Sober Awkward
Sober Awkward is a podcast about sobriety and quitting drinking, hosted by Victoria Vanstone, an award-winning podcaster and former binge drinker. Each episode explores the realities of being sober in a world that normalizes alcohol, from social pressure and anxiety to identity shifts and embarrassing moments. With humor and honesty, Vic shares her own stories and encourages listeners to feel the awkward and do it anyway. The show won Best Well-Being Podcast at The Australian Podcast Awards 2024.
Episodes
The Awkward Bits
You’ve been absolutely fine all day. You haven’t thought about alcohol, you’re feeling quite pleased with yourself and then suddenly it’s 5pm and your brain goes = WINE.This Thursday, Vic is digging into that very specific bit of the day when the urge to drink seems to arrive almost automatically. Why does cooking dinner make you want wine? Why can finishing work, putting the kids to bed or simply
The Stay at Home Drinker - Ulrika Tells her Story
This week on Sober Awkward, Vic and Ulrika tackle a drinking style that often flies completely under the radar, the stay-at-home drinker. Vic was the loud one. The social one. The drinker making questionable decisions in public and collecting stories she’d rather forget. Ulrika was different.Her drinking happened behind closed doors. No bars. No dance floors. No one telling her she’d had enough. J
The Awkward Bits
This Thursday on The Awkward Bits, Vic is back on her own and wondering whether one of the reasons sobriety feels so bloody terrifying is because we make it MASSIVE before we’ve even started.When Vic first considered giving up drinking, she wasn’t worrying about getting through Tuesday night without a beer. Oh no. She was already mentally attending future weddings sober, cancelling imaginary cockt
Are You Scared of Going Sober?
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
The Awkward Bits
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 beca
Why I’m Proud to Call Myself an Alcoholic - with Cat Sims
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 real
The Awkward Bits
Welcome to The Awkward Bits, where every Thursday Vic flies solo, digging a little deeper into Monday’s topic, picking apart the bits we didn’t quite get to and exploring all the stuff that got left behind once the microphones were switched off.And oooof, you lot had a lot to say about sober sex. Vic’s been reading your emails and messages after Monday’s episode with Ulrika and it seems we are def
Beer Goggles and Sober Sex!
Before these two ex-drinkers introduce their sobriety stories... we thought we'd start this journey in the most awkward way possible! Yes, it's the sex episode!Did alcohol really make us sexier and more confident, or did it just lower our inhibitions, blur our judgement and convince us the last bloke on the dance floor was “the one”?In this revealing episode, Vic and Ulrika look back at drunken ho
The Awkward Bits
Welcome to The Awkward Bits, where every Thursday Vic flies solo, digging a little deeper into Monday’s topic, picking apart the bits we didn’t quite get to and exploring all the stuff that got left behind once the microphones were switched off. And Wow, what a week. Vic’s been reading all your amazing responses to the new co host reveal and, boy oh boy, it seems there are a LOT of people not drin
Shit! Am I Drinking Too Much?
Yes, it’s true. Vic has a new co host and it’s only bloody Ulrika Jonsson. No, Vic can’t quite believe it either. She’s trying to act normal about the whole thing.This first episode is basically Vic and Ulrika getting to know each other while you lot listen in. They talk about where they’ve come from, how they drank and how alcohol went from being a completely normal part of life to something that
The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - Offline: Alcohol & Me - By Becky NA huge congratulations to Becky who was one of our comp winners!!!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, awkwar
Did Alcohol Give Me Cancer? with Kelly Gunn
Kelly Gunn found a lump in her breast in 2016. She got it checked, kept up with screenings and was repeatedly reassured that what doctors were seeing was benign. Then, in 2024, Kelly was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a double mastectomy, where seven tumours were removed, she was told she'd probably had cancer for around ten years.In this episode, Kelly joins Vic to talk about what happened,
The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - No More Doors - By Kristen MEvery 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 w
Finding Levity in Sobriety - With Audrey
This week, I’m joined by Audrey, host of the Dry Humor podcast, for a very sensible and grown-up conversation about motherhood, college drinking and whether spending your life taking the piss out of yourself is a healthy coping mechanism or simply a way of avoiding your feelings?Audrey lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, two children and two dogs. She has been sober since 11 July 2022 and
The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - My Sober Story - By Emma GEvery 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 worl
Help - I Drink Because I’m Shy..
