Shaping Addiction Recovery: Rethinking Relapse, Outcomes, and Support

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Johan Sorensen, Founder of Portobello Behavioural Health, joined Abdullah Boulad for a thoughtful conversation on how early disruption and emotional overwhelm can shape behaviour long before they are fully understood. Drawing on personal experience, the discussion reflects on how unhealthy patterns can become normalized, how boundaries are crossed gradually rather than suddenly, and how awareness often emerges quietly as a sense that something no longer feels right.

The episode also expands the conversation beyond narrow ideas of recovery. It examines how outcomes are measured, why abstinence alone is not enough, and how connection, kindness, and accessible support play a central role in lasting change.

Tune in for a conversation that offers a grounded, human understanding of recovery as a process shaped by environment, relationships, and care.

Johan Sorensen has spent more than 25 years working in mental health care. Over that time, he has set up and led treatment facilities and programmes across the UK, the Middle East, and the United States. Trained initially as a therapist, Johan has worked across every stage of service delivery, from direct clinical work to programme development and leadership. He has also served on charitable boards and consulted with the media on issues related to mental health and addiction. He later founded Portobello Behavioural Health to focus on personalised, practical solutions that support individuals, families, and organisations throughout the full continuum of care.

00:00:00 – Early Life and Family Pressure
00:01:03 – Meet Johan Sorenson
00:03:03 – First Exposure to Addiction and Family History
00:07:08 – Father’s Addiction and Family Impact
00:10:16 – Parents’ Divorce and Substance Escalation
00:12:49 – The Moment That Broke the Spell
00:14:48 – AA, Kindness, and Early Recovery
00:17:14 – Residential Treatment and Group Work
00:20:51 – Genetics and Talking to His Kids
00:23:54 – One-Size Doesn’t Fit All in Recovery
00:26:30 – 12-Step Reflections and Compassionate Care
00:29:13 – Why Relapse Rates Are Misleading
00:32:08 – What Works and What Doesn’t in Treatment
00:35:07 – Regulation, Policy, and Political Gaps
00:39:34 – Behavioral Health Coaching as a Bridge
00:41:09 – Learning from Global Models of Care
00:48:16 – The Referral Fee Controversy
00:57:29 – Founding Portobello and Individualized Coaching
01:08:10 – Cultural Sensitivity and Client Dependency
01:25:09 – Connection Heals

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You can order Abdullah’s book, ‘Living A Life In Balance’, here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/...

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