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The moment you realize you can’t “just have one” can feel isolating, but it can also be the start of a life that finally fits. I’m flying solo on Laughs Without Lager and sitting down with Danny Shannon, a recovery advocate who speaks with raw honesty about addiction, total abstinence, and what it takes to rebuild from the ground up. Along the way, we also pause to celebrate a huge win: Ali’s five year soberversary! 

Danny’s story is intense and specific: heroin at 15, years in custody, and a long cycle of detox and rehab that included 49 attempts. Then he walks us through the turning point, a Christmas Day choice where he plays the tape forward and does the one thing he’d never done before, change his mind and go back to rehab. We talk about relapse prevention in plain language, why early recovery can feel like FOMO, and how joy returns when you stop relying on alcohol and drugs to laugh, cope, or belong. 

We also get practical about the “now what” part of sobriety: cutting ties that pull you backward, building healthy relationships, using therapy, and putting real daily work behind your recovery. Danny shares what he’s building today, including Encapsulator, a guided journaling app designed to help you document fears, hopes, and goals privately, plus his Recovery and Beyond program that combines structured learning with reflection and accountability. 

If you’re searching for real-world recovery stories, addiction recovery tools, and a reminder that an alcohol-free life can be bigger, not smaller, hit play. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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Ali

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Meg

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“Am I boring now that I don’t drink?” That one thought can undo a whole week of feeling proud, especially when you’re six months alcohol-free and the party invites keep rolling in. We read a listener message from Mel and get honest about the weird social edge of early sobriety: the stigma, the self-judgment, and the fear that you’ll be less fun without a drink in your hand. 

We talk about what actually changed for us when we quit drinking and why alcohol often just numbs boredom instead of creating real connection. We share the practical stuff that makes social events easier, like choosing gatherings you genuinely enjoy, focusing on people and activities instead of the bar, and giving yourself permission to leave once everyone starts getting sloppy. We also swap real-life examples of sober fun, from trivia nights and pickleball to markets, brunch, and a surprising confidence boost through karaoke. 

Then we go deeper into the mindset work that makes sobriety stick. We unpack the beliefs that keep people stuck, what “dry drunk” white-knuckling looks like, and how reframing boredom can open the door to creativity, purpose, and calmer nervous system regulation. We also name the hidden costs of alcohol that get normalized, like low mood, broken sleep, and losing whole weekends to hangovers. 

If you’re sober curious, newly sober, or wondering how to socialize without alcohol, this one will steady you. Subscribe, share it with a friend who needs the reminder, and please leave a review so more people can find us.

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Ali

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Meg

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Wine o’clock can look harmless until you realize you’re using it to get through your life, not celebrate it. I sit down with sobriety coach and author Sarah Rusbatch to talk about “gray area drinking,” the space where you don’t identify as an alcoholic, but you also know your drinking has stopped feeling healthy, free, or optional.

Sarah shares her path from early teen drinking and a booze-normal work culture to the massive identity shift that can hit with motherhood, moving countries, loneliness, and possible postpartum depression. We dig into how alcohol marketing targets moms, why “I deserve this” becomes a script, and how quickly a bottle-of-wine habit gets normalized when everyone around you is doing the same thing. We also get real about the moment the math changes, when it’s no longer mostly fun, and starts becoming mostly anxiety, poor sleep, shame, and recovery days.

We go deep on what makes midlife different: perimenopause, changing metabolism, and the way alcohol can intensify stress and mental health symptoms. Sarah explains why quitting often takes more than willpower, why moderation can keep us stuck, and how structured support like an alcohol-free challenge can give you real data, better tools for stress, and a clearer sense of who you are without booze. We also talk about Beyond Booze, sugar swaps, dopamine cravings, and how to rebuild a bigger life on the other side.

If you’ve been quietly wondering, “Is it time?”, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations.

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Ali

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Meg

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Wine can sneak into your life wearing a friendly mask: playdates, dinner prep, “just one glass,” a reward for getting through the day. Kari doesn’t sugarcoat what happened when that mask slipped. She shares how drinking started young, followed her through a messy college era, and later threaded itself into motherhood and remarriage until it became an every-night habit she couldn’t outthink or “moderate” her way out of.