Vic is flying solo today, with no guest and a letter she hasn’t been able to stop thinking about.You’ll hear from Allison, a woman who started drinking to hide her shyness. She has relied on alcohol for so long that she no longer knows who she is without it.Loads of women have been sharing similar stories in the Sober Awkward Facebook group. They drink before parties, dates and dinners because soc
The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - 500 Sunrises By Courtney KEvery 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
Does Your Sobriety Have Seasons? with Kate Baily & Amy Doyle
Does your sobriety change with the seasons? Do sunny days suddenly make you think about beer gardens and cold wine, while dark winter evenings have you craving a bottle of red and a blanket?This week, Vic is joined by two guests to explore seasonal living, what it actually means, why humans have always lived according to the rhythms of the year and whether paying a little more attention to the sea
The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - What is Moderation By April JEvery 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
Introducing MAMA: Motherhood, Alcohol, Mental Health and Anxiety
Listen to the Mama podcast on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0341yjbBRIxVgWibnSR92D?si=e4a1b9094a3a40aaApple - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/introducing-mama-motherhood-alcohol-mental-health-and/id6798043028?i=1000779960427So… what is MAMA?If you’ve ever found yourself pouring a glass of wine before you’ve even finished unpacking the school bags, if you’ve joked about Wine O’Clock
Dave Hughes on Quitting Young and Living in the Now
Hughesy!This was meant to be a chat about booze… but somehow Vic ended up being spiritually mentored by this legendary Aussie larrikin!Dave Hughes gave up alcohol at just 21 years old, after years of binge drinking, blackouts and waking up with no idea how he had got home. He had watched alcohol control his dad’s life, and one Christmas Eve in 1992, he realised he didn’t want it controlling his fu
The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - Three Years Clear By Amy GEvery 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
Your Brain, Your Body, Your Hormones, Your Risk - with Professor David Nutt
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
The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - A Drinking Career - By KimberleyEvery 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 wor
Beyond the Applause with Gorillaz Bassist Seye Adelekan
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,
The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - I didn’t realise it was a funeral - By SarahA huge congratulations to Sarah who was one of this years winners!!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,
UnPickled - Prepare to be Alcohol-Free - with Jean McCarthy (Part 2)
Yes, the World Cup is on, everyone is drinking to celebrate and commiserate, so welcome to your safe little corner of the internet, where Vic promises to mention the legend Jude Bellingham only once… and then get back to what really matters, talking about sobriety and not trying to explain the offside rule.So apart from the Spain win, the other news is....You don’t have to wait until Day One to st
The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - I scream... and she lets go - By Lisa 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 o
UnPickled - Prepare to be Alcohol-Free - with Jean McCarthy
Want to give up drinking but have no idea where to start? You're in the right place!Everyone tells you sobriety starts on day one. It doesn't. It actually starts before that, in the boring, unglamorous groundwork nobody really talks about. The stuff that happens quietly in the weeks before you ever have a proper "sober day."In this episode, I sit down with Jean McCarthy to talk about that exact gr
The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - Bodies Change - By ErinEvery 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 ha
When Booze Becomes Part of Belonging – with Karl Considine
For many LGBTQ+ people, the pub wasn’t just somewhere to grab a drink—it was one of the few places where they could safely be themselves. For decades, bars and clubs became places of acceptance, community and belonging. But when alcohol becomes woven into your identity and social life, what happens when you decide to stop drinking?For many people, giving up alcohol means changing what they drink.
