The Sober Mom Life

DISCLAIMER: This episode is not meant to diagnose. Anyone who is perfectionistic does not necessarily have a personality disorder. Please see your therapist with concerns or questions. Perfectionism is one of the most common topics we talk about inside of the Sober Mom Life Cafe. An overwhelming need to be ‘perfect’ can feel suffocating, and can be a major driving factor for drinking. Today my therapist mom, Susan, is here to help us understand what perfectionism is, how it is related to drinking, and what to do if you are struggling with perfectionist tendencies. We’ll talk about the diagnostic criteria for OCPD (Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder), how it differs from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), how perfectionism can affect your life and the lives of those you love, and the first steps you can take to release yourself from the expectation of perfectionism. Try our NEW and IMPROVED Cafe FREE for a week!  We have more meetings, more hosts and even more connection. Join here for $40/month and get a week free! In addition to daily peer support meetings, you’ll get access to the exclusive Cafe social feed, our monthly book club, the chance to share your story on The Real Sober Moms, merch discounts and so much more.We also have The Sober Mom Life Community for just $5.95/month - In the Community, you’ll receive access to the exclusive Community social feed (like Facebook, but better!), the exclusive community chat, our monthly book club, and one free weekly meeting. My mocktail recipe book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ is finally here! Grab your copy here: https://mykindofsweet.com/2024/01/the-no-ethanol-needed-mocktail-ebook-is-here/Click here to follow The Sober Mom Life on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Audrey is here for part two of our chat. Today we’ll talk about my book and Audrey’s recent sober vacation to Hawaii! Writing a book has been so similar to sobriety in that I’ve had to take the process one day at a time. I’ll share what that was like, and why I was confident that I would successfully reach the finish line. Then, Audrey will tell us all about her recent sober vacation to Hawaii! She had a lot of insights and realizations on the trip, and she’ll share them here. Try our NEW and IMPROVED Cafe FREE for a week!  We have more meetings, more hosts and even more connection. Join here for $40/month and get a week free! In addition to daily peer support meetings, you’ll get access to the exclusive Cafe social feed, our monthly book club, the chance to share your story on The Real Sober Moms, merch discounts and so much more.We also have The Sober Mom Life Community for just $5.95/month - In the Community, you’ll receive access to the exclusive Community social feed (like Facebook, but better!), the exclusive community chat, our monthly book club, and one free weekly meeting. My mocktail recipe book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ is finally here! Grab your copy here: https://mykindofsweet.com/2024/01/the-no-ethanol-needed-mocktail-ebook-is-here/Click here to follow The Sober Mom Life on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Audrey is back for a 2-part episode! This conversation was so wide ranging that we’re breaking it into two parts. Today we’ll cover Sober October and how sobriety can aid us in the midst of natural disasters. Asheville, NC, which is the location of our upcoming retreat, was hit with devastating flooding by Hurricane Helene. Audrey will share her personal experience with natural disaster recovery, and specifically how her sobriety vastly altered how deeply she could show up for her family. Then, we’ll dive into Sober October to help you frame your perspective on this month of sobriety if this is something you’re participating in. Tune in Monday for part two of this conversation where we’ll talk about Suzanne’s experience finishing the draft of her book and Audrey’s recent sober trip to Hawaii! Try our NEW and IMPROVED Cafe FREE for a week!  We have more meetings, more hosts and even more connection. Join here for $40/month and get a week free! In addition to daily peer support meetings, you’ll get access to the exclusive Cafe social feed, our monthly book club, the chance to share your story on The Real Sober Moms, merch discounts and so much more.We also have The Sober Mom Life Community for just $5.95/month - In the Community, you’ll receive access to the exclusive Community social feed (like Facebook, but better!), the exclusive community chat, our monthly book club, and one free weekly meeting. My mocktail recipe book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ is finally here! Grab your copy here: https://mykindofsweet.com/2024/01/the-no-ethanol-needed-mocktail-ebook-is-here/Click here to follow The Sober Mom Life on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Katie and I are here for another installment of SobrieTEA, where we spill the tea about our favorite escape: Reality TV! The recent Bravo drought allowed us to expand our horizons into other reality content, so today we’re diving into Chimp Crazy and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Then, we’ll share our thoughts on new cast members Brittany and Bronwyn on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake, and chat about Shannon and Tamara’s drinking on The Real Housewives of Orange County.  Plus - Sober October, Jessica Simpson’s October sobriety story, Suzanne’s circus past, What’s coming next on Bravo, and The Golden Bachelorette. Try our NEW and IMPROVED Cafe FREE for a week!  