April is dissent month around here. Today we're vibing with Victor from Quackaholics Anonymous (YouTube Channel and Facebook Group) about his experience dissenting AA for the past decade.

Timestamps:

00:00 Quackaholics Anonymous Speaks Out

03:00 12 Step Cult Whistleblowing Intro

07:19 Deprogramming While Dissenting

11:28 Deciding To Speak Out Against AA

18:37 Dissenting AA Early Days

25:53 Not Diseased, Defected, Broken

31:38 Hardest Part of Dissenting AA

40:02 Most Surprising Part of Dissenting AA

44:49 How Dissenting AA Grew Quackie

49:59 AA Cult Religion

1:04:06 Finding Hope + Critical Thinking

1:13:18 Advice For New AA Dissenters

1:24:00 Compelled To Speak Out

1:53:21 The Heart Behind Dissenting

2:01:46 Orange Papers, Lurking + Waking Up

2:10:14 Loving AA Then Leaving + Dissenting

🔥 Deprogram Course + leaving AA resources → here

🧠 Brain optimization tools → here

❤️‍🔥 If you’re ready to stop holding yourself back → here

Come vibe with me:

Kirsten's Facebook

Kirsten's Instagram

Kirsten's TikTok

📱 My content creation setup (camera, mic, lighting, etc.) → here

💻 Tools + software I use to run my business and create online → here

⚠️ Disclaimer: I’m not a therapist, doctor, or licensed healthcare provider. Everything shared is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional care.

💖 Some links may be affiliate links. I only share what I genuinely use and love.

Today we're sitting down with Tara Grace from Burn The Stigma YouTube, Burn The Stigma Facebook and Burn The Stigma TikTok to discuss what it's been like for her to 12 step dissent since 2020.

📚 Explore Deprogram AA, Cult Recovery and Critical Thinking books → here.

Timestamps:

00:00 Cult Whistleblowing Intro

05:26 Deprogram Book List

05:58 First starting to dissent

10:25 We are more than addiction

13:58 Evolving as a dissenter

18:03 Becoming a 12 step dissenter

20:52 Navigating initial pushback

26:50 What keeps Tara going

34:41 Thriving beyond labels

37:38 Unexpected gifts from dissenting

45:17 Traditional recovery kills people

51:20 Trolls, ad hominem and purpose

59:15 Dissenting and speaking out advice

1:11:44 How dissenting changed Tara's life

1:20:02 Predators and cult whistleblowing dangers

1:35:39 Passion, fire and soul purpose

🔥 Deprogram Course + leaving AA resources → here

🧠 Brain optimization tools → here

❤️‍🔥 If you’re ready to stop holding yourself back → here

Come vibe with me:

Kirsten's Facebook

Kirsten's Instagram

Kirsten's TikTok

📱 My content creation setup (camera, mic, lighting, etc.) → here

💻 Tools + software I use to run my business and create online → here

⚠️ Disclaimer: I’m not a therapist, doctor, or licensed healthcare provider. Everything shared is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional care.

💖 Some links may be affiliate links. I only share what I genuinely use and love.

Today marks one year of dissenting! And today is my 6 year anniversary of leaving Alcoholics Anonymous. What a wild ride this past year has been.

Today we're diving into what it's been like dissenting this past year. I've timestamped it in case you want to skip around and alll the links are below.

It's been great to have you hear this past year!! What a liberating year it's been. Team Freedom all the way.

We'll be feature some of your fave AA dissenters later this month to hear about their dissenting journey. As always feel free to DM me or comment on YouTube to share your thoughts.

Xo

Timestamps:

00:00 AA Dissenting Intro

03:25 One Year of Dissent

06:33 Blowing The Whistle on a Cult

08:02 Hardest Part of Dissenting

14:22 Breaking My Silence: What Happened

19:25 Why I Dissented For a Year

24:36 The Cost of Taking a Bold Stand

34:51 Best Parts of Cult Whistleblowing

40:30 If you're thinking about dissenting

🔥 Deprogram Course + leaving AA resources → here

🧠 Brain optimization tools → here

❤️‍🔥 If you’re ready to stop holding yourself back → here

Come vibe with me:

Kirsten's Facebook

Kirsten's Instagram

Kirsten's TikTok

📚 Books that helped me deprogram and think for myself → here

📱 My content creation setup (camera, mic, lighting, etc.) → here

💻 Tools + software I use to run my business and create online → here

⚠️ Disclaimer: I’m not a therapist, doctor, or licensed healthcare provider. Everything shared is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional care.

