Sober Awkward

What a pleasure it is to bring you the second of our Sober Awkward interview guests. This month we welcome to the podcast Millie Mackintosh! You may know Millie from Made in Chelsea or her work as a fashion and beauty icon representing brands like L'Oreal, Ralph Lauren and House of Fraser. Millie shares stories of how her life has not always been glitzy and glamorous. and takes a deeper look at th...

In this week's retrospective episode Vic and Lucy reveal the relationships between their mental health and their over drinking. For Lucy it was depression brought about by a chronic disease diagnosis whereas for Vic it was the anxiety triggered by recreational drug use. Whatever it is for you - the importance of mental wellbeing is imperative to getting and staying sober. We hope that Vic and Lucy...

It's a question Vic and Hamish get emailed everyday - Help! I can't stop drinking what can I do? It's a plea that they actually find hard to answer because what works for one person - may not work for the next. So, today you will get the run down of everything, from a visit to the GP, therapy and AA to Rehab and Quit Lit. They will discuss what worked for them, how it all starts with you standing...

In this week's retrospective episode we pay our thanks and respect to Vic's sister. Louise Vanstone is one of the unsung heroes of the Sober Awkward Podcast. Not only did she play a part in inspiring Vic to follow in her footsteps but she also has more sober years than Vic, Hame and Lucy put together. AA changed her life and she continues to attend their meetings after over 22 years of sobriety. T...

It's the episode you've all been asking for....Alcohol and the menopause. Why does it make you feel like drinking? Will a glass of red help your symptoms? If I am sober will the menopause be easier? So many questions and only two uneducated buffoons to answer them! It's not a topic that Vic and Hame know much about so they had to learn on the go and bring in an expert - Dr Sally Hunt from the Univ...

In this week's retrospective episode we revisit Vic and Lucy's struggle to beat the moderation pixie. Many of us try and fail to moderate for years before eventually accepting that sobriety might be the best route for us. We have heard every trick in the book from drinking a water in between each alcoholic drink to only drinking on the weekends! Attempting moderation is often a losing battle. You...

Hame isn't a dermatologist (shock, horror!) but he has theory about skin. Whatever effects a skincare product might promise to have on your wrinkles/ageing skin/your 'glow' - the best way to improve your skin is from the inside out. Changing what you put into your body (starting with alcohol of course) has noticeably faster and more effective improvements on your skin quality than any product on t...

In this week's retrospective episode we take a look back at one of THE biggest concerns for the newly sober. How do you deal with this inevitable question. Lie? Prepare a few possible answers? Laugh it off? Or you might choose to use one of Vic's slightly extreme responses. Vic and Lucy compared notes for their different approaches in one of the first Sober Awkward episodes. You can listen to the...

It's the episode you've all been waiting for! Our chat with super star DJ Norman Cook AKA Fatboy Slim. We were privileged to be invited back stage before his gig in Brisbane to have a quick chat with Norman about life since going sober 14 years ago. We reminisce about The Big Beat Boutique, find out why bringing Fatboy Slim home after a gig triggered him to seek help and how it feels entertaining...

In this week's retrospective episode we look at the moment that you have decided to go sober and are deciding who to tell, and equally importantly...when. For some telling your friends and family keeps you accountable whereas for others, the fear of their reaction can delay this conversation for months on end. Vic and Lucy had two very different experiences and approaches to this moment - here are...

'Can I still tear up the dancefloor without alcohol?' That was Hame's first worry when he gave up booze. And he is not alone... The dance-floor is a very different place when you’re sober. Alcohol was a way to release your inhibitions. Without it you feel more aware, less sexy and considerably more awkward. Also dancing for hours is bloody tiring without alcohol. (Although that might just be becau...

To continue our new weekly retrospective feature - we are heading back to the first ever episode of Sober Awkward. A lot of people try and fail drinking moderately for a long time before eventually becoming sober. 'Most people seem to be able to do it so why can't I?' is a question you may have asked yourself a few hundred times! Vic and Lucy share their experiences of battling with this question...

Tomorrow we celebrate Hame's 1 year soberversary. He has achieved what he set out to do but is this our last podcast together? Will he be heading straight back to the pub or will he (and the podcast) be continuing? Vic and Hame look back on the similarities and differences of their first year's sober. They share what they have enjoyed the most and shine a light on what they have found difficult. (...

To kickstart our new weekly retrospective feature in which we take a look back at a significant moment from a previous Sober Awkward episode - we are going all the way back to our first ever episode! For many of us, there is specific moment when you realise that drinking isn't for you anymore. Most of us ignore these for years. Until one day, something happens that makes them impossible to ignore...

Sober, Single and on Tinder - with Lucy Good. For some sober folks, leaving the safe confines of your living room might be a challenge, socialising feels awkward at first and it's easier to stay in rather than venture out into the big wide world. Lucy is a classic case of someone who found her home comforting in early sobriety. But we are pleased to announce that the queen of the hermits, the matr...

It's nearly July... so today Vic and Hamish want to find out the pros and cons of having a a break from booze. For some, this month will be the pivotal point that you start your road to recovery. It might represent years of over doing it coming to an end ….but for others, it might just be an excuse to prove you don’t have a drink problem and allow you to get blackout bladdered for the rest of the...

If you Google any hotel today - you will probably be met with a photo of a cocktail bar, a swim up bar, or a chilled wine being served in the restaurant...and don't get us started on minibars! It seems almost impossible to book a hotel anywhere without being confronted by alcohol. Our society is so ingrained that holidays = drinking booze that this has become inevitable. But that doesn't mean you...

Vic's a classic case of a red flag ignorer.  A binge drinker that disregarded every sign that she was over doing it. No matter how much they flapped, whipping her across the face, she somehow managed to push past, never having to address her over drinking. She failed at school, college, and Uni, blew a finger off with a firework, got in dangerous situations with men, was bloated, had anxiety, peop...

In this week's episode, Hame and Vic will answer some of the world's toughest questions. Like, why do kebabs taste so good when you are drunk (or even when you are sober for that matter!) Why do we eat like pigs when hungover? Is it ok to eat food that has booze in it? You might be thinking why are we talking about food in a sobriety episode? Well Hame and Vic have been busy researching and have f...

If we truly want to learn about what makes a substance addictive - we first need to educate ourselves on Dopamine. In this week's episode Hame and Vic will delve a little further than 'it is the happy hormone'! They will look at the role it plays in our drinking years, why we don't always feel amazing in the initial stages of sobriety and the importance of finding healthy dopamine substitutes in o...

Being lonely and isolated is unfortunately a common feeling when going sober. People get scared of going out and facing the alcohol drenched world, so stay in watching TV, going to bed early and getting a little too cosy. (Guilty!) But, staying in too much after giving up the grog is a problem. It can lead to loss of friendships, anxiety, loneliness and relapse. Believe it or not, Vic gets very lo...

The Drugs Episode - Trigger warning - This episode contains references to recreational drug use, overdose and the impact of drugs on sobriety. Attention whistle posseI It's time to get out your Fila trainers, pop on your hyper-colour t-shirts and strap on a bum bag because today Sober Awkward is heading back to a time when getting off your nut on drugs seemed pretty damn cool. (Well, until it caus...

Today Vic and Hame delve into the more spiritual ways to heal from long term alcohol dependancy. Can new age methods help restore your mental and emotional health when in recovery? And do any of these practices actually work? Vic is not a believer in the woo woo side of life, so today Hame has some convincing to do. They begin by revealing some of the more awkward run-ins with the oneness and expl...

Be it pens, badges, a glass of bubbly or a full blown house sit - Hame and Vic love a freebie! But what has that got to with sobriety, we hear you cry out?! Inspired by a recent complimentary trip they took to Melbourne where they were 'wined and dined' (so to speak), they realised just how hard it to say no to a freebie. Vic broke her sugar free challenge and the slightest mention of cheese cake...

Banning alcohol? It seems barely believable. But from 1920-1933 that is exactly what happened in America. But was it successful and would it work today? Would the world be a better place if alcohol never even existed? Have we now gone to a stage where we have gone too far down the path and any ban on alcohol would cause a riot? These are some of the important questions that Hame and Vic will tackl...