We get into the moment that finally changed her trajectory: getting seriously sick after mixing alcohol with medication, then realizing she still went right back to drinking. Instead of waiting for a bigger disaster, Kari took a small but powerful step a 60 day fitness challenge with one personal rule written on a wall for everyone to see. That decision turned into a year, then into 11 years alcohol free. Along the way, she navigated the first sober Christmases, birthdays, vacations, and the uncomfortable social phase when people don’t know how to drink around you.

Kari also connects sobriety to women’s health in midlife, especially perimenopause and menopause. We talk about how alcohol can amplify symptoms like poor sleep, headaches, fatigue, and weight gain, and why quitting often makes other healthy habits finally “stick.” She shares what changed in her friendships, how she shows up more patiently for her kids and grandkids, and what her strength training, walking, nutrition, and sleep routine looks like now.

If you’ve been curious from the sidelines, this conversation offers honesty without judgment and a roadmap built on real life, not perfection. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review telling us what part of Kari’s story hit home for you.

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Ali

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Meg

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Alcohol didn’t start as a problem for Veronica Valli, it started as the promised doorway to fun, belonging, confidence, and connection. But after early blackouts, a drug-induced psychosis at 18, and years of anxiety and panic, drinking became something else entirely: survival. Veronica joins us to tell the unfiltered story of getting sober at 27, why she was convinced she’d never have fun again, and what finally cracked the “I’m the only one” isolation that keeps so many people stuck.

We talk about the moment in Alcoholics Anonymous that changed everything when she heard someone describe fear as the engine of drinking and realized the room was full of people who felt the same way. From there, we explore what happens after you quit alcohol and still don’t feel okay, including her “emotional rock bottom” at three years sober. That’s where emotional sobriety comes in: boundaries, resentments, belief systems, attachment patterns, and the missing life skills that can make a person sober but miserable.

Veronica also shares the practical framework behind her work and her books, including the five pillars of sobriety: movement, connection, balance, process, and growth. If you’re navigating sobriety, recovery from alcohol use disorder, or you’re tired of the dry drunk cycle, this conversation offers both hope and concrete tools. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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Ali

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Meg

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Wayne is a FIFO underground gold miner from Western Australia, and his drinking story sounds like a lot of mine site and small-town stories until it doesn’t. He starts young in New Zealand, learns the weekend “outdrink your mates” rhythm, and carries it into shift work, Kalgoorlie pub culture, and the classic cycle of big nights followed by hungover days. Along the way there are blackouts, drink driving consequences, and that weird social credit you get for going harder than everyone else.

Then health forces the truth to the surface. Wayne learns he was born with a heart defect, goes through major heart surgery, and later faces a second operation that leaves him on blood thinners for life. That moment becomes his line in the sand: he does not want to end up where his dad did, and he wants to be present for his partner and kids. We dig into what it’s like to quit when you’ve never had an off switch, why moderation can feel like a trap, and how alcohol-free options can help you stay social without sliding back into old patterns.

We also talk honestly about men, mateship, and the pressure to explain why you’re not drinking, even when you have a medical reason. If you’re navigating FIFO sobriety, mining drinking culture, or you’re simply tired of the loop, this conversation offers a clear message: ditching booze brings freedom, better health, and a calmer home. If it resonates, please rate, follow, and subscribe, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

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Ali

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Meg

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A lot of people quit drinking and then hit the real problem: parties, stress, loneliness, and that loud inner critic are still there, only now you’re meeting them sober. I’m joined by Sarah, co-CEO of Behold Retreats, who shares how she went from a sales and finance lifestyle where cocktails were basically part of the job to a life built around clarity, nervous system health, and deep healing work.

Sarah tells the story of an ayahuasca ceremony that kept working after the ceremony ended. A month later, she’s in a bar with friends and realizes her glass is still full and the “more, more, more” voice is simply gone. We talk about what that shift can feel like, why quitting alcohol still requires a plan for social life, and how reframing sobriety from “giving up” to “gaining” changes everything.

We also get practical and specific about psychedelics and recovery: what ayahuasca is, how psilocybin mushrooms differ, why bufo is so intense, and what a safe, supportive retreat container looks like when you have a Western mind stepping into an indigenous spiritual tradition. We dig into intention vs escape, defining your own integrity, microdosing, integration, and how “question everything” applies to both plant medicine and long-term Western medication approaches for depression and anxiety.