💖 Some links may be affiliate links. I only share what I genuinely use and love.

Katie Lain of Thrive Alcohol Recovery interviews me (Kirsten!) about joining, leaving and deprogramming AA. We also talk about trauma, autism, ADHD and what can be going on beyond the misdiagnosis of "alcoholism." We dive into The Sinclair Method, which Katie's program is based upon, and discuss what dissenting has been like.

🔥 Deprogram Course + leaving AA resources → here

🧠 Brain optimization tools → here

🌶️ Neurodivergent Discovery Portal (with self assessments) → here

❤️‍🔥 If you’re ready to stop holding yourself back → here

Katie's YouTube

Timestamps:

00:00 Sobriety Bestie on Thrive Alcohol Recovery Podcast Intro

01:46 Katie Lain of Thrive Alcohol Recovery

03:23 Getting Sober Advice

10:50 Trauma, Autism, ADHD + Alcohol

18:33 AA Indoctrination + Alcoholic Identity

21:14 CSA, Autism, ADHD, TBI's + Brain Optimization

30:15 AA is a Religion

31:46 First AA Meeting

38:02 AA Propaganda + the Rockefeller Model

43:24 Why Doesn't AA Update the Big Book?

47:26 AA is a Harmful Self Fulfilling Prophecy

52:28 AA is a Cult + Free Labor Exploitation

1:02:30 Cracks in AA Brainwashing

1:10:26 Realizing AA is Baloney

1:19:27 Breaking Anonymity + Dissenting

1:26:09 Support For Leaving AA

1:31:34 The Sinclair Method

1:42:44 We're Not Broken - The System Is

Come vibe with me:

Kirsten's Facebook

Kirsten's Instagram

Kirsten's TikTok

📚 Books that helped me deprogram and think for myself → here

📱 My content creation setup (camera, mic, lighting, etc.) → here

💻 Tools + software I use to run my business and create online → here

⚠️ Disclaimer: I’m not a therapist, doctor, or licensed healthcare provider. Everything shared is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional care.

💖 Some links may be affiliate links. I only share what I genuinely use and love.

🔥 Deprogram Course + leaving AA resources → here

🧠 Brain optimization tools → here

🌶️ Neurodivergent Discovery Portal (with self assessments) → here

❤️‍🔥 If you’re ready to stop holding yourself back → here

Timestamps:

00:00 How AA Harms ADHD & Autistic People Intro

04:49 Bill W.'s Blind Spot Still Harms Neurodivergents

06:39 AA, Autism + ADHD Timeline

09:33 ADHD + Alcohol Use Disorder

11:02 AA + Misdiagnosis of ADHD

12:57 How AA Harms Neurodivergent People

14:20 Deprogram, Neurodivergent + Brain Resources

16:36 My Fave Brain Optimization Tool Come vibe with me:

Come vibe with me:

Kirsten's Facebook

Kirsten's Instagram

Kirsten's TikTok

📚 Books that helped me deprogram and think for myself → here

📱 My content creation setup (camera, mic, lighting, etc.) → here

💻 Tools + software I use to run my business and create online → here

⚠️ Disclaimer: I’m not a therapist, doctor, or licensed healthcare provider. Everything shared is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional care.

💖 Some links may be affiliate links. I only share what I genuinely use and love.

I'm super excited to gather all of the deprogramming resources (including ones you haven't seen before!) in one space.

It's all accessible from SobrietyBestie.com which is now like a deprogram 12 step hub.

