Podcasts about emotional sobriety

Send us Fan MailSometimes you solve the thing you were worried about and feel relieved for about five minutes. Then your brain finds something else that could go wrong.Matt and Steve talk about what uncertainty does to them, from travel and job changes to money, family responsibilities, and situations where you've prepared as well as you can but still can't control the outcome. They also look back at the role alcohol used to play as a reliable way to shut down that discomfort, at least temporarily.Matt isn't trying to become fearless or convince himself everything will work out. He's trying to notice when fear of an uncertain outcome is keeping him from taking the next reasonable action—and learning that sometimes doing what you can has to be enough.Support the show

Topic: Beth B. on Transformation, Emotional Sobriety, and Relationships. Help Sober Cast carry the message: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3400+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Have you ever felt like alcohol was always there for you? After a stressful day, during celebrations, through heartbreak, or whenever you needed to unwind?If so, you're not alone.In this episode of the Sober Vibes Podcast, I explore why alcohol can feel like a trusted friend, why letting go can feel like a loss, and how emotional drinking keeps us believing alcohol is meeting our needs when it's actually keeping us stuck.In This Episode, You'll Learn why alcohol can feel like your best friend during difficult seasons  how emotional drinking becomes your go-to coping strategy  what you're really grieving when you decide to quit drinking  why alcohol creates the illusion of comfort, confidence, and connection  practical ways to meet your emotional needs without alcohol  how sobriety helps you build real peace, confidence, and self-trust Quitting drinking isn't just about giving up alcohol; it's about discovering healthier ways to find comfort, connection, and relief. When you begin meeting those needs without alcohol, you'll realize you were never losing your best friend; you were finding yourself.Mentioned in episode:My Reading List Podcast SurveyGrab Your Free Gift:30 Day Calendar Day & Night RoutineReady for Support? Here Are 4 Ways to Work With Me:Stop Starting Over ProgramPerfect for the self-guided woman who wants a step-by-step roadmap to quit drinking, break the moderation cycle, and build a strong sober foundation at her own pace.Sobriety CircleFor the community girlie who thrives with accountability, connection, monthly coaching, and ongoing support from women who truly understand the journey. Use code "soberjuly" at checkout to save $10 off your first month.1:1 Sober CoachingFor the woman who wants personalized support, deeper transformation, and a customized plan to stop drinking, manage cravings, and build a sustainable alcohol-free life.The After (Emotional Sobriety Program) The next chapter after quitting drinking. Once you've built your sober foundation, it's time to do the deeper work—healing emotional patterns, rebuilding your identity, strengthening self-trust, regulating your nervous system, and creating a life where you no longer need alcohol to cope.Grab My Masterclass:Free access to my $47 masterclass when you leave an Apple review-Gain access to my Masterclass by submitting a review on iTunes. Email me at sobervibes@gmail.com with a screenshot of the review, and I will send you the code to unlock my Masterclass for free!Thank you for tuning in!Thank you for listening! Help the show by Rating, Reviewing, and/or Subscribing to the Sober Vibes Podcast.Connect w/ Courtney:InstagramJoin the Sobriety CircleApply for 1:1 CoachingOrder the Sober Vibes Book

EMOTIONALLY DRUNK ON YOU A Deeper Investigation Into Whether Insecure Attachment and Codependence Turn Love Into an Emotional Substance We Use to Escape Ourselves With Special Guest Dr. Allen Berger SYNOPSIS A lover can enter your bloodstream without ever touching your body. One text settles the panic. One unanswered call restarts it. A warm tone restores your worth. A distant look sends your identity into free fall. No chemical entered the system, yet the entire internal climate changed. What, then, have you been consuming? Human beings rarely describe romantic attachment as intoxication. Culture gives it prettier names. Passion. Loyalty. Devotion. Chemistry. Ride-or-die love. Yet beneath some of these celebrated experiences lives a dangerous emotional arrangement: another person has become responsible for producing the inner condition you cannot yet produce, tolerate, or sustain for yourself. Their attention becomes medicine. Their approval becomes evidence that you matter. Their availability becomes protection against abandonment. Their need for you becomes proof that you deserve to exist. Their obedience becomes peace. Once love carries this burden, relationship stops functioning as an encounter between two free human beings. It becomes a private emotional economy in which one person must keep paying so the other person does not collapse. Attachment theory helps explain how early bonds can shape the adult nervous system's expectations of closeness, separation, safety, and loss. Codependence adds another layer. A person may manage, rescue, fix, please, monitor, sacrifice, or overfunction in order to maintain access to emotional security. The behavior can look loving from the outside while fear quietly writes the contract. The anxious partner may call control “connection.” The avoidant partner may call emotional disappearance “freedom.” The rescuer may call indispensability “service.” The self-erasing partner may call surrender “commitment.” Every strategy attempts to solve the same unbearable problem: how can I keep another person from awakening feelings I do not know how to live with? Dr. Allen Berger's concept of emotional sobriety attacks this arrangement at its foundation. His work challenges the hidden belief that personal peace depends upon people, places, and circumstances behaving according to our private rules. “I am okay if you call.” “I am okay if you stay.” “I am okay if you understand.” “I am okay if you choose me.” These conditions turn another person's freedom into a threat. Could emotional sobriety begin when “I am okay if” finally loses authority? This does not require emotional coldness, radical isolation, or the fantasy that mature adults need nobody. Human beings require connection. The deeper question concerns governance. Who governs your inner life when someone disappoints you? Who controls your identity when affection gets withdrawn? Who becomes responsible for calming the fear that existed before the relationship began? Clinical maturity may involve learning to experience jealousy without surveillance, loneliness without self-erasure, uncertainty without interrogation, disappointment without retaliation, and grief without turning loss into proof of personal worthlessness. Philosophically, emotional sobriety confronts our understanding of love itself. Can love remain love when it demands psychological captivity? Can intimacy survive without control? Can commitment retain meaning when fear serves as the lock? A partner who cannot leave has not necessarily chosen you. A partner who must constantly regulate you has little room left to meet you. Culturally, many communities teach people to endure emotional dependence as evidence of loyalty. Men may learn to hide dependency behind authority, possession, silence, or rage. Women may receive praise for transforming self-neglect into service. Family systems can reward the person who carries everyone while quietly punishing the same person for developing a self. Under these conditions, codependence can wear the clothing of morality. Metaphysically, the topic reaches even further. What happens when consciousness seeks completion through possession? Can another person ever provide permanent shelter from an interior world you refuse to inhabit? Perhaps every attempt to make someone else the source of your emotional stability places sacred responsibility in human hands that cannot carry it. Tonight's investigation enters the space between love and dependency, support and self-abandonment, care and control, attachment and intoxication. Are you loving your partner? Or are you drinking them? And when the emotional supply runs low, who do you become?