If you’re curious about psychedelics, plant medicine retreats, alcohol-free living, or building real tools beyond numbing, this is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s exploring sobriety, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Contact Us: 

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Ali

insta:  https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/

Meg

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insta: https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/

Connect AF: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching

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Your life can look completely “fine” and still be falling apart every Sunday morning. We’re joined by Vic Van Stone from Sober Awkward, who gets brutally honest about binge drinking that hides in plain sight: the ladette years, the party reputation you feel trapped inside, and the way anxiety after drinking gets normalized until it becomes unbearable. If you’ve ever Googled why can’t I moderate, sober curious, or hangxiety symptoms, you’ll recognize the pattern fast.

We talk about motherhood and mummy wine culture, and the particular kind of shame that hits when you’re staring down a brutal hangover with a baby crying in the next room. Vic shares the day she finally said out loud, “I’ve got a problem with alcohol,” and why asking for professional help, not just willpower, changed everything. One of the most powerful moments is a therapy visualization that reframes recovery in a single image: a chaotic merry go round of drinking and noise, and the option to step off.

We also get into what happens next: friendships that shift, boundaries that protect your sobriety, and why so many overdrinkers relate to ADHD traits and rejection sensitivity. Then we zoom out to the good stuff, like laughing without booze, sober retreats in Thailand, and building real community that makes an alcohol-free life feel bigger, not smaller. If this resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s questioning their drinking, and leave a quick review so more people can find us.

Contact Us: 

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Ali

insta:  https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/

Meg

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insta: https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/

Connect AF: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching

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You know that line people love to say, “I’m more fun when I’m drinking”? We don’t buy it anymore, and we’ve got the stories to prove why. We’re talking about the kind of laughter that actually lands, the kind you remember the next day, and why being alcohol-free doesn’t make life smaller it makes it clearer, louder, and way more connected.

We share our biggest Laughs Without Lager moments, starting with a sober retreat in Phuket that turned into a highlight reel of joy: air guitar to Sweet Child O’ Mine on a boat, ridiculous jokes shouted across the water, and the kind of confidence we used to think required a few drinks. It wasn’t all smooth either. Think snorkeling chaos, an ear infection that made balancing impossible, looking “drunk” while totally sober, and an accidental jellyfish to the face. Somehow it all becomes funnier because we’re present for it, not numbing through it.

We also get into real-life sober socializing: throwing a karaoke night without drinking and realizing you can actually read the lyrics, laughing until it hurts at a quiz night, and why the best part of a great night out is driving home with zero fear. Then we contrast it with the lonely side of drinking, the mental noise of can’t-stop habits, and how routines like “reward drinks” after chores can quietly keep you stuck. If you’re exploring sobriety, mindful drinking, or just want more genuine fun without alcohol, this one will feel like a deep exhale.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a laugh, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s your biggest sober laugh without lager?

Contact Us: 

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Ali

insta:  https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/

Meg

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insta: https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/

Connect AF: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching

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The lie that keeps most of us stuck isn’t what we tell other people, it’s what we whisper to ourselves when no one is watching. We’re joined by Ash Butters (Behind the Smile), who just celebrated six years sober, and she gets radically honest about how addiction works: the secrecy, the self-betrayal, the “crutch” behaviors that sneak in after we quit drinking, and the slow rebuild of self-trust that finally makes an alcohol-free lifestyle feel like freedom instead of punishment.

We talk through Ash’s sobriety story from early blackouts and a high-functioning double life to the moment grief and trauma pushed binge drinking into daily dependence. She shares what rock bottom actually looked like for her, why rehab mattered, and how she stayed connected to recovery support when COVID lockdown wiped out normal aftercare. If you’ve ever wondered whether AA or a 12-step program can help, we unpack what changed when she was finally ready to hear the message.

From there, we zoom out into long-term sobriety tools that work in real life: boundaries in relationships, nervous system regulation, breathwork, meditation, prayer, gratitude, yoga, and the non-negotiables that help us handle anxiety and “life on life’s terms.” If you’re in early recovery, sober curious, or rebuilding after relapse, you’ll leave with practical relapse prevention insights and a reminder that healing is a process, not an event. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review telling us what tool you’re using this week.

Contact Us: 

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Ali

insta:  https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/

Meg

website:  https://www.meganwebb.com.au/

insta: https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/

Connect AF: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching