Advertise on podcast: Drunk-ish - A Sobriety Podcast

This week I'm talking with my friend Vicki Moser about anxiety, complicated childhoods, and how sobriety helped her rewrite the story she'd been telling herself for decades. Vicki shares what it was like growing up painfully shy, caring for her sick mom while still a teenager, and eventually finding herself drinking to cope with all of it. We get into the messy middle of recovery, the freedom that comes from owning our mistakes with our kids, and why "powerful, courageous, sober woman" is the only story she's telling now. Plus, we bond over good hair and no bras on Zoom. You know, the important stuff. Please check out Drunk-ish on YouTube to see Vicki's hair for yourselves and don't forget to subscribe while you're there!

This week I’m talking with Colleen Saldana, a therapist at a recovery center who somehow manages to be both deeply wise and extremely relatable. Colleen got sober at 21, relapsed at 38, and tells the whole “I’ll just have one margarita” story in a way that will make you laugh… and also clutch your water bottle tighter. We get into growing up around alcohol, anxiety, an eating disorder, the way addiction plays the long game, and what finally helped (detox, sober living, sponsorship, and doing the actual program). It’s a big, hopeful, been-there conversation.  Check out the show on YouTube and subscribe! 

I love this episode because Danielle Mercier is basically a walking cautionary tale and a motivational poster at the same time. We get into her early “party girl” years, her brief era of thinking Las Vegas was a wholesome alternative to LA (amazing logic), and the moment her drinking finally caught up with her in the most dramatic way possible. From there, Danielle talks about getting sober, finding her people in 12-Step, and building a life so full she actually likes herself now—which is kind of the whole point, right? Also: cocaine on a soap opera set. You’re welcome.  

We’re back with Margot Rose for Part Two where Margot takes us somewhere heartbreaking and profound—family, divorce, regret, and the kind of loss that changes the shape of your whole life. We talk about what sobriety looks like when the “easy button” doesn’t exist, how shame can shove people out of the rooms, and why sometimes you do what you have to do just to get through the day. And then—hope: the promise she made, the art she created, and what it means to keep showing up. Find Margot on IG Tickets to Unconditional Watch the episode on YouTube and please like and subscribe to YouTube or to this audio podcast!

I’m with Margot Rose this week, and let’s just say: if you’ve ever wanted a sobriety parade, you’re among friends. Margot and I go way back—16 years back—and we revisit the era when I was… not exactly a delight in sober spaces, and she was the rock-and-roll, sharp-edged voice I desperately needed. We talk Staten Island Ferry busking, the “white wine and coke” cocktail (please don’t), quitting cocaine but keeping the drinking going, and the extremely slippery slope of meds that are technically “as directed.” Also: we split her story—come back for Part Two.  Find Margot on IG Tickets to Unconditional Watch the episode on YouTube and please like and subscribe to YouTube or to this audio podcast!

Tamara Mello is back (again… third? fourth? who’s counting), and I’m thrilled because she just hit three years sober with a January 2 sobriety date — which makes this time of year feel extra real. We talk about why “just moderate” can feel like a full-time job, why taking drinking off the table can weirdly bring relief, and how the holidays can either break you… or show you what you’re made of. Plus: sober parties, social anxiety, accidentally sipping the wrong drink, and why drunk people get louder while everyone gets less interesting. Find Tamara's Etsy shop here: HERE Subscribe to Drunk-ish on YouTube

I'm taking one more week off for the holidays but next week I'll be back with all new episodes! This is a great interview with Kathleen Wilhoite — actress, musician, writer, teacher, and one of the most honest, hilarious, and compelling people I’ve met. We talked about getting fired from a movie before even filming (swizzle sticks in a jean jacket were involved), and finding herself again through songwriting, teaching, and recovery. We also get into what long-term sobriety actually looks like — spoiler: it’s not always serene yoga mornings and green juice. It’s messy, hard, beautiful, and sometimes involves yelling into the void (and then calling your sponsor). I can’t wait for you to hear it. Please go here to watch on YouTube:  To follow Kathleen on Insta: @RealKathleenW My insta: @SWilderTaylor

Tamara Mello came back a few days later to get a little more into dealing with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder along with her sobriety. It was a great discussion and worth bringing back especially right now around the holidays.

