The Weekend Sober

Kezia and Kim talk with Suzanne from The Sober Mom Life and @mykindofsweet. The ladies talk about Instagram, mommy wine culture, influencing, getting sober during the pandemic, socializing sober and ultimately the evolution of friendships in sobriety.

Instagram:

@thesobermomlife

@mykindofsweet

www.mykindofsweet.com

Kim and Catherine share their experience with being interviewed by WBZ Channel 4 CBS Boston news. They talk about what it is like when you put yourself out there in the most intense and vulnerable ways possible, and what it is like when you give complete control over the narrative to others. Check it out!

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/massachusetts-women-podcasts-sobriety-alcoholism-gillian-tietz-kimberly-kearns-catherine-obrien/

This week, Kezia and Kim talk to Brittany Bugg about her first 100 days of getting sober. We discuss what brought her to this point, her journey with infertility and the emotions that come up in the early days of sobriety. The ladies talk about the traumas of their past and the hard stuff that many women are often confronted with in the early days. Tune in for an intense chat with a down to earth gal.

Trigger warning - discussions of sexual assault may be difficult for some to listen to. Please be advised, this episode may not be for everyone.

Bio: Hi. My name is Brittany Vaughn Bugg. However, all my friends and family know me as BB. This name was given to me when I became an aunt to the most precious kiddos. I was born and raised in Tupelo, MS- Elvis Presley’s birthplace. I love to lead with that because it’s a cool fact about my hometown. When I was 21 I accepted an internship at CSPAN and moved across the country to Washington DC. I quickly realized politics was not the future for me. Fast forward to today, I live in Pensacola Fl with my husband Aubrey and our 3 fur children- Chloe, Dutchess and Henry. I have a thriving personal training business out of my garage gym as well as an app I train clients on across the states. I am also partnered with the Number 1 haircare company globally. I guess you could say I wear many hats. I am looking forward to what 2023 will bring. It’s going to be such a wild ride.

 Want to connect? Follow me on social.

Instagram: brittany_vaughn_bugg

TikTok: bbshairgrowthsystem

Kim and Kezia welcome Luc Zoratto, a well known inspirational figure in the online sober community. You may know him from his instagram @Marathon2Sobriety. Luc is a marathon runner, a running coach, a husband and a dad to a beautiful three year old girl. He lives in Toronto and has been alcohol free for over 6 years. Join us as we talk to Luc about his unique journey and his fascinating experience with getting sober. Tune in to hear a genuinely enthusiastic account of authentic vulnerability. Listen as Luc shares his honest truth. Feelings of being grateful are apparent, when a sober man discovers community and freedom in sobriety. 

Kezia and Kim are so excited to welcome Gill Tietz, from Sober Powered Media. You may know Gill from her own podcast: Sober Powered, where she takes complex ideas about our brain and bodies and explains them in her own simplified words. 

Gill talks with us today about how alcohol impacts us emotionally while we are in active states of addiction. At the same time, the after effects and the withdrawal alter our moods for a long time once alcohol is removed. 

Gill explains how drinking can make us feel relaxed at first, which is part of its addictive quality. It tricks us into thinking it is reducing our anxiety when it is in fact having the opposite effect. 

The ladies discuss the difference between an anxiety disorder and alcohol induced anxiety. They also talk about how to manage anxiety without alcohol in early sobriety. Further, when one removes alcohol, sometimes mental health illnesses are revealed, and treatment is often needed.

Remember to talk to your doctor if you are struggling with anxiety or depression while drinking or during any part of your sobriety.

If you are doing dry January, meet with a mental healthcare professional and talk to your doctor. 

About Gill Tietz:

Gillian Tietz is the host of Sober Powered, a top 50 mental health podcast, and the founder of Sober Powered Media, a podcast network with 5 other top mental health podcasts. Getting sober in 2019 inspired her to start her podcast, Sober Powered, where she utilizes her biochemistry background to teach others how alcohol affects the brain and why it’s so hard to stop drinking. Recently, she left her career in biotech to start the Sober Powered Media Podcast Network.

Name pronunciation: Jillian Teets

Links:

Podcast: https://www.soberpowered.com

Network: https://www.soberpoweredmedia.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sober.powered

Francy Wade joins Kim to talk about  recent statistics regarding the rise in alcohol abuse since the pandemic, especially among women.

"Alcohol use disorder is defined as compulsively using alcohol despite negative consequences on relationships and one's ability to function at work, school or in the community. Over time, excessive alcohol use may even rewire the brain, making booze as desirable as natural rewards such as food or sex, experts say."

Boston Globe article

Alcohol Causes 1 in 20 Deaths

Pandemic Fueled Alcohol Abuse

Breast Cancer and Alcohol

Kim welcomes Kezia as her new co-host for the foreseeable future! Yay and welcome, friend!

The ladies talk about getting through this crucial time of year without the crutch of booze. This is their 3rd holiday season sober, and it gets a tiny bit easier with each passing year. There are so many tips and tricks to getting through the month of December, but so often it comes down your personal mindset. Maintaining the focus and remembering your "why" will keep you steady and on the path to staying alcohol free. 

Let us know how you're feeling about this time of year! Send us an email: [email protected]

We welcome back our friend, Mike Margolis, to the podcast. Mike is a local Needham dad, born and raised in this town, who we enjoyed having on the podcast last spring. Today, Kim and Mike discuss how the rest of 2022 went for this sober dad of two. Mike talks about some recent social gatherings he attended, including his 25th high school reunion. They explore  the confidence and comfort that comes with this many months of not drinking, and Mike shares how life has shifted for him now that he is approaching two years of sobriety. 

DM us @theweekendsoberpodcast on Instagram to connect with Mike. 

Or you can send an email to [email protected] if you have any questions, and Mike will be happy to answer them.

Kim and Evan talk from their gorgeous hotel in Aruba about the differences in vacationing sober for Kim. What is it like for Kim when Evan still drinks? Also, Kim talks about a question she received about how to deal with a spouse or partner who still drinks and it drives you nuts.

Send us your thoughts and feelings to @theweekendsoberpodcast or @asoberandstrongmom on Instagram, or feel free to email us at [email protected].