The Outsiders / Alcohol & Poetry / Gogo

Summary

Gogo, 31, describes growing up in a loving family while feeling that her emotional needs were not fully understood. She began drinking and using cannabis at 14. At first, alcohol seemed to quiet overwhelming emotions and harsh thoughts about herself. Over time, her drinking became compulsive and continued for about 16 years.

She also speaks about long-term self-harm, severe depression, psychotic episodes, and diagnoses of borderline and schizoaffective disorders. Mixing alcohol with prescribed medication, changing or stopping medication without consulting her psychiatrist, and increasingly dangerous behavior contributed to repeated crises. Gogo says she often felt undeserving of care and used alcohol, sex, and other self-destructive behaviors to punish herself.

A turning point came when her drinking and aggression harmed a close friend. With support from friends and family, Gogo began attending support groups and stopped drinking. Recovery was difficult: she experienced withdrawal symptoms and lost her job. Gradually, she returned to work, rebuilt trust, and began reconnecting with herself. She says she now feels more alive and is learning to accept, rather than fight, the wounded parts of herself.

Wellness and Recovery Strategies

• Seek professional help: Gogo describes working with a psychiatrist and psychologist. She emphasizes discussing medication decisions with a clinician rather than making them alone.
• Use peer support: Support groups helped her through early sobriety and gave her a place to share her experience.
• Lean on trusted people: She credits her best friend, other friends, and her parents with supporting her through crises and recovery.
• Practice self-compassion: She is learning to treat herself with care and understand her younger, wounded self rather than viewing herself as an enemy.
• Find healthier sources of connection and meaning: She describes rebuilding friendships, writing poetry, and returning to work and everyday activities.
• Speak openly and encourage help-seeking: Gogo hopes that sharing her story will encourage young people who are self-harming or struggling with addiction to seek help rather than suffer alone. She offers to hear from people who want support.

Presenters and Sources

• Gogo (Gogo Lianou): Interview guest and poet.
• The Outsiders: Channel and interviewers; the interviewer(s) are not named in the subtitles.
• Sources of support mentioned: Gogo’s psychiatrist, psychologist, peer support group, close friend Georgina, and her parents.