Episode 036 - Peeling the Trauma Onion: Paul Overton on 30 Years of Sobriety and What Comes After

The Sober Creative Podcast · Jan 23, 2026 · 35m

Paul Overton quit drinking 30 years ago, though he admits he doesn't keep close track anymore. Growing up in 1970s California as a Gen X kid left to his own devices, he started drinking at 12 or 13 and was introduced to cocaine at 16. His family normalized alcohol. Nobody was angry or out of control, but “everybody was definitely half in the bag most of the time once it got to past two in the afternoon.”

For years, Paul worked as a dance teacher traveling the world, and alcohol remained his constant wind-down ritual. He always felt a hole inside that he tried to fill with substances, sex, and…