellie C. spent years believing she was simply different. An adult autism and ADHD diagnosis finally explained the pattern recognition, hyperfocus, social isolation, and constant masking that shaped her life. Before she had that answer, cocaine felt like the missing piece. It made a shy outsider feel social, confident, and accepted.

Then the drug that made Ellie feel normal turned into daily use, crushing paranoia, lost memories, debt, and guilt over what her children experienced. Ellie tells Austin why she still refuses to pretend she is safe around cocaine, how she protects her recovery by avoiding vulnerable situations, and why she built an AuDHD community to help others recognize the connection between neurodivergence, trauma, and addiction.

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Meet Ellie C.
5:40 Cocaine Felt Like Belonging
11:05 Trauma and Neurodivergence
18:20 Cocaine Knocks at 24
21:40 Masking the Addiction
25:20 The Guilt Her Kids Carry
31:25 Staying Safe by Avoidance
36:10 Finally Understanding Herself

FIND ELLIE
Ellie's Links: https://linktr.ee/Ellieaudhd
Website: https://www.audhdandthensome.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ls1EfoRam/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audhd_and_then_some
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flourish.with.aud
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-audhd-capstick-b8a971415
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ellieaudhd

One Last Hit Podcast: real stories of addiction, survival, and coming back from the edge.

📖 Get the Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJV2N32T

🎧 Get the Audiobook: https://shop.onelasthitbook.com/product/one-last-hit-audiobook/

📚 Get the Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/9699599987

📗 Get the Hardcover: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HKDFZCNM

🎙️ Podcast home: https://onelasthitbook.com/podcast

Paul Booth grew up caring for an alcoholic mother, was forced to choose between his parents in court, and started drinking as a child after stealing Scotch from his father's liquor store. What followed was a punk-street-gang life in Hollywood, speed and alcohol, motorcycle crashes, five DUIs, a failed first attempt at sobriety, and months of homelessness.

Paul shares the church service where a white-light experience cracked something open, the miles he walked in worn-out shoes to reach an AA meeting, and the backpack purchase he remembers as surrender. A bed in a low-bottom recovery house changed the direction of his life. Now 42 years sober, Paul is a licensed psychotherapist, master addiction counselor, and author of Ethos, Pathos and Alcohol. He and Austin talk about the fatal reality of addiction, building a counseling career from the ground up, and the truth, debts, and commitments that recovery demands.

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Meet Paul Booth
1:53 Growing Up With Alcoholism
2:46 Forced to Choose a Parent
4:28 Drinking as a Child
5:35 Five DUIs and Motorcycle Crashes
9:52 His First Attempt at AA
12:33 Homeless and Still Using
16:18 The White Light Experience
18:11 42 Years Sober
18:20 Walking Miles to AA
21:42 The Backpack That Meant Surrender
22:18 Finding a Recovery House
24:38 When Recovery Becomes Fatal
25:50 From Psych Tech to Counselor
31:52 Building a Career in Treatment
41:30 Where to Find Paul

Find Paul: https://paulboothstories.com
Book: Ethos, Pathos and Alcohol

One Last Hit Podcast: real stories of addiction, survival, and coming back from the edge.

📖 Get the Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJV2N32T

📚 Get the Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/9699599987

📗 Get the Hardcover: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HKDFZCNM

🎙️ Podcast home: https://onelasthitbook.com/podcast

Sobriety Talk Podcast Directory: https://sobrietytalk.com