Vic sits down with William Porter to unpack one of the biggest traps in drinking culture, how alcohol became so normal we stopped questioning it.

From cracking a Red Stripe on a train at 7.30am in London to planning entire nights around that first drink, this episode explores the quiet, creeping ways alcohol becomes the main event without us even noticing.

They dive into where cravings really come from, why our brains keep sending us back for more even when it makes us feel awful, and how growing up surrounded by booze can make drinking feel less like a choice and more like something we were always going to do.

There’s also a moment so many of us will recognise, that slow realisation that feeling anxious, flat, and exhausted all the time might not just be “life”, it might be alcohol.

This is the episode where things start to click, where the fog lifts a little, and where you begin to see the bigger picture.

If you’ve ever woken up and thought “why am I doing this again?”, this one’s for you.

💛 Resources & Links

William Porter - Alcohol Explained - https://amzn.asia/d/0j9Q896E

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

A brutally honest and hilarious look at motherhood, anxiety, and ditching the booze.

👉 Buy the book here

🎧 Listen to more Sober Awkward episodes

👉 www.soberawkward.com

🫖 Join The Cuppa Community

Our private, supportive online space for sober folk

👉 www.cuppa.community

📘 Get the Sober Awkward Guide

Our downloadable toolkit for ditching booze the awkward way.

👉 The Sober Awkward Guide

📱 Follow us for daily sober fun:

Instagram: @soberawkward

TikTok: @soberawkward

Facebook: Sober Awkward Community for Women

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week in the Share Shed there is a message from someone who feels properly stuck.

It’s whisky, and it’s creeping earlier. What used to be evenings has slowly shifted… to afternoons… and now sometimes mornings. Just a quick swig out of the bottle to steady the nerves.

They’ve been listening to the podcast, quietly questioning things, knowing deep down something isn’t right… but still lying to themselves and everyone around them.

And this is the first time they’ve ever said it out loud. If this resonates maybe the best thing you can do is just tell one person?

The Share Shed is where listeners send in their funniest, cringiest and most unbelievable drinking stories. It’s not about judgement, it’s about recognising how wild things could get when alcohol was in charge, and laughing about it now we’re on the other side.

If you’ve got a story you’d like to get off your chest, funny, awkward or slightly ridiculous, you can send it to Vic at:

[email protected]

Anonymous is absolutely fine. In fact - for legal reasons - probably preferable!!

and if you feel like you are in need of some extra support and you live in Australia - here are some people you can call -

📞 SUPPORT & RESOURCES

If anything in today’s Shame Shed felt familiar, or you’re worried about your drinking, there is support out there. You don’t have to do this on your own.

🇦🇺 Australia

National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline

📞 1800 250 015 (24/7)

Free, confidential advice and support

🌐 https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/alcohol-and-drug-information-service

Lifeline (if you’re feeling overwhelmed or in crisis)

📞 13 11 14 (24/7)

🌐 https://www.lifeline.org.au

Hello Sunday Morning / Daybreak App

Online support programme and community

🌐 https://hellosundaymorning.org

🌐 https://daybreakapp.com.au

Clean Slate Clinic

Telehealth support for detox and recovery from home

🌐 https://www.cleanslateclinic.com

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Drinkline (NHS Alcohol Helpline)

📞 0300 123 1110

🌐 https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/alcohol-support/

Alcohol Change UK

Advice, tools, and support

🌐 https://alcoholchange.org.uk

We Are With You

Free, local and online support

🌐 https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk

🌍 International

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

Find local meetings worldwide

🌐 https://www.aa.org

SMART Recovery

Science-based support groups (online and in person)

🌐 https://www.smartrecovery.org

💬 A gentle reminder

If you’re drinking in the morning to cope, especially with anxiety or withdrawal symptoms, it’s really important to speak to a doctor or medical professional. Stopping suddenly can be unsafe for some people, and support can make a huge difference.

