Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast

We kick off this episode with a voicemail from Lauren in treatment, then Christina shares why therapy has been a struggle. A listener message sparks a discussion on sadness, injustice, helplessness, and connection. A past guest makes a surprise appearance and offers an unexpected reminder. Enjoy! Thanks to Orion for today's listener voicemail! Message us on Instagram or use one of the methods...

Joining Christina this week is another Andrew to talk about the events that transpired since they met in a Seattle treatment center in 2021. Topics include chronic addiction rooted in childhood, asking for help and facing your privilege, the importance of maintenance, rock bottoms at Trader Joe's, and sparkly retainers. Content warning for eating disorders, substance abuse, and suicide. This w...

Christina explains the recent lack of episodes and gets real casual real fast. Topics include the heaviness of depression, surrendering to the chaos, shame, smoothies, and what's to come. Special guest appearance by ??? Follow Pickles and Vodka for biweekly polls, behind-the-scenes updates, or to say hi: Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast Facebook:  Pickles and Vodka Podcast Twitter:  @Pickle...

It’s Lauren’s last episode before treatment, so naturally Christina put her in the hot seat! Listen to hear her share what she’s afraid of, what she’s looking forward to most, what she hopes will be different this time, and why YOU should have some f*cking self compassion. We also talk about what to expect from the pod in the weeks ahead. Enjoy! Follow Pickles and Vodka for biweekly polls, behind-...

With the days counting down until Lauren returns to treatment, we spend this episode revisiting past stays. Some highlights include contraband caffeine, a possessed Bop-It, what happens when you let people with eating disorders plan a wedding feast, smoke break revelations, and some unexpected breaking of barriers. Enjoy! Content warning for eating disorders, suicide, and substance abuse. Follow P...

We play a listener voicemail sent in response to the question “What’s going on with you?” This unlocks a conversation about fitting in and doing the work in the face of constant existential dread that wants you as miserable as possible. Lauren gives a treatment update, Christina talks about beer, and we disagree about gratitude journals. Enjoy! Special thanks to Orion (@robotakiss) for this week’s...

How do you curate a sense of security in the face of uncertainty? We don't really have the answer, but we DO have lots of anxiety-fueled stories. Tangents this week include introducing parents to friends (and why Christina loves it), which country Lauren is considering escaping to with her dog, and Jodi Picoult. Enjoy! Follow Pickles and Vodka for biweekly polls, behind-the-scenes updates, or to s...

Since we're too depressed to stick to our regularly scheduled program, we're treating everyone (but mostly ourselves) to another movie discussion! This week, we watched the 2015 Pixar film Inside Out, which follows a preteen as her emotions attempt to guide her through life's big changes. We laughed, we cried, we went on many tangents, and ultimately devastated ourselves while analyzing this incre...

Lauren makes an announcement, then we talk about types of barriers that keep us from accessing the help we need. This one is extra vulnerable, y'all. Content warning for eating disorders (including some sensitive language around weight) and substance abuse. Follow Pickles and Vodka for updates, guest inquiries, or to say hi: Instagram: @picklesandvodkapodcast Facebook: Pickles and Vodka Podcast Tw...

Our listeners respond to the question “What helps when nothing really helps?” We also use a negative experience to start a conversation about accountability, communication, and personal growth. Enjoy! Special thanks to listeners Heather and Orion for sending in voicemails this week! We really want to send y’all stickers. Follow Pickles and Vodka to take part in the biweekly poll, send feedback, or...

Sometimes life is hard and solutions seem impossible. In your bleakest moments, can anything make it better? Christina and Lauren share what has helped them at their lowest, how to determine what you really need and ways to ask for it, what REALLY doesn't help, and what's been distracting them from their pain. Tangents include bodychecking, DND, harm reduction, and memes. Stay tuned for Part 2 in...

What do you keep putting off even though it would help your mental health? We read answers from listeners, admit to ways we're procrastinating and how it's hurting us, fail a quiz, make ourselves depressed again, and almost procrastinate wrapping up the episode—but not without landing on an unexpected conclusion. Enjoy! Follow Pickles and Vodka for updates, guest inquiries, or to say hi: Instagram...

What do you minimize and why? More importantly, what would it take for you to believe that it’s valid? In this episode, we tackle this question for ourselves and also hear what some of you had to say. Listen to hear how we minimized ourselves into “rock bottom” only to minimize some more, ways we flew under the radar by ignoring our needs, and why we should all be emotional maximalists. Follow Pic...

Inspired by tabloid news, your attention-deficit cohosts have a conversation about labels in the mental health world. Topics and tangents include: Ways we feel stuck and ashamed in our eating disorders this week Glennon Doyle’s recent anorexia diagnosis and ensuing controversy Differentiating professional diagnoses and personal labels Labels we’ve given ourselves, labels others have given us, and...

Today's episode draws from listener feedback to discuss ways we can set boundaries for ourselves and what to do when your boundaries aren't respected. Topics (and tangents!) include: Getting reported on Instagram Our attempts to diagnose ourselves with ADHD (and what we learned thanks to Google) Listening to your gut and creating boundaries from a place of self-respect How to form boundaries when...

Your imperfect yet oh-so-professional cohosts return in the new year to dish about the past and take a messy look into family dynamics. (Dish about family? Look messily into the past? Take your pick.) Topics (and tangents) include: The incident that blew up Lauren’s life right after we recorded our in-person episode two weeks ago More insurance nightmares The LIVE ON-AIR death of Gary the micropho...

Happy New Year, hot and spicy pickles! Today we are FINALLY releasing the episode we made in Lauren's living room after meeting in person for the first time. We answer listener questions, give out tragic awards, and attempt to hold it together in the only ways we know how. Enjoy!  Follow Pickles and Vodka for updates, guest inquiries, or to say hi: Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast Facebook:  Pi...

This week we’re baring it all in an attempt to keep being honest on this stupid show. Topics include: Why we’re tired of being strong for the holidays (and in general) Ways we’ve been struggling and why talking about it is hard Mental roadblocks preventing you from seeking support Turning to substances and self-harm instead of being vulnerable Putting on a shell to protect yourself from being disa...

It's messy, it's nonlinear AF, and it's definitely not for everyone. We are, of course, talking about recovery. Today's Pickle Poll episode draws from listener comments and voicemails to discuss the following: How we define recovery (or lack thereof) for ourselves Chronic mental illness, losing hope, and seeing recovery as an unaffordable luxury The “anecdote equals fact” approach and why it pisse...

Find a cozy seat and join us this week as we talk about therapy! Topics include: The events that led us each to therapy for the first time Times therapy saved our lives Times therapy traumatized us How therapy can help bring out your inner child Getting ghosted or fired by your therapist Paying for therapy Setting boundaries with your therapist Contacting your therapist after hours (and which of u...

This week we’re talking about the ways we and our listeners have romanticized mental illness in the past, why we trick ourselves into forgetting how bad it actually got, and how to find meaning outside of our pain. Subtopics include: Feeling guilty as an adult who previously idealized their mental illness when others seem to struggle without a choice Is romanticizing mental illness a sign of immat...

Christina picked the topic for today’s episode and we ran with it! Join us for an extra vulnerable conversation where we discuss the following: What is imposter syndrome and who suffers? Feeling like you don’t deserve to have a voice How we have struggled (and continue to struggle) with imposter syndrome in our personal lives and on the podcast Types of imposter syndrome and which ones we relate t...

Today we cover a topic we’ve been wanting to do forever: toxic positivity! Through listener comments and personal stories, we discuss the following: Not being allowed to be unhappy Why we can tend to be overly positive when supporting someone who is struggling Stonewalling ourselves to fit in with positivity culture External vs internal toxic positivity Not being able to trust people who are posit...

Today we talk about different types of trauma and whether we agree that distinctions matter. Subtopics include:  The difference between “big T” Trauma and “little T” trauma and why the terms even exist How even "little t" trauma can lead to serious repercussions if overlooked Comparing your experiences to others and minimizing what happened to you  Reconciling trauma with its well-meaning inflicto...

Happy Halloween, hot and spicy pickles! Today we discuss the following topics: Minimizing death while being afraid to talk about it Losing people young and being forced to deal with it before you’re ready What it’s like to be in your 30s without ever having experienced an interpersonal death Nonlinear grieving and why every reaction to death is appropriate The number one disrupter of funerals Poss...