Cork woman Brenda Dennehy recalls her journey from addiction to recovery in new book 

Former radio presenter and podcaster, Brenda Dennehy has detailed her journey from “rock bottom” ahead of the release of her new book The Comeback.

Ms Dennehy, from Ballydesmond, spoke to the Irish Examiner’s The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast about her experience with social anxiety, depression, ADHD, alcoholism, and prescription medication addiction.

The 41-year-old said while she grew up in a loving family, her life was not without its struggles.

“I would pick the family I have in every lifetime, I had such a loving childhood,” said Ms Dennehy.

“I’ve had no big trauma, but I always had this anxiety of never feeling good enough.

“Going into secondary school, I had such a chip on my shoulder. I wasn’t very academic, I was distracted all the time, and now I relay it all back to ADHD.”

Following her school years, she attended a wedding with her ex-boyfriend in Killarney, where she tried alcohol for the first time.

“The alcohol started going through my blood stream, and the social anxiety and that chip on my shoulder, I could feel them release,” said Ms Dennehy. 

“Before I knew it, I was loving the drink.”

Ms Dennehy described this first stint in rehab as “a baptism from Hell.”

“I thought I was going away to a retreat, I got the fright of my life.

“I was petrified, but it taught me a lesson,” she said.

Career in media

Following this, she began her career in media, delving deeper into the world of social media and landing a job at Cork’s 96FM radio station..

Ms Dennehy said mounting pressure from her public job contributed to a breakdown in her sobriety, leading to her addiction to prescription drugs.

“The prescription medicine came first [before going back to alcohol], I manipulated my doctor and got a script [for Xanax].

“Before I knew it, I was taking more than the prescribed amount,” she said.

She recalled one morning buying vodka as soon as the off-licence opened.

“I was taking Xanax [with the vodka] and I woke up in the emergency department. I had no idea how I got there,” she said.

“I had accidentally overdosed and that was the lowest of the low.”

After this, Ms Dennehy went to rehab for the second time in Galway, where she regained her sobriety.

An experience which is detailed in her upcoming book.

“My book is very raw and honest about what I did,” said Ms Dennehy.

The Comeback, published by Mayo Books Press, is due to be released tomorrow, priced at €23.99.