Laughs without Lager

Vic Vanstone from Sober Awkward

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2470602/fan_mail/new] Your life can look completely “fine” and still be falling apart every Sunday morning. We’re joined by Vic Van Stone from Sober Awkward, who gets brutally honest about binge drinking that hides in plain sight: the ladette years, the party reputation you feel trapped inside, and the way anxiety after drinking gets normalized until it becomes unbearable. If you’ve ever Googled why can’t I moderate, sober curious, or hangxiety symptoms, you’ll recognize the pattern fast. We talk about motherhood and mummy wine culture, and the particular kind of shame that hits when you’re staring down a brutal hangover with a baby crying in the next room. Vic shares the day she finally said out loud, “I’ve got a problem with alcohol,” and why asking for professional help, not just willpower, changed everything. One of the most powerful moments is a therapy visualization that reframes recovery in a single image: a chaotic merry go round of drinking and noise, and the option to step off. We also get into what happens next: friendships that shift, boundaries that protect your sobriety, and why so many overdrinkers relate to ADHD traits and rejection sensitivity. Then we zoom out to the good stuff, like laughing without booze, sober retreats in Thailand, and building real community that makes an alcohol-free life feel bigger, not smaller. If this resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s questioning their drinking, and leave a quick review so more people can find us. Contact Us:  https://www.meganwebb.com.au/podcast-1 [https://www.meganwebb.com.au/podcast-1] meganwebbcoaching@gmail.com Ali insta:  https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/ [https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/] Meg website:  https://www.meganwebb.com.au/ [https://www.meganwebb.com.au/] insta: https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/ [https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/] Connect AF: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching [https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching]

Real Sober Belly Laughs

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2470602/fan_mail/new] You know that line people love to say, “I’m more fun when I’m drinking”? We don’t buy it anymore, and we’ve got the stories to prove why. We’re talking about the kind of laughter that actually lands, the kind you remember the next day, and why being alcohol-free doesn’t make life smaller it makes it clearer, louder, and way more connected. We share our biggest Laughs Without Lager moments, starting with a sober retreat in Phuket that turned into a highlight reel of joy: air guitar to Sweet Child O’ Mine on a boat, ridiculous jokes shouted across the water, and the kind of confidence we used to think required a few drinks. It wasn’t all smooth either. Think snorkeling chaos, an ear infection that made balancing impossible, looking “drunk” while totally sober, and an accidental jellyfish to the face. Somehow it all becomes funnier because we’re present for it, not numbing through it. We also get into real-life sober socializing: throwing a karaoke night without drinking and realizing you can actually read the lyrics, laughing until it hurts at a quiz night, and why the best part of a great night out is driving home with zero fear. Then we contrast it with the lonely side of drinking, the mental noise of can’t-stop habits, and how routines like “reward drinks” after chores can quietly keep you stuck. If you’re exploring sobriety, mindful drinking, or just want more genuine fun without alcohol, this one will feel like a deep exhale. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a laugh, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s your biggest sober laugh without lager? Contact Us:  https://www.meganwebb.com.au/podcast-1 [https://www.meganwebb.com.au/podcast-1] meganwebbcoaching@gmail.com Ali insta:  https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/ [https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/] Meg website:  https://www.meganwebb.com.au/ [https://www.meganwebb.com.au/] insta: https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/ [https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/] Connect AF: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching [https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching]

Ash Butterss!

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2470602/fan_mail/new] The lie that keeps most of us stuck isn’t what we tell other people, it’s what we whisper to ourselves when no one is watching. We’re joined by Ash Butters (Behind the Smile), who just celebrated six years sober, and she gets radically honest about how addiction works: the secrecy, the self-betrayal, the “crutch” behaviors that sneak in after we quit drinking, and the slow rebuild of self-trust that finally makes an alcohol-free lifestyle feel like freedom instead of punishment. We talk through Ash’s sobriety story from early blackouts and a high-functioning double life to the moment grief and trauma pushed binge drinking into daily dependence. She shares what rock bottom actually looked like for her, why rehab mattered, and how she stayed connected to recovery support when COVID lockdown wiped out normal aftercare. If you’ve ever wondered whether AA or a 12-step program can help, we unpack what changed when she was finally ready to hear the message. From there, we zoom out into long-term sobriety tools that work in real life: boundaries in relationships, nervous system regulation, breathwork, meditation, prayer, gratitude, yoga, and the non-negotiables that help us handle anxiety and “life on life’s terms.” If you’re in early recovery, sober curious, or rebuilding after relapse, you’ll leave with practical relapse prevention insights and a reminder that healing is a process, not an event. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review telling us what tool you’re using this week. Contact Us:  https://www.meganwebb.com.au/podcast-1 [https://www.meganwebb.com.au/podcast-1] meganwebbcoaching@gmail.com Ali insta:  https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/ [https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/] Meg website:  https://www.meganwebb.com.au/ [https://www.meganwebb.com.au/] insta: https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/ [https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/] Connect AF: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching [https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching]

