In this episode of The Sober Seat, Alice returns, to discuss Life After Addiction, Quitting Alcohol and 1 Year on Into Sobriety.

We talk about what really happens after reaching the milestone so many people in recovery work towards.

Because one year sober doesn’t mean life suddenly becomes easy.

Alice opens up about the reality of year two recovery — where the external chaos may have settled, but the internal work around shame, identity, and emotional healing becomes even more present.

We talk about shame in addiction and recovery, including the belief of not being “bad enough” to be an alcoholic, and how that narrative can delay seeking help and deepen isolation.

The conversation also explores sobriety in real life situations, particularly navigating sober weddings, hen dos, summer drinking culture, and the pressure to fit into social environments where alcohol is still central.

We also explore expectations vs resentment in sobriety, and how recovery can sometimes feel very different from what you imagined in early sobriety.

There is an honest and important reflection on shame connected to sexual assault, and how trauma can resurface in sobriety when alcohol is no longer being used to numb emotional pain.

This is a conversation about sobriety, alcohol addiction recovery, emotional healing, trauma, and what it really means to rebuild your life after alcohol.

Topics covered: one year sober, sobriety, alcohol addiction, addiction recovery, sober curious, quitting alcohol, shame in addiction, functional alcoholic, high functioning alcoholism, sober weddings, sober hen do, sober social life, drinking culture, expectations vs reality, resentment in recovery, trauma and sobriety, sexual assault and recovery, mental health, early sobriety, year two sobriety, life after alcohol.

If you’ve ever reached sobriety and realised the work isn’t finished, or struggled with shame, comparison, or emotional overwhelm in recovery, this episode is for you.

Because year one is survival.

But year two is where you start learning how to live.

So, get comfy. Pull up a chair. Come sit with us.

This is The Sober Seat.

New episodes every Wednesday at 8PM.

Make sure you follow The Sober Seat and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.

Find us on socials:
@aish_thesoberseat
@thesoberseatpod

@findingwonderland33

Alex’s sister died after spending around £1,500 a month on alcohol deliveries. Now, she’s campaigning for change.

In this episode of the Sober Seat, Alex shares the heartbreaking story of losing her sister to alcohol addiction and how easy access to home alcohol delivery became part of that devastating reality

.

What might sound like an isolated tragedy is anything but. Across the UK, thousands of families are affected by alcohol harm, and the rapid growth of on demand delivery has raised difficult questions about consumer safety and accountability.

Alex also discusses her work with Alcohol Change UK and the organisation’s End the Delivery Trap campaign, which calls for stronger protections to reduce alcohol related harm and encourage more responsible delivery practices.

This is a conversation about addiction, grief, public health, family, recovery, and advocacy, but also about turning personal loss into meaningful action. Alex’s story highlights a wider issue affecting communities across the country and why she believes change is urgently needed.

Topics covered: alcohol addiction, alcohol delivery, alcoholism, grief, family loss, sobriety, recovery, addiction awareness, public health, campaigning, Alcohol Change UK, End the Delivery Trap, UK alcohol policy, and alcohol harm.

If you've ever wondered why some people can't "just stop drinking", or you've watched someone you love become trapped by alcohol addiction, this episode is for you.

Alex's story is heartbreaking, but it isn't rare. It shines a light on a growing issue affecting families across the UK and asks difficult questions about the role of instant alcohol delivery, public health, and the systems surrounding addiction.

Whether you're sober, sober curious, supporting someone in recovery, or simply want to better understand the realities of alcohol harm, this conversation offers compassion, insight, and a powerful call for change.

So, get comfy. Pull up a chair. Come sit with us.

This is The Sober Seat. 🎧✨

New episodes every Wednesday at 8PM.

Make sure you follow The Sober Seat and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.

Find us on socials:
@aish_thesoberseat
@thesoberseatpod

END THE DELIVERY TRAP campaign -

In Part Two of this episode, Bernadette opens up about the blurred line between fiction and lived experience. What once became material for storytelling was, at one point, the reality she was surviving inside.

Behind the parties, relationships and chaos was something far darker: emotional dependency, addiction, dissociation and a growing loss of self.

What looked exciting from the outside slowly became survival disguised as freedom.

This episode explores:
• Alcohol and drug use as coping mechanisms
• Codependency and toxic relationship dynamics
• Dissociation and emotional numbness
• The psychological link between trauma and addiction
• Losing identity through survival mode
• Rock bottom, treatment and the moment everything stopped feeling sustainable
• Turning lived experience into storytelling, honesty and recovery

Bernadette reflects on the environments she normalised, the patterns she mistook for connection, and the difficult process of separating survival from identity.

Because sometimes the hardest part isn’t hitting rock bottom.

It’s realising how long you called it home.

This conversation sheds light on the quieter, often invisible side of addiction, the part that starts long before anyone notices there’s a problem.

If you’ve ever felt disconnected from yourself, stuck in cycle of Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, Or Toxic Codependent relationships you can’t explain. Like you’ve been surviving more than living, desperate to get Sober. this episode is for you.

So, get comfy. Pull up a chair. Come sit with us.
This is The Sober Seat 🎧✨

New episodes every Wednesday at 8PM.

Make sure you follow The Sober Seat and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.

Where to find us on Socials
@aish_thesoberseat
@thesoberseatpod

@bernadettefrancis_