Sober Awkward
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.
Episodes
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 drinking this Friday....
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 was ...
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - Offline: Alcohol & Me - By Becky N
A 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, awkward and...
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 anger of knowing she'd ...
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - No More Doors - By Kristen M
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 e...
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 is an active member of t...
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - My Sober Story - By Emma 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 hav...
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 socialising is fucking...
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - 500 Sunrises By Courtney K
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 exp...
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 seasons could actually be good for...
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - What is Moderation By April J
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 ...
Listen to the Mama podcast on
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0341yjbBRIxVgWibnSR92D?si=e4a1b9094a3a40aa
So… 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’C...
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 future too...
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 exp...
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 affe...
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - A Drinking Career - By Kimberley
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 ha...
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 ...
The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - I didn’t realise it was a funeral - By Sarah
A 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...
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 start building an al...
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 over the w...
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