Addiction Unlimited Podcast

Okay, real question. Have you ever wanted someone to grab breakfast with, or take a class with, and then realized… you honestly don’t know who you’d ask?

Yeah. Why is making friends as an adult so damn awkward—and where are you supposed to meet people?

It gets even weirder when you quit drinking.

You might still love your friends, but you don’t want to spend every Saturday night watching them get drunk.

You want people you can laugh with, and conversations you’ll actually remember the next mor...

Why do recovery communities tell you not to date or make major life changes during your first year sober?

Because getting sober isn't just about learning how to live without alcohol. It's about learning how to handle your feelings without it.

And when you're newly sober, those feelings can be ALL OVER THE PLACE.

You're dealing with boredom, loneliness, insecurity, and a whole lot of emotions you may not even know how to identify yet. Then someone comes along, and suddenly life feels exciting again!

But dating brings its own emotional...

About to give up, reach for a drink, or follow the same old pattern? Angela shares how a split-second choice can change your direction—and why the victory starts before you know the outcome.

How do you know if you actually have a drinking problem?

You make rules about when you’ll drink. You negotiate how many you’re going to have. You promise yourself tonight will be different. You replay last night trying to figure out exactly what happened. You take breaks, make new rules, Google questions, take quizzes, compare yourself to other people—and somehow alcohol keeps requiring more and more of your attention.

At some point, that’s worth looking at.

In this episode of Addiction Unlimited, we’re getting away from arbitrary...

You can desperately want things to change and still have a long list of things you don’t want to do.

In this episode, we’re talking about the moment you stop letting fear, discomfort, and resistance make your decisions—and become willing to learn from people who have already gotten where you’re trying to go.

Whether you’re trying to quit drinking or you’ve been living sober for years and feel like your growth has stalled, this is a conversation about becoming teachable, seeing what you can’t see on your own, and discoverin...

You quit drinking—but what are you using to escape now? When normal things like shopping, dating, food, or work get hard to put down, it may be time to look at what’s really going on.

You stopped drinking. Now you have to learn all the things drinking allowed you not to learn.

In this episode, we’re talking about the life skills alcohol can keep you from practicing— Because sobriety isn’t just learning how not to drink.

It’s learning how to handle your life without needing alcohol to manage it.

People-pleasing can look like kindness while quietly creating exhaustion, resentment, dishonesty, and isolation. Learn what drives the automatic yes, why other people’s feelings aren’t yours to manage, and how to start saying no without making it weird.

You stopped drinking. You’ve changed. So why do you still lie awake thinking about the things you did?

Self-forgiveness in recovery isn’t pretending the damage didn’t happen—and it doesn’t require everyone you hurt to forgive you, either. In this episode, we’re talking about guilt, damaged relationships, rebuilding trust, and the uncomfortable reality of becoming someone different when other people may still remember the old you.

We’ll also dig into the difference between sobriety and recovery, why quitting drinking doesn’t automatically fix every destructive behavior, and a powerful way of making am...

When alcohol has shaped your friendships, routines, personality, and idea of fun for years, quitting can leave you wondering who you are without it. This episode is about rediscovering your real identity and building a life you don’t need alcohol to tolerate.

Have you ever spent an entire shower, your commute, a dog walk, or a sleepless night having a conversation that will likely never actually happen? Welcome to the club. We have these imaginary conversations in our heads ALL the time. We rehearse what we're going to say, what the other person is going to say back, what we're going to say next—and before we know it, we've written the entire scene and assigned everybody their lines. But here's what I want you to notice: How often are YOU the center of the story? They're upset … you must have done some...

If you had to start sobriety over, would you know what to do? I'm sharing five principles that changed my life and help my clients build lasting recovery today.

If you can quit drinking but always seem to end up back at Day One, this episode will help you understand why—and what needs to happen next.

Why did you really drink?

Most people think alcohol is the problem. But what if alcohol was actually the solution your brain found for anxiety, insecurity, loneliness, trauma, or the constant feeling that you weren't enough?

You've done Dry July. You've done Sober October. You've had a hundred Day Ones. So why does nothing ever actually stick? Taking a break from alcohol isn't the same as deciding to quit. Learn why temporary breaks often lead back to drinking—and what creates lasting sobriety.

If you've ever wondered whether alcohol permanently damaged your body—or you've quit drinking and found yourself asking, Why am I so anxious? Why can't I sleep? Why do I still have brain fog?—this episode is for you. Today I'm walking you through what actually happens inside your body after you stop drinking. Not the social media myths. Not the gimmicks. The real biology. You'll learn how alcohol changes your brain chemistry, why early sobriety can feel so intense, and what your body is doing behind the scenes to restore balance. We talk about the science behind sleep disruption, why...

Dry July isn't about proving you can quit. It's about gathering the evidence that leads to acceptance—the moment real recovery begins.

