30 Jan 2023 12:00
Sobriety is a Super Power with Ross Mac
Ross Mac is a DJ, event promotor and had a very late diagnosis of ADHD this year. As an ex-alcoholic and addict, Ross marks 8 years sober this year. He joins Daniel to talk about his demons with addiction, how he got sober and how he helps others do the same. Daniel and Ross also talk about mindset, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people and the common alter-egos and self-destructive nature of addiction.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Ross began DJing at 14, doing big clubs at just the age of 16. It wasn’t until he was 34 that he then became sober.
- ADHD means that Ross easily obsesses over things, this is one of the things he attributes to becoming an addict. What he does now focuses his obsessions on the ‘right’ things like helping others, his recovery and his health.
- Becoming sober can often give an individual a huge amount of clarity, meaning they can make more conscious decisions but with it also comes regrets and remorse which can be hard to deal with.
- When you are an addict, it isn’t just about life when you are ‘on’ the drugs of alcohol. It’s the rest of your life when you aren’t too, it impacts every area of your life and how you think and treat people.
- You have to accept the consequences and results of when you were using, all you can do now is focus on staying clean and sober to try and make amends for your friends, family and yourself.
- Drink and drug use are so powerful that they can be causing everything to go wrong in your life and you still won’t want to give them up.
- Many ex-addicts talk about the role of self-destruction in aiding their addiction, feeling like they have an alter-ego that feeds their need for drugs and alcohol.
BEST MOMENTS
“I obsess about everything”
“It’s not about you’re drinking it’s about your thinking”
“Being sober is a superpower”
“Now you know it’s a problem, you can let go of it”
“Sober people are weird because they are nice”
VALUABLE RESOURCES
CONTACT METHOD
ABOUT THE GUEST
Ross Mac Ross has suffered from poor mental health for as long as he can remember and was expelled from infant school at the age of 5. Everyone told him he was a naughty kid but in his 30s he learnt he was an addict, with ADHD - this realisation and discovery was a blessing. Working and running events in nightclubs at the age of 13, Ross quickly turned to drinking and drugs as a solution to his problems. Despite his addictions, he managed to DJ and run events all over the world, but there was always a dark cloud that followed him - that dark cloud was his mind. He always knew what he was doing was wrong, he always knew he had developed an addiction, but he couldn’t stop. Drink, drugs, and women were their favourite pastimes, and he would (unfortunately) step over anyone to get what he wanted. His mind was scrambled 24/7 and he couldn’t work out the truth from the false. On the outside, his life looked amazing but inside his use got worse, his mind got darker, and he found himself in a place where he thought he was going to die! He had been going to 12-step recovery meetings on and off for over four years, but one day he hit rock bottom and has never looked back. He’s
