Sober Awkward

This week… we’re going there. Dating sober. Regretful one-night stands. The murky truth about consent. Letting go of shame. First sober sexual encounters… and yes, even prison date nights. It’s all on the table. I’m joined by the brilliant Anna Wolfe, host of How To Get Wet When You’re Dry , who brings both lived experience and serious journalistic insight into what actually happens after we get s...

This week in the Share Shed there is a very common story about what happns when you have too many shots at a Hen Night. A big thank you to Clare who sent it in and another question from an anonymous listener - What do you say when your friends ask why you're not drinking? The Share Shed is where listeners send in their funniest, cringiest and most unbelievable drinking stories. It’s not about judg...

This week on Sober Awkward , Vic chats with one of her favourite sober buddies, sobriety coach - Sarah Rusbatch about something many of us completely ignored while we were drinking… our nervous systems. For years we thought alcohol was helping us relax. Turns out it was often doing the exact opposite, keeping our bodies stuck in stress mode. Sarah breaks down what’s really going on in our nervous...

This week in the Share Shed there is a story that some people may relate to - involving bodily functions. Vic opens the inbox to a story that starts like many girls trips do - a night out in Greece, one too many, a nice younger man, a shag and then..... Well, Vic will let you find out the next bit! The Share Shed is where listeners send in their funniest, cringiest and most unbelievable drinking s...

This week gets a little bit personal. We’re talking ADHD, alcohol, and that slightly unsettling moment when you realise… maybe it wasn’t just the drinking. After years of brushing it off, and being gently diagnosed by listeners in her DMs, Vic is thinking about getting assessed again. becuase last time she was tested for ADHD, it wasn’t the result she expected. But now, hormones are doing their th...

This week in the Share Shed there is an important question - How do I start again? Today Vic opens a voicemail from a Sober Awkward listener who is in her 20's and is drinking again after a period of abstinence - she's still young, so it seems like a really hard choice - what can she do to get back on track? The Share Shed is where listeners send in their funniest, cringiest and most unbelievable...

Vic is joined by Newspaper Editor, Journalist and Author, Carly Schwartz, to talk about her wild, honest new memoir I’ll Try Anything Twice . Carly shares stories from her years chasing adventure around the world, from chaotic parties to a mysterious sustainable town in the Panamanian jungle. Some of the experiences were exhilarating, others risky, and along the way she began to realise that alcoh...

This week in the Share Shed, Vic opens the inbox to a story that starts like many nights used to… a few drinks with friends that quietly turns into an entire weekend you can’t quite explain. Our anonymous listener describes being a full blown party animal in the late 90s, where alcohol often led to a cocktail of other substances and the kind of decisions that only make sense at the time. Let's jus...

Vic is joined by journalist and author Jenny Valentish for a warm, funny and honest conversation about introversion, overstimulation and knowing when it’s time to quietly exit stage left. Jenny is the author of An Introvert’s Guide to Leaving the House , a brilliant and reassuring book about navigating the world without pretending to be more extroverted than you are. It’s not about becoming louder...

This week in the Share Shed, Vic opens the inbox and shares one of those stories that perfectly sums up the chaos of drinking days. Listener James from Gloucester writes in with a tale from his travelling years that starts with a few innocent drinks on a river in Cambodia… and somehow ends with him accidentally buying more than he bargained for! It’s funny, slightly unbelievable, and a perfect rem...

Vic is eight years sober tomorrow… and something is quietly shifting.... She has realised this week that the anxiety she feels around certain social situations isn’t because she can’t cope. It’s because she no longer wants to. For years she believed being able to sit comfortably around drinking was a sober skill to master. She could handle it. She could manage the energy. She could leave early. Bu...

Awkward questions. Clumsy confessions. Zero judgement. Today, it's all about someone Vic knows very well.... Welcome to The Share Shed, the corner of Sober Awkward where we fling open the doors, air out the embarrassing bits, and finally stop carrying the stories that have been rattling around in our heads for years. These are your questions and confessions. The ones you’ve never said out loud. Th...

Is alcohol confidence, connection, and a doorway back to yourself, or is it a liquid barrier that keeps you further away? In this episode, Vic is joined by Australian broadcaster and former Triple J presenter Mel Bampton. Now 15 years sober, Mel has come full circle back to radio after spending years rebuilding her life around yoga, surfing and sobriety. Together, they explore one powerful questio...

