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At the Big E, one of the biggest fairs in the country, I couldn’t help but notice how quickly things turned sloppy once the drinks started flowing. Being surrounded by that chaos didn’t just make me uncomfortable—it brought me back to the unpredictability and abuse I grew up with around alcohol. In this episode, Steve and I dig into why being around drunk crowds can feel so unsettling in sobriety, how our pasts shape those reactions, and the strategies we use to stay safe when the world around us is soaked in booze.

If you’ve ever wondered why drinking environments hit you hard—or how to handle them without risking your recovery—you’re not alone. This is a real, honest conversation about triggers, boundaries, and what sobriety teaches us when we’re face-to-face with sloppy drunks.

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