Episode 061 - It’s Getting in My Way Now: Gary Allen on Slow Change and Building a Second Act After 45

The Sober Creative Podcast · Jul 17, 2026 · 39m · transcript

Gary Allen had his first drink at 19, a pint of Harp he didn’t even like. He kept drinking it anyway, because for the first time, he felt like everybody else. Gary grew up in rural Ireland, the oldest of three, and has used a wheelchair full-time since he was 13. Alcohol became the thing that closed the distance between him and the room. He didn’t fully realize that’s what it was doing until decades later.

For 26 years, drinking looked completely normal. Nights out with his brothers turned into nearly 20 years of sharing wine on the couch with his wife. Nothing about his life looked broken…