The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials -Finally Meeting Myself - By AllysonEvery 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 w
The Sober Boozers Club with Ben Gibbs
This week on Sober Awkward, Vic chats to Ben Gibbs from The Sober Boozers Club about the rapidly changing world of alcohol-free beer and whether pub culture can survive a generation that’s drinking less, drinking differently, or not drinking at all.Because let’s face it, Vic used to be the kind of customer pubs loved. These days Vic walks into a pub, orders one alcohol-free beer, has a lovely chat
The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - Alcohol, Motherhood and Me - By EmilyEvery 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 th
Still Sober, Still Awkward
As a special treat to celebrate the final episode of Series 13, I’m delighted to welcome Hamish back to the podcast for a proper catch-up.Yes, he’s still sober. Yes, he’s still awkward. And yes, he’s still as funny as ever.We chat about what life has looked like since leaving the show, how sobriety is going, and what he’s learned along the way. Hamish is proof that you don’t have to be a stereotyp
The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - No More Numbing Out - By Aliz, TexasEvery 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
Nangs: The Addiction Nobody Talks About with Sam Bramman
This week on Sober Awkward, Vic steps away from alcohol to explore another addiction that is quietly growing across Australia: Nangs.Nitrous oxide, often sold legally and delivered to your door within minutes, is commonly seen as harmless party fun. But for Sam Bramman, what started as a few nangs at a house party quickly spiralled into a devastating addiction that led to psychosis, hospitalisatio
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
This week in the Share Shed, one listener wakes up to discover he’d apparently spent 40 minutes running barefoot on a treadmill at 3am… after swimming in a stranger’s pool and blacking out at a party.The only problem? He remembers none of it.A hilarious story with a surprisingly thoughtful twist about sobriety, fitness, and what happens when one obsession gets replaced by another.The Share Shed is
Have You Swapped Booze for Scrolling? with TJ Power
This week on Sober Awkward, Vic sits down with TJ Power, a well-known neuroscientist, author of the Sunday Times bestseller The DOSE Effect, and the founder of the DOSE Lab. He is a leading voice in demystifying brain chemistry, focusing on helping people manage digital burnout, phone addiction, and overstimulation in the modern world.TJ shares his own story of changing his relationship with alcoh
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
Today on the Share Shed we have one confession and one question.First up, a listener wakes up in Las Vegas with more than just a hangover… let’s just say Elvis may have been involved and somebody accidentally got married.Then we tackle a question many people quietly ask themselves: if your hands shake the morning after drinking, is that a sign you’re an alcoholic?The answer might surprise you.Pour
The Hidden Struggle of the High Functioning Drinker - with James Swanwick
This week on Sober Awkward, Vic chats to James Swanwick about high-functioning drinking, success, pressure and the growing movement of people choosing to live alcohol free — not because they’ve completely fallen apart, but because they simply feel better without it.James is an Australian stop drinking expert, author, investor, entrepreneur and former SportsCenter anchor on ESPN. He is the creator
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
This week on the Share Shed we’re talking drunk online shopping… you know, those slightly terrifying mystery parcels that arrive two days after a blackout.From sequinned capes and stuffed frogs in hats… to accidentally booking holidays to Spain you have absolutely no memory of organising.Basically: If you’ve ever opened your front door hungover and thought, “What in the name of Christ have I bough
Problem Drinking - Delivered to Your Door - with Hattie Underwood
This week on Sober Awkward, Vic chats to Hattie Underwood, the London-based mum of two behind Sober Happy Free, who has recently been speaking out across the UK media about the worrying rise of alcohol delivery services. After loads of Sober Awkward listeners tagged Vic in clips saying, “You HAVE to get her on the podcast!”… here she is.Now five years sober, Hattie openly shares the raw reality of
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
Not really a Share Shed today…But there was a story from this week’s podcast that absolutely refused to be squeezed into a normal segment. It needed its own space. Its own moment. Its own… spotlight.We had the incredible Shanna Whan on Sober Awkward this week, founder of Sober in the Country and creator of the brilliant #OK2SAYNO campaign… and somewhere in the middle of talking about life in rural
Sober in the Country - with Shanna Whan AM
It feels like this conversation has been a long time coming. Vic is genuinely honoured to have Shanna Whan AM on the podcast this week.Shanna is the founder and CEO of Sober in the Country, a national grassroots charity that’s been driving radical social impact and real change across rural and remote Australia over the past decade. Through laser-focused bush advocacy, peer-to-peer support, and a r
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
This week on the Share Shed we’re talking boundaries. Vic chats about caring from afar, therapy and emotional carnage with a side of bad decisions.Classic Share Shed.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 n