I've moved my website to a new location with my name Kirsten-Johnson.com so that Sobriety Bestie can live on as a one stop deprogramming extravaganza start to finish freedom experience for those navigating the mindf*ck of leaving AA, realizing they were in a recovery cult and wanting to reclaim their mind, autonomy and life.

My hope is that people wanting to deprogram AA or 12 step can find Sobriety Bestie and move through their deconstruction journey at their own pace.

Timestamps:

00:00 Leaving Alcoholics Anonymous

02:10 No Longer Deprogramming AA Reactions

05:57 Sobriety Bestie is Complete

07:17 Why I Created This Deprogramming Work

12:31 Deprogramming Resources For Leaving AA

17:11 Kirsten Sobriety Bestie Going Forward

26:03 Crossing The Finish Line

My AA deprogramming journey feels complete. I unpack it all in today's podcast.

I highly recommend getting the deprogramming checklist that's inside the free 👉 Escape Kit (It's in the very first lesson inside there along with an hour video unpacking it all. But you really only need the checklist at a glance to see where you may be.)

This of course is not the "rule" but it's a guide that I have found super helpful in my own deprogramming journey.

A week ago I switched from ChatGPT to Claude and I want to share WHY with you. This was before the headlines and has nothing to do with politics.

This is about the language ChatGPT uses, even when you ask it not to, and the potential long term consequences of repeated exposure to this language.

Timestamps:

00:00 Why I Switched From ChatGPT To Claude

05:59 ChatGPT Can't Stop Doing This

12:26 ChatGPT Authoritarian Language

16:13 Is AI Brainwashing Us?

17:28 My Cult Programming Experience

22:06 Taking Space From ChatGPT

26:00 Why ChatGPT Uses Psychological Framing

Resources for deconstructing AA:

👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)

📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)

🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)

Let’s get f*cking free

Bobby C is back on Sobriety Bestie Podcast to discuss the Rockefeller and AA connection which runs deeper that you might think. Bobby C unpacks AMA, DSM, Car Jung, and both Rockefeller Jr and Rockefeller Sr along with Alcoholics Anonymous.

Bobby C's YouTube

Bobby C's Story

Timestamps:

00:00 Rockefeller and Alcoholics Anonymous Intro

06:05 Benjamin Rush

09:21 Temperance Movement

11:46 Magnus Huss

14:41 Etymology + Words As Control

23:11 John D Rockefeller

30:57 Rockefeller Jr and Alcoholics Anonymous

39:55 Norman Jolliffe

41:24 Alcoholics Foundation and The Big Book

49:19 Carl Jung and Roland Hazard

53:35 Does It Work If You Work It?

1:01:58 Rockefeller, Hellen Wynn + AA Organization

1:07:44 Big Pharma, Big Alcohol, AMA

1:21:54 DSM-V and Substance Use Disorder

1:25:26 Indentured Servitude: A Slave To AA

1:29:49 Rockefeller Gave Dr. Bob Money

Bobby C's Rockefeller Videos:

https://youtu.be/HYeoI_3Bljw?si=FJ-N5C4wRguHkLbV

https://youtu.be/XxW_YfkFEtQ?si=0wBr-nAZFqyTSlhC

https://youtu.be/d2gEC9lzT6A?si=N1NApvG8XfYDGNRl

https://youtu.be/fZ0UAHMedvQ?si=yfDTg8w9D-TUnz3g

Resources for deconstructing AA:

👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)

📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)

🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)

Let’s get f*cking free

The Sober Truth is a great deprogramming AA, deprogramming 12 step and deprogramming the recovery narrative resource filled with modern science.

I've compiled a list of all the deprogramming books I recommend here:

📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)

Timestamps:

00:00 The Sober Truth Book Intro

01:15 The Sober Truth Book

03:24 Coerced + Court Mandated AA

06:11 Spontaneous Remission

09:38 The Nature of Addiction

11:54 Rehab Industry

15:24 Busting AA Myths

19:45 Counting Abstinence Time Is Useful Myth

21:50 "Drunks" Are All The Same Myth

Resources for deconstructing AA:

👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)

📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)

🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)

Let’s get f*cking free