We're going back to the beginning with a fan favorite, my friend, Tamara Mello. Tamara is an actress (She's All That, Popular etc.), a mom and a jewelry designer (Grey By Tamara Mello on Etsy) and she's getting real on coming up on 3 years sober. 

This week I’m catching up with Tara Motter, and it really does feel like a girlfriend hang… except with microphones and considerably more accountability. We talk about the whole “cool wine mom” era (oops), the way drinking can turn into your entire personality, and Tara’s truly iconic alter ego, T-Rex. Tara also tells the story of the night she hit bottom—yes, there was a taxi situation, yes, there was jail—and how she rebuilt from there with meetings, honesty, and a plan that actually worked. Funny, real, and weirdly hopeful.   You can find Tara on her TikTok, Her IG @RecoveringFromSomething or her Substack which is Recovering From Something You can watch this episode HERE

If you’ve ever wondered whether “drinking is just part of my personality” is a solid life plan, this episode is for you. I’m joined by the hilarious and brutally honest Sean Daniels, a theater director who managed to get fired from his dream job for day drinking, then turned his mess into an Off-Broadway play and a whole nonprofit, the Recovery Arts Project. We talk relapse (so much more common than people admit), brain chemistry, secret Mormon drinking, and why nobody brings you a casserole when you go to rehab. Come for the drunk stories, stay for the hope.

If you’ve ever Googled “Am I an alcoholic?” at midnight (hi, welcome), you’re going to love this week’s conversation with the author of The Sober Diaries, Clare Pooley. We get into her days as “Sober Mummy,” why she once hid red wine in a coffee mug, the absolute hellscape of dancing in heels sober, and how quitting drinking somehow also led both of us straight into the arms of sugar. Clare’s stories are sharp, hilarious, and painfully relatable. Grab your fancy sneakers and join us. Clare can be found at her website ClarePooley.com and you can find her books everywhere.

If you’ve ever taken an “Am I an alcoholic?” quiz and argued with every single question… you’re going to love this one. Writer and mom of two Dana Bowman joins me to talk about growing up with a “dry drunk” dad, becoming the straight-A, teacher-of-the-year perfectionist, and then secretly drinking her face off on the couch. We laugh about wine-mom culture, hiding bottles in boots, and that first meeting where a guy with a spiderweb head tattoo basically saved her life. We also hit relapse, menopause, sugar binges, and her new book on sober menopause.  Check out Dana's website Watch the episode here

This week I sit down with Lisa Smith — author of Girl Walks Out of a Bar and co-host of Sober Living. Lisa and I get into everything from her New York lawyer days (including the part where she fully expected to die at 40) to the weekend routines she hid behind while her drinking spiraled. We talk about early sobriety, inpatient treatment, why some friendships shift and others surprise you, and the strange magic of a recovery community that somehow knows all your secrets before you tell them.  Find Lisa at LisaSmithAdvisory.com 

This is the episode so nice I'm airing it twice! Comedian and longtime podcaster Greg Fitzsimmons joins me for a candid, hilarious, and deeply honest conversation about his decades-long journey without alcohol—and why he never calls himself “sober.” From getting drunk behind the bleachers at 13 to quitting after bombing a stand-up set in Boston, Greg opens up about addiction in his Irish Catholic family, dealing with anger, parenting in the age of weed vapes, and how comedy became his salvation. He also talks about his use of mushrooms for healing, his one-night relapse, and why AA wasn’t the right fit for him—even if its ideas stuck. This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t fit into the “sober” box but knew they needed to make a change.  For Greg's podcasts go to Fitzdog Radio or Childish and check out gregfitzsimmons.com for tour dates and everything else. Watch Greg on YouTube