Dropping In: A Story of Addiction, Skiing, and Healing with Paddy O’Connell

For some skiers, drugs and alcohol can be fun. That wasn't the case for Paddy O'Connell. He was using them to cope with something deeper and darker inside. 

Paddy is a writer, host, creator, and podcaster. He also happens to have the best mustache on this side of the Mississippi. On this episode from Plug Tone Outdoors, Paddy reads an essay he originally wrote for Ski Magazine entitled "For Some Skiers, Drugs and Alcohol Are Fun, But For Me it Was Darker."

In this reading, Paddy touches on his own experiences with addiction in a ski town, as well as the overarching drinking and drug culture around skiing and snowboarding. At the end of the day, Paddy believes that it's not impossible to get sober in a ski town, after all, he did it himself. 

TW: This episode features discussions of sexual abuse, mental illness, and suicidal ideations. If that's not something you can listen to right now, go ahead and skip this one.

Check out more from Paddy and the Plug Tone Outdoors team on our website.

Photo credit for image to Mike Thurk.

Music in this episode is from Blue Dot Sessions.