# Olympic Gold Medalist on Alcoholism, Recovery, and Redemption

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-mental-health-432530/olympic-gold-medalist-on-alcoholism-recovery-and-redemption
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-mental-health-432530/olympic-gold-medalist-on-alcoholism-recovery-and-redemption.md
Podcast: [Inside Mental Health](https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-mental-health-432530)
Published: 2025-09-25T04:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://psychcentral.com/blog/podcast-olympic-gold-medalist-on-alcoholism-recovery-and-redemption/
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/RVOHE1891596306.mp3?updated=1758301190
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/inside-mental-health-432530/episodes/olympic-gold-medalist-on-alcoholism-recovery-and-redemption
Duration seconds: 1650

## Resource

How exactly does a three-time Olympic gold medalist end up with alcohol use disorder? At just 16, Carrie Bates stood on the Olympic podium with a gold medal around her neck. To the world, she had it all — talent, drive, and glory. But behind the scenes, Carrie was fighting a growing battle with alcohol that nearly cost her everything. In this episode, Olympian Carrie Bates opens up about her journey from the top of the podium to nearly losing everything. Despite her success, Carrie saw many of the same warning signs many people face: denial, escalating drinking, and the belief that achievement meant she couldn’t possibly have a problem. Surrounded by a culture that celebrated alcohol, she ignored loved ones’ concerns and spiraled into dangerous behaviors — until a crisis forced her to confront the truth. Listen and learn: how cultural messages about alcohol normalize addiction the early warning signs of alcohol misuse, even for high achievers why recovery is not instant — and how resilience leads to lasting change Carrie’s story is more than a cautionary tale. It’s proof that recovery is possible, even after relapse and setbacks. By learning to surrender, ask for help, and reframe what strength truly means, she found lasting healing — and now uses her voice to help others do the same. Our guest, Carrie Bates, is an advocate for recovery. As a three-time Olympic gold medalist (OLY) in swimming and a person in recovery, she deeply understands the interplay of the drive for excellence, trauma, life changes, and addiction. Sharing her truth and living her recovery out loud has been at the center of her work. Since 2012, she has helped others access treatment and fought to end the stigma that surrounds the brain disease of substance use disorder. Carrie came to Caron Treatm…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/inside-mental-health-432530/episodes/olympic-gold-medalist-on-alcoholism-recovery-and-redemption/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-mental-health-432530/olympic-gold-medalist-on-alcoholism-recovery-and-redemption.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.