Addiction Unlimited Podcast

Reading about sobriety isn’t the same as doing the work to get sober. If you feel like you’re doing everything for your sobriety—but nothing is actually changing—this episode is for you. And trust me, there’s a huge difference! Here’s the thing: when I got sober, the landscape looked completely different. There were no podcasts, no endless library of quit lit books, no free chall...

If you’re getting sober in 2026, make it your only focus—everything else can wait. Here we are, in that weird part of early January where everyone’s trying to overhaul their entire life at once. New year, new you, right? Quit drinking AND hit the gym AND change your diet AND meditate AND deal with your trauma… all at the same time. But…  when you try to transform everything...

Why January 1 Isn’t the Answer — and What Actually Moves You Forward It’s New Year’s Eve, and if you’re feeling that familiar pressure—that maybe-this-year-will-be-different energy—I want you to take a deep breath and listen up. Whether you’re planning to drink tonight (even though you don’t really want to), or you’re already sober but looking at 2026 like it&#8...

Healing, growth, and personal transformation — with or without a label. This episode is the final conversation in The Unlimited Life™ Starter Series — The 10 most powerful episodes from the Addiction Unlimited archives to help you rebuild your rhythm, structure, and emotional peace. And I saved this one for last for a reason. Because what Ian Morgan Cron and I talk about here goes beyond sobriety…...

Exhausted from overthinking everything before you even start? You’re not alone. Well, my friend, I’m going to be really honest with you today – after 400+ episodes, I had absolutely no idea what to talk about for this one. And you know what? That’s actually the most honest thing I could share with you on Christmas Eve. Here’s the truth: Even after 20 years sober, I’m...

Practical tools to manage stress, set boundaries, and stay sober during the most overwhelming time of year. In this episode, we’re talking about why the holiday season is such a perfect storm for stress, exhaustion, and relapse risk — and what actually helps you stay grounded, calm, and sober when everything feels like too much. This isn’t about “just don’t drink” or powering through with willpowe...

If you’re a high-functioning drinker waiting for rock bottom to give you permission to quit, this episode will change everything. Most people think rock bottom is an external event—a DUI, job loss, or divorce. But that’s not what rock bottom actually is, and this misunderstanding is keeping you stuck in a cycle that never ends. In this episode, I break down the real meaning of rock bot...

Here’s something nobody tells you about long-term sobriety: your brain doesn’t forget its relationship with alcohol just because you stop drinking. After 19+ years sober, I can still walk into a restaurant and automatically glance at the bar. I can spend 10 minutes with my best friend analyzing five drinks in a hotel cooler. I notice who’s drinking at parties when my non-alcoholi...

Why 5pm Feels Impossible (And What To Do About It) Let’s talk about the hardest part of early sobriety: that predictable window of time when the craving hits like a wave and you’re not sure you can ride it out. Maybe it’s 5pm on a Tuesday. Maybe it’s Friday night when everyone’s posting their wine glasses on Instagram. Maybe it’s standing in the parking lot at y...

You Put Down the Drink, But Now You Can’t Stop Thinking About Food. Here’s Why. If you’ve traded your nightly wine for nightly ice cream binges, you’re not alone. And no, it’s not just about willpower or “getting your act together.” In this episode, I sit down with Ali Shapiro, creator of the Truce with Food methodology, to unpack the real reasons we turn...

How to Stay Sober When You Can’t Control Your Family The holidays don’t threaten your sobriety. Your addiction to control does. In this episode, we’re tossing out the traditional holiday survival guides — no more tips about mocktails or leaving early. Instead, we’re talking about the real threat to your peace: the compulsive need to manage everything and everyone around you. Because if you’r...

Avoid these traps so your recovery doesn’t become a revolving door. Sobriety is just the beginning… and these 6 traps are the exact reason why so many people relapse even when they’re trying to stay sober. In this episode, Angela Pugh breaks down the most common early recovery mistakes that sabotage your progress, wreck your structure, and chip away at your confidence. You’ll learn how to shift fr...

Waiting to Feel Ready? Why Confidence Follows Action — Not the Other Way Around Still waiting to feel ready before you take that next step? Spoiler alert: that moment may never come — and that’s exactly why this episode is here to shake you out of hesitation and into momentum. Inside this powerful episode of Addiction Unlimited , we’ll break down: Why readiness is a myth (and how to stop wai...

Sobriety gets you stable — emotional intelligence gets you unstoppable. If you’ve ever felt like you got sober… then life got louder, messier, and more emotionally demanding — this episode is your roadmap. I’m joined by my friend and emotional intelligence powerhouse, Noble Gibbens , to break down why EQ isn’t a nice-to-have in recovery — it’s the foundation of building a life you’re actually prou...

The Hard Truth About Being “The Helper” (And Why It’s Keeping You Stuck) In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on one of the most misunderstood patterns in relationships: codependency. If you’ve ever felt exhausted from being “the strong one,” guilty when you prioritize yourself, or frustrated when someone doesn’t take your advice, this conve...

The Same Tool Used by Olympic Athletes & Top Performers to Change Your Life If you’ve ever wondered how elite athletes, top entrepreneurs, and high-performers create insane results… this is it. And no — it’s not woo, it’s not wishful thinking, and it’s not pretending life is perfect. It’s science. And when you learn to use it to rewire your subconscious, override old limiting beliefs, and shif...

You Might Be a Perfectionist (And It’s Stealing Your Peace) If you’re constantly overthinking, procrastinating, or beating yourself up for not doing “enough” — this episode is going to hit home. Because perfectionism isn’t about having high standards. It’s about control, fear, and anxiety — and it’s quietly running your life behind the scenes. In this episode, we’re exposing how perfectionism show...

You already know better. So why do you keep saying yes to what you’ll regret tomorrow? In this episode, Angela gets brutally honest about why you keep making decisions that don’t align with who you want to be — and how instant gratification is keeping you stuck in the cycle. This isn’t just about drinking. It’s about how you handle discomfort. Fear, frustration, boredom, anxiety — you’ve trained y...

If you’re thinking about drinking again — that’s the clearest sign you still can’t. Maybe you’ve been sober for a while… and you’re starting to wonder if you could handle drinking again. If that thought has crossed your mind — I want you to pause right here and hit play on this episode. We’re talking about the subtle signs that tell you everything you need to know about your rela...

A step-by-step plan to structure your day after quitting drinking. You didn’t just remove alcohol — you removed the thing that used to shape your day, distract your mind, and give you a false sense of control. So what now? If you’re stuck in the cycle of starting over… Or if you’ve been sober for a while but feel like you’re drifting through your days… This episode is for you. I’m walking you thro...

Why character work never ends — and how to dismantle the ego patterns and excuses keeping you stuck. You don’t do character work once and ride off into a peaceful sober sunset. You don’t quit drinking and magically become the healthiest version of yourself. This work never ends. And if that sentence annoyed you a little — you’re exactly who this episode is for. This episode...

If you’re tired of starting back at day one, this episode will show you how to rebuild habits that last — with structure, not willpower. You don’t need more motivation. You need a better system. This is one of the most downloaded episodes I’ve ever released — and for good reason. Because when life gets hard, we fall into old routines. We wait for motivation to magically reappear. And we keep start...

How To Take Action When You Don’t Feel Motivated: 3 Structure Hacks That Actually Work Waiting to feel motivated before taking action? That’s the myth keeping you stuck. I used to think successful people had endless motivation — some secret energy source I didn’t have access to. I’d wait to feel ready before starting anything: the workout, the journaling, the business tasks...

If you’ve quit drinking but still find yourself frustrated, low-energy, or stuck in “what’s next?” limbo… this episode is exactly what you need. Because… you don’t need another lecture on willpower. You need to understand the real ways you’re still sabotaging yourself — even if you’re doing everything “right.” In this powerful episode from the Addiction Unlimited archives, I&#821...

Ever found yourself wondering, “Why me?” Why can’t I drink like other people? Did I inherit this? If I’d made different choices, would it have turned out differently? If these questions have kept you up at night, you’re not alone — and this episode is your answer. Inside, I’m breaking down the real, full-picture WHY behind alcohol addiction — not in vague theories or shame-based clichés, but with...