Drinking to Mask and Unmask is an Autistic-led podcast exploring the complex relationship between autism, masking, addiction, and the strategies people develop to survive in a world that often demands they hide who they are.Hosted by Chelsey Flood, novelist and late-diagnosed autistic writer, the series examines the coping mechanisms autistic people use to navigate everyday life — from the habits that help us get through difficult situations to the behaviours that can become harmful over time.Through conversations with researchers, writers, clinicians, and people with lived experience, each episode explores how masking, addiction, recovery, creativity, and identity intersect. The inaugural se...
Latest episodes
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27 min
We Thought Everyone Did This
Sometimes the stories families tell about what is "normal" look very different after a diagnosis.Chelsey Flood is joined by her mum, Caroline Dale, for a conversation about family,…
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28 min
Understandable Reasons Why Autistic and Neurodivergent People Find Alcohol Useful
Why can alcohol feel so useful for autistic and neurodivergent people?Chelsey Flood speaks with Associate Professor Dr Felicity Sedgewick about friendship, belonging, and the socia…
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28 min
When the Mask Stops Masking
What happens when the strategies that once helped you survive stop working?Ebony Nash joins Chelsey Flood for a conversation about alcohol, neurodivergence, burnout, and identity.…
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18 min
Masking Is Real
What is masking, why do people do it, and can it actually be measured?Chelsey Flood speaks with researcher Dr Laura Hull about the science of masking, the experiences that masking…
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30 min
Looking for the Perfect Fix
How many of us spend our lives searching for the one thing that will finally make everything easier?Musician Rosalie James joins Chelsey Flood to discuss addiction, self-understand…
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22 min
Building an Identity You Need Alcohol to Maintain
What happens when the person you've spent years trying to be turns out to be built around survival rather than authenticity?In this episode, Chelsey Flood is joined by Bre Ransome…
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2 min
Trailer: Welcome to Drinking To Mask And Unmask
What happens when coping becomes survival?Welcome to Drinking to Mask and Unmask, a podcast exploring autism, masking, addiction, and recovery through an autistic cultural lens. Pa…