The Sober Mom Life

Best selling author Emily (Belden) Bond joins me today for an eye opening conversation about her breast cancer journey and how it has changed her relationship with alcohol. Emily shares the unbelievable story of how she was diagnosed, how her treatment has unfolded over the past year, what she experienced when she shared her diagnosis publicly, and how cancer has forever altered her relationship with alcohol. Emily urges all women to seek testing for breast cancer, no matter your age. Please share Emily’s diagnosis story with 8 other women to help raise awareness! 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lives. Learn more about Emily and her writing on her website and her Instagram! 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.

One of the biggest worries that often comes up in our groups is: How do I travel without drinking? Whether it be a trip to Europe or an all inclusive vacation, it can be hard to envision what travel can look like when you take the focus off of alcohol. My mom, who’s almost 2 years sober, just got back from a trip to Paris! Today she’s here to share everything she experienced on her sober trip in hopes that you’ll feel inspired to experience a sober trip of your own. She’ll share how her sobriety was treated by her travel companions, how she communicated her sobriety to others, the NA options that were available to her, and what it felt like to stick to her values and commitments as she traveled. 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.

Growing up on the road following the Grateful Dead tour, Elan didn’t experience much in the way of boundaries. This loose childhood caused Elan to feel uncared for and unsafe. Alcohol wiped that feeling away, and she quickly began to rely on the substance. As Elan got further into childhood, her father remarried, and his new wife installed strict boundaries. Elan rebelled intensely, and landed in the first of many treatment centers at age 13. It’s clear to Elan now that treatment could only work for her if the yearning for change came from within, and Elan simply wasn’t ready. So, she continued to drink throughout her teens and twenties, until her alcohol consumption resulted in a debilitating bout of pancreatitis. Though she was told to stop drinking alcohol, she was prescribed painkillers to deal with the pain, and she quickly became addicted to those instead. This led to a dangerous time in her life that resulted in her partner dying as a result of his own experience with painkillers. It was at that moment that Elan experienced a wakeup call. Feeling her own grief, and seeing the grief that poured from his loved ones, Elan realized she never wanted to make someone feel like that. She was killing herself, and she needed to stop. Elan chose sobriety at 28 and began a deep spiritual journey to learn who she was, how she felt, and how to process it all. She found that sobriety offered her access to the full range of human emotion - and that true joy was only available to her within a sober life. Sobriety has been a massive portal for her personal growth, and she feels like she’s only just beginning! Elan can be found on Instagram @joyreignitionspecialistAre 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.

Audrey and I are back with another installment of Ask Me Anything! Today we’re giving our thoughts on how to handle your new sobriety in so many circumstances - on vacation, during family visits, at sporting events, and more. Plus, we’ll share some of our lowest drinking moments, our advice for talking to kids about alcohol, an update on upcoming Sober Mom Life retreats, and even some affordable fashion tips! Would you like to submit a question for a future AMA? Leave a 5-star review on The Sober Mom Life Podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave your question in the review!Are you new to sobriety? Grab our 5 Tips to Help you Through your First 30 Days of Sobriety! My mocktail recipe e-book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ here to help you through the summer! Grab your copy here.  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.  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 SobieTEA, where we spill the tea about our favorite escape: Bravo TV! This week we’re talking about the Vanderpump Rules 3-part reunion, the latest developments on The Valley, Carl and Lindsay’s breakup from a sober perspective, and the status of the Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion. Plus - The Traitors Season 3 cast announcement, celebrity spottings, the missing alcohol on Below Deck Mediterranean, and Katie’s Bravo-centric plans for her upcoming LA tripDo you have topics you’d like us to cover on the next SobieTEA? Send Katie a note at @soberlivingct on Instagram! 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.

