
societyJun 22, 20261:06:24pending
I Lost My Job, My Wife & My Son To Alcohol & Oxycodone
About this episode
From the outside Nick Johnsson had it all. Born in Sweden, educated in Australia, and based in Southeast Asia, he spent a decade climbing the corporate ladder until he was the general manager of 72 hospitals and clinics across Indonesia — one of the biggest roles of its kind in the world.
And he was quietly falling apart behind the closed door of his corner office.
Every promotion made him lonelier. He was drinking to control himself, working punishing hours, and slowly losing the discipline that had defined his life. When the pressure became too much he resigned, couldn't talk to his wife about why, filed for divorce, and separated himself from his five-year-old son. Isolated with no job, no marriage and no child, he gained 60 pounds and slid into a daily dependence on alcohol and oxycodone — which in Southeast Asia he could buy over the counter like popcorn.
It took two days to get off the alcohol and two years to taper off the medication.
Now 8 years sober, Nick is an author, speaker and entrepreneur who travels the world with his teenage son, volunteers for a suicide prevention agency, and wrote a book — Executive Loneliness — about the isolation at the top that nobody talks about.
In this thoughtful and powerful episode Nick shares how he rebuilt his relationship with his son from across the world through Minecraft, why he believes loneliness is the root so many high achievers try to numb, and what it really takes to come back.
This one is for every high achiever who looks successful on the outside and feels completely alone underneath.
🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week📲 Follow Nick on LinkedIn: Nick Johnsson🌐 nickjohnsson.com📖 Executive Loneliness — available now
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment.
Call or Text: 844-443-5669
Visit: https: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/rise-above/
#RiseAbove #SoberLife #8YearsSober #AlcoholRecovery #ExecutiveLoneliness #HighFunctioningAlcoholic#RecoveryIsPossible #AddictionRecovery #MentalHealth #SobrietyJourney #Loneliness#FatherhoodInRecovery #RiseAbovePodcast #KevinLanning #NickJohnsson #CorporateBurnout#MensMentalHealth #SuicidePrevention #OneDayAtATime #OneMoreThing
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Get every episode summarized
Each time Rise Above with Kevin Lanning publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Rise Above with Kevin Lanning

I Was A Police Officer Secretly Addicted To Meth On The Job
Rise Above with Kevin Lanning
Sep 12, 20261:01:23completed

I Almost Drank Myself To Death — And My Wife Watched It All Happen
Rise Above with Kevin Lanning
Sep 10, 20261:44:32pending

This Rehab Will Blow You Away | Inside Caron Treatment Centers In Delray Beach
Rise Above with Kevin Lanning
Sep 9, 202619:31pending

The Smoke Shop Told Me 7OH Was Natural — It Was A Legal Opioid
Rise Above with Kevin Lanning
Sep 8, 20261:51:59pending