Episode 2
Wednesday, April 9, 9.35pm, RTÉ One
Hooked is a gripping documentary series which delves deep into the science of addiction and how our brains are being hijacked. Whether it’s phones, alcohol, gaming, gambling or drugs, addiction can happen to anyone.
Brien Pennie knows only too well the horrors of addiction, he was addicted to heroin for 15 years before miraculously turning his life around. Today Dr. Brian Pennie is a respected neuroscientist, author and lecturer. In Hooked, Brian tells his remarkable story and lifts the lid on how modern addictions are literally rewiring our brains.
In episode 2 Spencer Matthews, podcaster, founder of Clean Co and husband of Irish businesswoman Vogue Williams, discusses his problem relationship with alcohol and how he realised his daily drinking had to stop.
Chris Connolly, who previously battled drug addiction, has found solace in fitness. He is running 5km in a different county each day to raise awareness of mental health and addiction, while his Run With Chris social media posts have gone viral.
We meet Nicola in Tiglin in Greystones, where she is finishing her treatment for alcohol addiction, while Brian Pennie’s sister Anne and brother James share their stories of problem drinking and drug abuse.
Brian returns to Trinity College to undergo an MRI of his brain and learn about the changes that occur in the brain during addiction and recovery. He meets Professor Jo-Hanna Ivers who holds the first addiction-specific academic post in Ireland. She and Brian first met while he was in a detox centre and volunteered for a brain study she was carrying out.
