Sobriety Bestie Podcast

Today marks one year of dissenting! And today is my 6 year anniversary of leaving Alcoholics Anonymous. What a wild ride this past year has been.Today we're diving into what it's been like dissenting this past year. I've timestamped it in case you want to skip around and alll the links are below.It's been great to have you hear this past year!! What a liberating year it's been. Team Freedom all the way.We'll be feature some of your fave AA dissenters later this month to hear about their dissenting journey. As always feel free to DM me or comment on YouTube to share your thoughts.XoTimestamps:00:00 AA Dissenting Intro 03:25 One Year of Dissent 06:33 Blowing The Whistle on a Cult 08:02 Hardest Part of Dissenting 14:22 Breaking My Silence: What Happened 19:25 Why I Dissented For a Year 24:36 The Cost of Taking a Bold Stand 34:51 Best Parts of Cult Whistleblowing 40:30 If you're thinking about dissenting🔥 Deprogram Course + leaving AA resources → here🧠 Brain optimization tools → here❤️‍🔥 If you’re ready to stop holding yourself back → hereCome vibe with me:Kirsten's FacebookKirsten's InstagramKirsten's TikTok📚 Books that helped me deprogram and think for myself → here📱 My content creation setup (camera, mic, lighting, etc.) → here💻 Tools + software I use to run my business and create online → here⚠️ Disclaimer: I’m not a therapist, doctor, or licensed healthcare provider. Everything shared is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional care.💖 Some links may be affiliate links. I only share what I genuinely use and love.

Katie Lain of Thrive Alcohol Recovery interviews me (Kirsten!) about joining, leaving and deprogramming AA. We also talk about trauma, autism, ADHD and what can be going on beyond the misdiagnosis of "alcoholism." We dive into The Sinclair Method, which Katie's program is based upon, and discuss what dissenting has been like.🔥 Deprogram Course + leaving AA resources → here🧠 Brain optimization tools → here🌶️ Neurodivergent Discovery Portal (with self assessments) → here❤️‍🔥 If you’re ready to stop holding yourself back → hereKatie's YouTubeTimestamps:00:00 Sobriety Bestie on Thrive Alcohol Recovery Podcast Intro01:46 Katie Lain of Thrive Alcohol Recovery03:23 Getting Sober Advice10:50 Trauma, Autism, ADHD + Alcohol18:33 AA Indoctrination + Alcoholic Identity21:14 CSA, Autism, ADHD, TBI's + Brain Optimization30:15 AA is a Religion31:46 First AA Meeting38:02 AA Propaganda + the Rockefeller Model43:24 Why Doesn't AA Update the Big Book?47:26 AA is a Harmful Self Fulfilling Prophecy52:28 AA is a Cult + Free Labor Exploitation1:02:30 Cracks in AA Brainwashing1:10:26 Realizing AA is Baloney1:19:27 Breaking Anonymity + Dissenting1:26:09 Support For Leaving AA1:31:34 The Sinclair Method1:42:44 We're Not Broken - The System IsCome vibe with me:Kirsten's FacebookKirsten's InstagramKirsten's TikTok📚 Books that helped me deprogram and think for myself → here📱 My content creation setup (camera, mic, lighting, etc.) → here💻 Tools + software I use to run my business and create online → here⚠️ Disclaimer: I’m not a therapist, doctor, or licensed healthcare provider. Everything shared is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional care.💖 Some links may be affiliate links. I only share what I genuinely use and love.

🔥 Deprogram Course + leaving AA resources → here🧠 Brain optimization tools → here 🌶️ Neurodivergent Discovery Portal (with self assessments) → here ❤️‍🔥 If you’re ready to stop holding yourself back → hereTimestamps: 00:00 How AA Harms ADHD & Autistic People Intro 04:49 Bill W.'s Blind Spot Still Harms Neurodivergents 06:39 AA, Autism + ADHD Timeline 09:33 ADHD + Alcohol Use Disorder 11:02 AA + Misdiagnosis of ADHD 12:57 How AA Harms Neurodivergent People 14:20 Deprogram, Neurodivergent + Brain Resources 16:36 My Fave Brain Optimization Tool Come vibe with me: Come vibe with me:Kirsten's FacebookKirsten's InstagramKirsten's TikTok📚 Books that helped me deprogram and think for myself → here📱 My content creation setup (camera, mic, lighting, etc.) → here💻 Tools + software I use to run my business and create online → here ⚠️ Disclaimer: I’m not a therapist, doctor, or licensed healthcare provider. Everything shared is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional care. 💖 Some links may be affiliate links. I only share what I genuinely use and love.

