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_

This week on The Sober Seat Pod, in Part One of a Two Part Episode. Bernadette Francis shares the reality behind alcohol, drugs, and toxic relationships, and how years spent in survival mode slowly blurred into addiction, dissociation, and emotional shutdown.

What looked like a fast-paced, party-filled lifestyle on the outside was actually a cycle of coping, numbing, and trying to survive internal chaos.

She opens up about how dissociation became a normal state of being, how substance use fitted into that pattern, and how toxic relationships reinforced it all.

This episode explores how addiction is often not the starting point, but a response to emotional overwhelm, trauma patterns, and survival mechanisms that go unrecognised for years.

We also follow the turning point, the slow awareness that something had to change, and how that same lived experience eventually became the foundation for finding voice, identity, and becoming an author.

In this episode, we cover:
• Dissociation and emotional numbness as survival responses
• Alcohol and drug use as coping mechanisms
• Toxic relationship patterns and emotional dependency
• Living in survival mode and losing sense of identity
• The hidden link between trauma and addiction
• The shift from self-destruction to self-awareness
• How lived experience can be transformed into purpose and storytelling

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 cycles you can’t explain, or like you’ve been surviving more than living, 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_

This week on The Sober Seat Podcast, Jasmine shares the truth behind her experience with Feel Free Tonic — the viral “wellness” drink containing kratom that she says quickly turned from a sobriety aid into a hidden addiction.

What started as a small blue bottle sold in gas stations and wellness stores became something she relied on every single day. From withdrawals and secrecy to isolation and dependency, Jasmine opens up about how quickly something marketed as “natural” began taking over her life.

In this episode, we unpack the growing controversy surrounding Feel Free, the wider conversations around kratom addiction, and why more people online are speaking out about their experiences.

This conversation explores the reality of addiction that doesn’t always look dangerous from the outside, the stigma surrounding “legal” substances, and how easily wellness culture can blur the lines between healing and dependency.

We talk about:
• Feel Free Tonic and kratom explained
• Hidden addiction and dependency
• Withdrawal, secrecy, and isolation
• Sobriety and substance replacement
• Wellness culture and addiction concerns
• Recovery, honesty, and finding hope again

If you’ve seen the little blue bottles online or in your local convenience store, this is a conversation you need to hear.

So, pull up a chair & come sit with us. 🪑✨

This is The Sober Seat.

New episodes every Wednesday at 7PM 🎙️

This week on The Sober Seat Pod, Alice shares the reality behind the party lifestyle, the stripping industry, and the dangerous cycle of cocaine and alcohol addiction that slowly led her into self-destruction.

What looked glamorous from the outside was masking chaos behind closed doors. From normalising heavy partying and substance use within nightlife culture to losing herself completely in addiction, Alice opens up about the emotional toll, the isolation, and the moment she realised something had to change.

This episode is an honest conversation about addiction, survival, shame, recovery, and rebuilding your identity after rock bottom.

In this episode, we cover:

• The reality behind the glamour of the stripping industry
• How partying culture normalised cocaine and alcohol misuse
• Addiction, escapism, and emotional numbness
• The impact addiction had on mental health and self-worth
• Shame, secrecy, and living a double life
• Hitting rock bottom and choosing sobriety
• Healing, recovery, and rebuilding life after addiction

This conversation shines a light on the parts of addiction people rarely talk about openly, especially within industries where substance use becomes part of the culture.

If you’re struggling with cocaine addiction, alcohol dependency, party lifestyle burnout, or navigating your own recovery journey, 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 7PM

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

Where to find us on Socials

⬇️⬇️⬇️

@aish_thesoberseat

@thesoberseatpod

@findingwonderland3

Abby’s story is raw, honest, and impossible to ignore.

In this episode of The Sober Seat Podcast she opens up about the lasting impact of parental abandonment, how it shaped her relationship with addiction, and the weight of shame and stigma she carried for years.

From navigating motherhood while struggling, to confronting the dark realities of substance dependence, once a drug that provided confidence and "safety"

Abby shares what it really looks like behind closed doors.

This conversation explores the link between trauma and addiction, the toll it takes on mental health and family life, and what it takes to finally break the cycle.

We talk about:
• Childhood trauma and its role in addiction
• Shame, stigma, and silent struggles
• Motherhood and addiction
• The reality of substance dependence
• Mental health and recovery
• Finding hope through sobriety

If you’ve ever felt stuck in patterns you don’t fully understand… this one will hit home.

There is a way out. And this is what it can look like.

So, pull up a chair & come sit with us.

This is the The Sober Seat
New episodes every Wednesday at 7PM

This week on The Sober Seat Podcast, Beyond The Bet (Shell) shares the heartbreaking truth about gambling addiction — the silent addiction that took her dad’s life.

Often hidden behind closed doors, problem gambling and compulsive gambling can go unnoticed for years. There are no obvious physical signs, yet the impact on mental health, finances, relationships, and families can be devastating.

Through this deeply personal story, we explore the reality of gambling harm — not just for the individual, but for the affected others left navigating guilt, grief, and loss.

In this episode, we cover:
• Why gambling addiction is known as the silent addiction
• The link between gambling, mental health, and suicide
• The impact of problem gambling on families and loved ones
• Emotional struggles: guilt, shame, isolation
• Grief after addiction-related loss
• Recovery, healing, and finding support

This conversation gives a voice to the affected others — the partners, children, and families living with the consequences of addiction every day.

If you’re struggling with gambling addiction, supporting someone with problem gambling, or navigating grief and recovery, 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 7PM

Make sure you drop The Sober Seat a follow and turn your Notifications on so you never miss an Episode 🌱🎧🩷

Where to find us on Socials

⬇️⬇️⬇️

@aish_thesoberseat

@thesoberseatpod

@beyond_the_bet