What if the first spark of recovery is a laugh you didn’t think you had left? We sit with Adrian, a paramedic and registered cardiovascular invasive specialist who spends his nights building Life of Laughter, a nonprofit that brings clean, purposeful comedy into rehab facilities. He’s fixing hearts at the hospital and then meeting those same hearts where shame and fear usually win, using craft, care, and community to make sobriety feel vivid and possible.
Adrian shares how he shifted from dirtier material to clean sets after listening to what fragile rooms actually need. We dig into the ethics of originality, the mechanics of joke structure, and the neuroscience that links laughter with neuroplasticity and healthier dopamine. The darkness in his stories; addiction, loss, the messy fallout of bad choices, never becomes the punchline. Instead, it frames the lift, showing clients that joy can be earned without substances and that a shared laugh can open the door to a different identity.
We also explore a new two-day model: a Friday night show followed by a Saturday workshop that teaches how to reframe experiences and write jokes from hard moments, culminating in supportive performances for staff. Along the way, Adrian talks candidly about sobriety in the comedy world, why clubs value clean, reliable comics, and how authenticity on stage mirrors the work of recovery. It’s part craft lesson, part field report, and part invitation to see humor as a serious tool for healing.
If this story resonates, share it with someone who could use a hopeful nudge, subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of creativity and change, and leave a review to help others find the show. Want to support Adrian’s mission or book a show? Visit lifeoflaughter.org.
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