Captain Sandy Keeps ‘Below Deck Med’ Crew Drinking Top of Mind – ‘They Know They Can Come to Me’
Captain Sandy Yawn from Below Deck Mediterranean faced the demons of addiction, admitting that she’s acutely aware that some alcohol abuse goes on with her young crew members on the show.
She connected with deckhand Travis Michalzik on Below Deck Med Season 4 when his drinking in between charters became problematic. Yawn said her support extends to all crew members, especially if someone is struggling.
Captain Sandy is available to all ‘Below Deck Med’ crew members
Yawn is concerned when she sees some of the young Below Deck Med crew members drinking too much in between charters. “Absolutely. Of course, I think about it all the time, but it’s their journey, right?” she said on Addiction Talk, an online talk show hosted by American Addiction Centers.
“So I’m a presence,” she added. “They know they can come to me, but I’m not there to force it down their throat.”
Before Below Deck Med, Yawn encountered a crew member who became so ill she had alcohol poisoning. “There was a girl, she was violently ill with alcohol poisoning. And a lot of cast members, I say to them, alcohol’s not your friend. Clearly look at yourself. Every time something bad happened was alcohol a part of it? And they’re like, ‘Yeah.’ I’m like, just look at that. And that’s what I do with the cast members.”
Travis was truly surprised when Captain Sandy talked to him about his drinking on ‘Below Deck Med’
Yawn recalled how she ended up talking to Michalzik about easing his alcohol intake. She didn’t name Michalzik during the interview but Below Deck Med fans likely recall the emotional moment when Yawn reached out to him on the show.
“So this kid, I smelled alcohol. He was on watch. I went to the producers and I said, ‘I really don’t wanna do this on camera, but I wanna have a conversation.’ And they go, ‘Would you mind doing it on camera?’ And I thought if he’s OK with it. So they didn’t ask him. I thought they did. So when I started talking about it, you can tell he was a little uncomfortable.”
But by connecting on a granular level, and sharing her raw experience getting sober, Yawn was able to ease any anxiety Michalzik had. “But I think because of the way I shared from my personal experience, it relaxed him because that’s how it works, right?” she said. “So you have to identify with someone who’s been there and done that.”
She added about Michalzik, “He’s a great guy and I’ve done it with other people through the years where I’ve had the opportunity. Because our industry’s full of it, right? Just like other industries. And I just share with them. I used to be like that, there’s another way. And if you want help, I’ll take you to a meeting.”
She wanted Travis to see an example of someone who was clean and sober
Yawn didn’t think twice about sharing her story on camera and with Michalzik. “Not for me. I had no shame,” she emphasized. “And people seeing how, what a mess I was, what’s wrong with showing them how well I’m doing? So I was always in trouble. Now I’m actually doing something great in my life. Why wouldn’t I want people to see the result of staying clean and sober?”
Michalzik ended up cutting back on his alcohol consumption for the remainder of the charter. Plus other Below Deck crew members have taken the path of sobriety after being on the show and seeing their behavior.
