Sobriety Uncensored

Jenna and Daniel talk about navigating parental choices when their children are considering drinking. They discuss trust and respect and how that ties into their parenting styles. Daniel talks about some recent travel which leads them to recall some of their habits when it came to planning drinking during road trips.

Daniel talks about planning some upcoming travel and being careful not to overthink the plans. Jenna shares about attending the first happy hour she's been to since getting sober and acknowledges her signals to know when to leave. They discuss having acceptance of potentially missing out on some things, or not being invited to certain events, in return for maintaining their sobriety.

Jenna tells Daniel about a recent injury and the potential of needing surgery, the use of pain medication and potential cross addiction. Their discussion leads them to consider how they have evaluated their individual reasons for becoming addicts in the first place, and how that can be a grey area for some people in recovery.

Daniel and Jenna talk about fear mongering as a method to promote sobriety and the aggressive nature of some sober people in their promotion techniques. They discuss associated policing and judgement-based modalities, particularly when trying to figure out your "why" to stop drinking.

Jenna asks Daniel about his drunken gaming during his active addiction and Daniel explains his need for control and escape at the time as a coping mechanism. They discuss their hyper awareness of alcohol in everyday life as Daniel talks about a recent trip to HomeGoods with his daughter, which prompts Jenna to tell a story of being over friendly and over generous during her drinking days.

Daniel and Jenna talk about their experiences with isolation and the importance of sober community. Jenna recognizes her stubborn nature and how it affected her willingness to initially accept her need for a sober community. Daniel talks about recently attending a sober house party and an app that hosts sober events nationwide.  They talk about putting in the work and researching available events to potentially connect with other people in recovery.

Daniel and Jenna talk about celebrating St. Patrick's Day. They recall the internal negotiations and bargaining in active addiction when it came their habits as they tried to maintain a "normal" appearance to outsiders. They talk about the shift from envy to disinterest when watching people celebrate or day drink, and the ebb and flow of these feelings in sobriety.

Daniel tells Jenna about recently going to a concert and being the only sober person there. They discuss the relief of knowing the how, what, when and where of events in sobriety versus the work of arranging, coordinating, and doing the drunk math in active addiction. They recall the dreadful feeling of blackouts and the associated anxiety.

Daniel and Jenna talk about the feeling of being fully engaged in activities and how freeing it is to not experience self doubt. They discuss the emotional stability and self confidence that comes with more sober time.

Daniel and Jenna talk about Daniel's new game idea, "Sober Bingo", and brainstorm how to play and suggest sharing wins on social media. They discuss idle time, particularly in early sobriety, and how they survive the mundane without alcohol.

Jenna and Daniel talk about Super Bowl Sunday and how they approach social situations in recovery. They discuss different techniques they've successfully used to safely participate in gatherings while maintaining their sobriety.

Daniel and Jenna reflect back to early recovery and consider things they may have done differently. They discuss the concept of the “pink cloud” and their own misconceptions of the excitement in early sobriety.

Jenna and Daniel discuss their physical health during active addition versus recovery. They talk about societal biases regarding addiction and health.

Daniel and Jenna talk about Daniel’s recent conference in Vegas and how he is able to dismiss the potentially tempting environment. They discuss their varying stages of self pity, anger and acceptance when surrounded by alcohol advertising and merchandising.

Jenna and Daniel talk about downtime and being careful about setting productivity expectations too high versus feeling bored or stagnant. They discuss journaling as a recovery and mental health tool.

Daniel and Jenna talk about the pros and cons of social media, not just as it applies to their sobriety but their self confidence in general.

Daniel and Jenna talk about the concept of self-shame particularly as it applies to “slip ups” in recovery. They discuss the balance of shaming oneself and being overly permissive with false starts.

Daniel talks about recently officiating a wedding which leads to a discussion about how such social events are handled at different stages of sobriety. Jenna & Daniel acknowledge how their sobriety ebbs and flows especially when being challenged with celebrations or social events. They recall the “3 a.m. anxiety” and discuss the stark differences between that panicked feeling vs experiencing comfort as they settle into living life sober.

Jenna and Daniel talk about Daniel’s rediscovery of AA meetings. They address some of the stigma associated with meetings and compare their own individual experiences.

Episode 49 (aka Season 2 Episode 1) Daniel and Jenna talk about Daniel’s recent mental health recovery program and discuss the common themes between that and addiction recovery. They compare different views on anonymity and discuss their comfort level with recognizing self-worth and yearning for more stability as they get older.