Kintsugi Heroes
Kerrie Atherton · 46 min
Kerrie Atherton became an instant alcoholic at fifteen, grew up in a home shaped by generations of addiction, and yet built forty-one years of sobriety into a nationwide movement of hope that has reached thousands.
You don't have to be in crisis to call.
Kerrie Atherton grew up in Lane Cove with two alcoholic parents and carried a weight she couldn't name. Traumatic events at seven and nine, combined with relentless school bullying, sent her to a psychiatrist at ten. She escaped into prescription medication, then at fifteen picked up her first drink and knew instantly it was what she needed. By sixteen, everyone around her was saying she was an alcoholic. She couldn't stop at one.
At her lowest point, after an abusive boyfriend punched her and she woke without hope, planning to end her life, Kerrie heard a voice telling her to wait. She called Alcoholics Anonymous that night and hasn't picked up a drink in 41 years. What saved her wasn't willpower. It was connection. At twelve, Alateen showed her she wasn't alone. In AA, she walked alongside thousands of people rebuilding their lives and learned that the pain won't kill you if you sit with it long enough.
Kerrie broke the generational curse of addiction in her family by staying sober and letting her children see it every day. Both her kids waited until eighteen to drink and neither became alcoholic. She's spent decades counseling others through addiction and founded Stories of Hope Australia, a platform that gathers people who've lived through hard things and emerged changed. She's written three books of those stories.
If you're recognising yourself in this, or watching someone you love struggle, Kerrie's message is simple: there is no shame in admitting you have a problem. The people who love you won't lie to you about it. Bravery means listening when they do.
⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses addiction & recovery and suicide & self-harm prevention, which some listeners may find distressing.
If you need support, you're not alone. Help is available: • SMART Recovery Australia (addiction): smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au • ReachOut: au.reachout.com • Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au
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Kintsugi Heroes · Registered Australian not-for-profit · kintsugiheroes.com.au ↗