Think sobriety is about willpower? Think again. Learn why coping skills—not motivation—are the key to managing triggers, regulating emotions, and staying sober long term.

What does sober life actually look like?

If you're thinking about quitting drinking, one of the biggest fears is the unknown. What will you do for fun? Will you still be yourself? Will your relationships change? Will life ever feel normal again?

In this episode, Angela sits down with Casey Davidson from the Hello Someday Podcast for a candid conversation about what happens after alcohol is no longer part of your life.

They talk about the fears they had before quitting, what surprised them most about sobriety, why moderation kept them stuck, how...

Getting sober doesn’t just change your relationship with alcohol — it changes your relationships with people.

In this episode, I’m talking about what really happens when you quit drinking and the people around you are still operating from the old version of you. We’ll talk about partners who still drink, friends who are still in the party lifestyle, and relationships that feel weird, awkward, or strained because you’re changing.

You’ll learn why protecting your peace in early sobriety is not selfish, why some friendships can adjust while others fade, and how to communica...

I’ll walk you through five simple questions to ask before you go into any social situation. One of the most common questions people ask in early sobriety is, “Should I go?” Should I go to the birthday party? The barbecue? The wedding? The vacation? The girls’ weekend? The dinner where everyone else will be drinking? And I get it. The world doesn’t stop drinking just because you did. People still invite you places. Life keeps moving. And you don’t want sobriety to feel like a punishment where you hide in your house forever and say no to everything. ...

You survived the first 5 or 7 days of sobriety and you're finally starting to feel better. The anxiety is calming down. You're sleeping again. Your face looks better. The shame isn't screaming quite as loud anymore. And this is exactly where things start getting dangerous. Because once the crisis fades, your brain starts doing what it was trained to do: convincing you that maybe things weren’t really that bad. Maybe you overreacted. Maybe you can handle it differently this time. In this episode, I’m breaking down one of the biggest relapse traps in early sobriety: the moment when fear and...

Making rules, breaking rules, starting over — if drinking takes up too much space in your brain, you'll recognize yourself in this conversation. Not a dramatic rock bottom. Not losing everything. Not waking up one day suddenly certain she had to quit forever. Just years of exhausting negotiation. She tracked sober days on a calendar she bought at Target, crossing off each X with a pen and a ruler. She made rules — only on weekends, only when she went out, never at home — and watched every single one of them quietly expand until drinking had taken over the whole week. She quit f...

This is a real conversation about what doing the work in recovery actually looks like beyond just “not drinking.”

You quit drinking—and now you’re staring at your life like… now what? No one really talks about this part. The part where alcohol is gone, but everything else is still the same—and suddenly, nothing fits. It feels hollow. Disconnected. Like you’re just trying to survive your own evenings. So you start questioning it: “Maybe I’m doing this wrong.” “Maybe sobriety isn’t for me.” That’s not the problem. The problem is you’re trying to build a new life using old materials. In this episode, we’re breaking down why that gap feels so uncomfortable—and what actua...

You're doing everything right — so why does sobriety feel like it's making everything worse? One of my clients came to me about a month into our work together and she was defeated. Not the white-knuckling kind of defeated — the kind that comes from trying really hard and feeling like it's not working. She was crying more than when she was drinking. Fighting more with her partner. She couldn't answer the question "what do you like to do for fun?" without going completely blank. She looked at me and said, "I think I'm doing this wrong." She wasn't. And if you're in t...

Have you told yourself you were done — really done — more times than you can count? Not cutting back, not taking a break. Done. And then a few days go by, maybe a few weeks, and suddenly the conversation starts again. Maybe just tonight. Maybe I've got it under control now. If that pattern sounds familiar, here's what's actually going on: you haven't decided yet. In this episode, we're breaking down the difference between visiting sobriety and actually leaving — and why keeping the door open even just a little bit is exactly what keeps the cycle going. This isn't about willpower or wan...

Every single time you said you were done, you meant it. So why does it keep not sticking? Most people blame willpower. Or discipline. Or not wanting it badly enough. But this episode goes somewhere different — somewhere most recovery content never goes. Because the real reason "I'm done" doesn't hold has nothing to do with how serious you are. It has everything to do with what's been happening underneath the surface, quietly, every single day you were drinking. Every hidden bottle. Every "just two" that turned into six. Every lie you told yourself and your family. Your brain was keeping sc...

You’re not stuck because you can’t quit—you’re stuck because you’re still trying to control it. If you’ve ever told yourself “this time will be different”… only to end up right back at day one, this episode is going to hit. Because the problem isn’t that you don’t want to stop. It’s that part of you still wants alcohol to work. So instead of walking away… you keep negotiating. You make new rules. You try new strategies. You convince yourself you’ve got it handled. And for a little while, it feels like progress. But it’s not...

