Human First, Cop Second: Police, Alcohol, and Asking for Help

Doing The Work from Naples Integrated Recovery · May 28, 2026 · 1h 27m

Retired law enforcement officer Mike Clark joins Brian for a raw conversation about police culture, alcoholism, sobriety, trauma, suicide, and the fear that keeps many officers from asking for help. Mike spent nearly three decades in law enforcement and speaks directly about the identity trap that can come with the job: being trained to handle everyone else’s crisis while feeling unable to admit when the crisis is your own.

The conversation moves through alcohol use in police culture, fear of identity loss, shame around AA or treatment, the pressure to appear fine, and the terrifying question…