— Here's 10 ways Alcoholics Anonymous benefits from keeping you trapped inside the rooms of AA.

Ever wonder why AA wants you to stay forever?

In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, I’m breaking down 10 ways AA benefits from keeping you inside — from book sales to free labor to spiritual obedience disguised as “God’s will.”

This isn’t just a support group. It’s a system that uses fear, guilt, and control to hold onto you… even after you’ve outgrown it.

Want guidance with your deprogramming? Check out my deprogram AA course:

🌀 Deprogram AA

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

Mystical Manipulation is when AA reframes your emotional responses, coincidences, or discomfort as “spiritual guidance” to keep you loyal to the program. It’s when sponsors are treated like prophets, emotional highs are assigned religious meaning, and everything—especially harm—is justified as “God’s will.”

I even share the most disturbing thing my sponsor ever said... and how weaponized spirituality made it possible.

This series is based on Lifton’s “Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism.” Today’s focus:

“You’re here for a reason” = mysticism as control

Sponsors speaking “for God”

Gratitude as a silencing tool

Emotional highs mistaken for divine truth

How AA uses “God’s will” to excuse harm

This is what it looks like when your agency is spiritually hijacked.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

Dive deeper in your deprogramming journey with a self study course:

🌀 Deprogram AA 

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

Welcome to a powerful 8-part mini-series based on Dr. Robert Jay Lifton’s Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism — originally used to study brainwashing in Maoist China, and disturbingly relevant to high-control groups like Alcoholics Anonymous.

In Part 1, we’re breaking down Milieu Control — how AA controls your physical environment, your relationships, your thinking, and even your identity.

We’ll explore:

AA's indoctrination through immersion

Sponsorship as moral authority

Suppression of voice, critical thinking, and autonomy

Groupthink, shame tactics

If you've ever felt emotionally manipulated, second-guessed your truth, or wondered why it was so hard to leave AA — this series is for you. There’s nothing wrong with you. You were just in a system designed to control.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

Dive deeper in your deprogramming journey with a self study course:

🌀 Deprogram AA 

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

I was an AA true believer. I cried on Bill W’s grave. I did AA across the world.

But once I saw the truth—it all fell apart.

In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, I break down how AA hooked me with high-control tactics, outdated 1930's ideology, and identity-based manipulation… and why I’ll never go to AA again.

🔍 Topics we cover:

• The sales tactics hidden inside the 12 steps
• Why “real alcoholic” is loaded language that locks you in
• The pushup disease in the parking lot myth 🙄
• How AA keeps you stuck in a lifetime sentence
• What I realized when I deprogrammed with modern science and truth

If you’re questioning the program, you’re not alone.

If you’re waking up, I see you.

If you’re ready to reclaim your mind—you’re in the right place.

Want to go deeper? Check out my online course:

🌀 Click here to check out Deprogram AA 

You can listen to the full episode on Group Thinking Podcast here

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get free.

Let's open up about the reason leaving Alcoholics Anonymous is so hard. For me, it was probably the phobia indoctrination, the deeply ingrained belief that to leave is to die.

✨ But today is about you.

What’s been the hardest part for you about leaving AA?

Whether you’re freshly out or still untangling the mindset years later, this episode holds space for your truth—and invites you to share it.

📥 DM me on Instagram @sobrietybestie or comment on Sobriety Bestie YouTube. Your experience might inspire an episode or mini-series to better support you and others on this journey.

💡 In this episode:

• The phobia that kept Kirsten stuck for 10 years
• Why silence protects ideology—not people
• What exit trauma really feels like
• The freedom that unfolds on the other side of fear
• Why speaking out leads to deeper deprogramming

You are not alone. And you are not powerless.

Let’s keep waking up, together. 💥

What if you're going to meetings, working with a sponsor, maybe even doing the steps… but deep down, you don’t believe it anymore?

Today’s episode is for you.

This is a living f*cking amends to anyone I ever indoctrinated into AA. I used to believe it all. I taught it all. And now I know better. If you're stuck in that weird in-between—half in, half out—you're not alone. And you're not crazy.