If you’ve ever thought, “Why can’t I just quit drinking and move on?” — this episode is going to hit. Because the truth is, most people don’t struggle with sobriety because they’re incapable… they struggle because they’re trying to make it easy. You want to quit drinking without disrupting your life. Without changing your routines. Without feeling uncomfortable. You want to put the bottle down and just move on like nothing happened. And that’s exactly why it’s not sticking. In this episode, I’m breaking down the real reason you keep starting over—and it has nothing to do with...

You’re not crazy… but I know it feels like you are. You say you’re done.And you mean it. You wake up with that clarity… that this time is different energy. And for a little while, it is. A few days. Maybe a couple weeks. You feel better. Clearer. Back in control. And then something hits. Stress.Boredom.A bad day.A feeling you don’t know what to do with. And just like that… you’re right back where you started. Again. So what’s going on? Because this is the part that makes no sense: You’re smart.You’re ca...

You keep thinking about the fun times. The laughs, the connection, the way it helped you relax. And the more you think about it, the harder recovery feels. Sound familiar? In this episode, we're talking about why romanticizing your drinking keeps you stuck — and how to redirect that same energy toward the life you actually want to build. Because your future deserves a highlight reel too. Your brain isn't lying — those moments were real. The relief, the connection, the way it felt after a hard week — it happened. But your brain is curating. It's playing a movie trailer of your drinki...

What if life is boring without alcohol? That’s one of the biggest fears people have when they think about quitting drinking. Not just, “What will I do on Friday night?”But deeper questions like: Will I still be fun? Will people still like me? Will my relationship still work? What do I do with stress, anxiety, awkwardness, or family events without a drink? In this episode, I’m breaking down why that fear is so common, what’s really happening underneath it, and why “boredom” usually isn’t the real issue at all. We’re talking about the way alcohol becomes th...

Early sobriety can feel like your emotions are turned up to 100 — and if you don’t understand what’s happening in your nervous system, it can feel overwhelming fast. One of the biggest mistakes people make in recovery is assuming every uncomfortable feeling is the same thing. We call it anxiety, we try to breathe through it, journal through it, or just push through it… and when that doesn’t work, we feel like we’re failing. But the truth is, not all emotional activation is the same — and different states require different tools. In this episode, I’m breaking down four common...

You know recovery is supposed to be more than just not drinking, but the day still feels like you're mostly just getting through it. You might just be missing the foundation that makes recovery actually feel like something. Here's what I know to be true: sobriety removes the alcohol. Recovery heals the patterns underneath it. And those are two very different things. But understanding the difference is one thing — living it on an ordinary Tuesday is another. In this episode, I'm walking you through a full recovery-focused day — hour by hour — and showing you exactly what living in recovery looks like i...

If you keep asking yourself "What am I doing wrong?" — this episode is for you. Most people relapse dozens of times before they actually get it right. And if that's you, I know how exhausting that cycle is. But here's the truth: There’s nothing wrong with you. It's not that you don't want it badly enough. It's that the answer you need isn't about actions and distractions. It's about the mindset shifts that create real, lasting change. Today, I'm giving you the 6 non-negotiables that separate people who actually change from people who keep starting over. This isn't a checklist. This...

The 4-Stage Recovery Roadmap and What to Work on at Each Stage If you're feeling stuck or confused about where you are in your sobriety and what you should actually be working on, this episode is for you. I see it all the time: people trying to fix everything at once, or trying to skip ahead to the deep emotional work when they haven't even built a stable foundation yet. And then they relapse. Or they burn out. Or they just stay stuck in the same patterns. Today, I'm breaking down the four stages of recovery—what you should be fo...

You know what's keeping you from getting sober? All the advice telling you how to get sober. Everyone's got a different rulebook. The old-timers say meetings every day, get a sponsor immediately, work the steps to a tee. People like me say do it your way—you don't have to follow the doctrine perfectly. And newer recovery voices are teaching completely different avenues to recovery. And you're stuck in the middle, just trying to figure out how to get through today without a drink, paralyzed by all these options, wondering which path is "right." Here's the truth nobody's telling you: Th...

You quit drinking. So why do you still have all the same problems? You quit drinking. That's huge. But if you're sitting there wondering why you still have all the same problems you had when you were drinking - I can tell you exactly why. Drinking was never the actual problem. It was a symptom. In this episode, I'm breaking down the difference between sobriety (removing alcohol) and recovery (healing the patterns underneath the behavior). Because putting down the drink is just the starting line, not the finish line. We talk about why you're still making the same shitty choices...

Everything you need to know about why sobriety alone isn't enough – and what real recovery actually looks like. Listen, I see this pattern ALL the time with the people I work with. They quit drinking, they think they've done the hard part, and then a few weeks or months in... they're confused. They're disappointed. They're thinking, "Is THIS what the rest of my life is going to be like?" And the answer is: only if you stop here. Sobriety is quitting. Recovery is healing. And the only way to stay sober – the only way to actually build a life you love...