The Comeback with Ciarán O’Driscoll
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What challenges did Ciarán O'Driscoll face growing up?
This week I sit down with Ciarán O'Driscoll, a man who has lived through more than most and come out the other side. Ciarán has been sober since 2002, but his story begins long before that. Growing up in a home affected by alcoholism, taking his first drink as a child, falling into drugs at a young age, and by 17 he was in Cork prison. In and out of institutions for years, carrying pain, anger, and deep self-hatred. He lost his brothers. They were twins. He lost his mother. And at one point, he lost himself completely. But something changed. Through fate, through becoming a father, through hitting rock bottom and choosing something different, Ciarán found a way back. This is a story about addiction, about grief,
about accountability. But more than anything, it's a story about hope. Because no matter how far you fall, there is always a way back.
How did addiction impact Ciarán's life and relationships?
And as always, this episode is proudly sponsored by ADHD Now, the online clinic transforming ADHD assessment and care across Ireland. If you are seeking an ADHD assessment or support, visit ADHDnow.com today. This is The Comeback with Ciarán O'Driscoll. Ciarán, lovely to have you.
Thanks for having me.
I'm sensing a small bit of anticipation here.
I suppose it's my first time doing anything like this, like, you know?
Yeah, yeah. You'll go on, yeah?
I usually do everything in the background, you know? Everything was done in the background, like, you know? And if I can help someone, you know, if I can help someone here today.
And you're helping a friend of mine's friend at the moment. Very, very kind to them. Really, really kind. So, I mean, if you're doing that now for me, you're going to help so many other people listen to the podcast. Many people know you, but for those who don't know you, can you tell me a bit about yourself, where you grew up and what it was like?
Sure.
grew up in the north side of cork city i grew up in the kind of my father was an alcoholic like you know i grew up in a kind of a broken home you know mother was a lovely woman dad was an alcoholic and i was involved in sport i was involved in soccer gaelic football played a bit of hurling involved in an awful lot of stuff i was super shy i was super shy like growing up like you know so that's when substance alcohol and substance came into it like you know i i I drank at a very young age. I didn't get drunk at a very young age. I drank at a very young age. We used to be taking cans and stuff. We used to be going in and out of house parties where we lived and we were stealing cans of beer and stuff and drinking them up around the corner and all that.
My first drunk would have been, I would have made my confirmation in April, the June weekend. That June weekend was my first drunk, like, you know. And I loved what it did to me, you know. All the shyness went away and, you know, I came out of myself, like, you know. it gave me false confidence for a long time like you know and then there was there was other stuff like people were telling me there's this and there was magic mushrooms people were asking me we went pick magic mushrooms at one stage um i started taking lsd then i started going to school taking lsd and stuff And then the night of our junior sort, I had contacts and stuff. We took XC tablets to celebrate our junior sort results.
What pivotal moments led to Ciarán's recovery journey?
I ended up in the mercy the following morning. And the same nurse, I think that was 94, the same nurse in 1997, I think about three years to the day, she stood over me again. Another time when I took tablets, I was after taking tablets and they were the wrong tablets like, you know. So I was always kind of looking for escape.
Was it an overdose or what was it? Or was it just the dodgy tablet?
It was a dodgy tablet. We were in Sir Henry's and I came over to Sir Henry's and people were starting to go home because we were only 15 at the time. People were going home and I was going home and it was very quiet where I was. Very quiet and my heart was pounding, like pounding out of my chest. And I hopped into a taxi and I went straight to there.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What challenges did Ciarán O'Driscoll face growing up?
0:00–1:10
2
How did addiction impact Ciarán's life and relationships?
1:10–3:27
3
What pivotal moments led to Ciarán's recovery journey?
3:27–5:00
4
How did Ciarán's experiences in prison shape his perspective?
5:00–6:24
5
What role did faith play in Ciarán's recovery?
6:24–7:58
6
How did becoming a father influence Ciarán's life?
7:58–9:34
7
What insights does Ciarán share about helping others in recovery?
9:34–13:58
8
What message does Ciarán have for those struggling with addiction?
13:58–48:16