Dr. Vitz talks about the five principles of Emotional Sobriety, concluding this week with our replacing ego with humility. (Originally aired 10-31-2025)

Dr. Vitz talks about the five principles of Emotional Sobriety, continuing this week with how we train our chemistry. (Originally aired 10-30-2025)

Dr. Vitz talks about the five principles of Emotional Sobriety, continuing this week with retraining our perceptions. (Originally aired 10-29-2025)

Dr. Vitz talks about the five principles of Emotional Sobriety, proceeding this week with basing our internal chemistry on integrity. (Originally aired 10-28-2025)

Dr. Vitz talks about the five principles of Emotional Sobriety, starting this week with how and why we must take ownership of our internal chemistry. (Originally aired 10-27-2025)

Thom's Nutshell: Don't make the mistake of thinking you have no impact in this world of ours. You do. Whether from a pebble or a giant rock, we're all leaving ripples in the pond. Allen, Thom, and Patrick discuss the illusion of separateness permeating our human bonds. Emotional sobriety can resolve the crises caused by looking towards other people to validate our existence when we don't think we matter. Being responsible to others is accepting responsibility to ourselves. Thom and Allen discuss amends and earning our own respect. Rest in peace Glen Hansard. Our music is provided by the great southern artist Jefferson Ross. Learn more about Jefferson at jeffersonross.com Visit our website: www.emotionalsobriety.info Learn more about Joe C., Secular AA and Rebellion Dogs here: https://rebelliondogspublishing.com  Follow us on social media: Instagram: thomrutledge2 Joe C. Twitter: @Rebellion_Dogs   Friendly Circle Berlin workshops: https://friendlycircleberlin.org/events   Allen's book, 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety: https://www.amazon.com/12-Essential-Insights-Emotional-Sobriety/dp/1955415129/   Join Allen & Thom at our Thursday night, 7pm PST Zoom meeting on Emotional Sobriety and the Steps (login information below):  https://zoom.us/j/330149513 Password: 375986   For our ongoing workshop video series on Emotional Sobriety and the 12 Steps, visit our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEM2-kqLkfp3I4c0jy-X-g   Also, please join our “Emotional Sobriety and Recovery” FB Group at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/120450976662519 We'd love to stay in touch in between meetings.   We appreciate feedback! Contact Patrick, our producer, at pndirective4@gmail.com for any questions or comments. Chapters (00:00:00) - Emotional Sobriety: Next Step in Recovery(00:01:36) - You Deserve to Matter(00:07:52) - The Importance of Reality(00:10:02) - Codependents: The Joy of Living(00:17:35) - "I Made My Amends To My Mom"(00:18:29) - Tom Brady on Responsibility

Dr. Vitz talks about the five misconceptions about Emotional Sobriety, concluding this week with a dissecting of what emotional sobriety is all about. (Originally aired 10-24-2025)

Dr. Vitz talks about the five misconceptions about Emotional Sobriety, continuing with what it means to be emotionally available, open, and vulnerable. (Originally aired 10-23-2025)

Dr. Vitz talks about the five misconceptions about Emotional Sobriety, continuing with the difference between EMSO and your personal control, vs. psychological safety and its reliance on the behavior of others. (Originally aired 10-22-2025)

Dr. Vitz talks about the five misconceptions about Emotional Sobriety, starting with how EMSO can be confused with therapy. (Originally aired 10-20-2025)

Dr. Vitz talks about the five misconceptions about Emotional Sobriety, continuing with emotional intelligence (the identification of certain behaviors) and how to transcend it. (Originally aired 10-21-2025)

