After years in Alcoholics Anonymous — and a lifetime of seeking belonging in controlling systems — Teri realized she didn’t need to dim her light or outsource her thinking anymore.

This raw and powerful conversation explores what it’s really like to leave AA, find your voice again, and build a new life rooted in freedom, truth, genuine connection and self-trust.

Timestamps:

00:00 Best Thinking Got Her Out Of AA Intro

01:08 Leaving AA

05:33 Staying Silent, Guilt + Mormon Roots

08:24 AA Was Helpful + Also Emotionally Damaging

10:35 Deprogram Lounge

13:10 AA Cult Within A Cult

17:04 Teri's Evolution After AA

26:02 Healing Trust Issues + Group Trauma

36:21 Hardest Part of Leaving AA

39:48 Making Friends After AA

49:09 Scared to Join a Deprogramming Group

58:32 Speaking About Leaving AA

1:14:17 Drinking Around Social Issues

1:17:04 Leaving AA Was Harder Than Getting Sober

1:30:04 Deprogramming Course + Group

1:46:54 Is Deprogramming a "Cult" or Forever?

1:55:46 Freedom From Group Think

2:02:45 Still in Recovery?

2:13:14 Best Part of Leaving AA

🌀 Deprogram AA Course

📚 Deprogram Book List

🪩 Community, Zooms and book club to deprogram 12-step ideology 📚

👉 Inside the Deprogram Lounge

Let’s get f*cking free.

You’re Angry. You’re Resentful. You’re a Dry Drunk. You’ll Be Drunk in Five Years.

Have you ever heard things like this? 👀

Today’s episode dives into the #1 way AA defenders come for you (and why it’s actually a logical fallacy).

This one’s a total game-changer in our Critical Thinking Series, because once you see this pattern — you can’t unsee it. We’re breaking down how ad hominem (Latin for “to the person”) and appeal to authority show up in arguments, manipulation, and cult-like thinking — not just in AA, but everywhere.

00:00 Way Angry AA's Come For You Intro

01:28 Ad Hominem

04:35 Appeal to Authority

07:24 Staying Safe From Manipulation

14:18 Dry Drunk Mythology

18:06 Ad Hominem Deeper Dive

Whether you’re deprogramming from a high-control group, rethinking recovery, or just learning to trust your own brain again — this one’s for you.

🌀 Deprogram AA Course

📚 Deprogram Book List

🪩 Get free tools, community, Zooms and book club to deprogram 12-step ideology 📚

👉 Inside the Deprogram Lounge

Let’s get f*cking free.

Have you ever caught yourself spinning on a decision — looping between “what if” and “maybe not”? You’re not alone.

In this episode, I’m sharing 5 powerful ways to stop second-guessing yourself, especially if you’re leaving AA, deconstructing 12-step ideology, or just learning to trust your own thinking again.

By the end of this video, you’ll understand:

• Why second-guessing happens
• How to spot cognitive dissonance in real time
• A simple move to get unstuck fast

This is for anyone who’s been taught to doubt themselves — by society, religion, recovery programs, or high-control groups — and is now reclaiming their critical thinking, intuition, and freedom.

Timestamps:

00:00 Stop Second Guessing Yourself in Recovery intro

00:59 Why I Was Second Guessing Myself After Leaving AA

03:30 1 - Cognitive Dissonance

11:32 2 - Fear of Mistakes or Regrets

16:45 3- Conditioning and Authority

23:36 4 - Perfectionism and Control

29:08 5 - Threat Mode Biology

38:55 Recap 5 Ways to Stop Second Guessing Yourself

🌀 Deprogram AA Course

📚 Deprogram Book List

🪩 Get free tools, community, Zooms and book club to deprogram 12-step ideology 📚

👉 Inside the Deprogram Lounge click here

Let’s get f*cking free.

How AA Is Controlling Your Mind part 8 of 8. Today we unpack one of the most disturbing tactics of all: Dispensing of Existence. 😳

Inside Alcoholics Anonymous, you’re either a disciple or you’re in danger.

If you stay, you’re “spiritually fit.” If you leave, you’re erased. Labeled a ticking time bomb. A danger to others. Spiritually dead.

This episode breaks down:

🔹 How AA makes you fear life outside the program

🔹 Why people shun you when you leave (and what that really means)

🔹 The cult-coded language that equates leaving with dying

🔹 Why your identity, safety, and existence are only “valid” inside the system

🔹 And how Bill W. sold it all with a pitch, not a prescription

If you’ve ever felt ghosted, dismissed, or demonized for walking away from AA — this is the episode you’ve been waiting for.

Here's the video I mentioned: 30 Signs of Emotional Manipulation

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📖 30 Signs of Emotional Manipulation Guide

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER with the online deprogramming AA course👇

🌀 Deprogram AA

Welcome back to our Deprogramming AA series — 8 Signs AA Is Controlling Your Mind. In this episode, we’re diving into Doctrine Over Person, a hallmark of mind control tactics from Dr. Robert Jay Lifton’s thought reform framework.

