
Pop Stars, Cocaine, and Psychosis: Taner Hassan's Road to 15 Years Sober
About this episode
Taner Hassan was 19 when 12 million people watched him audition on Pop Stars. He made the final 14 but didn't get the job. What followed was cocaine, nightclub work, and a slow collapse. By 24 he had drug-induced psychosis. His parents said: get help or get out.
Taner grew up in Southend, oldest of three, chasing a music career through reality TV and boy bands. Rejection and fame without the job behind it sent him into five dark years in the nightclub industry, masking everything with drugs and alcohol. When his parents drew the line, he got sober. That was 15 years ago.
Today he's a psychotherapist and head of NHS mental health in Suffolk. His wife and daughter have never seen him drink.
You'll hear about: reality TV fame and rejection at 19; cocaine and alcohol in the nightclub industry; drug-induced psychosis at 24; rebuilding a career from scratch in recovery; the stranger whose life he saved without knowing it.
If you think your past disqualifies you from a meaningful future, this one says otherwise.
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You can also connect with me via Instagram @Soberdave https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/
or via my website https://davidwilsoncoaching.com/
Provided below are links for services offering additional help and advice, and also contacts for Taner.
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tanertherapy/
https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/
https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-services
Show producer- Dani Attanasio
https://www.grownuphustle.com/
Instagram - @GrownupHustle
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Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soberdaveonefortheroad
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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