Sweet Bitters

03/06/2022

As we've seen throughout the Sweet Bitters podcast life does throw up some curves and Sue and Marie are in the middle of one right now.

Marie is just getting back to her real life after shoulder surgery and Sue underwent knee replacement surgery just two weeks ago. As a result, Sweet Bitters is going to take a little break for a few weeks until Sue and Marie adjust to their new bionic selves.

Thanks for your patience and we look forward to hearing from you when we're back, hopefully around mid-June.

03/06/2022

In this week's bonus conversation, Sue and Marie talk about the judgements people make when your family's struggle with addiction is public.

You can listen into that conversation on Patreon at patreon/sweetbitters1/post...

31/05/2022

In this week's blog, Marie talks about finding your own way of dealing with adversity, even if some people think they know better, based on the limited information they've gleaned from the media.

27/05/2022

Episode 10 is available today at your favourite podcast provider.

In this episode, in light of her son's relapse, Marie and Sue discuss her reaction to the roller coaster of relapse and recovery.

24/05/2022

Episode 10 comes out on Friday at your favourite podcast provider.

In this excerpt from the episode, taped after Greg was arrested, Sue and Marie talk about torture of not knowing what's happening When Drugs Come Roaring Back into the life of someone with addictions.

20/05/2022

In this week's bonus conversation, Marie and Sue discuss the grieving process and how not everyone does it the same way or at the same speed.

You can find the bonus conversation on our Patreon page, here:

17/05/2022

In Episode 9, available now, Marie talks about losing Kenny. In this week's blog we talk more about how hard the grieving process can be when the people you would normally turn to for support are grieving the same loss at the same time.

13/05/2022

Episode 9 is available today wherever you get your podcasts or at sweet-bitters.com/podcast

This heart wrenching episode takes us into the most shocking day of Marie's life. And she recounts her journey through the darkness that ensued.

11/05/2022

Episode 9 comes out on Friday. This is definitely the hardest episode, both for Marie to do, and probably for you to listen to.

We want to caution you that this episode explores difficult and dark topics.

In this small excerpt, Marie describes the uneasy feeling that led her to the worst discovery of her life.

03/05/2022

Episode 8 is available now. In "When Drugs Come Home", Marie details all the ways she and Ken tried to get the boys away from drugs, including drastic measures like physically restraining them.

29/04/2022

Ep. 8 - When Drugs Come Home is available today.

In this episode, Marie tells us about a life upended by the boys' drug use .... and the increasingly desperate attempts to get the boys off drugs.

You may be shocked by some of the measures but what would you do if it was your kids? We'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

You can subscribe to Sweet Bitters on your podcast provider. Or you can listen to this episode and all the others at sweet-bitters.com/podcast.

24/04/2022

In Ep. 7 you heard more about Marie's sons' addictions to drugs. That episode raises the question of why addicts choose all the chaos and trouble that comes with doing illegal drugs. As Marie discusses with Sue, she's learned brain injuries have a lot to do with it.

19/04/2022

The good news is, Greg is safe and sound. But he's in custody. The bad news is, after more than three years sober he went back to drugs last week.

Marie and Sue talk about that in this week's audio blog.

15/04/2022

Ep. 7 The Boys & Drugs is available now.

There's no getting around the fact that drug addiction has played a part in Marie's family life. But those two words alone fail to describe the complexity of the people who take drugs and why they take drugs.

In this episode Marie will introduce you to her sons ... the people, not the addicts.

You can find Episode 7 wherever you get your podcasts or at sweet-bitters.com/podcast

14/04/2022

UPDATE: Greg has been taken into custody without incident. Thank you everyone for your kind wishes.

We’re not going to lie, this is a really hard post to write. There's an arrest warrant out for Marie's son Greg.

As you’ll hear in the episode out tomorrow, Marie’s sons have struggled with drug addiction for many years.

Her son Kenny lost his life to drugs. For Greg the combination of traumatic brain injury and drugs creates a man who can be aggressive and in the past, that aggression has turned to violence.

In 2019, Greg was sentenced to four years in prison for assault. He spent most of that time at Mission and was sober for that entire time. He came out on parole in October and has been working to rebuild his life since then.

He has been spending time with his daughter, working alongside his father and doing everything that is required of him by the corrections system.

But an incident on the weekend triggered his old patterns and he failed to check in at his halfway house. That failure to report triggered a search for him by police. Ken and Marie texted and called him repeatedly but heard nothing back until yesterday when he texted back that he would turn himself in. So far, he has not done so.

Marie’s heart is breaking and you’ll hear more about that coming up on the podcast. But she says she’s feeling strong enough to cope with this and much of that is thanks to you. Marie has said before, and again today, that telling her story has helped her so much to understand the core of her strength.

The days ahead will be hard. Ken and Marie have confidence that the police will find Greg and he will have to face the consequences of his choices. That will mean a return to jail. When that happens Ken and Marie will tend to their family as they have always done.

When we discussed whether we wanted to pull the episodes on drug use and hit pause on the podcast, Marie said, “this is what addiction is about. I can’t tell my story honestly and not bring our listeners on this part of the journey.”

Thank you for accompanying Marie through this part of the journey.

12/04/2022

Now that we've told you about the trial, we need to talk about drug addiction. Those two little words cover a lot of territory so over the next three episodes we're going to explore that territory. Marie will talk about how drugs made their way into her family and the impact they had on everyone.

But first, in Friday's episode she's going to introduce you to her sons, the people ... not the addicts.

Watch for Ep. 7 - The Boys & Drugs available wherever you get your podcasts on Friday.