Awkward questions. Clumsy confessions. Zero judgement. Today it's all about Darren, Darrens mum and a very dodgy night out! Say no more! Welcome to The Share Shed, the corner of Sober Awkward where we fling open the doors, air out the embarrassing bits, and finally stop carrying the stories that have been rattling around in our heads for years. These are your questions and confessions. The ones yo...

In this episode of Sober Awkward, Vic sits down with Recovery Jimmy from the After Hours podcast to ask a big question, does sobriety actually make you grow up? They swap stories of peak immaturity, from Vic’s 25 year blur of zero self preservation, to Jimmy’s wine fuelled, one way escape to Majorca after watching Into the Wild . What felt rebellious and “rock and roll” at the time now looks a lot...

Awkward questions. Clumsy confessions. Zero judgement. Welcome to The Share Shed, the corner of Sober Awkward where we fling open the doors, air out the embarrassing bits, and finally stop carrying the stories that have been rattling around in our heads for years. These are your questions and confessions. The ones you’ve never said out loud. The nights you still cringe about in the shower. The mom...

Giving up alcohol in her twenties felt impossible for VIc. Back then, drinking wasn’t just normal, it was the entire social structure. Nights out, friendships, dating, coping with stress, it all seemed to revolve around booze. So when someone decides to step away from it early, without a dramatic rock bottom or life implosion, it raises an interesting question..... Is something changing? In this e...

Awkward questions. Clumsy confessions. Zero judgement. Welcome to The Share Shed, the corner of Sober Awkward where we fling open the doors, air out the embarrassing bits, and finally stop carrying the stories that have been rattling around in our heads for years. These are your questions and confessions. The ones you’ve never said out loud. The nights you still cringe about in the shower. The mom...

This week on Sober Awkward, Vic is showing up having one of those weeks. You know the kind. Life is busy, emotions are bubbling, and she’s caught herself saying “Yeah, I’m fine” on autopilot, while secretly wanting to hide under a duvet and avoid everyone. Which, honestly, feels like the perfect moment to talk about… feelings. Today, Vic unpacks why sobriety can suddenly turn the emotional volume...

Welcome to the Share Shed — a judgement-free corner of Sober Awkward where we gently drag our most awkward drinking stories into the daylight and finally let them go. This is the place for the questions you’ve never asked out loud and the moments you still remember at 3am when your brain decides to replay your greatest hits of humiliation. Family parties that went wildly off-piste. Traffic cones w...

Should you ask your partner to quit drinking just because you have? Or could that actually make things worse? In this episode of Sober Awkward, Vic explores why telling the people you love to give up booze can backfire, and why quietly showing them what sobriety looks like is often far more powerful. From awkward dinner tables to partners who still drink, Vic talks honestly about support, resentme...

🎙️ Throwback Thursdays on Sober Awkward! Every Thursday, we’re serving up a little slice of Sober Awkward history – a short, powerful clip from one of our most-loved past episodes. Why? Because sometimes, the right words hit differently the second time around. Whether you’re new here or a long-time listener, these throwback moments are here to keep you company, remind you you’re not alone, and off...

After 3 and a half magical and hilarious years, the time has finally come for Hame to step away from the podcast. In this incredibly blubbery, soppy, sad and reflective episode Vic and Hame look back at what they have learnt from their time together. They explore what they have learnt from the podcast and what they hope the listeners can learn too. Hame reveals his reasons for having made this dec...

🎙️ Throwback Thursdays on Sober Awkward! Every Thursday, we’re serving up a little slice of Sober Awkward history – a short, powerful clip from one of our most-loved past episodes. Why? Because sometimes, the right words hit differently the second time around. Whether you’re new here or a long-time listener, these throwback moments are here to keep you company, remind you you’re not alone, and off...

What happens when midlife hits… and you’re already sober? In this brilliantly honest and often hilarious episode, Vic is flying solo (Hamish wisely sat this one out) to chat with author Dana Bowman , a woman who thought she had long-term sobriety nailed, until menopause, food, marriage, parenting, body image, and a global pandemic all piled in at once. Dana’s story, told in her book Humble Pie , i...