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Sober Awkward

Sober Awkward

By: soberawkward
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Winner, Best Wellbeing Podcast at The Australian Podcast Awards 2024


Have you ever woken up after a big night and announced, “I’m never drinking again,” only to find yourself six hours later waving $50 at a barman? Or perhaps you were more of a stay at home drinker, quietly opening the wine once the day was done and wondering when one glass started turning into, well, considerably more than one glass. Vic and Ulrika came from very different drinking worlds, but somehow ended up in exactly the same place.


Join author, podcaster and former binge drinking party animal Victoria Vanstone and broadcaster, writer and former stay at home drinker Ulrika Jonsson as they attempt to work out how the hell you do life without booze. Spoiler alert, neither of them has all the answers.


Each week on Sober Awkward, Vic and Ulrika rummage through the bits of sobriety people don’t talk about enough, anxiety, cravings, motherhood, ageing, relationships, sober sex, socialising, identity wobbles and that alarming moment when you realise you actually have to feel your feelings now. There are booze facts, ridiculous confessions, regular trips to the shame shed and absolutely no pretending that sobriety turns you into someone who enjoys green juice and sunrise yoga.


So whether you’ve hit a wall, you’re sick of hangovers and 3am anxiety, you’re quietly wondering if you drink too much, or you’re already sober and clutching a cup of tea wondering what the fuck happened to your personality, you’re in the right place.


Pop the kettle on. It’s time to feel the awkward and do it anyway.

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

2022 soberawkward Hygiene & Healthy Living Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Are You Scared of Going Sober?

    Are You Scared of Going Sober?
    Oct 4 2026
    Scared of Going Sober? What are you actually frightened of?Being boring?Losing your identity?Not fitting in anymore?Not knowing how to relax, cope or survive life without booze?This week on Sober Awkward, Vic and Ulrika tackle the huge scary myths that keep so many people stuck in the “maybe I should stop drinking… but absolutely not” phase for years.From fear of missing out to fear of becoming a party pooper with no personality, the pair unpack the weird stories we tell ourselves about sobriety, and why most of them turn out to be complete nonsense.There’s talk of goat’s cheese phobias, quicksand anxiety, social shame spirals, behind-closed-doors drinking, punky sober rebellion and why sober people are not, in fact, smug weirdos knitting winter scarves while watching Antiques Roadshow. Vic shares how she genuinely believed sobriety would ruin her life, while Ulrika explains how alcohol became less about partying and more about coping quietly alone.Funny, honest and unexpectedly hopeful, this episode is for anyone standing on the edge of change wondering: “What if sobriety is awful?”Turns out… it might actually be the thing that gives you your life back!!Tune in every Monday to hear Vic and Ulrika chat about the weird and wonderful world of sobriety.💛 Resources & Links📖 Vic & Ulrika want to hear from you!Have you got a story, weird drunk confession or a question for Vic and Ulrika?Email vicandulrika@soberawkward.com. Your message could inspire a future episode.📱 Join the Sober Awkward appThe Sober Awkward app is a welcoming space for anyone who is sober, sober-curious or simply rethinking their relationship with alcohol.Search “Sober Awkward” in the Apple App Store or find for all other devices click here📲 Follow usInstagram - Sober Awkward: @soberawkwardFacebook - Sober Awkward Community for WomenRetreat with us🌴 Fancy a sober holiday? Click here to come and drink from coconuts with us!📰 Media enquiriesFor interviews, features, partnerships or other media requests, contact Kate at hello@soberawkward.com.📘 A Thousand Wasted SundaysVictoria’s brutally honest and hilarious memoir about motherhood, anxiety and ditching the booze.👉 Get A Thousand Wasted Sundays📙 MummingA Year of Trying (and Failing) to Be a Better Parent—Vic’s funny and painfully relatable memoir about the messy reality of motherhood.👉 Get Mumming📘 Get the Sober Awkward GuideA 30-day sobriety kickstart filled with relatable support, practical tools and plenty of awkwardness to help you begin life without booze.👉 Explore the Sober Awkward Guide🎧 Listen to more Sober AwkwardFind more episodes, books, events and everything Sober Awkward.👉 soberawkward.com🛟 Alcohol SupportSober Awkward shares personal experiences and community support, but it is not a substitute for professional medical advice.If you are physically dependent on alcohol, suddenly stopping can be dangerous. Please speak to a doctor or alcohol-support service for advice on withdrawing safely.🇬🇧 United KingdomDrinkline — National Alcohol HelplineFree and confidential support if you are worried about your own or someone else’s drinking.Call 0300 123 1110Weekdays: 9am–8pmWeekends: 11am–4pm👉 NHS alcohol supportAlcohol Change UKInformation, practical tools and support.👉 alcoholchange.org.ukWithYouFree, confidential support with alcohol, drugs and mental health.👉 wearewithyou.org.ukIn an emergency, call 999.🇦🇺 AustraliaNational Alcohol and Other Drug HotlineFree and confidential information and support.Call 1800 250 015Available 24/7 in most states and territories.👉 Australian Government hotline informationLifeline AustraliaCrisis support available 24/7.Call 13 11 14Text 0477 13 11 14👉 lifeline.org.auIn an emergency, call 000. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
  • The Awkward Bits