08/04/2022

In Ep. 6, Pillars of Sand we talked about Marie's experiences with the media and why she thought the coverage was unfair and damaging.
In this week's audio blog we go over a few examples of that coverage to show you how it impacted Marie's family.
You can catch the full episode wherever you get your podcasts or at sweet-bitters.com/podcast

08/04/2022

In Ep. 6, Pillars of Sand we talked about Marie's experiences with the media and why she thought the coverage was unfair and damaging.

In this week's audio blog we go over a few examples of that coverage to show you how it impacted Marie's family.

You can catch the full episode wherever you get your podcasts or at sweet-bitters.com/podcast

05/04/2022

Every time we publish an episode we also publish a related blog on our website. Here is the Ep. 6 blog.

In Episode 6 Marie talks about a letter she wrote to the media, articulating her frustration with coverage of her family. She never received a response. Here is that letter. What I am about to say is my opinion only. I have learned a lot since May 30, 2008. Specifically about the justice system, jai...

01/04/2022

What happens when you have to fight the institutions you thought were there to protect you? Marie talks about losing faith in justice and journalism, and the podcast connects what happened to Marie's family to current-day social justice movements.

Episode 6, Pillars of Sand, is available now wherever you get your podcasts or at the Sweet Bitters website at sweet-bitters.com

30/03/2022

Episode 6 is out on Friday!

The Brotherston trial was front page news in Victoria, it even made national headlines. The charges were sensational and the trial featured an odd cast of characters. But was the story in the media fair? And was justice served? We'll talk about that in "Pillars of Sand".

Available wherever you get your podcasts and on the Sweet Bitters website sweet-bitters.com.

25/03/2022

This week's blog is about Picking Up the Pieces after the verdict. Marie reflects on the sweets she found in the bitters.

"While the two years of hell blew up our life in many ways, from the rubble we found that strength again in ways I couldn’t have predicted."

You can find the blog post at sweet-bitters.com/blog
Episode 5, Picking Up The Pieces is available wherever you get your podcasts or on the Sweet Bitters website at sweet-bitters.com/podcast.

Please like, comment and share as much as you want. Thanks for your support.

18/03/2022

Ep. 5 - Picking Up The Pieces is available now!

The verdict is in but the Brotherston's ordeal is far from over. In this episode Marie tell us how she absorbed the impacts on their financial health and social lives.

For example, Marie is relieved that Ken and the boys have been found not-guilty. But as you'll hear in this clip, she soon finds that the accusation alone has stuck in many minds.

Sweet Bitters is available wherever you get your podcasts or at sweet-bitters.ca/podcast.

16/03/2022

Apologies for the social media break of the past few days. We've been getting Episode 5 ready to publish while making our way through a couple of life events.

In theory, a not-guilty verdict should have given the Brotherstons a fresh start. But it wasn't that easy.

In this episode Marie looks at what the family lost financially and socially.

You'll find out what she learned from that time when Episode 5, Picking Up the Pieces is released on Friday.

05/03/2022

Ep 4 - The Trial is now available at your podcast provider.

In this episode we break down the judge's reasoning for finding Ken, Kenny and Greg not guilty on all charges.

You can get Sweet Bitters at your favourite podcast provider or at sweet-bitters.com/podcast

It's important to us to hear what questions come to mind for you when you listen to the podcast so please comment here or on Instagram or on our website.

And as always please like and share.

03/03/2022

Episode 4 of Sweet Bitters comes out on Friday.

The trial of Ken and his sons, Kenny and Greg was an exercise in frustration for Marie. She heard absurd testimony from witnesses who admitted lying on the stand. She might have found it laughable if the next 25 years of her life wasn't at stake.

The judge handed down her verdict based on the version of events she found most credible. In "The Trial" we walk you through that decision, including this description of what happened when Ken and Kenny knocked on the door of the house on Betula Place.

27/02/2022

Ep. 4 The Trial comes out on Friday.

In Nov. 2009 Ken, Kenny and Greg entered the courtroom ready to stand trial on murder charges.

What followed was testimony that was in some cases confused, some cases erroneous and some cases, just made up. A month later the judge rendered her verdict. In this episode we go through that verdict and reflect on the trial.

You can find Sweet Bitters wherever you get your podcasts or you can listen on our website sweet-bitters.com/podcast

25/02/2022

Episode 3 is out now.

In Thirty Three Days, Marie will tell you about the first time she saw Ken after his arrest and their sweet reunion after 33 Days in jail.

In Episode 4, coming out next Friday, we'll take you into the trial of Ken, Kenny and Greg.

20/02/2022

In this week's blog Marie goes into more detail about what you need to know when you're visiting someone in prison - Prison 101!

"Something I didn’t expect to have to keep in mind was the dress code - nothing revealing! No problem for me I thought. Remember I was a 50-year-old woman and my mind wasn’t on trying to get anyone excited. But I was wrong."

You can read the blog post at sweet-bitters.com/blog. You can listen to Episode 3 on the website or subscribe to the podcast at your favourite podcast provider.

19/02/2022

Episode 3 is out today, it's called "33 Days"

It took 33 days for Ken to be released on bail. In those 33 Days, Marie got a quick education about lawyers, reading about yourself in the morning paper, raising money, how prison works and how to write a kick-ass To-Do list. In this episode, Marie talks about what she packed into that 33 days.

You can find this episode at your favourite podcast provider or on the Sweet Bitters website at https://www.sweet-bitters.com/podcast/episode/45eef620/s1-e3-33-days.

Please let us know what you think about what you're hearing and like, comment and share.

As always, thanks for your support.