Thom's Nutshell: The ability to speak several languages is an asset, but the ability to keep your mouth shut in any language is priceless. Seeking truth through withholding judgment. What makes it difficult to keep our mouths shut. The Odyssey, grades in school, “won't” drink versus “can't” drink. What is the suffering that breaks us open and makes us susceptible to change? Our music is provided by the great southern artist Jefferson Ross. Learn more about Jefferson at jeffersonross.com Visit our website: www.emotionalsobriety.info Learn more about Joe C., Secular AA and Rebellion Dogs here: https://rebelliondogspublishing.com  Follow us on social media: Instagram: thomrutledge2 Joe C. Twitter: @Rebellion_Dogs   Friendly Circle Berlin workshops: https://friendlycircleberlin.org/events   Allen's book, 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety: https://www.amazon.com/12-Essential-Insights-Emotional-Sobriety/dp/1955415129/   Join Allen & Thom at our Thursday night, 7pm PST Zoom meeting on Emotional Sobriety and the Steps (login information below):  https://zoom.us/j/330149513 Password: 375986   For our ongoing workshop video series on Emotional Sobriety and the 12 Steps, visit our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEM2-kqLkfp3I4c0jy-X-g   Also, please join our “Emotional Sobriety and Recovery” FB Group at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/120450976662519 We'd love to stay in touch in between meetings.   We appreciate feedback! Contact Patrick, our producer, at pndirective4@gmail.com for any questions or comments. Chapters (00:00:07) - Coming to Alcoholics: The Next Step in Recovery(00:01:03) - Can We Ever Come Home?(00:02:11) - Alcoholics on the Recovery Process(00:06:04) - Tom Rutledge: The Key to Life(00:08:55) - The Value of Listening(00:14:38) - Tom and Alan on Their Most Toxic Relationship(00:17:36) - Non-Judgmental Musings for 12 Step Life(00:23:43) - Know the Meaning of Your Life(00:24:53) - Should We Suspend Our Judgment of Trump?(00:30:29) - Open Minds on the Divorce(00:34:43) - Can I Be Active Azealously?

Are you carrying the weight of the world, feeling like you're constantly hustling just to survive? In this episode of Married and Connected, host Kameran Alareqi sits down with seasoned coach, former pastor, and author Kurt Bush (Live Fully, Lead Authentically) to break down the dangers of "hollow success" and hustle culture. Together, they explore how deep self-awareness, confronting fear, and discovering true alignment can transform not only how you lead in business, but how you show up as a partner and parent at home.

Lots of us are afraid of the very word: fear. We'd rather say anxiety, or worry, or panic.  Yet according to Thom Rutledge, fear underlies most difficult emotions, and is a close companion to shame. Fear plays into just about every decision we ever make in our lives. To defeat fear, according to Thom, is neither possible nor desirable. Instead we need to live beyond its control, and to understand it. Rather than squashing down the voices of panic and dread, we can face up to them, explore them and respond.  In this episode Andrew and Thom explore: ✅ The meaning of fear ✅ How we can understand fear in our own lives ✅ How our family background shapes our experience of fear ✅ Four ways we can start to “embrace fear”. Thom Rutledge has been a psychotherapist for more than 40 years and is the author of several books, including Embracing Fear, The Self-Forgiveness Handbook, Earning Your Own Respect, The Greater Possibilities and What Love Is. He draws on professional training and experience as well as his own personal experience in recovery and personal growth to work with his clients. Thom and his colleague, Dr. Allen Berger, co-host their own weekly podcast, Emotional Sobriety.   If You're Looking for More…. You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests  and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50.  This week supporters will hear: - Three things Thom Rutledge knows to be true. - AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.   Follow Up Get Andrew's free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things  Take a look at Andrew's new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools   Visit Thom Rutledge's website Read Thom Rutledge's books, including Embracing Fear.  Listen to Emotional Sobriety, a podcast co-hosted by Thom Rutledge and Dr Allen Berger. Follow Thom Rutledge on Twitter @ThomRutledge Read Andrew's blog on how keeping a journal can help deal with difficult emotions: Top Twelve Benefits of Journaling  If anxiety is a topic of interest for you, you may also enjoy Andrew's conversation with Richard Paterson: No More Overthinking Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50. Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall 

Thom's Nutshell: If you measure your well being according to how others treat you, you are choosing a life over which you have no control. This is voluntary victimization. Allen brings in his study of a “reflective sense of self” as we discuss the ways our difficulties with emotional sobriety impact those we love. Thom and Joe re-explore stoicism through the lens of emotional dependency. Our fear of life is really a fear of emotions.  Patrick reads a passage from Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents by Lindsay Gibson. Our music is provided by the great southern artist Jefferson Ross. Learn more about Jefferson at jeffersonross.com Visit our website: www.emotionalsobriety.info Learn more about Joe C., Secular AA and Rebellion Dogs here: https://rebelliondogspublishing.com  Follow us on social media: Instagram: thomrutledge2 Joe C. Twitter: @Rebellion_Dogs   Friendly Circle Berlin workshops: https://friendlycircleberlin.org/events   Allen's book, 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety: https://www.amazon.com/12-Essential-Insights-Emotional-Sobriety/dp/1955415129/   Join Allen & Thom at our Thursday night, 7pm PST Zoom meeting on Emotional Sobriety and the Steps (login information below):  https://zoom.us/j/330149513 Password: 375986   For our ongoing workshop video series on Emotional Sobriety and the 12 Steps, visit our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEM2-kqLkfp3I4c0jy-X-g   Also, please join our “Emotional Sobriety and Recovery” FB Group at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/120450976662519 We'd love to stay in touch in between meetings.   We appreciate feedback! Contact Patrick, our producer, at pndirective4@gmail.com for any questions or comments. Chapters (00:00:07) - Emotional Recovery: The Next Step in Recovery(00:02:33) - This Reflective Sense of Self(00:06:57) - Dr. Matt Ramon on(00:12:13) - The Stochics on Emotions(00:15:30) - How Emotional Inebriation Affects Their Adult Lives(00:21:31) - "Tell Me What You Need"(00:22:05) - How to Realize Your Potential in Emotional Sobriety

Joe & Charlie were well known for the many Big Book workshops they did all over the country for many years, but the Big Book is not the only thing they spoke about . This is a 90 min workshop they did on the topic of Emotional Sobriety in 1990. Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3300+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Send us Fan MailSobriety can take away the drinking, but it does not automatically fix the part of us that avoids uncomfortable things. In this episode, Matt and Steve talk about the everyday tasks that can become weirdly heavy in recovery: making the phone call, going back to the dentist, dealing with money, choosing a contractor, or finally handling the thing we've been putting off.This conversation is about the anxiety that builds when we avoid, and the relief that often comes from taking one small action. Matt and Steve get honest about how avoidance still shows up in sober life, why it can feel worse once you know better, and how breaking the task down can make the next right thing feel possible.Support the show

Thom's Nutshell: Look for the benefit in all situations - practice positive opportunism. In another passage from Joe C.'s Beyond Belief, Allen ties our daily reflection to Emotional Sobriety and the importance of dislodging our false self in pursuit of an emboldened authentic one. Our music is provided by the great southern artist Jefferson Ross. Learn more about Jefferson at jeffersonross.com Visit our website: www.emotionalsobriety.info Learn more about Joe C., Secular AA and Rebellion Dogs here: https://rebelliondogspublishing.com  Follow us on social media: Instagram: thomrutledge2 Joe C. Twitter: @Rebellion_Dogs   Friendly Circle Berlin workshops: https://friendlycircleberlin.org/events   Allen's book, 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety: https://www.amazon.com/12-Essential-Insights-Emotional-Sobriety/dp/1955415129/   Join Allen & Thom at our Thursday night, 7pm PST Zoom meeting on Emotional Sobriety and the Steps (login information below):  https://zoom.us/j/330149513 Password: 375986   For our ongoing workshop video series on Emotional Sobriety and the 12 Steps, visit our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEM2-kqLkfp3I4c0jy-X-g   Also, please join our “Emotional Sobriety and Recovery” FB Group at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/120450976662519 We'd love to stay in touch in between meetings.   We appreciate feedback! Contact Patrick, our producer, at pndirective4@gmail.com for any questions or comments. Chapters (00:00:07) - Alan Berger on Getting Back to the Future(00:04:06) - The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous(00:08:27) - Don't Say AA '(00:11:41) - Thomas Had Enough of the False Self(00:16:00) - Living With Your Value System(00:21:52) - In the Simpsons Episode 8,(00:24:57) - Happy Hour: Positive Opportunism and Emotional Sobriety(00:26:24) - How to Control Your Thoughts(00:30:34) - Positive Opportunism in Life(00:34:09) - Alan on Bad Mouth and AA

John C from Ontario Canada is the speaker today sharing on the topic of: Uncovering The Mystery Of Emotional Sobriety at The Broken Elevator zoom meeting held at the end of February 2023. Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3300+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Emotional Sobriety Getting sober is one thing. Learning how to live sober is something else entirely. Many people stop drinking or using, but still struggle with resentment, fear, anger, control, anxiety, relationships, and the emotional habits that kept them stuck for years. That's where emotional sobriety begins. Today on The Daily Trudge, we'll talk about what it means to grow emotionally—not just physically or spiritually. How do we respond instead of react? How do we handle disappointment without falling apart? How do we stop expecting the world to change and start changing ourselves? Recovery isn't just about putting down the drink or the drug. It's about learning to live life on life's terms with honesty, humility, and emotional maturity. Join the conversation. #TheDailyTrudge #EmotionalSobriety #Recovery #Sobriety #AlcoholicsAnonymous #AA #MentalHealth #EmotionalGrowth #Healing #RecoveryCommunity

Send us Fan MailThere's a way many of us postpone our lives without even realizing it. We tell ourselves we'll slow down later, appreciate it later, and be happy when things settle down. Then one day we look around and realize the years didn't slow down while we were waiting.In this episode, Matt and Steve talk about Father's Day, graduation season, and the surprising realization that the moments we miss most usually aren't the big milestones. They're the ordinary things: rides to school, family dinners, sitting around the house, and hearing your kids call from another room.Recovery doesn't make life perfect, and it doesn't stop time. But it does give us something many of us didn't have while drinking: the chance to be there while life is happening.Topics include:• Why so many of us keep postponing happiness • The trap of “I'll appreciate this later” thinking • Why ordinary moments become the memories we treasure most • What surprised us about how quickly life moved • Presence over perfection in recovery and parentingSupport the show

Thom's Nutshell: We all have opinions. We all prefer certain outcomes. But attaching expectations to them is a choice. Disappointed? Upset? Devastated? Check your expectations. Why do we avoid going towards our pain? Because we don't have faith in our ability to cope with it. In emotional sobriety we work on our self-esteem, which is part of that perpetual engine moving us towards wholeness. From James Redford. The Struggle: “If it were any easier, it would be meaningless. If it were any harder, it would be impossible.” More from James Redford: https://www.amazon.com/stores/James-Redford/author/B0B6QG81CK?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=fc6b511e-c7e0-4483-9773-b2a68db7ade9 Our music is provided by the great southern artist Jefferson Ross. Learn more about Jefferson at jeffersonross.com Visit our website: www.emotionalsobriety.info Learn more about Joe C., Secular AA and Rebellion Dogs here: https://rebelliondogspublishing.com  Follow us on social media: Instagram: thomrutledge2 Joe C. Twitter: @Rebellion_Dogs   Friendly Circle Berlin workshops: https://friendlycircleberlin.org/events   Allen's book, 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety: https://www.amazon.com/12-Essential-Insights-Emotional-Sobriety/dp/1955415129/   Join Allen & Thom at our Thursday night, 7pm PST Zoom meeting on Emotional Sobriety and the Steps (login information below):  https://zoom.us/j/330149513 Password: 375986   For our ongoing workshop video series on Emotional Sobriety and the 12 Steps, visit our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEM2-kqLkfp3I4c0jy-X-g   Also, please join our “Emotional Sobriety and Recovery” FB Group at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/120450976662519 We'd love to stay in touch in between meetings.   We appreciate feedback! Contact Patrick, our producer, at pndirective4@gmail.com for any questions or comments. Chapters (00:00:07) - Emotional Sobriety: The Hurt Locker(00:07:45) - In the Elevator With Real People(00:09:15) - It Doesn't Even Matter If It's Good(00:11:44) - Living With an Addiction: Step 12(00:16:18) - Alan on Emotional Sobriety(00:20:57) - Emotional Sobriety and Relationships(00:25:18) - Part 8: Cooperation and Integrity(00:27:40) - I Want to Be Seen(00:32:01) - Poem for the Soul: James Redfern

Send us Fan MailBrooke Taylor looked successful from the outside. But behind the polished image was alcohol, pressure, and the exhausting feeling that nothing ever felt like enough. In this conversation, she shares what it was like to get sober before she felt ready — and why early sobriety felt more like punishment than freedom.They also talk about the exhausting work of keeping up appearances, what it took to finally stop, and why getting sober doesn't always end the search for relief, approval, or feeling like enough.Brooke is the author of Healing the Success Wound (Hachette, May 2026), which explores what happens when we tie our worth to what we accomplish instead of who we are.Connect with Brooke:Website: Brooke Taylor CoachingInstagram: @brookevtaylorTikTok: @brooketaylorcareercoachLinkedIn: Brooke TaylorSupport the show

Thom's Nutshell: Rather than praying for circumstances to change, pray for the strength and wisdom to face those circumstances. “This shouldn't be happening!” Well, it IS happening. So how do we deal with it? Riffing on Rumi, Paul McCartney, and Kathryn Grody with superfriend Joe Chisholm. Learn more about Joe C., Secular AA and Rebellion Dogs here: https://rebelliondogspublishing.com  Our music is provided by the great southern artist Jefferson Ross. Learn more about Jefferson at jeffersonross.com Visit our website: www.emotionalsobriety.info Follow us on social media: Instagram: thomrutledge2 Joe C. Twitter: @Rebellion_Dogs   Friendly Circle Berlin workshops: https://friendlycircleberlin.org/events   Allen's book, 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety: https://www.amazon.com/12-Essential-Insights-Emotional-Sobriety/dp/1955415129/   Join Allen & Thom at our Thursday night, 7pm PST Zoom meeting on Emotional Sobriety and the Steps (login information below):  https://zoom.us/j/330149513 Password: 375986   For our ongoing workshop video series on Emotional Sobriety and the 12 Steps, visit our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEM2-kqLkfp3I4c0jy-X-g   Also, please join our “Emotional Sobriety and Recovery” FB Group at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/120450976662519 We'd love to stay in touch in between meetings.   We appreciate feedback! Contact Patrick, our producer, at pndirective4@gmail.com for any questions or comments. Chapters (00:00:00) - Emotional Sobriety: The Next Step in Recovery(00:02:57) - Tom's Bottom Line(00:04:36) - Tom's Closet:(00:10:44) - Letting It Be(00:16:16) - How To Cope With A Codependent Partner(00:17:34) - A message from Joe in AA(00:20:56) - In the Elevator With Rumi

Send us Fan MailIn this solo episode of Love Anarchy, Andrea Atherton explores the powerful concept of emotional sobriety and the ability to experience difficult emotions without numbing, escaping, controlling, or handing them to someone else. While many people associate sobriety with recovery from substances, emotional sobriety is a deeper journey that affects all of us. It asks a profound question: Can you remain present with yourself when life feels uncomfortable? Through stories, insights, and reflections drawn from nearly three decades of experience in addiction recovery, trauma healing, and relationship work, Andrea unpacks why so many of us struggle to sit with loneliness, uncertainty, rejection, grief, and vulnerability.Growing up in families affected by addiction, dysfunction, emotional neglect, or trauma often teaches us survival strategies that follow us into adulthood. We become caretakers, achievers, people-pleasers, perfectionists, or rescuers, seeking validation, certainty, and worth through relationships, success, or being needed. In this episode, Andrea explores how these patterns develop, how they shape our intimate relationships, and why healing requires more than changing behaviors, as it requires increasing our capacity to feel.Whether you find yourself chasing reassurance, overworking, avoiding conflict, struggling with dating, or feeling overwhelmed by life's uncertainties, this conversation offers a compassionate invitation to slow down and reconnect with yourself. Emotional sobriety isn't about becoming less emotional; it's about becoming less afraid of your emotions. Join Andrea as she explores what it means to move from survival to self-trust, from reactivity to awareness, and from emotional dependency to genuine freedom.30-minute Consultation with Andrea https://www.andreaatherton.com/booking-calendarAndrea Atherton  Websitehttps://www.andreaatherton.com/Love Anarchy Websitehttps://www.andreaatherton.com/podcasthttps://loveanarchypodcast.buzzsprout.comLove Anarchy Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/loveanarchypodcast/Andrea Atherton Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/andreaatherton-17/

Thom's Nutshell: Ignoring our own dark potential only makes it stronger. Avoid washing dishes and there are not only more of them, they are also harder to clean. The difference between a reasonable and unreasonable expectation. From Allen: You can want from the best in you, or from the worst in you. You can want from what is healthy and solid, or what is empty and covetous. Wanting from neediness is common. Wanting from your solid, flexible self takes personal development. It takes growing up. From Thom: if any of you are afraid you've taken on your parents' characteristics, relax. You have. The 5 Points of Balance: Staying clear about our values and worth in the face of criticism (not letting others edit your sense of self). Calming our anxiety and comforting our emotional bruises or trauma. Grounded responding and not overreacting or under reacting when there is tension or anxiety. Confronting ourselves for our own integrity and able to meaningfully endure discomfort for our growth and development. Unhooking self, others and reality from unreasonable expectations. Our music is provided by the great southern artist Jefferson Ross. Learn more about Jefferson at jeffersonross.com Visit our website: www.emotionalsobriety.info Follow us on social media: Instagram: thomrutledge2 Joe C. Twitter: @Rebellion_Dogs Learn more about Joe C., Secular AA and Rebellion Dogs here: https://rebelliondogspublishing.com    Friendly Circle Berlin workshops: https://friendlycircleberlin.org/events   Allen's book, 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety: https://www.amazon.com/12-Essential-Insights-Emotional-Sobriety/dp/1955415129/   Join Allen & Thom at our Thursday night, 7pm PST Zoom meeting on Emotional Sobriety and the Steps (login information below):  https://zoom.us/j/330149513 Password: 375986   For our ongoing workshop video series on Emotional Sobriety and the 12 Steps, visit our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEM2-kqLkfp3I4c0jy-X-g   Also, please join our “Emotional Sobriety and Recovery” FB Group at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/120450976662519 We'd love to stay in touch in between meetings.   We appreciate feedback! Contact Patrick, our producer, at pndirective4@gmail.com for any questions or comments. Chapters (00:00:00) - Emotional Sobriety(00:08:44) - How to Unhook the Hook From Your Relationship(00:17:02) - How to Stop Ignoring Your Own Dark Potential(00:20:55) - Your Sexual Attraction in Therapy(00:24:44) - Countertransference in the Glass Household(00:26:55) - Procrastination and Recovery(00:31:08) - How Complicated Is Writing a Letter?

Thom's Nutshell: “The promise of perfection is a red herring. Don't be distracted from your pursuit of learning and improving.” Patrick celebrates eight years of sobriety and the gang discusses the importance of honoring recovery milestones. The 5 Points of Balance: Staying clear about our values and worth in the face of criticism (not letting others edit your sense of self). Calming our anxiety and comforting our emotional bruises or trauma. Grounded responding and not overreacting or under reacting when there is tension or anxiety. Confronting ourselves for our own integrity and able to meaningfully endure discomfort for our growth and development. Unhooking self, others and reality from unreasonable expectations. Our music is provided by the great southern artist Jefferson Ross. Learn more about Jefferson at jeffersonross.com Visit our website: www.emotionalsobriety.info Follow us on social media: Instagram: thomrutledge2 Joe C. Twitter: @Rebellion_Dogs Learn more about Joe C., Secular AA and Rebellion Dogs here: https://rebelliondogspublishing.com    Friendly Circle Berlin workshops: https://friendlycircleberlin.org/events   Allen's book, 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety: https://www.amazon.com/12-Essential-Insights-Emotional-Sobriety/dp/1955415129/   Join Allen & Thom at our Thursday night, 7pm PST Zoom meeting on Emotional Sobriety and the Steps (login information below):  https://zoom.us/j/330149513 Password: 375986   For our ongoing workshop video series on Emotional Sobriety and the 12 Steps, visit our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEM2-kqLkfp3I4c0jy-X-g   Also, please join our “Emotional Sobriety and Recovery” FB Group at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/120450976662519 We'd love to stay in touch in between meetings.   We appreciate feedback! Contact Patrick, our producer, at pndirective4@gmail.com for any questions or comments. Chapters (00:00:00) - Emotional Sobriety(00:04:10) - Joe Sobriety on His Eight Years of Recovery(00:07:21) - Applying the Principle of Differentiation to Emotional Sobriety(00:14:27) - The Differentiation in Personal Life(00:16:16) - 5 Points of Balance: How to Calm Your Anxiety(00:20:51) - Emotional Sobriety: Being More Present(00:25:22) - Tom on His Wife's Fight

Have you ever noticed how different you become when you're triggered?One moment you're calm, thoughtful, and clear.The next, you're overthinking, shutting down, becoming defensive, needing reassurance, or pulling away from the people you care about most.It's almost as if something takes over.In this week's episode, Emotional Sobriety, we explore why that happens and how to return to the version of yourself that feels grounded, present, and authentic.One of my favorite phrases comes from recovery communities:Emotional sobriety.Not because most of us struggle with substances.But because many of us know exactly what it feels like to have our fears, wounds, and attachment patterns cloud our judgment in the same way a substance might.When we're triggered, we stop seeing clearly.We lose access to parts of ourselves.And that often creates the very relationship patterns we're trying so hard to avoid.In this episode, we explore the two powerful forces living within all of us:The Inner Child: the part of us that longs for comfort, play, connection, spontaneity, and reassurance.And the Inner Parent: the part of us that brings wisdom, perspective, responsibility, self-regulation, and compassion.The challenge is that when we're triggered, one often takes over while the other disappears.And that's where emotional suffering begins.Episode timestamps:02:27 — What emotional sobriety actually means03:16 — Understanding the Inner Child04:17 — Understanding the Inner Parent05:18 — The shadow side of both parts06:18 — Why attachment styles matter07:04 — How anxious attachment loses access to the Inner Parent09:53 — How dismissive avoidant attachment loses access to the Inner Child13:14 — How fearful avoidants flip-flop between both extremes15:23 — The connection between triggers and protest behaviors16:02 — The first step toward emotional sobriety18:18 — Giving yourself time to bring all parts of yourself18:37 — Why understanding your attachment style changes everythingOne of the most important insights from this conversation is this:When we're triggered, we're rarely responding from our whole self.Instead, we're responding from a wounded part of ourselves that temporarily takes over.And until we learn how to bring both our Inner Child and Inner Parent into the room together, we often repeat the same relationship patterns over and over again.The good news?This is a skill.And skills can be learned.-Resources mentioned: Attachment FREE quiz - https://www.attachedthebook.com/wordpress/compatibility-quiz/-If you've been following these recent episodes and finding yourself thinking:"This sounds exactly like me.""I know my triggers are running the show.""I want to stop reacting and start responding differently."That's exactly why we created Untriggerable.Inside the program, we help physicians and high-achieving professionals identify their attachment patterns, dissolve the core wounds underneath them, regulate their nervous systems, and develop the emotional resilience needed to stay grounded—even when life gets challenging.You can learn more and join the community here:https://www.skool.com/relationshipmastery4physiciansOr simply reply to this email or reach out to admin@drkavethasun.com and our team will send you more information.

Emotional sobriety coach and "It's Not About the Alcohol" podcast host Colleen Freeland shares how she went from daily drinking to helping women cut back using simple, sustainable tools.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thom's Nutshell: “Recipe for peace of mind: KNOW what you believe. KNOW what is important. KNOW what is within your control. LIVE congruently with what you believe.” Thom and Patrick discuss “the upside of addiction” (as a means of climbing out of it), emotional sobriety and relationship struggles, using during therapy, and approaching addiction as a binary choice between life and death. Our music is provided by the great southern artist Jefferson Ross. Learn more about Jefferson at jeffersonross.com Visit our website: www.emotionalsobriety.info Follow us on social media: Instagram: thomrutledge2 Joe C. Twitter: @Rebellion_Dogs Learn more about Joe C., Secular AA and Rebellion Dogs here: https://rebelliondogspublishing.com    Friendly Circle Berlin workshops: https://friendlycircleberlin.org/events   Allen's book, 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety: https://www.amazon.com/12-Essential-Insights-Emotional-Sobriety/dp/1955415129/   Join Allen & Thom at our Thursday night, 7pm PST Zoom meeting on Emotional Sobriety and the Steps (login information below):  https://zoom.us/j/330149513 Password: 375986   For our ongoing workshop video series on Emotional Sobriety and the 12 Steps, visit our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEM2-kqLkfp3I4c0jy-X-g   Also, please join our “Emotional Sobriety and Recovery” FB Group at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/120450976662519 We'd love to stay in touch in between meetings.   We appreciate feedback! Contact Patrick, our producer, at pndirective4@gmail.com for any questions or comments. Chapters (00:00:00) - Emotional Sobriety: Don't Get Married(00:03:40) - A Simple Recipe for More Happiness in Your Relationship(00:08:50) - The Importance of the Recovery Decision(00:12:34) - Patrick on Avoiding Problems(00:16:52) - Joe's Reflections on Alcoholism(00:24:02) - On the Motivation of Recovery People

Steven R talks emotional sobriety at a Cocaine Anonymous meeting in the UK on 04-14-26