🧠 Inside AA, your personal experiences, trauma, instincts, and emotions are often dismissed if they conflict with the doctrine — the Big Book, the steps, the slogans, or a sponsor's opinion. You're told:

• “That's not in the book.”
• “You’re in denial.”
• “You didn’t do it right.”
• “You need to do more steps.”

That’s how the doctrine always wins. You are gaslit into distrusting yourself.

In this episode, I talk about:

• How trauma is reframed as your fault ("What's your part in it?")
• How doubt is labeled denial
• How questioning is pathologized
• Why “It works if you work it” is a blame-loop, not a helpful slogan
• The hypocrisy of AA dismissing modern science and outside help
• How the doctrine overrides common sense, self-trust, and even medical care

And I share a vulnerable story: the time I was told to make amends to someone who harmed me, and how I now see the steps were often a vehicle for suppressing trauma, not healing it.

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA 

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

What happens when a trauma survivor is told inside Alcoholics Anonymous that they need to make amends… for their own abuse?

Today we're looking at the disturbing truth about how the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous can retraumatize survivors, especially women. From misguided sponsorship to silence baked into AA culture, this clip from the Group Thinking Podcast exposes the emotional and psychological harm caused by the amends process.

Want help deprogramming AA?

🌀 Deprogram AA Course here

DM me or comment on any Sobriety Bestie socials. I’m here for the conversation.

@SobrietyBestie

Let’s get f*cking free.

I was in AA for 10 years then something began to shift, AA started to no longer seem true.

If you’re in that in-between space—questioning, unraveling, sensing that something’s off—you are not bananas. You’re waking up.

Want help deprogramming, check out my Deprogram AA course:

🌀 Deprogram AA

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or comment on any Sobriety Bestie socials. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

P.S. Here's the video I mention, What made AA ideology shatter

AA’s language isn’t just weird — it’s weaponized.

In Part 6 of this 8-part series on How AA Controls Your Mind, we break down Loaded Language — one of the most powerful (and dangerous) tactics used in high-control groups like Alcoholics Anonymous.

From phrases like “Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic” to “Feelings aren’t facts” and “It works if you work it,” AA uses thought-stopping slogans to control identity, shut down thinking, and keep you locked into the system.

Deprogramming AA course:

🌀 Deprogram AA 

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

🎙️ 8 Signs AA Is Controlling Your Mind – Part 5: Sacred Science

Welcome to the Sobriety Bestie Podcast. I'm Kirsten, your hostess and friend in this deprogramming adventure—where we’re reclaiming our minds from AA ideology and taking our power back.

In today’s episode, we dive into Sacred Science, the 5th sign in Dr. Robert Jay Lifton’s thought reform model. We explore how Alcoholics Anonymous frames its doctrine as absolute truth, discouraging questions, outside help, and critical thinking.

🚨 When the Big Book becomes the ultimate authority and obedience is confused with spirituality, you're no longer healing—you're being controlled.

💡 Topics we cover:

• How the Big Book became untouchable dogma
• The weaponization of “it works if you work it”
• Why questioning AA is treated like heresy
• The danger of sacred science in high-control groups
• How to reclaim your autonomy and THINK for yourself

🧠 Recovery is a path—not a prison. Truth doesn’t fear questions. Let’s break the spell.

Want to deeper dive? Explore my online courses:

🌀 Deprogram AA 

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

AA Comes for You — What Happened When I Told the Truth

I was in AA for 10 years. I left in 2020. But when I started talking publicly about it in 2025, everything changed.

This episode is about the backlash. The DMs. The control disguised as concern. The friends who got weird. And the culty energy that came pouring in when I finally spoke the truth.

If you’ve felt the pressure to stay silent… If you’ve felt the shame, the phobia indoctrination, or the gaslighting from people still inside…

You are not bananas.

You’re waking up.

And you’re not alone.

Want to recover from AA? Check out my deprogramming AA course:

🌀 Deprogram AA 

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

In this episode, we dive into Lifton’s fourth marker of mind control: The Cult of Confession — and how AA uses this tactic to break you down and keep you dependent.

We explore how Alcoholics Anonymous normalizes emotional exposure to unqualified sponsors, reframes trauma as your fault, and builds a culture where silence is seen as dangerous, boundaries are seen as defects, and outside help is often discouraged — sometimes with tragic consequences.

🧠 Is this “spiritual progress,” or psychological control?

🎧 Let’s talk about confession culture, coercive sponsorship, and what it really means to reclaim your autonomy.

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA 

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

Welcome to Part 3 of our 8-part series: “8 Signs AA Is Controlling Your Mind” — today we’re diving into Demand for Purity 😇➡️🩸

In high-control groups, purity isn’t about health — it’s about obedience. In this episode, we'll dive into how AA creates an all-or-nothing mindset:

👉 Character defects = normal emotions labeled as flaws

👉 Self-policing and shame are spiritualized

👉 Outside help is discouraged

👉 Relapse = total failure, instead of a data point

…and how that pressure can sabotage your healing and keep you trapped in fear.

This 8 part Mind Control series is inspired by Dr. Robert Jay Lifton’s Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, so we can unpack the hidden mind control tactics embedded in AA culture.