We’re talking about:

• What it feels like to question AA while still in it
• The emotional + mental toll of staying silent around your doubts
• Why “alcoholism” isn’t a real diagnosis—and what is
• Whether harm reduction inside AA is even possible
• Tips from folks who deprogrammed while still attending meetings
• Why your gut knows when it’s time to leave
• A call to trust yourself, your brain, and your future

👉🏽 This episode is a permission slip. Not to do what I say—but to listen to yourself.

And if you’ve been silently struggling, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment on the YouTube version of this episode here or DM me—let’s start a better conversation about recovery, truth, and autonomy.

Because it’s not your job to conform.

It’s your right to get free.

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

📖 30 Signs You're Being Emotionally Manipulated guide 

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA 

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin

When you're deprogramming from Alcoholics Anonymous or any high-control group, finding the right therapist can make all the difference.

In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, I walk you through key questions to ask when choosing a therapist — based on advice from cult recovery expert Dr. Janja Lalich. This isn’t just about credentials. It’s about alignment, safety, and whether your therapist truly supports your freedom — not just your compliance.

Read the list of Q's on Dr. Janja Lalich's website here.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🌀 Deprogram AA 

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

📖 30 Signs You're Being Emotionally Manipulated guide 

💬 Let’s Connect

@SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

If your therapist is in AA and reinforces the fear, they’re not holding space for your healing — they’re likely holding you hostage to an outdated ideology.

In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, we’re diving into a hard truth:

You can’t deprogram from AA with a therapist who’s still inside the program.

Even if they claim to be open-minded or say they support other paths… if they're still in the rooms, they’re still operating from AA's limiting framework.

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

Want to dive deeper? Check out my deprogramming AA course:

🌀 Deprogram Course

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

📖 30 Signs You're Being Emotionally Manipulated guide

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

Today I’m telling the story of the most disturbing thing my AA sponsor ever said to me. It was about a known predator in our Alcoholics Anonymous meetings… and how she spiritualized it.

This is part of the deprogramming AA series and a crucial conversation about the 13th step—a term so common it has its own name, and that alone should raise alarms.

If you've ever felt unsafe, doubted your gut, or experienced sexual predation inside Alcoholics Anonymous—this one's for you.

You're not alone. It's safe to trust yourself.

Healing is possible. Freedom is available. And silence is not the solution.

Free resources + online courses mentioned:

📺 My TED talk on s*xual abuse + addiction

😞 The 13th Step Documentary by Monica Richardson

📕 Heartgasm Revolution Book – Emotional sobriety meets self love

🌀 Deprogram AA course – Reclaim your power + rebuild self-trust

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin course – Build emotional freedom + rediscover your purpose

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.

In 30 signs you're being emotionally manipulated, we're diving in so you can recognize emotional manipulation in real time AND reclaim your power.

We’re diving into 30 emotional manipulation tactics—what they are, how they show up in everyday life, and how they’re often used inside Alcoholics Anonymous.

This episodes corresponding free guide and online course 👇

📖 30 Signs You're Being Emotionally Manipulated guide

🌀 Deprogram AA Online Course

🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷

📺 Subscribe to Watch on YouTube

🧘🏼‍♀️ FREE RESOURCES to jumpstart your evolution 👇

📍 Roadmap to Freedom Masterclass 

🦁 Sober Confidence Mini Course 

📕 Self Love + Emotional Sobriety Book 

🧠 Neurodivergent Discovery Portal 

📺 My TED talk on trauma + addiction

🧘🏼‍♀️ GO DEEPER WITH ONLINE COURSES 👇

🦁 Liberated in Sober Skin 

🚀 Rocket Your Recovery 

💊 Digital Anxiety Pill 

💥 Big Dream Energy

💗 Live Your Truth 

🚘 Driving Anxiety

💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie

DM me or reply to any post on IG or FB. I’m here for the conversation.

Let’s get f*cking free.