We have more meetings, more hosts and even more connection. Join here for $40/month and get a week free! In addition to daily peer support meetings, you’ll get access to the exclusive Cafe social feed, our monthly book club, the chance to share your story on The Real Sober Moms, merch discounts and so much more.We also have The Sober Mom Life Community for just $5.95/month - In the Community, you’ll receive access to the exclusive Community social feed (like Facebook, but better!), the exclusive community chat, our monthly book club, and one free weekly meeting. My mocktail recipe book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ is finally here! Grab your copy here: https://mykindofsweet.com/2024/01/the-no-ethanol-needed-mocktail-ebook-is-here/Click here to follow The Sober Mom Life on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s Real Sober Mom Keri is 30 days sober and she’s ready to share her story! Being social always felt like a challenge for shy introverted Keri, so when she found alcohol as a teenager it became a central piece of her social life. Like so many of us, this continued through her teens and twenties, and by her mid twenties she started to notice that her ‘off switch’ with alcohol was disappearing. It was becoming harder and harder to control. After getting married and quickly becoming pregnant, Keri noticed something: She felt so much better pregnant. It was clear to her that the absence of alcohol was the reason why, so after giving birth she was slow to drink again, but it did slowly creep its way back into her life. During Covid, Keri found that it was easy to give up alcohol since the pressures of a social life had been diminished. In 2021, she cut out alcohol for 14 months! But as social engagements started to pick back up, alcohol slipped back in. Keri has had many ‘Day 1s’ since then, and she hasn’t felt until now like she had the tools to maintain her sobriety long term. Sober community has proven to be a major part of Keri’s toolkit! Now, at 30 days sober, she feels ready to make sobriety a permanent part of her life. Try our NEW and IMPROVED Cafe FREE for a week!  We have more meetings, more hosts and even more connection. Join here for $40/month and get a week free! In addition to daily peer support meetings, you’ll get access to the exclusive Cafe social feed, our monthly book club, the chance to share your story on The Real Sober Moms, merch discounts and so much more.We also have The Sober Mom Life Community for just $5.95/month - In the Community, you’ll receive access to the exclusive Community social feed (like Facebook, but better!), the exclusive community chat, our monthly book club, and one free weekly meeting. My mocktail recipe book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ is finally here! Grab your copy here: https://mykindofsweet.com/2024/01/the-no-ethanol-needed-mocktail-ebook-is-here/Click here to follow The Sober Mom Life on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

These past few months have been a lot, and today I’m here for a little vent session to get it off my chest. It’s so important to find a community that will support you when you just need to vent, because sometimes a little venting is all you need to put things into perspective. Thanks for being that community for me today! I’ll talk about how life has been ‘lifing’ lately, why it’s felt like I’ve been failing in so many ways, the perspective shift I experienced when I realized that everything is actually pretty great, and how that moment never would’ve happened if I was still drinking. Are you searching for a community to support you in your sobriety?Try our NEW and IMPROVED Cafe FREE for a week!  We have more meetings, more hosts and even more connection. Join here for $40/month and get a week free! In addition to daily peer support meetings, you’ll get access to the exclusive Cafe social feed, our monthly book club, the chance to share your story on The Real Sober Moms, merch discounts and so much more.We also have The Sober Mom Life Community for just $5.95/month - In the Community, you’ll receive access to the exclusive Community social feed (like Facebook, but better!), the exclusive community chat, our monthly book club, and one free weekly meeting. My mocktail recipe book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ is finally here! Grab your copy here: https://mykindofsweet.com/2024/01/the-no-ethanol-needed-mocktail-ebook-is-here/Click here to follow The Sober Mom Life on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Heather grew up in a party house, so it seemed completely natural to her when she started drinking and became a party girl herself. There were short moments when she questioned her drinking throughout her teens and twenties, but they never lasted long. Life started to become intense as Heather entered her late twenties and got married. A five year journey to become a mother, followed by intense postpartum depression and skin cancer that took 75% of her ear had her leaning on wine as a means of support. At 38, Heather found herself unexpectedly pregnant with her second child during a very intense moment in her professional life. This all culminated into a period of chronic stress and a diagnosis of Crohn’s. She was still drinking, but it was becoming clear that something needed to change. Throughout the following years, Heather began to make those changes - she left her job and got certified in a new career path. Then, when her son ended up in the hospital at the beginning of 2024 she took it to the next step - she sought more help for her depression and began her journey toward sobriety. Heather is now 120 days sober! Quit Like a Woman and the Sober Mom Life Cafe have both been such major supports for her. After 90 days it was clear - she never sees herself going back to alcohol. Are you searching for a community to support you in your sobriety?Try our NEW and IMPROVED Cafe FREE for a week!  