Soberful

Emotional Sobriety is about learning to deal with your feelings and emotions. Stopping drinking just isn't enough. We have to learn to tolerate and experience emotions instead of running, and numbing Sobriety can give us the ability to experience our full spectrum of emotions, and then we can have appropriate emotional responses to events. Chip and Veronica talk through how this happens.   To lear...

We go on vacation to relax and have fun. But what do you do if you are sober? Surely you need alcohol to do both those things? In this weeks episode Chip and Veronica look at the 'vacation mindset' and how to not just stay sober on holiday but have an awesome time too.   To learn more, visit the show notes .

Have you fever felt anxious? Have you ever used alcohol to deal with social anxiety? You are not alone. Anxiety and problems with alcohol go hand in hand. We drink to take the 'edge' off and get through social situations, but the booze just makes everything worse. You may have even experienced a full-blown panic attack. Veronica suffered from extreme anxiety and regular panic attacks throughout he...

The Five Pillars of Sustainable Sobriety are essential for anyone wishing to live a happy and sober life. In this episode, Veronica takes a deep dive into the five pillars of Movement, Connection, Balance, Process, and Growth. She explains how they work, how you can apply them to your life, and why you can't get sober without them.   To learn more, visit the show notes .

This is probably the question we get asked the most. Am I an alcoholic? How do I know if I have a drinking problem? We explore the spectrum of Alcohol Use Disorder's and look at how an alcohol problem can progress. We give our response (and analogy's!) to clients when they first come to us and ask if they have a problem or not.   To learn more, visit the show notes .

***Trigger warning*** This episode discusses adult content about sex and sexuality as well as discussion of childhood sexual trauma. Jennifer Matesa is the author of 'Sex in Recovery: A Meeting between the Covers.' Jennifer and I discuss the discoveries she made interviewing subjects for her book. Many people suffering from addiction have experienced childhood sexual trauma, we look at the impact...

Relapse is a process, not an event. It can build up over days, weeks and month. In this episode Chip and Veronica talk through the emotional, mental and physical stages of relapse. What you can do at each stage to prevent relapse and tools you can use to change the outcome.   To learn more, visit the show notes .

On May 2nd Veronica celebrated 19 years of sobriety. In this solo episode, Veronica explores the 19 most important lessons she has learned in those 19 years. She teaches you a few rules that have transformed her life, mistakes to avoid and the lessons that have had the biggest effects.   To learn more, visit the show notes .

Why is asking for help so hard? How do you ask for help? In this episode, we explore this question, give you are insights in taking the first steps to reach out and discuss Russell Brand's book ' Mentors: How to Help and Be Helped ' where he explains how Chip helped him. We then consider how to get over the fear of asking for help, and it will ultimately change your life.   To learn more, visit th...

****Trigger warning**** We have long since known that trauma is at the root of all addiction. In today's episode, Veronica interviews Alina Frank and Craig Weiner leading experts in the field of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). We discuss why EFT is such a powerful tool to heal and resolve trauma. Alina and Craig explain the science behind EFT and why it heals the body and the mind from traumati...

J.F. Benoist is the author of 'Addicted to the Monkey Mind.' In this revolutionary new book, J.F. lays out how our negative self-talk and limiting beliefs shape our experience. We discuss precisely how our past shows up in our present and how to change this by using the Observing Mind. We also talk about the false sense of belonging that is created in our culture that blocks us from having a real...

In this episode, we look at cross addiction in its many forms. Including work addiction which we have both suffered from, smartphone addiction, gambling, and substance addiction. We look at what behaviors can be obsessive how addiction triggers a dopamine response and why we have to pay attention to these red flags in recovery.   To learn more, visit the show notes .

We get asked all the time what the secret to staying sober is. We wanted to share with you the most significant factors for not just staying sober but for having a fantastic life. 'Chip and Veronica's Five Secrets to Amazing Sobriety' is the stuff that we have learned makes all the difference. In this episode, we go over what those five things are and how they will transform your life.   To learn...

Lucy Rocca is the founder of Soberistas website in the UK. Eight years ago Lucy woke up from a terrifying blackout in hospital where she swore she was never going to drink again. Lucy discusses her relationship with alcohol, how she got sober and started the website Soberistas. We also discuss how she has stayed sober for eight years, the British relationship with alcohol and how to parent kids in...

To be truly alive we must experience meaningful connection. And we can only have this connection if we are prepared to be vulnerable. We discuss how vulnerability is a strength and is the only path to everything we want.   To learn more, visit the show notes .

Consistency is one of the most essential ingredients of sustainable sobriety. Because alcohol is not the main problem, just a symptom of the problem Chip and Veronica discuss why you have to keep working a program to deal with your feelings and emotions. We also cover why we need a program that enables self-reflection so we can deal with other people. The biggest red-flag that we are not ok is whe...

Kelly Ruta is a psychotherapist turned mindset expert for women who have the audacity to change the world. She has also recovered from a devastating eating disorder. Here she discusses the trauma and dysfunction that led to her attempts at suicide and rock bottom. Kelly lays out precisely what she did to recover, the mindset she needed to overcome anorexia and bulimia and how she transformed into...

Despite much success in her life Laura Willoughby MBE had reached a point when she realized her drinking was a problem. Rejecting traditional methods of getting sober, she forged her own path and created Club Soda, a UK based organization dedicated to changing our cultural relationship with alcohol. She challenges the media, hospitality industry and broader culture to see sobriety differently. As...

All things love. We discuss the subject of love in all its forms. Chip talks frankly about his loveless childhood and how this affected his relationships. We look at how parents love children and how we learn to love in our families. We discuss love languages in all relationships and how much we need love but can often push it away.   To learn more, visit the show notes .

***Warning*** contains adult conversation points. Building on last weeks podcast, Chip and Veronica discuss the devastation of porn and sex addiction. How does it manifest itself, what are the consequences and how do you overcome it.   To learn more, visit the show notes .

***Warning*** contains adult conversations of an explicit nature (over 18's only). In this episode Chip and Veronica talk frankly about sex. They discuss sex in recovery but also the broader context of how our view of sex is shaped. We look at the fear and anxiety that we can have in sexual relationships and how porn affects our view of what a sexual relationship can be. Lastly, we also talk about...

Veronica welcomes special guest author Kristi Coulter to discuss her first book,  Nothing Good Can Come From This,  a memoir in essay form about her experiences with alcohol and sobriety. Topics include feminism, relationships and what it's like being a sober woman.   To learn more, visit the show notes .

When you stop drinking life happens. And living life means ups and downs. These experiences are opportunities to grow and change. Chip and Veronica discuss their ups and downs, what they learned and how it changed them.   To learn more, visit the show notes .

We discuss Dry January - is it a good thing, does it actually help? Or is it part of a process people have to go through to realize they have to change. We look at setting goals, the cycle of change and how we self-sabotage and can set ourselves up to fail. Chip also talks about tolerance and how crucial it is to understand how our tolerance for substances changes. We end the show discussing Intui...

In our last show of 2018, we wanted to bring you meaningful insight into how we 'change our attitudes' when we stop drinking. However, despite being 'proper grown-ups' and qualified therapists, everything got very silly, and things just fell apart. We discuss change, ageing, being stuck in our ways while telling silly stories. Also featuring a special guest appearance by Veronica's landscaper ;)  ...