Drunk-ish - A Sobriety Podcast

This is Part One

Robbi Morgan Walberg is the first person killed in the original Friday the 13th, which is not even the most dramatic thing she told me. She grew up in a New Jersey dance studio run by her vaudevillian acrobat parents, got high before seventh grade, set the front of her house on fire, and had an aunt who was her Fiorinal dealer and had no idea. When she was depressed at 12, her brother's solution was not therapy. It was a unicycle. Then came Barnum, Quaaludes in a Life Savers roll, and shopping for rehab outfits in Altoona in December. 42 years sober. Part One.

In a first of its kind episode, I talk directly to the listeners about (what I consider) the myth of moderation. Maybe I should have titled this episode the myth of moderation so you know what you're getting into but I didn't. So that no one feels tricked, I am going to discuss my own experience with trying to moderate, some other people's experiences, the thoughts out there on whether it is achievable and I will end with a longer bit on the origin of Moderation Management which was touched upon on yesterday's episode with Suzanne Warye. 

If you'd like to discuss, please go to Drunk-ish Podcast Friends over on Facebook or bring it up on my Instagram page @SWilderTaylor or the Drunk-ish insta @Drunkishpodcast

Suzanne Warye is back for her third or fourth visit (we've lost count), and I'd have her on every week if she'd let me. We start with her first grader refusing to go to school and somehow end up at the bigger question: who sold us wine as a parenting tool? Suzanne talks about writing The Sober Shift, now out in paperback. That includes the chapter about losing her dad while they weren't speaking, why she prescribes herself a good closet cry to Jimmy Buffett, and how posting that Brad Pitt was hotter sober brought the trolls out in force. 

Grab the paperback version of Suzanne's book, The Sober Shift.
Listen to The Sober Mom Life
Check out Suzanne's sober mom cafe and join the sober badass women at Thesobermomlife.com

As always subscribe the podcast on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@Drunk-ishPodcast

Amy Hatvany is back to discuss the CNN article that poses the question: If you've called yourself an alcoholic, can you ever go back to restrained drinking? We take a deep dive into black and white thinking, glorifying alcohol, total abstinance vs attempting to moderate and I think we end up really solving it. 

If you'd like to discuss, head on over to Drunk-ish Podcast Friends on Facebook or follow the show on Instagram at @drunkishpodcast

This week I'm talking with author Amy Hatvany, who wrote nine novels — including Best Kept Secret, the book I read early in sobriety and thought, "Okay, who installed a camera in my house." Amy gets into something I don't think we talk about enough: addiction transfer. She had weight loss surgery, lost 140 pounds, and her brain basically said, "Cool, new substance please." Plus, I also I confess to eating all my kids' Halloween candy. So there's that.

Amy's novel Best Kept Secret is available everywhere books are sold.

Follow Amy on threads.com @amyhatvany
And follow me on threads @SWilderTaylor

Watch Drunk-ish on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@Drunk-ishPodcast

(This is part 2) You ever wake up after a night out and think, “Well, that probably wasn’t my proudest moment”? Emily Lynn Paulson did that—only it involved a blackout, a hotel doorman, EMTs, and a luxury car she technically “earned” by selling skincare. (Yes, this is a sobriety podcast. Yes, this episode is delicious.) Emily and I get into what happens after you quit drinking—like the surprising ways your values shift, the shady side of MLM life and how sometimes you just need to peace out of a community you built from scratch. Oh, and there’s swearing. Because come on. If you’ve ever been the wine mom, the boss babe, or the one throwing up in your inspirational Bling Suite—this one’s for you.

Emily is the author of Hey Hon (which is sooo good btw) and she has a new novel out called The Revenge Party!

(This is part 1) You ever wake up after a night out and think, “Well, that probably wasn’t my proudest moment”? Emily Lynn Paulson did that—only it involved a blackout, a hotel doorman, EMTs, and a luxury car she technically “earned” by selling skincare. (Yes, this is a sobriety podcast. Yes, this episode is delicious.) Emily and I get into what happens after you quit drinking—like the surprising ways your values shift, the shady side of MLM life and how sometimes you just need to peace out of a community you built from scratch. Oh, and there’s swearing. Because come on. If you’ve ever been the wine mom, the boss babe, or the one throwing up in your inspirational Bling Suite—this one’s for you.

Emily is the author of Hey Hon (which is sooo good btw) and she has a new novel out called The Revenge Party!

This is part two of a two-part episode -

Matthew takes me on a wild ride from his years of addiction-fueled crime to the jaw-dropping moment that made him risk his own freedom to do the right thing. We talk about what it’s like to face life in prison, how sobriety sometimes hits you when you’re least expecting it (like, in a prison cell), and why being sober doesn’t mean your story suddenly gets easy. Spoiler: It doesn’t. But here’s the thing – Matthew is one of those people who somehow manages to find humor even in the absolute darkest parts of his past. He’s brutally honest, self-aware, and so damn resilient that you can’t help but root for him.

This is part one of a two-part episode -

Matthew takes me on a wild ride from his years of addiction-fueled crime to the jaw-dropping moment that made him risk his own freedom to do the right thing. We talk about what it’s like to face life in prison, how sobriety sometimes hits you when you’re least expecting it (like, in a prison cell), and why being sober doesn’t mean your story suddenly gets easy. Spoiler: It doesn’t. But here’s the thing – Matthew is one of those people who somehow manages to find humor even in the absolute darkest parts of his past. He’s brutally honest, self-aware, and so damn resilient that you can’t help but root for him.

This week I talk to Paul Drayton about the complicated relationship between drinking, anxiety, ADHD and that lovely little voice that insists maybe this time two glasses of wine will actually mean two glasses of wine. Paul opens up about being diagnosed with ADHD at 50, life in the public eye, his marriage to Alan Carr, the consequences of his drinking, and why sobriety looks different for everyone. 

Follow Paul on IG at @PaulDrayton1

Buy his book Ride or Die Trying! (It's really good!)