My guest today is someone who brings both clinical expertise and lived experience to the conversation around addiction and recovery.

Today I sit down with Taner Hassan, an actor, psychotherapist, and addiction specialist who is 18 years sober, to explore the darkest and most transformative moments of his life. Taner opens up about terrifying drug-induced psychosis, drinking and using cocaine and weed, and how substance use started as a teenager and spiralled into chaos. He shares what it was like to lose his mind - the fear and confusion of losing touch with reality, and how he eventually got clean and sober at 25.

We also discuss the deeper reasons behind addiction: how Taner used substances to fill a void, the impact of fame, validation, and rejection, and why family interventions can sometimes help—or hinder—the recovery process. Taner offers an honest look at recovery, tackling questions like whether addiction is really a choice, the truth about dry drunks, total abstinence, and the best ways to get sober. This episode is raw, honest, and impossible to ignore, full of lessons for anyone struggling with overthinking, addiction, or feeling stuck in life. He’s someone who doesn’t just talk about change — he helps people live it.

More on Taner -

Taner was pursuing a career within the entertainment industry as a trained actor, presenter & musician including making it to the finals of the TV show Popstars where addiction took hold. He is 18 years sober, and in that time he’s become one of the most respected voices in the field as a psychotherapist, addiction specialist, and currently Head of Service at Rehubs, a pioneering online treatment provider. He’s also a certified sex and porn addiction therapist & performance coach.

Over nearly two decades, he has worked across the full spectrum of addiction and mental health services — from NHS units and prison programmes to private clinics and community outreach. But what makes him stand out isn’t just his qualifications — it’s how he brings trauma-informed, person-centred recovery into everything he does.

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Topics -

0:00 Trailer & Intro

4:35 One of Taner's rock bottom moments

6:35 What is a drug induced psychosis?

8:20 Coke, weed & booze

11:40 Getting clean and sober at 25

12:50 Drinking and using as a kid

14:40 Why Taner was filling the void

21:20 Fame, validation, rejection and addiction

33:20 Do family interventions work?

36:35 How Taner got recovery

38:05 What's the best way to get sober?

44:50 Is the dry drunk real?

49:25 Sponsor

50:25 Total abstineence?

52:35 Is addiction a choice?

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