We are launching a new series on the podcast this week:
Real People Overcoming Real Problems! 
You do not want to miss this very first episode with author, speaker, podcaster, and new friend of mine, Ashley Abercrombie who shares with me her story of overcoming addiction and learning to ask for help.  
Ashley speaks candidly about the pain in her life, how she tried to numb it, and the divide that nearly shattered her until she learned to ask for help. And do not miss the last part of this interview where Ashley talks about how she's been getting through a period of extended isolation and loneliness these past few years.  
We discuss SO MUCH in this episode—here are just a few highlights:  
1. The various big “T” and little “t” traumas that can lead to addiction and painful patterns of self-soothing. 
2. Why carrying your pain silently doesn’t work. 
3. How Ashley finally found healing in safe community 
4. Why failure is our friend 
5. How to be helpful (and what’s not helpful) to people who are struggling 
6. The wisdom Ashley would give her 20-year-old self now.   
Connect with Ashley on Instagram
Ashley’s After Hours newsletter on Substack
Books by Ashley: Rise of the Truth Teller: Own Your Story, Tell It Like It Is, and Live with Holy Gumption Love Is the Resistance: Learn to Disagree, Resolve the Conflicts You've Been Avoiding, and Create Real Change  
You can find a list of all the resources mentioned in this episode, at https://www.dralisoncook.com/overcoming-addiction-and-learning-to-ask-for-help/
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Music by Andy Luiten 
Sound editing by Kelly Kramarik