    The Awkward Bits
    Sep 30 2026
    This week’s Awkward Bit gets a little bit… well, awkward.After Vic’s conversation with Cat Sims on Monday, she couldn’t stop thinking about one word: alcoholic.It’s a word Vic has avoided for her entire sobriety. She’s always called herself an ex drinker, a binge drinker, a former party girl, a piss head with no off switch, basically anything other than an alcoholic. She told herself that was because she didn’t want to scare people away from sobriety, but after eight and a half years, she’s starting to wonder if there’s another reason.Maybe the word still scares her.So in this episode, Vic takes an “Am I an alcoholic?” test, looks properly at why she’s resisted the label for so long, and asks whether accepting it might actually make her sobriety stronger rather than define her by her past.A little warning, Vic gets very tearful in this one. But that’s sort of the point. She didn’t realise quite how much shame and fear she was still carrying around one little word until she tried to say it out loud.It’s emotional, uncomfortable, funny in places and probably one of the most vulnerable Awkward Bits Vic has recorded.Can she finally say, “I’m an alcoholic” without worrying about what everyone else thinks?Let’s find out.Resources & Links📖 Vic & Ulrika want to hear from you!Have you got a story, weird drunk confession or a question for Vic and Ulrika?Email vicandulrika@soberawkward.com Your message could inspire a future episode.📱 Join the Sober Awkward appThe Sober Awkward app is a welcoming space for anyone who is sober, sober-curious or simply rethinking their relationship with alcohol.Search “Sober Awkward” in the Apple App Store or find for all other devices click here📲 Follow usInstagram - Sober Awkward: @soberawkwardFacebook - Sober Awkward Community for WomenRetreat with us🌴 Fancy a sober holiday? Click here to come and drink from coconuts!📰 Media enquiriesContact Kate at hello@soberawkward.comVic's Books📘 A Thousand Wasted Sundays👉 Get A Thousand Wasted Sunday📙 Mumming👉 Get Mumming📘 Get the Sober Awkward GuideA 30-day sobriety kickstart👉 Explore the Sober Awkward Guide🎧 Listen to more Sober AwkwardFind more episodes, books, events and everything Sober Awkward.👉 soberawkward.com🛟 Alcohol Support🇬🇧 United KingdomDrinkline — National Alcohol HelplineFree and confidential support if you are worried about your own or someone else’s drinking.Call 0300 123 1110Weekdays: 9am–8pmWeekends: 11am–4pm👉 NHS alcohol supportAlcohol Change UKInformation, practical tools and support.👉 alcoholchange.org.ukWithYouFree, confidential support with alcohol, drugs and mental health.👉 wearewithyou.org.ukIn an emergency, call 999.🇦🇺 AustraliaNational Alcohol and Other Drug HotlineFree and confidential information and support.Call 1800 250 015Available 24/7 in most states and territories.👉 Australian Government hotline informationLifeline AustraliaCrisis support available 24/7.Call 13 11 14Text 0477 13 11 14👉 lifeline.org.auIn an emergency, call 000. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    24 mins
  • Why I’m Proud to Call Myself an Alcoholic - with Cat Sims

    Why I’m Proud to Call Myself an Alcoholic - with Cat Sims
    Sep 27 2026
    Not so smug now! - This week, Vic sits down with writer, podcaster and self-confessed “textbook drunk” Cat Sims for a conversation about motherhood, drugs, booze and what happens when the party girl suddenly has a tiny human to keep alive.They talk about crying in school car parks, postnatal depression, drinking as a reward for surviving motherhood and that strange moment in sobriety when you realise peace isn’t actually boredom. Sometimes life is just… peaceful. Who knew?But somewhere along the way, the conversation takes an unexpected turn when Cat uses a word Vic has spent more than eight years avoiding: alcoholic.Cat embraces the label. Vic absolutely does not.What follows is a surprisingly emotional conversation about why Vic has always called herself an ex drinker, binge drinker, grey area drinker, former party girl, basically anything other than an alcoholic. Has trying to make sobriety feel less frightening for everyone else actually allowed Vic to keep a little bit of her own shame tucked away?There are tears, uncomfortable truths and a rather compelling argument that after blowing off a finger at a Full Moon Party, perhaps “grey area drinker” isn’t quite covering it. It’s also a conversation about motherhood and belonging, about why so many women struggle quietly while believing everyone else is coping, and why sometimes the most powerful thing you can say to another mum crying in a car park is not “here’s what you should do”, but simply, “I get it. Sometimes parenting is fucked.”Funny, raw and unexpectedly moving, this one shifts something in Vic.Enjoy one of the best Sober Awkward guest interviews ever!💛 Resources & LinksFollow Cat:Instagram (312k followers)TikTok (253.7k followers)Substack (10k+ subscribers)Buy her books:You're Never The Only One (Simon & Schuster 2025)The First Time You Smiled (Harper Collins 2022)Listen to her podcast:You're Never The Only One📖 Vic & Ulrika want to hear from you!Have you got a story, weird drunk confession or a question for Vic and Ulrika?Email vicandulrika@soberawkward.com. Your message could inspire a future episode.📱 Join the Sober Awkward appSearch “Sober Awkward” in the Apple App Store or find for all other devices click here📲 Follow usInstagram - Sober Awkward: @soberawkwardFacebook - Sober Awkward Community for WomenRetreat with us🌴 Fancy a sober holiday? Click here to come and drink from coconuts with us!📰 Media enquiriesFor interviews, features, partnerships or other media requests, contact Kate at hello@soberawkward.com.📘 A Thousand Wasted SundaysVictoria’s brutally honest and hilarious memoir about motherhood, anxiety and ditching the booze.👉 Get A Thousand Wasted Sundays📙 MummingA Year of Trying (and Failing) to Be a Better Parent—Vic’s funny and painfully relatable memoir about the messy reality of motherhood.👉 Get Mumming📘 Get the Sober Awkward GuideA 30-day sobriety kickstart filled with relatable support, practical tools and plenty of awkwardness to help you begin life without booze.👉 Explore the Sober Awkward Guide🎧 Listen to more Sober AwkwardFind more episodes, books, events and everything Sober Awkward.👉 soberawkward.com🛟 Alcohol Support🇬🇧 United KingdomDrinkline — National Alcohol HelplineFree and confidential support if you are worried about your own or someone else’s drinking.Call 0300 123 1110Weekdays: 9am–8pmWeekends: 11am–4pm👉 NHS alcohol supportAlcohol Change UKInformation, practical tools and support.👉 alcoholchange.org.ukWithYouFree, confidential support with alcohol, drugs and mental health.👉 wearewithyou.org.ukIn an emergency, call 999.🇦🇺 AustraliaNational Alcohol and Other Drug HotlineFree and confidential information and support.Call 1800 250 015Available 24/7 in most states and territories.👉 Australian Government hotline informationLifeline AustraliaCrisis support available 24/7.Call 13 11 14Text 0477 13 11 14👉 lifeline.org.auIn an emergency, call 000. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    59 mins
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These two brighten up my days and help me feel super smug. They are funny, helpful and kind.

Helpful and Funny

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