Julia Dzafic is back on the show to share a story that is so relatable and important. If you are new to sobriety and summer is feeling like a challenge, then this is a must listen! Julia’s first appearance on the podcast highlighted her first experience with sobriety, but as summer rolled around that year, she felt like she had a grip on alcohol. Maybe it was finally possible for her to drink in a controlled and moderated way. Moderation seemed to work for a month, but by three months Julia found herself right back where she’d started - unable to control her drinking. It was then that she realized, once and for all, that alcohol did not work for her body. Today, Julia is 6 weeks sober, and this time it feels permanent. Julia vulnerably shares the lessons she learned from her moderation attempt, and how she is doing sobriety differently this time around. We talk about self compassion, social anxiety, relationships, and so much more. Julia’s just released a beautiful cookbook, Garden Grown! Follow Julia on Instagram @lemonstripesAre 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.

Karen grew up in a home without alcohol, but that didn’t stop it from finding her in high school. Binge drinking quickly became a part of her life, and she chose not to go to college because she knew she would party it away. After making her way through beauty school, Karen became a mom, and drinking ended up slipping pretty easily into the backseat of her life. She was able to moderate her drinking for years. Then, Karen’s children got older, and more space appeared in her days. She consistently began to fill that new free time with alcohol. Like so many moms, the pandemic pushed alcohol to the center stage of her life, and in a full resurgence of her drinking, Karen struggled to show up for her family and experienced her first blackout - at age 53.It seemed like something was wrong, and Karen committed to Dry January to see if alcohol was the problem. On Day 18 something incredible happened. She ‘woke up’. The lights were brighter, the colors were more vivid, and Karen started to wonder - what had she been missing while numbing out with alcohol? That experience led Karen to dive deep into quit lit, podcasts and meetings in the Sober Mom Life Cafe. All the while, though, she kept drinking. But over the months she found courage to ask herself a big question: What was she getting from alcohol? And, was it making her experience better in any way? Karen committed to 90 days of sobriety to find out. By Day 40 it was clear to her - alcohol was making her life harder and was robbing her of experiences. She was not going back. 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.

Summer has arrived! The days are long, the weather is gorgeous, and the pool party invites are starting to arrive. If the idea of not drinking this summer is causing you anxiety, this episode is for you. Today we’re going to prepare you for your first sober summer, so you can experience the magic that can be found in these long, beautiful, alcohol-free days. We’ll talk about making the decision to stay sober, reconnecting with your younger self who loved summer before alcohol, and how to manage the social challenges that might arise in a sober summer. If you’re looking for more resources for your sober summer, check out my latest blog post:How to Navigate Your First Sober Summer with Ease! My mocktail recipe e-book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ is here to help you through the summer! Grab your $7 copy here.  How to Socialize Sober 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.  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: Bravo TV! This week we’re talking about the season finale of Vanderpump Rules, Brittany’s frustration at Jax’s drinking, the problematic drinking culture on Summer House, and Carl and Lindsay’s fight. Plus - PK and Dorit, Why budgets are being slashed in reality TV, and the bizarre behavior of the guests on Below Deck Down Under. Do you have topics you’d like us to cover on the next SobrieTEA? Send Katie a note at @soberlivingct on Instagram! 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.

Today, Kristen Beckett of @mocktailsandmarathons joins me for a great conversation about the false promise of moderation, the challenges of navigating drinking and sobriety with a partner, and the beauty of the online sober community. A fellow Wisconsite, Kristen grew up in a home where drinking was seen as a normal part of everyday life. After the traumatic birth of her daughter, however, she began to lean on alcohol for more than just a way to unwind. The progressive nature of the substance then took hold, and during Covid she began drinking in the mornings to stave off the hangover from the night before. What followed were multiple rock bottoms, a trip to the ER, many Day 1’s, and ultimately the moment when it just clicked… and she was done. Kristen began @mocktailsandmarathons as a way to unpack her experiences during early sobriety, and she found so much healing and growth in the community she has built there! Kristen wants to encourage you to stick with it! You will find your groove. Are you new to sobriety? Read How to Navigate Your First Sober Summer with Ease! My mocktail recipe e-book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ here to help you through the summer! Grab your copy here.  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.  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.