The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - Three Years Clear By Amy G

Every Thursday, we’re handing the story telling over to you.

Over the next few months, Vic will be reading some of the incredible entries from this year’s Sober Awkward Writing Competition. Honest, funny, heartbreaking, hopeful, awkward and beautifully human, these stories come from people all over the world who have experienced the ups and downs of changing their relationship with alcohol.

Whether you’re sober curious, newly alcohol-free, years into recovery, or simply wondering if life might feel better without booze, we hope these stories remind you that you’re not alone.

Writing has a powerful way of helping us make sense of our lives. It can shine a light on things we’ve hidden away, help us process difficult experiences, and remind us just how resilient we really are. Plus, it’s considerably cheaper than therapy and doesn’t require you to wear pants.

So grab a cuppa, get comfortable, and join us for this week’s Share Shed as Vic tells another story from our amazing community.

💛 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 or head to the website to find out more about writing mentorships with Vic.

👉 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

📞 SUPPORT & RESOURCES

If anything in today’s episode felt familiar, or you’re worried about your drinking, there is support available. You don’t have to do this alone.

🇦🇺 Australia

National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline

📞 1800 250 015 (24/7)

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

Lifeline

📞 13 11 14 (24/7)

https://www.lifeline.org.au

Hello Sunday Morning / Daybreak

https://hellosundaymorning.org

https://daybreakapp.com.au

Clean Slate Clinic

https://www.cleanslateclinic.com

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Drinkline

📞 0300 123 1110

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

Alcohol Change UK

https://alcoholchange.org.uk

We Are With You

https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk

🌍 International

Alcoholics Anonymous

https://www.aa.org

SMART Recovery

https://www.smartrecovery.org

💬 A Gentle Reminder

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

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

How bad is alcohol, really? Is a weekend binge cancelled out by a few sober days and what exactly is happening in our brains during hangxiety?

Vic is joined by world renowned psychiatrist and neuroscientist Professor David Nutt, who has spent more than 40 years studying how alcohol and other drugs affect our brains, bodies and behaviour.

They explore the moment an evening treat becomes something we need, why women may be affected differently, what changes when we stop drinking and whether science can create the relaxing, sociable effects of alcohol without the hangovers.

Professor Nutt also shares his own relationship with alcohol, challenges some of our most comforting drinking myths and reveals the one fact he wishes every drinker understood before taking their first sip.

Prepare to have happy hour thoroughly ruined, in the most fascinating way possible.

💛 Resources & Links

Professor David Nutt

Book links: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drink-Science-Alcohol-Your-Health/dp/152939323X

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Psychedelics-revolutionary-drugs-change-expert/dp/1529360536/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0

The drinks company (SENTIA Spirits): https://sentiaspirits.com/

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

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

👉 https://amzn.asia/d/0aZ69GpK

Vic's book 'Mumming - A year of Trying (and Failing) to be a better parent - https://amzn.asia/d/0bUJTS2W

🎧 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.

In this episode, Gorillaz bassist Seye Adelekan joins Vic for a wonderfully honest conversation about belonging, family, fame and finding his place in the music world.

Seye talks about moving around the world as a child, the family who shaped him, his love of music, touring, the forgotten gigs and the long period he spent in rehab.

Now over seven years sober, he shares how recovery changed his life, his relationships and the way he steps onto some of the world’s biggest stages - stone cold sober.

Seye wants people to leave his gigs, his online spaces and his everyday interactions with something more than they arrived with, and Vic genuinely felt that warmth by the end of their conversation.

He shows sobriety does not have to make you smaller, quieter or less capable of performing in front of a crowd. Sometimes, it helps you stop hiding, own your space and finally understand why you are standing there.

(Vic also tells Seye the story of her finger, which, between two former party animals familiar with two-day benders, earns her a surprising amount of respect. Some people bond over music and recovery, while others compare unexplained bodily damage from the old days!)

Enjoy!

💛 Resources & Links

Follow and Find out more about Seye head to https://www.seyemusic.co.uk @seyemusic

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

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

👉 https://amzn.asia/d/0aZ69GpK

Vic's book 'Mumming - A year of Trying (and Failing) to be a better parent - https://amzn.asia/d/0bUJTS2W

🎧 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.