Episode 487: A Mother's Story of Addiction, Relapses and Recovery

Can you be the "perfect mom" while secretly drinking around the clock? In this raw and honest conversation, Rebecca Greene sits down with Emily Redondo, author of Wife Mother Drunk: An Intergenerational Memoir of Loss and Love. From the outside, Emily had it all—four kids, a loving husband, and the picture-perfect family life. But behind closed doors, she was hiding bottles, cycling through seven rehab stays, and battling the shame that comes with chronic relapse. Emily opens up about what it's really like to struggle with alcohol addiction as a mother, why relapse doesn't mean failure, and how generational trauma shaped her relationship with drinking. This isn't a neat redemption story—it's the messy, complicated truth about recovery while raising kids, the unrealistic expectations we place on mothers, and why simply "quitting" isn't always the answer. In this episode, you'll discover: ➤ Why Emily's "perfect mom" appearance masked years of hidden drinking and multiple rehab stays ➤ The reality of chronic relapse and why it doesn't look like the stereotypical image of an "alcoholic mom" ➤ How generational patterns and her own mother's alcoholism influenced Emily's journey ➤ The changes Emily had to make at home beyond just getting sober—including boundaries, dividing household labor, and honest conversations with her kids ➤ Why self-care for mothers goes far beyond bubble baths and manicures Two powerful quotes from Emily "I never, ever quit trying. There was not like this point where it was like, I'm just gonna quit trying to quit. It was every day, every single day." "The more I wallow in what's happened and try to grapple with how terrible I was as a mom, then the more I'm robbing myself of right now. I've used up all the time to do that, and now I'm gonna get over it." Connect with Emily Redondo: Website: https://www.emilyredondoauthor.com/ Instagram: @emily_redondo_author Book: Wife Mother Drunk: An Intergenerational Memoir of Loss and Love (available on Amazon, Simon & Schuster, and other retailers) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices