Alex Wood Quits Everything

I somehow got food poisoning with all of my healthy eating.  I also got a new tattoo and I was able to break out of a stand-up slump to have a great weekend headlining a club.  I've lost 13 lbs. since I quit sugar.  My guest this episode is JD(protected for privacy reasons).  He's one year off of cocaine.  We talk about his darkest time when he did 14 grams of coke in two days and how his new relationship is helping him stay off the powder.  Apologies for some audio difficulties. 

I've been hitting Tide Pods 24/7 and the withdrawal is harsh.  I also share some sugar-free dishes you can make at home and give advice to the emails I've been getting from across the world to addicts and loved ones of addicts.  My guest this episode is international headlining comedian, John Hastings.  We talk about his past life as a 340 lbs. man and his current struggles with being a workaholic. 

The withdrawal of quitting sugar has eased up but I'm dreaming about pizza almost nightly.  But there is good news, my article for Vice about quitting addictions saw me receive tweets and emails from people across the world struggling with addiction.  My guest this episode from the Brazilian version of "Saturday Night Live" and her stand-up show "Comedy as a Second Language" it's Carol Zoccoli.  We talk about being a perfectionist and how she quit; cigarettes, sugar, coffee and alcohol.  

I'm on day 3 off of sugar, and I am angry.  The withdrawal from sugar is way more intense than I expected.  On New Year's Eve I performed on one of the biggest shows of my life and then two days later was consumed with rage over a social media fight.  My guest this episode, from Roast Battles on Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live and star of LetterKenny it's K. Trevor Wilson.  KTrev was diagnosed with diabetes a year and a half ago and since then has quit sugar(pretty much) and lost 80 lbs.  He tells us how he was able to do this and how much better his life is now.

This past week marked 2 years off of booze.  My 31st birthday.  And a little known holiday called Christmas.  I was awarded a championship belt by my family and almost got into a bar fight in a comedy club.  I also brought my girlfriend home for her first Christmas.  My guest this episode is veteran Canadian comedian, and one of my best friends, Wafik Nasralla.  He has quit bar drugs, drinking, weed and cigarettes roughly the same time I did.  We talk about God and how he is a better father now.

It's December 17th and I just finished headlining some extremely drunk Christmas parties.  I was definitely tempted to smoke after.  I reached a goal to bench press 200 lbs by the end of 2017, SICK RIGHT?!  My guest this episode is Isabelle Zolton.  We talk about her 2 years off of sugar.  What her diet is like, how she tries to feed her children,how sick she felt after eating a chocolate bar on Halloween and how she struggles with an eating disorder.  

I'm 10 days off of gossip, it is challenging but I'm already seeing mental health benefits from quitting.  I finally felt the affects of quitting porn and took it out on someone close to me.  I'm also preparing for a sober holiday season.  My guest this episode is uber talented comedian, Che Durana.  Che is 6 months off of porn.  We talk about his huge lifestyle changes over the past three years and how it's contributed to his recent career success.  Also, some light BDSM talk. 

It's day 3 off of gossip and I miss trashing people.  I talk about a stunning research paper that showed human beings pay attention to negative gossip more than things we feel positively towards.  I also accidentally ate some milk.  My guest this episode, Vandad Kardar who is 2 months off of gambling.  We talk about his 25 thousand dollar gambling debt, the treatment he is going to for it and how he was able to keep it a secret for so long.   

I was almost broken this week by a deep dish pizza, an open bar and an engagement party.  But I haven't cracked and I am still going strong.  My guest this episode is talented comedian, Rob Bebenek.  We talk about his addiction to call of duty and how he was playing more than 40 hours a week at one point.  We dive into the similarities between video games and drugs.  We also talk about his recent uptake in alcohol and why he deleted facebook from his phone. 

I reveal a secret, painful new addiction that has come into my life.  I also talk about how hard the next four months is going to be quitting sugar, social media, my smartphone and gossip.  My guest this episode is comedian Adrienne Fish.  We talk about her coke addiction and the toxic relationship that lead to her being homeless for a short period of time and how she was able to overcome it.  And also our mutual social media addiction. 

I'm on day 10 off of credit cards and I have a 102 degree fever!  I faced maybe my biggest temptation this past week that nearly derailed the podcast.  Also, I may have a plan for season 2 of the podcast.  My guest this episode is comedian Jeff Paul.  He had 27 thousand dollars in credit card debt and now it's zero.  He's also been off of cigarettes for 7 years.  We talk about how his divorce lead to him spending money he didn't have, smoking, drinking and impersonating a police officer. 

It's the start of a new month, so that means I quit something else.  November is credit cards.  I talk about having my credit card maxed out for years, throw out some global credit card debt statistics and compare credit cards to drugs.  My guest this episode is Toronto comedian, Tamara Shevon.  She quit credit cards in 2008.  We talk about how credit cards fueled her drug usage, how she was able to quit credit cards and get her financial situation back on track.

It's the end of October and I just had my first ever sober Halloween.  I also had my second sleep test in as many weeks, and I've been struggling with a lot of temptation this month.  My guest this episode is my old roommate, Mo.  He was raised in a refugee camp in Palestine before moving to Canada 3 years ago.  We talk about growing up in a war torn country, the death of his best friend, staying hopeful in tough times and how he's been able to quit smoking cigarettes. 

I have strep throat.  Again.  Last night I had an overnight stay at a sleep clinic.  I've also been having frequent relapse dreams.  So while it has been a stressful week, I feel confident in my sobriety.  My guest this week is, Kasha Zaraski, a Yogi/comedian and porn addict.  We talk about the difficulties in quitting porn vs meat and dairy, whether women watch as much porn as men and meditation.

I'm 10 days off of porn and cigars.  I had a Thanksgiving to remember with my family, where they made me special personalized dishes without and dairy in it.  My guest this episode is Toronto comedian, Joey Harlem.  He is a former strip club DJ and porn addict.  We talk about how his job contributed to his addiction, erectile difficulties and how he has learned to watch porn in moderation.

I'm 6 months into the podcast and I'm halfway home.  I've returned from my western tour and I'm back in Toronto, 3 days off of porn and cigars.  My guest this episode, Nathan Macintosh.  This year he taped a set for Conan and also quit watching porn.  We talk about the negative ways porn affect us, our relationships, our view of women and why we wanted to quit.   

I've been on tour for two weeks and I am feeling it.  Too many cigars, too much social media and too much porn has me feeling awful.  My guest this episode is Vancouver comedian, Mark Hughes.  We talk about his heroin addiction that started at age 15, going to prison for 7 years, living on the street and most importantly his 11 years of sobriety. 

I'm 3 days into my tour of western Canada, this episode is coming from Calgary, Alberta. I went 4 days without cigars, and then had cigars.  They're now on the list.  I also climbed a mountain and did a show in a bowling alley.  My guest this episode is Kim Schneider, hot shot lawyer and comedian.  We talk about her shopping addiction which saw her spend 75 thousand dollars on clothes over the past 3 years. 

I'm on day 3 off of dairy and I've done some research.  Dairy has similar effects on the brain as opiates.  I'm still on the cigars but I have cutdown, but it's become clear that I will probably have to include them in the podcast to kick the habit.  My guest this episode is Michelle Shaughnesy who has been a vegan for 7 years.  We talk about her struggle with weight, an eating disorder and trying to treat herself right. 

I'm smoking cigars.  Frequently.  I'm going to have to find a way to quit them or It's going to count as a fail on this podcast.  I was at one of my oldest and dearest friends weddings and it's snowballed since then.  I also drank a non-alcoholic beer.  My guest this episode is Shannah Williamson aka burlesque dancer, Daisy Badcock.  She's 18 months off alcohol and drugs.  We talk about, her being a sober bartender, how AA has worked for her, scrubbing the bathroom floor with a toothbrush and the variety show fundraiser she's doing to raise money for CAMH.