We have more meetings, more hosts and even more connection. Join here for $40/month and get a week free! In addition to daily peer support meetings, you’ll get access to the exclusive Cafe social feed, our monthly book club, the chance to share your story on The Real Sober Moms, merch discounts and so much more.We also have The Sober Mom Life Community for just $5.95/month - In the Community, you’ll receive access to the exclusive Community social feed (like Facebook, but better!), the exclusive community chat, our monthly book club, and one free weekly meeting. My mocktail recipe book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ is finally here! Grab your copy here: https://mykindofsweet.com/2024/01/the-no-ethanol-needed-mocktail-ebook-is-here/Click here to follow The Sober Mom Life on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I am so excited to finally be able to share the news: I’m writing a book! This is a childhood dream come true, and I can’t wait to share it with you. Audrey’s here today to ask me all of your book related questions. We’ll talk about how the idea for the book came to be, the steps I took to get a book deal, how the writing process has been, and what you can expect from the book when it comes out in October 2025! Are you searching for a community to support you in your sobriety?Try our NEW and IMPROVED Cafe FREE for a week!  We have more meetings, more hosts and even more connection. Join here for $40/month and get a week free! In addition to daily peer support meetings, you’ll get access to the exclusive Cafe social feed, our monthly book club, the chance to share your story on The Real Sober Moms, merch discounts and so much more.We also have The Sober Mom Life Community for just $5.95/month - In the Community, you’ll receive access to the exclusive Community social feed (like Facebook, but better!), the exclusive community chat, our monthly book club, and one free weekly meeting. My mocktail recipe book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ is finally here! Grab your copy here: https://mykindofsweet.com/2024/01/the-no-ethanol-needed-mocktail-ebook-is-here/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

My Mom Susan, our resident therapist, is back this week to educate us on cross-addictions. If you’ve ditched alcohol only to find yourself developing an addiction to something new, whether that be shopping, gambling, marijuana, or many other things, then this episode is for you. Susan will explain the differences between a habit, a compulsion, and an addiction. Then, we’ll talk about how to identify and navigate the emotional elements that lie at the source of distressing compulsions or addictions.As you’re navigating cross-addictions, make sure that you ask the big question - is this thing helping me come home to myself? Or is it helping me escape myself? As you explore, be sure to practice self-compassion! And always remember - there is a community ready to support you. Are you searching for a community to support you in your sobriety?Try our NEW and IMPROVED Cafe FREE for a week!  We have more meetings, more hosts and even more connection. Join here for $40/month and get a week free! In addition to daily peer support meetings, you’ll get access to the exclusive Cafe social feed, our monthly book club, the chance to share your story on The Real Sober Moms, merch discounts and so much more.We also have The Sober Mom Life Community for just $5.95/month - In the Community, you’ll receive access to the exclusive Community social feed (like Facebook, but better!), the exclusive community chat, our monthly book club, and one free weekly meeting. My mocktail recipe book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ is finally here! Grab your copy here: https://mykindofsweet.com/2024/01/the-no-ethanol-needed-mocktail-ebook-is-here/Click here to follow The Sober Mom Life on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meghan’s relationship with alcohol seemed ‘normal’ to her for years. Life as ICU nurse with young children kept her drinking to a minimum. But as her kids got older and she changed careers, alcohol crept into her weeknights until she often found herself hungover or even blacking out. After one such night with family in 2019, she received a call from her dad. He had a message - clean up your act. The shame from this call led her to quit drinking that very day, and she stopped for almost a year. During this sober year, Meghan felt amazing! But then, Covid happened, and at one year sober Meghan felt safe to try moderation. Though it started out alright, Meghan’s drinking eventually snowballed until alcohol became the centerpiece of her life. She started experiencing intense anxiety, unaware of its connection to alcohol, and was prescribed anti-anxiety medication. The meds seemed to shut off the part of her brain that felt shame for drinking, so her drinking progressed. After weaning off the medicine, her shame returned and it all became clear - her drinking was out of control. After one night of heavy drinking, Meghan awoke at 3am and knew she’d had enough. She texted her sister and cousin and admitted that she had to stop. Those texts kept her committed - she’s now four months sober! Meghan is so thankful for the support and community she’s found in the Cafe, and she wants you to know that you’re not alone! You just have to find your community. Are you searching for a community to support you in your sobriety?Try our NEW and IMPROVED Cafe FREE for a week!  We have more meetings, more hosts and even more connection. Join here for $40/month and get a week free! In addition to daily peer support meetings, you’ll get access to the exclusive Cafe social feed, our monthly book club, the chance to share your story on The Real Sober Moms, merch discounts and so much more.We also have The Sober Mom Life Community for just $5.95/month - In the Community, you’ll receive access to the exclusive Community social feed (like Facebook, but better!), the exclusive community chat, our monthly book club, and one free weekly meeting. My mocktail recipe book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ is finally here! Grab your copy here: https://mykindofsweet.com/2024/01/the-no-ethanol-needed-mocktail-ebook-is-here/Click here to follow The Sober Mom Life on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.