In this episode of Too Sober For This, Shell and Iain are talking about words: the ones we use, the ones we avoid, the ones that make us flinch, and the ones we maybe need to reclaim.

From “alcoholic” and “addict” to “disabled”, “triggered”, “resilience”, “mindfulness”, “queer”, “c4nt” and “unalived”, this conversation gets into the messy, funny and uncomfortable reality of modern language. Who gets to decide which words are harmful? When does changing language help reduce stigma, and when does it just make things more sanitised, vague or algorithm-friendly?

Shell and Iain also talk about the words they personally struggle with, the labels that have helped them understand themselves, and the ones that still feel loaded. There’s a lot in here about recovery, identity, diagnosis, online censorship, stigma, and why some words are uncomfortable for a reason.

In this episode:

• Why some people identify with words like “addict” or “alcoholic” and others don’t
• The difference between reclaiming language and being defined by it
• How algorithms have changed the way we talk about suicide, abuse and trauma
• Why sanitising difficult words can sometimes dilute serious conversations
• The weaponisation of words like “resilience”, “triggered” and “mindfulness”
• Diagnosis, self-identification, ADHD, autism, OCD and the problem with “everyone’s a little bit…”
• Comedy, offence, intention and where the line actually is
• Why language matters, but so does context, history and who is using it

As always, there are also sober w4nker wins, questionable emoji use, mango-eating dogs, chia seeds, family visits, cruise ship karaoke, and the ongoing evidence that sobriety does not automatically make you a calm, wholesome person!

Listen now on all podcast platforms, and if this episode gets you thinking, send us your thoughts. What words do you hate? What labels have helped you? And are there any words you think we’ve become too scared to say?

Follow, rate, review, share with a friend, send it to your group chat, or shout about it loudly in the street. All of it helps the algorithm believe we are more important than we currently are.

Connect With Us

@toosoberforthispodcast

Shell Righini - @shell_righini Iain Anderson - @iainanderson.comedy

Traumedy Show - https://iainandersoncomedy.com/

Listen to Shell’s podcast We Recover Loudly here on Spotify

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