You don’t have to have it all figured out.

You just have to start somewhere.

💛 Other Resources & Links

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

A brutally honest and hilarious look at motherhood, anxiety, and ditching the booze.

👉 Buy the book here

🎧 Listen to more Sober Awkward episodes

👉 www.soberawkward.com

🫖 Join The Cuppa Community

Our private, supportive online space for sober folk

👉 www.cuppa.community

📘 Get the Sober Awkward Guide

Our downloadable toolkit for ditching booze the awkward way.

👉 The Sober Awkward Guide

📱 Follow us for daily sober fun:

Instagram: @soberawkward

TikTok: @soberawkward

Facebook: Sober Awkward Community for Women

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 sober, especially when it comes to relationships and sex.

We talk about the things most of us have done… but rarely unpack properly. The choices we made when alcohol was involved, the lines that got blurred, and what it looks like to navigate intimacy without it.

It’s honest, uncomfortable at times, and properly eye-opening.

And yes… I do cringe my way through parts of it.

But that’s kind of the point. Because sobriety doesn’t just change what we drink, it changes how we connect, how we choose, and how we show up in the most vulnerable parts of our lives.

Enjoy! and you can listen to Annas podcast here - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-to-get-wet-when-youre-dry/id1833243242

or follow her here - @imannawolfe

💛 Resources & Links

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

A brutally honest and hilarious look at motherhood, anxiety, and ditching the booze.

👉 Buy the book here

🎧 Listen to more Sober Awkward episodes

👉 www.soberawkward.com

🫖 Join The Cuppa Community

Our private, supportive online space for sober folk

👉 www.cuppa.community

📘 Get the Sober Awkward Guide

Our downloadable toolkit for ditching booze the awkward way.

👉 The Sober Awkward Guide

📱 Follow us for daily sober fun:

Instagram: @soberawkward

TikTok: @soberawkward

Facebook: Sober Awkward Community for Women

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 judgement, it’s about recognising how wild things could get when alcohol was in charge, and laughing about it now we’re on the other side.

If you’ve got a story you’d like to get off your chest, funny, awkward or slightly ridiculous, you can send it to Vic at:

[email protected]

Anonymous is absolutely fine. In fact - for legal reasons - probably preferable!!

💛 Resources & Links

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

A brutally honest and hilarious look at motherhood, anxiety, and ditching the booze.

👉 Buy the book here

🎧 Listen to more Sober Awkward episodes

👉 www.soberawkward.com

🫖 Join The Cuppa Community

Our private, supportive online space for sober folk

👉 www.cuppa.community

📘 Get the Sober Awkward Guide

Our downloadable toolkit for ditching booze the awkward way.

👉 The Sober Awkward Guide

📱 Follow us for daily sober fun:

Instagram: @soberawkward

TikTok: @soberawkward

Facebook: Sober Awkward Community for Women

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 systems, why so many of us feel wired, anxious or exhausted, and what we can actually do to regulate ourselves without reaching for a drink.

Vic admits she learned loads in this chat and had a few lightbulb moments along the way. Make sure you listen right to the end for a simple breathing exercise you can try with us. And in true Sober Awkward style, Vic pops back in 24 hours later with a little update after trying a couple of the things Sarah suggested. It’s amazing what a difference a day can make when you start paying attention to your nervous system.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Find Sarah's courses, retreats, challenges and more here - https://sarahrusbatch.com

@sarahrusbatch

and join her amazing April alcohol reset challenge here - https://sarahrusbatch.com/30day-af-program

💛 Resources & Links

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

A brutally honest and hilarious look at motherhood, anxiety, and ditching the booze.

👉 Buy the book here

🎧 Listen to more Sober Awkward episodes

👉 www.soberawkward.com

🫖 Join The Cuppa Community

Our private, supportive online space for sober folk

👉 www.cuppa.community

📘 Get the Sober Awkward Guide

Our downloadable toolkit for ditching booze the awkward way.

👉 The Sober Awkward Guide

📱 Follow us for daily sober fun:

Instagram: @soberawkward

TikTok: @soberawkward

Facebook: Sober Awkward Community for Women

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 stories. It’s not about judgement, it’s about recognising how wild things could get when alcohol was in charge, and laughing about it now we’re on the other side.

If you’ve got a story you’d like to get off your chest, funny, awkward or slightly ridiculous, you can send it to Vic at:

[email protected]

Anonymous is absolutely fine. In fact - for legal reasons - probably preferable!!

💛 Resources & Links

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

A brutally honest and hilarious look at motherhood, anxiety, and ditching the booze.

👉 Buy the book here

🎧 Listen to more Sober Awkward episodes

👉 www.soberawkward.com

🫖 Join The Cuppa Community

Our private, supportive online space for sober folk

👉 www.cuppa.community

📘 Get the Sober Awkward Guide

Our downloadable toolkit for ditching booze the awkward way.

👉 The Sober Awkward Guide

📱 Follow us for daily sober fun:

Instagram: @soberawkward

TikTok: @soberawkward

Facebook: Sober Awkward Community for Women

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 thing and perimenopause is turning the volume up on everything, and she’s been feeling wired, overwhelmed, and honestly… a bit confused.

So she’s brought in someone who actually knows what they’re talking about.

Faye Laurence is an alcohol coach who specialises in ADHD, and this conversation really hits home.

They get into the big questions… do people with ADHD use alcohol to self-medicate? What actually comes first, the ADHD or the drinking? And why do some traditional methods for addiction not always work for those with ADHD?

They also go a bit deeper… can getting a diagnosis help you understand yourself better, and maybe even have a bit more empathy for your past and the role alcohol played in it?

Vic shares openly, as always, because if she’s feeling it, chances are someone else out there is too. It might make people cringe at times, putting it all out there like this, but those are the moments that get people thinking, connecting, and hopefully reaching out for help… just like she is.

She’ll keep you updated on how this all unfolds. She’s nervous, yes… and if she’s honest, a bit pissed off too. She really thought the sobriety piece was it, that she’d done the work and could just get on with life. But clearly, there’s more bubbling up.

And maybe that’s the point.

Find out more about Faye and her ADHD/Alcohol Courses and Coaching here - Links: Website: www.fayelawrence.com.au |

Insta:https://www.instagram.com/_fayelawrence_  | FB:  https://www.facebook.com/FayeLawrenceCoaching  

 Kicking off 31 March - Breaking the Loop - An 8 week small group coaching program designed for ADHDers who want to change their relationship with alcohol  www.fayelawrence.com.au/loop 

💛 Resources & Links

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

A brutally honest and hilarious look at motherhood, anxiety, and ditching the booze.

👉 Buy the book here

🎧 Listen to more Sober Awkward episodes

👉 www.soberawkward.com

🫖 Join The Cuppa Community

Our private, supportive online space for sober folk

👉 www.cuppa.community

📘 Get the Sober Awkward Guide

Our downloadable toolkit for ditching booze the awkward way.

👉 The Sober Awkward Guide

📱 Follow us for daily sober fun:

Instagram: @soberawkward

TikTok: @soberawkward

Facebook: Sober Awkward Community for Women

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 drinking stories. It’s not about judgement, it’s about recognising how wild things could get when alcohol was in charge, and laughing about it now we’re on the other side.

If you’ve got a story you’d like to get off your chest, funny, awkward or slightly ridiculous, you can send it to Vic at:

[email protected]

Anonymous is absolutely fine. In fact - for legal reasons - probably preferable!!

💛 Resources & Links

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

A brutally honest and hilarious look at motherhood, anxiety, and ditching the booze.

