Roy Stride (Scouting For Girls) Admits Alcohol Problem, Anxiety And Recovery Journey

Roy Stride (Scouting For Girls) Admits Alcohol Problem, Anxiety And Recovery Journey

From On The Mend by High Performance

May 4, 2026 · 58 min · Season 3 · Episode 40

About this episode

Roy Stride discusses his struggles with alcohol addiction, anxiety, and his recovery journey.

Scouting for Girls frontman Roy Stride achieved global fame and number-one albums, but behind the scenes, he was wearing a mask. For 25 years, he used alcohol to bridge the gap between his public persona and a deep-seated feeling of never being "enough," eventually spiraling into a high-functioning nightmare of secret drinking and pre-show panic attacks. In this episode, Roy pulls back the curtain on the exhaustion of the "secret life." He reveals the extreme lengths he went to hide his addiction, from filling non-alcoholic cans with real beer to drinking 30 units a day while on tour.  Roy also discusses the moment his dream became a prison, his initial skepticism of recovery, and how leaning into the "weirdness" of AA saved his marriage, his career, and his life. This is a powerful exploration of why life in recovery is infinitely better than the "belonging" found in a bottle. This episode covers the following themes: Addiction, High-Functioning Anxiety, Recovery, and Finding Belonging. 'Scouting for Girls' new album These Are The Good Days' is out now Need Support? Samaritans: Call 116 123 or visit samaritans.org Narcotics Anonymous: na.org Alcoholics Anonymous…

People in this episode

Guest: Roy Stride

Topics covered

  • Addiction
  • High-Functioning Anxiety
  • Recovery
  • Finding Belonging

Keywords

  • alcohol problem
  • anxiety
  • recovery journey
  • Scouting for Girls
  • high-functioning anxiety
  • addiction
  • mental health

Sponsors

Vitals

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Scouting for Girls, Samaritans, Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, Mental Health Mates, Shout, IAPT

Products: Vitals

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