The Comeback with Dr. Brian Pennie
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
After Brian Pinney appeared at My Life Showed March, I was inundated with messages from people begging me to get him on the podcast because they had been completely blown away by both him and his story. So this week he's finally here. In this powerful conversation, Brian opens up about drug addiction, trauma, hitting rock bottom and the long road back from a life that was completely falling apart. From dabbling in heroin during his leave insert to becoming Dr. Brian Pinney, neuroscientist and author, his story is honestly hard to believe at times. He speaks about being 15,000 euros in debt, falling asleep at work because his body was shutting down, suffering a violent seizure during detox and reaching the point where he simply said, I can't do this anymore.
But this episode is not just about addiction. It's about resilience, healing, connection, and proving that no matter how broken someone feels, there is always a way back. If this story resonates with you, please leave a comment and hit that subscribe button. It genuinely really helps. 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 Dr. Brian Pinney. Brian, it is a delight to meet you again in person. We met back in March.
What traumatic experiences shaped Dr. Brian Pennie's early life?
You were at my live show at St. Luke's in Cork and you blew the audience away.
It was an incredible event. It really was, Brenda. And the scene, the environment in the church, it was absolutely amazing. It really was.
You were the last guest on the night and I was like, he's going to blow them all away. And you kind of did your own TED Talk style.
Yeah, it was because we discussed a few options. We were only going to do a panel discussion at one stage. And it was around the connection piece, wasn't it? Human connection. It's something I'm so passionate about at the moment. And the more I lean into it, the more I realise how important it is.
So important. We will get to that later on. Definitely want to have a chat about that. But Brian, for people who don't know you, as I start every podcast, can you tell me where you grew up and what it was like?
I grew up in a lot of places, Brenda. I came from, born in Finglas, moved to Canada, got deported from Canada as a five-year-old kid with my family. There's a story in that as well. I didn't know this. Yeah, we ended up getting deported. We sold our house in Finglas. My dad lost all of the money before my mum came over. We got a police escort, deported back to the Ballymun Flats in Dublin, then moved to Blanchardstown. And from seven years of age, I grew up on Blanchardstown. But, I suppose a big part of my journey, there was a lot of trauma, there was a lot of childhood challenges, there was a lot of emotional pain, afraid of my own inner body. I found drugs in Blanchardstown at a young age and they took me in a direction that was not good.
What age were you?
I started dabbling in drugs. I was about 13 when I started smoking hash and messing around with cigarettes, hash, petrol. We sniffed petrol in the fields. Just sort of testing out all the different drugs. And then I found opiates and heroin at 16.
And were you going to school all this time as well?
Yeah, I was quite good in school, Brenda. Like, I was really, I wanted to please people, you know, that way, teachers and stuff like that. And even like when I was doing, I was dabbling in heroin, doing my leaving cert and I got quite a good leaving cert. I had high hopes I was going to go to college and I was going to do big things in the world. But at the same time, drugs were just taking me down a different path and I was very unaware of where it was actually bringing me.
What year was this?
1994.
Right. And then heroin at the time. When was it kind of heroin landed in Ireland? Now I know it hit Dublin first.
Yeah, the 80s. Yeah, it was big in the 80s, yeah. And how did you get your hands on it? It was funny because I remember like we only done certain drugs.
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