Naltrexone - Can You Drink Your Way Sober? - with Katie Herzog
This week Vic is joined by journalist and podcaster Katie Herzog to talk about the winding, messy road many of us take trying to figure out our relationship with alcohol.Katie shares what her drinking looked like during Covid, how it quietly ramped up behind closed doors, and the strange mental gymnastics of hiding drinking from partners and pretending your fine and dandy, when really... it's all
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
This week’s Shame Shed is a more serious one.A parent writes in about the shame they carry from drinking while raising their kids, and the heavy weight of seeing it all clearly now they’re sober.If you’ve ever felt that knot in your stomach about the past, this one will hit home.The Share Shed is where listeners send in their funniest, cringiest and most unbelievable drinking stories. It’s not abo
Sobriety on Instagram: Connection, Comparison or Compulsion? - with Sarah Drage
This week on Sober Awkward, Vic chats with Social Media Educator and (National Association for Children of Addiction) NACOA Ambassador - Sarah Drage about the strange and sometimes complicated world of sobriety on the internet.When we stop drinking, many of us head straight online. Suddenly there are sober coaches, Instagram accounts, communities, podcasts, hashtags, and an entire digital world de
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
A work Christmas party that escalated quickly… involving a Christmas tree, a taxi ride that didn’t go to plan, and a very unfortunate encounter with a dog flap.This week’s Shame Shed is a reminder that some people don’t “just have a few”… they fully commit.The Share Shed is where listeners send in their funniest, cringiest and most unbelievable drinking stories. It’s not about judgement, it’s abou
Little Addictions with Catherine Gray
Vic had to properly brace herself for this one… sitting down with Catherine Gray, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober.This is the book that completely changed the course of Vic’s sobriety. The one that, for the first time, made an alcohol-free life feel exciting rather than something to endure. So yes… she tried not to gush. No promises.As expected, Vic and Catheri
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
One man, one very confident walk home… and one slight issue with the fact he no longer lived there.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
The Problem With “Normal” Drinking – with William Porter
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 f
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
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 the
Sober Sex: How to Get Wet When You’re Dry - with Anna Wolfe
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 sobe
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
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 judge
Let’s Talk Nervous Systems – with Sarah Rusbatch
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 sys
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
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 st
ADHD and Alcohol: What’s Really Going On?
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 thin
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
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 dr
I'll Try Anything Twice - with Carly Schwartz
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
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
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
An Introverts Guide to Leaving the House - with Jenny Valentish
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 o
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
This week in the Share Shed, Vic opens the inbox and shares one of those stories that perfectly sums up the chaos of drinking days.Listener James from Gloucester writes in with a tale from his travelling years that starts with a few innocent drinks on a river in Cambodia… and somehow ends with him accidentally buying more than he bargained for!It’s funny, slightly unbelievable, and a perfect remin
The Social Pivot - with Sober Dave
Vic is eight years sober tomorrow… and something is quietly shifting....She has realised this week that the anxiety she feels around certain social situations isn’t because she can’t cope. It’s because she no longer wants to.For years she believed being able to sit comfortably around drinking was a sober skill to master. She could handle it. She could manage the energy. She could leave early. But
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
Awkward questions. Clumsy confessions. Zero judgement. Today, it's all about someone Vic knows very well....Welcome to The Share Shed, the corner of Sober Awkward where we fling open the doors, air out the embarrassing bits, and finally stop carrying the stories that have been rattling around in our heads for years.These are your questions and confessions.The ones you’ve never said out loud. The n
Finding Your Way Back to You - with Mel Bampton
Is alcohol confidence, connection, and a doorway back to yourself, or is it a liquid barrier that keeps you further away?In this episode, Vic is joined by Australian broadcaster and former Triple J presenter Mel Bampton. Now 15 years sober, Mel has come full circle back to radio after spending years rebuilding her life around yoga, surfing and sobriety. Together, they explore one powerful question
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
Awkward questions. Clumsy confessions. Zero judgement. Today it's all about Darren, Darrens mum and a very dodgy night out! Say no more!Welcome to The Share Shed, the corner of Sober Awkward where we fling open the doors, air out the embarrassing bits, and finally stop carrying the stories that have been rattling around in our heads for years.These are your questions and confessions. The ones you’
Grow Up! Alcohol and Maturity with Recovery Jimmy
In this episode of Sober Awkward, Vic sits down with Recovery Jimmy from the After Hours podcast to ask a big question, does sobriety actually make you grow up?They swap stories of peak immaturity, from Vic’s 25 year blur of zero self preservation, to Jimmy’s wine fuelled, one way escape to Majorca after watching Into the Wild. What felt rebellious and “rock and roll” at the time now looks a lot l
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
Awkward questions. Clumsy confessions. Zero judgement.Welcome to The Share Shed, the corner of Sober Awkward where we fling open the doors, air out the embarrassing bits, and finally stop carrying the stories that have been rattling around in our heads for years.These are your questions and confessions. The ones you’ve never said out loud. The nights you still cringe about in the shower. The momen
Too Much, Too Young? with Sean
Giving up alcohol in her twenties felt impossible for VIc.Back then, drinking wasn’t just normal, it was the entire social structure. Nights out, friendships, dating, coping with stress, it all seemed to revolve around booze. So when someone decides to step away from it early, without a dramatic rock bottom or life implosion, it raises an interesting question..... Is something changing?In this epi
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
Awkward questions. Clumsy confessions. Zero judgement.Welcome to The Share Shed, the corner of Sober Awkward where we fling open the doors, air out the embarrassing bits, and finally stop carrying the stories that have been rattling around in our heads for years.These are your questions and confessions. The ones you’ve never said out loud. The nights you still cringe about in the shower. The momen
All the Feels (Without the Booze)
This week on Sober Awkward, Vic is showing up having one of those weeks. You know the kind. Life is busy, emotions are bubbling, and she’s caught herself saying “Yeah, I’m fine” on autopilot, while secretly wanting to hide under a duvet and avoid everyone. Which, honestly, feels like the perfect moment to talk about… feelings.Today, Vic unpacks why sobriety can suddenly turn the emotional volume r
The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions
Welcome to the Share Shed — a judgement-free corner of Sober Awkward where we gently drag our most awkward drinking stories into the daylight and finally let them go.This is the place for the questions you’ve never asked out loud and the moments you still remember at 3am when your brain decides to replay your greatest hits of humiliation. Family parties that went wildly off-piste. Traffic cones wo
How to Lead With Tea, Not Lectures
Should you ask your partner to quit drinking just because you have? Or could that actually make things worse?In this episode of Sober Awkward, Vic explores why telling the people you love to give up booze can backfire, and why quietly showing them what sobriety looks like is often far more powerful. From awkward dinner tables to partners who still drink, Vic talks honestly about support, resentmen
The INCREDIBLE ways that sobriety improves your skin!
🎙️ Throwback Thursdays on Sober Awkward!Every Thursday, we’re serving up a little slice of Sober Awkward history – a short, powerful clip from one of our most-loved past episodes.Why? Because sometimes, the right words hit differently the second time around. Whether you’re new here or a long-time listener, these throwback moments are here to keep you company, remind you you’re not alone, and offer
Saying Goodbye to Hame!
After 3 and a half magical and hilarious years, the time has finally come for Hame to step away from the podcast. In this incredibly blubbery, soppy, sad and reflective episode Vic and Hame look back at what they have learnt from their time together.They explore what they have learnt from the podcast and what they hope the listeners can learn too. Hame reveals his reasons for having made this deci
Fatboy Slim: Knowing I Had to Stop When the Line Between Norman Cook and Fatboy Slim Began to Blur!
🎙️ Throwback Thursdays on Sober Awkward!Every Thursday, we’re serving up a little slice of Sober Awkward history – a short, powerful clip from one of our most-loved past episodes.Why? Because sometimes, the right words hit differently the second time around. Whether you’re new here or a long-time listener, these throwback moments are here to keep you company, remind you you’re not alone, and offer
Sobriety and Midlife - with Dana Bowman
What happens when midlife hits… and you’re already sober?In this brilliantly honest and often hilarious episode, Vic is flying solo (Hamish wisely sat this one out) to chat with author Dana Bowman, a woman who thought she had long-term sobriety nailed, until menopause, food, marriage, parenting, body image, and a global pandemic all piled in at once.Dana’s story, told in her book Humble Pie, is ab
Will I Ever be able to Dance Like I Used to Without Alcohol?
🎙️ Throwback Thursdays on Sober Awkward!Every Thursday, we’re serving up a little slice of Sober Awkward history – a short, powerful clip from one of our most-loved past episodes.Why? Because sometimes, the right words hit differently the second time around. Whether you’re new here or a long-time listener, these throwback moments are here to keep you company, remind you you’re not alone, and offer
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