Dave F, Mark H and lead this 11 part workshop on Emotional Sobriety hosted at the Wilson House in 2002. Part 11 of 11. Here are the worksheets that are mentioned in the workshop https://scast.us/next-step Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3200+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Dave F, Mark H and lead this 11 part workshop on Emotional Sobriety hosted at the Wilson House in 2002. This one both starts and ends a bit abruptly. Part 10 of 11. Here are the worksheets that are mentioned in the workshop https://scast.us/next-step Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3200+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Summary: Dave opens the show talking about Susan's eighth birthday and the family trip to Music on the Mountain in Ludlow, Vermont for the Phoenix and Divided Sky festival featuring Karina Rykman, Eggy, Anders Osborne, Daniel Donato, Natalie Cressman, Jennifer Hartswick, and members of Dogs in a Pile. Dave talks about trying to get the entire crowd to sing Happy Birthday to Susan and gives updates about Patreon, Narcan and fentanyl test strip giveaways, YouTube support, and the upcoming Dopey Short Film Festival sponsored by Mountainside Treatment Center. Dave reads a heartbreaking email from a listener celebrating nearly 60 days sober after quitting freebase coke, Xanax, and Suboxone while grieving the loss of his beloved dog Hesh. Dave reflects on his own fears about losing Winnie and spirals into thoughts about mortality, dogs, and a brass Winnie lamp he bought Linda for her birthday. Ben Croxton calls in with a classic IV Dopey story involving Googling “where to buy heroin in Atlanta,” instant meth psychosis at a job site, a dude hiding in a closet all day, and a cocaine-induced hallucination involving a kangaroo and imaginary police cars. The main interview features Keta Lauren and quickly becomes one of the darkest and most powerful Dopey stories in recent memory. Keta talks about growing up in extreme poverty in Northern California with a schizophrenic addict father and alcoholic mother, bouncing through foster homes, fighting constantly, and eventually landing in California Youth Authority “gladiator school.” She recounts horrific trauma including her father accidentally causing a house fire that killed four of her siblings after leaving a candle burning while gambling. Keta describes getting kidnapped while hitchhiking at age 11, doing meth as a child, surviving brutal YA prison fights, a devastating ATV accident that nearly killed her, and eventually falling into LA drug culture, sex work, heroin addiction, and trafficking. She explains how manipulation, survival, and trauma blurred together while trying to escape dangerous situations and abusive relationships. The conversation shifts toward recovery as Keta talks about finally hitting an emotional and spiritual bottom after years of heroin and meth addiction. She describes seeing herself deteriorate physically and mentally, eventually surrendering and finding treatment after a religious TV preacher bizarrely spoke directly to her situation. She later discusses relapse, AA and NA, psychedelic healing with psilocybin and ayahuasca, bipolar disorder, trauma therapy, and her belief that recovery can take many different forms. The episode closes with Trinity from the Beach reflecting on the interview playing a vulnerable acoustic cover of “Good So Bad” while apologizing for missing Dopey Zoom to record it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dave F, Mark H and lead this 11 part workshop on Emotional Sobriety hosted at the Wilson House in 2002. This one both starts and ends a bit abruptly. Part 9 of 11. Here are the worksheets that are mentioned in the workshop https://scast.us/next-step Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3200+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Dave F, Mark H and lead this 11 part workshop on Emotional Sobriety hosted at the Wilson House in 2002. This one both starts and ends a bit abruptly. Part 8 of 11. Here are the worksheets that are mentioned in the workshop https://scast.us/next-step Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3200+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Dave F, Mark H and lead this 11 part workshop on Emotional Sobriety hosted at the Wilson House in 2002. This one both starts and ends a bit abruptly. Part 7 of 11. Here are the worksheets that are mentioned in the workshop https://scast.us/next-step Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3200+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Dave F, Mark H and lead this 11 part workshop on Emotional Sobriety hosted at the Wilson House in 2002. This one both starts and ends a bit abruptly. Part 6 of 11. Here are the worksheets that are mentioned in the workshop https://scast.us/next-step Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3200+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Dave F, Mark H and lead this 11 part workshop on Emotional Sobriety hosted at the Wilson House in 2002. This one both starts and ends a bit abruptly. Part 5 of 11. Here are the worksheets that are mentioned in the workshop https://scast.us/next-step Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3200+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Dave F, Mark H and lead this 11 part workshop on Emotional Sobriety hosted at the Wilson House in 2002. Part 4 of 11. Here are the worksheets that are mentioned in the workshop https://scast.us/next-step Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3200+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Dave F, Mark H and lead this 11 part workshop on Emotional Sobriety hosted at the Wilson House in 2002. Part 3 of 11. Here are the worksheets that are mentioned in the workshop https://scast.us/next-step Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3200+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Dave F, Mark H and lead this 11 part workshop on Emotional Sobriety hosted at the Wilson House in 2002. This ends a bit abruptly. Part 2 of 11. Here are the worksheets that are mentioned in the workshop https://scast.us/next-step Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3200+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Dave F, Mark H and lead this 11 part workshop on Emotional Sobriety hosted at the Wilson House in 2002. Part 1 of 11. Here are the worksheets that are mentioned in the workshop https://scast.us/next-step Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3200+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

In this episode of the Soberful podcast, Veronica Valli delves into the often overlooked concept of emotional sobriety, emphasizing its critical role in maintaining long-term sobriety. She shares her personal journey, highlighting the challenges of emotional management after quitting alcohol and the importance of developing emotional skills. Valli discusses practical strategies for achieving emotional sobriety, including setting boundaries, effective communication, and understanding subconscious beliefs. The conversation underscores that emotional sobriety is a continuous practice essential for personal growth and fulfillment beyond just abstaining from alcohol. To learn more, visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Emotional sobriety is a state of emotional balance and self-awareness. According to Samantha Jo and Spencer, emotional sobriety involves intentional living, gratitude, self-love, and setting healthy boundaries. Their conversation explores the nuances of this journey, drawing connections from literature and personal experiences, both in Al-Anon and ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families). Our... The post Emotional Sobriety – 453 appeared first on The Recovery Show.