If you’ve ever felt guilt, shame, or like you weren’t “working your program hard enough,” this episode is for you.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

Dive deeper in your deprogramming journey with a self study course:

🌀 Deprogram AA 

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

AA is worse than I thought — 5 weeks of speaking out is changing everything.

I was in AA for 10 years — from 2009 to 2020. I left five years ago. But it wasn’t until I started talking about it publicly that I realized how deep the indoctrination really went.

Now that I’m five weeks into sharing my truth online, I’m seeing AA with new eyes — and honestly, it’s worse than I thought.

The control, the shame, the silencing… it’s all showing up again, only this time I’m on the outside of Alcoholics Anonymous.

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA 

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

Six months ago I finally hit publish on my first video about leaving AA—and it changed everything.

What started as fear turned into freedom, growth, and a whole new life. In this episode I reflect on six months of dissenting out loud, what I’ve learned from deconstructing Alcoholics Anonymous, and why this work matters so much. From 123 videos to playlists on AA mind control, cult comparisons, grieving, and alternatives, we’ve built a massive resource for anyone ready to get AA out of their head (playlists linked below)

Playlists:

AA Mind Control

AA Is A Cult

AA Culty Comments

Leaving AA Conversations

Deprogramming Books

Grieving AA

AA Alternatives

AA Propaganda

Escape Stories

Addiction Science

Now, as I move from deconstruction into critical thinking and reconstruction, I’m inviting you to keep evolving with me. Team Freedom—let’s keep getting free together.

🌀 Deprogram AA Course

📚 Deprogram Book List

🪩 Get free tools, community, Zooms and book club to deprogram 12-step ideology 📚

👉 Inside the Deprogram Lounge click here.

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or comment on any Sobriety Bestie socials. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

— Here's 10 ways Alcoholics Anonymous benefits from keeping you trapped inside the rooms of AA.

Ever wonder why AA wants you to stay forever?

In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, I’m breaking down 10 ways AA benefits from keeping you inside — from book sales to free labor to spiritual obedience disguised as “God’s will.”

This isn’t just a support group. It’s a system that uses fear, guilt, and control to hold onto you… even after you’ve outgrown it.

Want guidance with your deprogramming? Check out my deprogram AA course:

🌀 Deprogram AA

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

Mystical Manipulation is when AA reframes your emotional responses, coincidences, or discomfort as “spiritual guidance” to keep you loyal to the program. It’s when sponsors are treated like prophets, emotional highs are assigned religious meaning, and everything—especially harm—is justified as “God’s will.”

I even share the most disturbing thing my sponsor ever said... and how weaponized spirituality made it possible.

This series is based on Lifton’s “Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism.” Today’s focus:

“You’re here for a reason” = mysticism as control

Sponsors speaking “for God”

Gratitude as a silencing tool

Emotional highs mistaken for divine truth

How AA uses “God’s will” to excuse harm

This is what it looks like when your agency is spiritually hijacked.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

Dive deeper in your deprogramming journey with a self study course:

🌀 Deprogram AA 

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

Welcome to a powerful 8-part mini-series based on Dr. Robert Jay Lifton’s Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism — originally used to study brainwashing in Maoist China, and disturbingly relevant to high-control groups like Alcoholics Anonymous.

In Part 1, we’re breaking down Milieu Control — how AA controls your physical environment, your relationships, your thinking, and even your identity.

We’ll explore:

AA's indoctrination through immersion

Sponsorship as moral authority

Suppression of voice, critical thinking, and autonomy

Groupthink, shame tactics

If you've ever felt emotionally manipulated, second-guessed your truth, or wondered why it was so hard to leave AA — this series is for you. There’s nothing wrong with you. You were just in a system designed to control.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

Dive deeper in your deprogramming journey with a self study course:

🌀 Deprogram AA 

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

I was an AA true believer. I cried on Bill W’s grave. I did AA across the world.

But once I saw the truth—it all fell apart.

In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, I break down how AA hooked me with high-control tactics, outdated 1930's ideology, and identity-based manipulation… and why I’ll never go to AA again.

🔍 Topics we cover:

• The sales tactics hidden inside the 12 steps
• Why “real alcoholic” is loaded language that locks you in
• The pushup disease in the parking lot myth 🙄
• How AA keeps you stuck in a lifetime sentence
• What I realized when I deprogrammed with modern science and truth

If you’re questioning the program, you’re not alone.

If you’re waking up, I see you.

If you’re ready to reclaim your mind—you’re in the right place.

Want to go deeper? Check out my online course:

🌀 Click here to check out Deprogram AA 

You can listen to the full episode on Group Thinking Podcast here

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get free.

Let's open up about the reason leaving Alcoholics Anonymous is so hard. For me, it was probably the phobia indoctrination, the deeply ingrained belief that to leave is to die.

✨ But today is about you.

What’s been the hardest part for you about leaving AA?

Whether you’re freshly out or still untangling the mindset years later, this episode holds space for your truth—and invites you to share it.

📥 DM me on Instagram @sobrietybestie or comment on Sobriety Bestie YouTube. Your experience might inspire an episode or mini-series to better support you and others on this journey.

💡 In this episode:

• The phobia that kept Kirsten stuck for 10 years
• Why silence protects ideology—not people
• What exit trauma really feels like
• The freedom that unfolds on the other side of fear
• Why speaking out leads to deeper deprogramming

You are not alone. And you are not powerless.

Let’s keep waking up, together. 💥

What if you're going to meetings, working with a sponsor, maybe even doing the steps… but deep down, you don’t believe it anymore?

Today’s episode is for you.

This is a living f*cking amends to anyone I ever indoctrinated into AA. I used to believe it all. I taught it all. And now I know better. If you're stuck in that weird in-between—half in, half out—you're not alone. And you're not crazy.

We’re talking about:

• What it feels like to question AA while still in it
• The emotional + mental toll of staying silent around your doubts
• Why “alcoholism” isn’t a real diagnosis—and what is
• Whether harm reduction inside AA is even possible
• Tips from folks who deprogrammed while still attending meetings
• Why your gut knows when it’s time to leave
• A call to trust yourself, your brain, and your future

👉🏽 This episode is a permission slip. Not to do what I say—but to listen to yourself.

And if you’ve been silently struggling, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment on the YouTube version of this episode here or DM me—let’s start a better conversation about recovery, truth, and autonomy.

Because it’s not your job to conform.

It’s your right to get free.

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

📖 30 Signs You're Being Emotionally Manipulated guide 

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA 

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin

When you're deprogramming from Alcoholics Anonymous or any high-control group, finding the right therapist can make all the difference.

In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, I walk you through key questions to ask when choosing a therapist — based on advice from cult recovery expert Dr. Janja Lalich. This isn’t just about credentials. It’s about alignment, safety, and whether your therapist truly supports your freedom — not just your compliance.

Read the list of Q's on Dr. Janja Lalich's website here.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA 

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

📖 30 Signs You're Being Emotionally Manipulated guide 

💬 Let’s Connect

@SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

If your therapist is in AA and reinforces the fear, they’re not holding space for your healing — they’re likely holding you hostage to an outdated ideology.

In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, we’re diving into a hard truth:

You can’t deprogram from AA with a therapist who’s still inside the program.

Even if they claim to be open-minded or say they support other paths… if they're still in the rooms, they’re still operating from AA's limiting framework.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

Want to dive deeper? Check out my deprogramming AA course:

🌀 Deprogram Course

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

📖 30 Signs You're Being Emotionally Manipulated guide

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

Today I’m telling the story of the most disturbing thing my AA sponsor ever said to me. It was about a known predator in our Alcoholics Anonymous meetings… and how she spiritualized it.

This is part of the deprogramming AA series and a crucial conversation about the 13th step—a term so common it has its own name, and that alone should raise alarms.

If you've ever felt unsafe, doubted your gut, or experienced sexual predation inside Alcoholics Anonymous—this one's for you.

You're not alone. It's safe to trust yourself.

Healing is possible. Freedom is available. And silence is not the solution.

Free resources + online courses mentioned:

📺 My TED talk on s*xual abuse + addiction

😞 The 13th Step Documentary by Monica Richardson

📕 Heartgasm Revolution Book – Emotional sobriety meets self love

🌀 Deprogram AA course – Reclaim your power + rebuild self-trust

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin course – Build emotional freedom + rediscover your purpose

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

In 30 signs you're being emotionally manipulated, we're diving in so you can recognize emotional manipulation in real time AND reclaim your power.

We’re diving into 30 emotional manipulation tactics—what they are, how they show up in everyday life, and how they’re often used inside Alcoholics Anonymous.

This episodes corresponding free guide and online course 👇

📖 30 Signs You're Being Emotionally Manipulated guide

🌀 Deprogram AA Online Course

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

Victor from Quackaholics Anonymous shares his powerful journey of breaking free from Alcoholics Anonymous and finding the power to quit drinking on his own.

In this candid conversation, Victor opens up about being branded a “chronic relapser” in AA, feeling isolated and hopeless, and how leaving the program set him free. From realizing AA was a scam, to rebuilding life on his own terms, to starting one of the first dissenting AA YouTube channels — this is his story of reclaiming self-esteem, critical thinking, and true sobriety.

Whether you loved AA, hated it, or are just questioning it, this interview shines light on what life after AA can look like.

Quackaholics Anonymous YouTube Channel

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro Quackaholics Anonymous

03:48 Deprogramming Out Loud, Online

05:28 First Leaving Alcoholics Anonymous

10:24 Seeing Old Timers "True Colors"

13:58 DUI + Getting Back On Your Feet

16:57 Feeling Empty After Leaving AA

19:31 Deciding To Leave AA

24:35 Finding The Power To Stop Drinking Without AA

28:14 Realizing AA Is A Scam

35:17 Starting A Dissenting + Deprogramming AA YouTube Channel

47:33 The Mindset That Got Him Sober Without AA

54:20 Rebuilding Life After AA

1:03:13 Deconstructing AA Martyrdom + Self Sacrafice

1:11:58 Best Part About AA Dissenting

1:23:20 AA Disables Critical Thinking + Self Esteem

1:28:14 AA Friendships After Leaving AA?

1:34:00 Commenting With Trolls, Haters + AA Lovers

🪩 Get fee tools, community, Zooms and book club to deprogram 12-step ideology 📚

👉 Inside the Deprogram Lounge click here.

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or comment on any Sobriety Bestie socials. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

You got sober—but did you get free?

In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, we’re talking about something few people in recovery circles are willing to touch: the idea that Alcoholics Anonymous itself can become addictive. For some of us, the meetings, the steps, the fellowship… it all felt like self medicine. Or maybe it never did.

Does AA become another addiction? We'll dive into:

• How AA can become a new form of dependency
• Why the “daily reprieve” might actually be lifetime codependency
• The emotional, biochemical, and psychological hits that kept us hooked
• The trauma-informed lens on early sobriety and self-medication
• What helped me break free—and what might help you, too

Whether you felt high on AA or just scared to leave, this conversation is for you. Let’s unpack the layers with honesty, compassion, and zero shame. Because leaving recovery shouldn’t feel like a relapse—and questioning the program doesn’t make you broken. It makes you courageous AF.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

📖 30 Signs You're Being Emotionally Manipulated guide 

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA 

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect

Everyone says AA is free. But what if it’s not?

In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, we break down the real costs of Alcoholics Anonymous—from the thousands of hours of unpaid emotional labor to the therapy bills many of us face after leaving. If you’ve ever paid to unfuck your mind from 12-step ideology, this is for you.

We’ll dive into:

• The hidden emotional, psychological, and financial costs of long-term AA involvement
• Why “free” often means unpaid labor and internalized guilt
• How coercive control can feel like service when you believe it’s saving your life
• The cost of deprogramming—and why it’s the best money you’ll ever spend
• The truth about purpose, dopamine, and building a meaningful life outside of recovery

If you’ve spent years sponsoring, sharing, showing up, and being told your value was in how much you gave away—this episode will hit deep. It’s time to talk about what we gave, what we lost, and why leaving AA might be the most liberating decision we’ve ever made.

Check out the Deprogramming course 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Online Course

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

Today in our deprogram AA series we’re unpacking how the AA disease model doesn’t just offer support—it can program you into a state of learned helplessness.

What starts as help can turn into a trap: you’re told you’re powerless, broken, and forever in recovery. But what if that’s not true? What if the idea of having a “fatal, progressive disease” is a belief system—not a biological reality—and what if that belief is what’s keeping you stuck?

We explore:

• The origins of AA’s disease concept (spoiler: Bill was a salesman)
• How “powerlessness” becomes programming
• The myth of the disease doing pushups in the parking lot
• The emotional cost of being told recovery is forever
• And how to unbrainwash yourself so you can finally move on, empowered

This episode is for anyone questioning the forever recovery model, wondering if they’ve already healed, and ready to reclaim their autonomy, agency, and actual freedom.

Check out the Deprogramming course 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Online Course

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

What if you weren’t an “alcoholic” after all?

In this episode, we dive deep into two of AA’s most insidious high-control tactics:

🔹 Identity manipulation

🔹 Self-diagnosis under pressure

We unpack:

• How AA gets you to adopt the “alcoholic” label when you’re at your most vulnerable
• Why that label isn’t a medical diagnosis (and never has been)
• The harm that comes from mistaking neurodivergence, trauma, or mental health struggles as “alcoholism”
• How many folks only discovered their ADHD, autism, or bipolar II after leaving AA—and how life got so much better with real support
• The difference between addiction recovery and discovering who you really are

If you’ve ever felt gaslit by AA’s one-size-fits-all “solution,” this episode is for you.

Check out the Deprogram course: A self-paced experience to help you untangle the mindf*ck, trust yourself again, and move forward with clarity and confidence.

🎓 Click here to explore the course →

You don’t need to spend your whole life fixing what was never broken.

Your wiring isn’t a defect.

You are not a walking diagnosis.

Let’s stop anchoring to our past—and start living our truth.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

In today's Daily Dogma Detox series, we’re talking about a phase of sobriety that no one seems to mention — graduating from recovery. What if you don’t need to “recover” for the rest of your life? What if you’re actually done?

We'll reflect on what it means to leave AA, the silence around the exit, the courage it takes to trust your gut, and the power of reclaiming your own timeline. This episode is for the brave souls who know it's time to move on — and want permission to celebrate their liberation.

✨ We talk about:

– Why leaving AA is rarely acknowledged (and why that’s harmful)

– What it means to graduate from recovery

– Why critical thinking = freedom

– The importance of trusting your inner knowing

– Celebrating your sovereignty (book burning optional 😉)

🎉 Whether you left quietly or are just starting to question it all — this one’s for you. Let’s normalize the exit. Let’s make graduating from recovery something to be proud of.

Check out the Deprogramming course 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Online Course

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

What happens when a recovery group uses fear to keep you from leaving?

In this episode, I unpack one of the most manipulative (and most normalized) control tactics inside AA:

phobia indoctrination—the messaging that to leave the group is to die.

We talk about:

• How this tactic is baked into AA's structure and slogans
• Why it feels so terrifying to leave—even if your intuition is screaming to go
• A real-life story of receiving one of these subtle “death threat” messages in the middle of a manicure
• Why this isn’t about bashing AA—but reclaiming your right to think, leave, and live

I also share how I worked through the phobia programming in therapy, and what finally helped me trust myself enough to walk away—and keep going.

You're not alone—and you're not broken.

I created Deprogram for folks like us—people untangling from AA’s control and reclaiming their autonomy. It's a self study course (no sponsors, no meetings, no BS).

🎓 Click here for the Deprogramming AA Course →

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

The question so many of us wonder... Is Alcoholics Anonymous a Cult?

We're pulling today's pod from Sobriety Bestie YouTube on.. is AA a cult. Listen in here or you can watch it on Sobriety Bestie Youtube.

Based on my 10 years inside AA, 5 years outside AA, and everything I’ve learned since speaking publicly — I’m unpacking it all.

Inside this episode:

✨ My first impressions of AA (hint: it wasn’t great)

✨ Love bombing, mind control, and "friends with conditions"

✨ Why informed consent matters in recovery

✨ How the real whiplash hit AFTER I left

✨ Why speaking out is met with cult-like behavior

✨ And how my mind is still evolving on this question today

This is about truth. freedom. critical thinking.

If you’ve ever wondered:

– "What the hell did I just go through?"

– "Why does leaving AA feel so intense?"

– "Am I crazy for questioning it?"

You are not alone.

There are thousands of us silently thriving after leaving AA.

It’s time to have the conversations that help us heal, evolve and move forward.

Check out the Deprogramming course 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Online Course

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

In this raw and honest episode, I dive deep into one of the most common mantras in recovery spaces: “AA saved my life.”

But what if it didn’t?

What if you saved your own life?

This is a powerful conversation for anyone walking through the fog of deprogramming—especially if you’ve ever felt like AA took credit for your transformation while gaslighting your intuition. I’m unpacking the cultural conditioning that equates obedience with salvation, and why reclaiming your autonomy is such a big damn deal.

If you’ve ever whispered “I can’t do this anymore” and found the courage to choose life—this one’s for you.

Check out the Deprogramming course 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Online Course

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

When I left AA, I didn’t just walk away from meetings—I dove straight into studying emotional manipulation.

Because I felt humiliated.

Embarrassed.

Played.

Like how did I believe all the nonsense FULLY and for so long. So I wanted to understand what the hell had happened—and how to never fall for it again.

In this episode, I’m sharing:

• The simple tactic I use in real time to break free from manipulation
• 3 high-control manipulation tactics you’ll often see in AA
• How recognizing these patterns can help you reclaim your agency and self-trust

If you’ve ever questioned your experience inside AA…

If you’ve ever felt guilt-tripped, silenced, or confused by the way people acted when you tried to leave… If you’re still unpacking the internal programming...

This is for you.

Deprogram is an on demand course to help you deprogram AA’s fear-based messaging and reclaim your mind, your power, and your life.

🌀 Deprogram AA Online Course

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

AA told me I had “alcoholic thinking," and "untreated alcoholism" amongst other terms Bill made up.

But it turns out… I’m autistic. And ADHD.

Not broken, not diseased, not spiritually bankrupt—just wired differently.

In today’s Daily Dogma Detox episode, I’m unpacking how Alcoholics Anonymous blocked me from discovering who I really am. I was misdiagnosed inside the rooms—told that my neurodivergent traits were “character defects,” my sensory overwhelm was “untreated alcoholism,” and my entire internal world was a spiritual sickness.

But it wasn’t.

Inside the AA framework, I couldn’t see clearly.

Outside of it, I could finally meet myself.

We talk about:

• Why AA’s language and ideology delay accurate diagnoses
• How autism and ADHD often get mislabeled as “alcoholism”
• What it feels like to pray away your traits (and fail)
• The difference between self-medication and addiction
• And how modern tools can actually help us thrive

If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s more to your story than “alcoholism”… there probably is. And it’s safe to get curious.

Check out my course: Deprogram

It’s not a group. It’s not a meeting. It’s a powerful self-guided experience to help you deprogram, reclaim your identity, and move forward—on your own terms.

Check out the Deprogramming course 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Online Course

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any...

In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, I’m unpacking a culty comment that accuses my podcast of being “alcoholic thinking and behaving at its finest.”

🚫 Here’s the truth: there is no such thing as “alcoholic thinking” or “alcoholic behavior” outside of literally drinking alcohol.

These terms were invented and weaponized by AA to control the narrative, sell the disease model, and funnel people toward God as the supposed solution.

We’ll break down:

• How Bill W. used Dr. Silkworth’s “fatal disease” pitch to sell God
• Why terms like “alcoholic thinking” are propaganda, not science
• How attacking the messenger distracts from the real issue: the harmful ideology
• How critical thinking is a path to freedom

🪩 Get fee tools, community, Zooms and book club to deprogram 12-step ideology 📚

👉 Inside the Deprogram Lounge click here.

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or comment on any Sobriety Bestie socials. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

Why does AA react so intense when you leave? We're diving into it in another Daily Dogma Detox special episode.

In today’s episode, I’m breaking down the real reason why AA members push back so hard when someone chooses to leave—and thrive. When your exit doesn’t fit their narrative, it becomes a threat to their identity. The system can’t acknowledge your freedom, so it labels you as wrong, dangerous, or “not a real alcoholic.”

We’re talking about:

• Ideological possession (yes, it’s a real thing)
• Closed systems and why your truth threatens the whole structure
• Why speaking out feels scary—and why that fear was planted there
• Programming that tells you not to trust your own thinking
• And how to reclaim your voice, your autonomy, and your damn self

If you’ve left AA (or are thinking about it), this episode is here to remind you that your intuition is your compass. Not Bill’s ideas. Not groupthink. You.

Check out my self-paced, on-demand course: Deprogram.

It’s not a meeting, not a group—just a straight-up roadmap to help you reclaim your mind, your voice, and your power.👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Online Course

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

What happens when you finally speak your truth about leaving Alcoholics Anonymous?

In this episode, I’m diving into the shock of sharing publicly about my exit from Alcoholics Anonymous—and the unexpected emotional and psychological waves that followed. From subtle manipulation to ideological possession, we’re naming what happens when you walk away from a high-control group… and dare to say so out loud.

I’m not here to bash. I’m here to break free.

And if you’re on that path too—this one’s for you.

We talk about:

• The after-recovery void (what no one warns you about)
• Exit trauma and the psychology of leaving a belief system
• High-control tactics (even from “well-meaning” people)
• Why reclaiming your intuition is everything
• And how freedom becomes the north star after programming

If you’re navigating the weird, messy, courageous process of leaving AA—or trying to rebuild your trust in yourself—know this: you’re not alone. There’s life (and deep liberation) on the other side.

Check out my on-demand course, Deprogram .

No groups. No sponsors. Just you, reclaiming your voice and your power.👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Online Course

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

What if you were never actually an alcoholic… but neurodivergent all along?

Or maybe you have another diagnosis that explains everything like Type 2 Bipolar or depression or...

In this episode, I share how Alcoholics Anonymous misdiagnosed me—and how I came to discover I’m autistic and ADHD after I left the rooms. We unpack the pressure to conform inside AA, the common misdiagnosis, especially with women in recovery, and what it really feels like to finally see yourself clearly after years of confusion and self-doubt.

If you’ve ever felt like something deeper was going on beneath your drinking—or if you’re in recovery and suspect you might be neurodivergent—this episode is for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 – AA Misdiagnosed Me As Alcoholic

04:30 – Why ADHD and Autism Get Missed in Recovery

10:58 – Misdiagnosis in AA Is Very Common

18:57 – Leaving AA Can Feel Like Withdrawal

26:08 – Finding Out I'm Neurodivergent After Leaving AA

31:10 – Can You Self-Diagnose as Neurodivergent?

Resources mentioned 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Online Course

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

📝 SHOW NOTES: Five days ago, I told the internet that I left Alcoholics Anonymous—after 10 years in, and 5 years out. I finally said it out loud.

And everything exploded.

In this episode, I’m giving you the real, raw, behind-the-scenes of what happened next. From the relief I felt, to the backlash I received, to the massive outpouring of support that showed me just how many people are silently struggling in the shadows of leaving recovery.

If you’re questioning recovery, quietly outgrowing AA, or just curious what it’s like to come out of the leaving AA closet—this is for you.

We talk about:

• The emotional aftermath of hitting publish
• The freedom that came from finally telling the truth
• The reaction I got (the good, the bad, and the trolling)
• Why this message is especially for autistic & neurodivergent women
• Exit trauma, self-trust, and choosing truth over fear
• What happens when we stop hiding and show up authentic

🎧 Listen now, and if it resonates, share it with someone silently suffering. Let's make this conversation not-so-silent anymore.

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

→ Why I Left AA After 10 Years

→ Deprogram AA Course

→ My TED Talk

→ Personal Facebook (come say hi)

💬 Let’s talk:

Are you in, out, or somewhere in-between? Send me a DM, I’d love to hear your story.

🎧 Episode Summary:

In this raw, unfiltered, and deeply personal episode, I finally break my silence and my anonymity around Alcoholics Anonymous. After 10 years as a devoted, true-believer AA member and 5 years since leaving the program, I'm opening up about why I left — and what happened next.

This is the story of what it means to evolve beyond recovery. It’s not an AA bash-fest. It’s a soul-truth telling, and my intention is to liberate anyone who’s been quietly wrestling with doubts, dissonance, and the terrifying question: What if I leave... and I die?

I share:

• The moment I realized I was in a high-control ideology
• How critical thinking cracked open my AA worldview
• The painful (and freeing) process of deprogramming
• Why I now believe recovery can become learned helplessness
• How I discovered I was autistic and ADHD after leaving AA
• What recovery actually means to me now
• The surprising grief, fear, and freedom that comes from walking away

If you've ever felt trapped in a program that once saved you, or you’ve questioned whether staying is still serving your evolution — this episode is for you.

I share this not to convince, but to validate, to liberate, and to remind you: You're allowed to grow beyond where you started.

🌀 If You’re in the Deprogramming Phase…

I created a course called Deprogram, specifically for folks leaving AA and navigating the messy, liberating, identity-shifting work of reclaiming their own mind.

It’s a roadmap I wish existed when I left Alcoholics Anonymous.

🌀 Deprogram AA Online Course



🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘

The adventure continues (from last week episode 15) in this little sobriety birthday party as I celebrate turning 15 years sober and share with you some of the most valuable lessons learned that helped me STAY sober.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Course

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

You're invited to join me for a little sobriety birthday party as I celebrate turning 15 years sober today here in this episode with you!

To celebrate my sobriety milestone I thought it'd be fun to share with you two of the top nuggets I learned each year of my sobriety that helped me STAY sober and go after my dreams.

But then I realized about one third of the way in that the episode was getting so long!!! So this will be part one of what will likely be a three part series with tips and wisdom learned along the way to 15 years of sobriety.

Here's the videos I reference in the podcast episode:

Guided healing pain meditation

ACEs Explained (Adverse Childhood Experiences)

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Course

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

This episode has been a long time coming.. Because so many of us have "mystery" health issues or cannot solve our mental health struggles due to the source being the killer toxic mold.

Today we dive into 29 ways you can combat mold and I share a little of my mold story in hopes that you can find some tips or strategies to help you suffer less and come back to life faster.

Because mold is one bad mofo out to destroy our health.

At least for the 25% of us who are genetically predisposition to be affected by toxic mold.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Course

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Course

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

Some of us find ourselves overwhelmed by anxiety and fear. When this gets extreme it can look like being afraid to be alone and or also afraid of leaving the house. This is how I felt before I got sober. I was terrified of leaving the house at times. And also I was afraid of being alone.

I had a conversation recently with someone who is in this place now, afraid to be alone and afraid to leave the house. So I'm hoping that making this video for you that if this is you too, that you feel less "alone" in this while also knowing that it is possible to move beyond this.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Course

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

Welcome to our sobriety birthday party podcast. Today September 29th I'm 16 years sober and Carrie (here's her Substack) turned 26 years sober on September 17th, the day we recorded this. You're in for a fun treat as we unpack all the sobriety birthday and sober time things.

In this candid convo, Carrie and I unpack the status game around sober time, the shame of “starting over,” why slips don’t erase growth, and what feels actually worth celebrating now.

If you’ve ever felt weird about chips, countdowns, or announcing your sobriety date, this one’s for you.

We explore:

• What sobriety dates measure—and what they don’t
• The difference between early-days momentum vs. long-term identity
• How purity culture sneaks into recovery language
• Alternative markers of progress (health, boundaries, critical thinking, purpose)
• Harm-reduction openness and letting people choose what works for them

00:00 Intro deconstructing sobriety birthdays and AA sober time

1:04 Carrie's sobriety birthday feels

06:26 Rethinking slips, relapses and changing sobriety date

10:36 AA conference slipped alcohol

16:02 Rigidity around sobriety birthday announcements

21:39 What does a sobriety birthday actually measure?

23:04 Does drinking actually "erase" sobriety time?

31:04 Why anchor to an old bad habit?

36:59 Sobriety date becomes new birthday

40:18 Sobriety birthday parties

47:37 How long does it take to deprogram?

55:18 Sobriety time "status" game

57:27 Coerced into marketing AA via sobriety chips

1:07:52 What feels relevant to celebrate now?

1:17:22 Do sobriety birthdays matter?

1:24:20 Sober time hierarchy + countdowns

Carrie's Substack: https://carrieengland.substack.com/

🪩 Get fee tools, community, Zooms and book club to deprogram 12-step ideology 📚

👉 Inside the Deprogram Lounge click here.

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or comment on any Sobriety Bestie socials. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Course

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

You've been through something major and now you want to use your story to inspire others.

Maybe you got sober.

Maybe you overcame anxiety.

Or you went through something hard AF and now that you've emerged as a freakin HERO you want to help others slay those dragons a bit faster.

I LOVE this about you!

There's so much VALUE in your experience, your wisdom, your steps through the dark and into the light.

And sharing your inspirational message is a great way to make a difference in the world.

Or perhaps you want to use your inspirational story, your message of hope, your courageously earned wisdom as the foundation for a business.

Fantastic, it's a great day to use your story to inspire others.

We all need the inspiration!

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Course

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

If you're feeling like you don't know who you are in sobriety, you're not alone.

A lot of us get sober and wonder, "Who am I?"

Or even years into sobriety begin wondering who we are.

The early sobriety identity crises is real!

I had an existential crises at 90 days sober. In public LOL.

Today we're diving into the identity crises in early sobriety that so many of us have and how to navigate your way through it.

This includes a way out of feeling trapped in situations that don't bring you joy.

Yes, you get to feel more JOY in sobriety!

Discovering who you are in sobriety is about finding out what you actually like, what naturally brings you joy, and also it's about choosing who you want to be.

Then BECOMING who you choose to be!

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA Course

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.