:I was listening to two friends on a podcast talk about their journey with substances (drugs and alcohol), and then when I came home to have an editorial planning meeting with Mike about our podcast (which looks like me saying, "What do you want to talk about?" to him while we clean the kitchen) he said:

Why don’t we talk about alcohol and sobriety?

Part of the reason our marriage works is because we have these glorious moments of being totally synced up (and then the other part of it is because we work at making it work).

I’ll be honest: I knew this conversation was a long time coming. I knew it would be powerful because Mike and I have somewhat unusual relationships with substances.

What I did not expect is that it would be hard to hear about Mike’s past.

I assumed that because we’ve talked about his past with drugs and alcohol A LOT, I wouldn’t have a hard time hearing him talk about it on this episode. I was wrong.

Today’s episode is pretty different than a lot of our other ones, but it’s really important.

You’ll hear:

• Why I wasn’t alarmed when I first learned of Mike’s history with making money in illegal ways (and why I actually thought it might bode well for our future).

• What my parents taught me about alcohol and why it kept me from wanting to rebel by using it.

• Mike’s unconventional approach to getting clean that didn’t involve ever setting foot in an AA meeting.

• A few unsettling stories that, even though I’d heard them before, made my stomach turn.

If you’ve ever struggled with substances, if any of your loved ones has or is, or if you’re triggered at all by the idea of examining your relationship with alcohol or drugs, this is a must-listen episode.

You can get your own copy of Do Less and still receive incredible bonuses at http://katenorthrup.com/book! Kate wants to hear from you, and you can post about your #DoLess experiences on Instagram, DM her (@katenorthrup) or email [email protected]!

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