A conversation with Jourdi Bleu!

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2470602/fan_mail/new] A lot of addiction stories don’t look like the stereotype, and that’s why this conversation lands. We’re joined by empowerment coach, yoga teacher, breathwork facilitator, and public speaker Jourdi Blue, who opens up about the real timeline behind her sobriety journey, from a traumatic car accident at 15 to opioid addiction, rehab at 18, and years of “high-functioning” drinking that blended into college and party culture. If you’ve ever wondered whether your relationship with alcohol is a problem because you still show up to work, this will feel uncomfortably familiar in the best way.  We talk about what happens when trauma gets pushed down instead of processed, how emotional regulation and identity can get hijacked, and why alcohol can become the fast fix for social anxiety and that painful sense of not belonging. Jourdi shares the pivot from a glamorous Sydney lifestyle that looked successful on the outside to feeling empty on the inside, plus the intuition moment that told her to leave and rebuild from scratch. Her story is also a clear look at the “moderation trap” and why attempts to control drinking can quietly turn back into daily dependence.  From there, we dig into what helped her finally put the drink down for good: 12-step support, therapy, hypnotherapy, coaching, and the healing power of yoga and breathwork. We also explore the fun side of recovery, including how she reclaimed dancing by creating sober dance parties built around cacao, breathwork, movement, and community. If you’re searching for sobriety motivation, alcohol addiction recovery tools, or a more spiritual and body-based approach to healing, you’ll take a lot from this one.  If this resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these stories. What part of Geordie’s journey hit closest to home for you? Jourdi's website: https://jourdibleu.com/ Contact Us:  https://www.meganwebb.com.au/podcast-1 [https://www.meganwebb.com.au/podcast-1] meganwebbcoaching@gmail.com Ali insta:  https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/ [https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/] Meg website:  https://www.meganwebb.com.au/ [https://www.meganwebb.com.au/] insta: https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/ [https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/] Connect AF: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching [https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching]

Recovery Jimmy On Quitting Alcohol And Building A New Life

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2470602/fan_mail/new] He started drinking at 14, and it didn’t stay “just weekends” for long. Recovery Jimmy joins us from Glasgow to tell the unvarnished story of how alcohol slid from buzz to baseline, how secrecy and withdrawal took over daily life, and why so many men in recovery still feel pressure to keep it quiet. We talk about the moment the “stiff upper lip” finally breaks, and what changes when you stop treating sobriety like a private struggle and start treating it like a life decision. Jimmy walks us through drink driving, job losses, chaotic relationships, and the kind of coping that sounds unbelievable until you’ve lived it: cough medicine at work, vodka in the car, and repeated relapses that come back stronger every time. We also unpack rehab timing right as COVID hit, the loneliness that follows consequences, and the hard truth that motivation often shows up only after pain becomes undeniable. From there, the conversation turns practical and hopeful. Jimmy lays out the recovery stack that helped him: hospital detox, AA, SMART Recovery, Zoom meetings around the world, quit lit, peer mentoring, and building a new identity through photography, a gardening business, and service. We also challenge the myth of “normal drinking,” discuss dating and relationships while alcohol-free, and share a moment that captures early sobriety perfectly: keeping an unopened vodka bottle for a world-ending scenario, then later choosing to pour it out and stay sober anyway. If you got value from this, subscribe, share this with someone who’s trying to quit drinking, and leave a review so more people can find honest alcohol-free recovery stories. Contact Us:  https://www.meganwebb.com.au/podcast-1 [https://www.meganwebb.com.au/podcast-1] meganwebbcoaching@gmail.com Ali insta:  https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/ [https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/] Meg website:  https://www.meganwebb.com.au/ [https://www.meganwebb.com.au/] insta: https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/ [https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/] Connect AF: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching [https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching]