What has Alastair Campbell said about his son Callum's alcoholism?

Alastair Campbell says he writes about his son Callum's alcoholism only with Callum's agreement. Callum describes himself as a recovering alcoholic, and Campbell calls Alcoholics Anonymous a lifesaver for him. The turning point came at a rehab centre in Scotland, when Callum began to accept that he had to fix the problem himself. Campbell says his own past with alcohol did not help, because he kept trying to fix it for his son.

• Campbell and Fiona barely slept during the worst period, fearing a knock on the door.
• Campbell treats Alcoholics Anonymous as an example of persevilience in an institution.

▸In their words

“Alcoholics Anonymous is just the most amazing organization” Alastair Campbell · at 52:26 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Rest Is Politics (2026-10-15). Read the whole episode summary →

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