Soberful
Veronica Valli & Chip Somers
Veronica Valli and Chip Somers are experts on recovery. Chip Somers was most recently described by Russell Brand in his book 'Recovery' as a 'right social liability.' Together they have been sober for almost 50 years and have a LOT of stories, messes, experience and occasionally helpful advice to share on living in sobriety. They bring all of that (and more) to the Soberful podcast. This podcast is for anyone who wants to live an alcohol-free life, is struggling to get sober or who is in long-term recovery.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 19, 2018 • 49min
19: Boundaries
**Trigger warning** How do you learn boundaries when they were violated as a child? We discuss why healthy boundaries are crucial to recovery and how you can begin to learn how to develop them. To learn more, visit the show notes.
Sep 12, 2018 • 47min
18: Veronica's Story Part 2 - Healing
The biggest challenge Veronica faced was dealing with romantic relationships. At 3 years sober she was suicidal again. With nothing left to lose she had to find a way to deal with old demons and stay sober. To learn more, visit the show notes.
Sep 5, 2018 • 50min
17: Veronica's Story - Part 1
In this episode, we cover Veronica's story. How she became an alcoholic, what happened, and what led her into sobriety. To learn more, visit the show notes.
Aug 8, 2018 • 52min
16: Denial
Denial is how we lie to ourselves. It is a psychological defense mechanism that prevents the alcoholic from seeing the truth of what they are doing to themselves. In this episode, we break down the different ways denial manifests itself and offer suggestions on how to deal with it. To learn more, visit the show notes.
Aug 1, 2018 • 54min
15: How Do I Help Someone Realize They Have a Problem?
How do you help someone who drinks? We consider how dealing with kids and teenagers needs a different approach than adults. We discuss how to have boundaries and what to say. How to deal with someone who keeps relapsing. To learn more, visit the show notes.
Jul 25, 2018 • 43min
14: Chip's Simple Steps
In this episode, Chip deconstructs the 12-steps into simple, applicable everyday language. If you have read Russell Brand's book 'Recovery' and were looking for further insight into how the 12-steps work then this episode is for you. To learn more, visit the show notes.
Jul 11, 2018 • 46min
13: Recovery Language
Recovery has its own language but what does all of it mean? We deconstruct different recovery terms like 'alcoholic,' 'problem drinker,' 'alcohol use disorder.' We also look at what it the difference is between being 'recovered' and 'recovering.' We also look at what it means to be a 'dry drunk' and how stopping drinking is only a small part of the challenge. The main problem is dealing with our feelings and emotions, particularly resentment and fear. To learn more, visit the show notes.
Jul 4, 2018 • 48min
12: Recovery Groups
If you want to stop drinking should you join a recovery group? What kinds of groups are there? Chip and Veronica discuss the pros and cons of recovery support groups. Do you have to believe in God? What if I'm an atheist? What alternatives are there to AA? All these questions answered and more. To learn more, visit the show notes.
Jun 27, 2018 • 44min
11: We Answer Your Questions - Part 2
*Trigger warning* Discussion of child sexual abuse. In this episode, we answer questions from 'Sarah' in Australia who asks how she can forgive her alcoholic mother. We also answer 'Jasmine's' question on how to overcome the suicide of the family member who sexually abused her. We discuss the process of forgiveness, dealing with resentment and accepting the relationship you have with your parents instead of the one you feel you 'should' have. To learn more, visit the show notes.
Jun 20, 2018 • 44min
10: How to Have Fun in Recovery
One of the biggest fears about quitting alcohol is that we will no longer have fun. In this episode we discuss how having fun in recovery is entirely different from having fun drunk. Sober fun is unplanned it happens naturally and usually has no price tag to it. We also talk about how scary it can be in early recovery just trying to do new things and how you can overcome these feelings so it becomes your new normal. To learn more, visit the show notes.