👉 Buy the book here

🎧 Listen to more Sober Awkward episodes

👉 www.soberawkward.com

🫖 Join The Cuppa Community

Our private, supportive online space for sober folk

👉 www.cuppa.community

📘 Get the Sober Awkward Guide

Our downloadable toolkit for ditching booze the awkward way.

👉 The Sober Awkward Guide

📱 Follow us for daily sober fun:

Instagram: @soberawkward

TikTok: @soberawkward

Facebook: Sober Awkward Community for Women

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 alcohol and drugs were quietly making her depression much worse.

In this conversation, Carly talks openly about the moment she hit her real rock bottom, not a dramatic crash, but the quiet and confronting realisation that she might actually need help. Vic and Carly also chat about the process of turning such a complicated and vulnerable journey into a book, and what it’s like to write honestly about the messy parts of your life.

It’s a thoughtful, funny, and very real conversation about adventure, mental health, and the long road to understanding yourself.

💛 Resources & Links

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

A brutally honest and hilarious look at motherhood, anxiety, and ditching the booze.

👉 Buy the book here

🎧 Listen to more Sober Awkward episodes

👉 www.soberawkward.com

🫖 Join The Cuppa Community

Our private, supportive online space for sober folk

👉 www.cuppa.community

📘 Get the Sober Awkward Guide

Our downloadable toolkit for ditching booze the awkward way.

👉 The Sober Awkward Guide

📱 Follow us for daily sober fun:

Instagram: @soberawkward

TikTok: @soberawkward

Facebook: Sober Awkward Community for Women

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 just say this one involves chickens!

The Share Shed is where listeners send in their funniest, cringiest and most unbelievable drinking stories. It’s not about judgement, it’s about recognising how wild things could get when alcohol was in charge, and laughing about it now we’re on the other side.

If you’ve got a story you’d like to get off your chest, funny, awkward or slightly ridiculous, you can send it to Vic at:

[email protected]

Anonymous is absolutely fine. In fact - for legal reasons - probably preferable!!

💛 Resources & Links

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

A brutally honest and hilarious look at motherhood, anxiety, and ditching the booze.

👉 Buy the book here

🎧 Listen to more Sober Awkward episodes

👉 www.soberawkward.com

🫖 Join The Cuppa Community

Our private, supportive online space for sober folk

👉 www.cuppa.community

📘 Get the Sober Awkward Guide

Our downloadable toolkit for ditching booze the awkward way.

👉 The Sober Awkward Guide

📱 Follow us for daily sober fun:

Instagram: @soberawkward

TikTok: @soberawkward

Facebook: Sober Awkward Community for Women

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 or more outgoing. It’s about understanding your social limits, honouring your wiring and building a life that actually suits you.

Both originally from Berkshire, Vic and Jenny bond over British roots and swap stories about “brownouts”, and no, it’s not what you think. They chat about social batteries, the pressure to perform, and how to recognise when you’ve tipped from “coping fine” into “I need to go home immediately”.

If you’ve ever stayed too long out of politeness, or wondered whether staying in is self-care or avoidance, this episode will help you work it out. And yes, sometimes the most emotionally intelligent thing you can do is leave early and go home to watch MAFS.

Find out more about Jenny and her incredible books and more at  instagram.com/jennyvalentish_public

And valentish.net because she loves nothing more than helping people write their addiction stories as a writing teacher.

💛 Resources & Links

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

A brutally honest and hilarious look at motherhood, anxiety, and ditching the booze.

👉 Buy the book here

🎧 Listen to more Sober Awkward episodes

👉 www.soberawkward.com

🫖 Join The Cuppa Community

Our private, supportive online space for sober folk

👉 www.cuppa.community

📘 Get the Sober Awkward Guide

Our downloadable toolkit for ditching booze the awkward way.

👉 The Sober Awkward Guide

📱 Follow us for daily sober fun:

Instagram: @soberawkward

TikTok: @soberawkward

Facebook: Sober Awkward Community for Women

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.