I'm super excited to gather all of the deprogramming resources (including ones you haven't seen before!) in one space.It's all accessible from SobrietyBestie.com which is now like a deprogram 12 step hub.I've moved my website to a new location with my name Kirsten-Johnson.com so that Sobriety Bestie can live on as a one stop deprogramming extravaganza start to finish freedom experience for those navigating the mindf*ck of leaving AA, realizing they were in a recovery cult and wanting to reclaim their mind, autonomy and life.My hope is that people wanting to deprogram AA or 12 step can find Sobriety Bestie and move through their deconstruction journey at their own pace.Timestamps:00:00 Leaving Alcoholics Anonymous02:10 No Longer Deprogramming AA Reactions05:57 Sobriety Bestie is Complete07:17 Why I Created This Deprogramming Work12:31 Deprogramming Resources For Leaving AA17:11 Kirsten Sobriety Bestie Going Forward26:03 Crossing The Finish Line

My AA deprogramming journey feels complete. I unpack it all in today's podcast.I highly recommend getting the deprogramming checklist that's inside the free 👉 Escape Kit (It's in the very first lesson inside there along with an hour video unpacking it all. But you really only need the checklist at a glance to see where you may be.)This of course is not the "rule" but it's a guide that I have found super helpful in my own deprogramming journey.

A week ago I switched from ChatGPT to Claude and I want to share WHY with you. This was before the headlines and has nothing to do with politics.This is about the language ChatGPT uses, even when you ask it not to, and the potential long term consequences of repeated exposure to this language.Timestamps:00:00 Why I Switched From ChatGPT To Claude 05:59 ChatGPT Can't Stop Doing This 12:26 ChatGPT Authoritarian Language 16:13 Is AI Brainwashing Us? 17:28 My Cult Programming Experience 22:06 Taking Space From ChatGPT 26:00 Why ChatGPT Uses Psychological FramingResources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free

Bobby C is back on Sobriety Bestie Podcast to discuss the Rockefeller and AA connection which runs deeper that you might think. Bobby C unpacks AMA, DSM, Car Jung, and both Rockefeller Jr and Rockefeller Sr along with Alcoholics Anonymous.Bobby C's YouTubeBobby C's Story Timestamps: 00:00 Rockefeller and Alcoholics Anonymous Intro 06:05 Benjamin Rush 09:21 Temperance Movement 11:46 Magnus Huss 14:41 Etymology + Words As Control 23:11 John D Rockefeller 30:57 Rockefeller Jr and Alcoholics Anonymous 39:55 Norman Jolliffe 41:24 Alcoholics Foundation and The Big Book 49:19 Carl Jung and Roland Hazard 53:35 Does It Work If You Work It? 1:01:58 Rockefeller, Hellen Wynn + AA Organization 1:07:44 Big Pharma, Big Alcohol, AMA 1:21:54 DSM-V and Substance Use Disorder 1:25:26 Indentured Servitude: A Slave To AA 1:29:49 Rockefeller Gave Dr. Bob MoneyBobby C's Rockefeller Videos: https://youtu.be/HYeoI_3Bljw?si=FJ-N5C4wRguHkLbV https://youtu.be/XxW_YfkFEtQ?si=0wBr-nAZFqyTSlhC https://youtu.be/d2gEC9lzT6A?si=N1NApvG8XfYDGNRl https://youtu.be/fZ0UAHMedvQ?si=yfDTg8w9D-TUnz3gResources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free

The Sober Truth is a great deprogramming AA, deprogramming 12 step and deprogramming the recovery narrative resource filled with modern science.I've compiled a list of all the deprogramming books I recommend here:📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Timestamps:00:00 The Sober Truth Book Intro01:15 The Sober Truth Book03:24 Coerced + Court Mandated AA06:11 Spontaneous Remission09:38 The Nature of Addiction11:54 Rehab Industry15:24 Busting AA Myths19:45 Counting Abstinence Time Is Useful Myth21:50 "Drunks" Are All The Same MythResources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free

Today we're exploring Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit from his book The Demon Haunted World and how it applies to deprogramming Alcoholics Anonymous.I've compiled a list of all the deprogramming books I recommend here:📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Timestamps:00:00 Baloney Detection Kit Intro02:09 1 - Independent Confirmation05:15 2 - Encourage Debate08:34 3 - Authority Means Nothing Without Evidence14:32 4 - Multiple Hypothesis19:23 5 - Don't Marry Your Own Ideas23:05 6 - Quantify26:57 Leaving AA + Doing Great29:24 Geting Worse in AA32:50 7 - Every Link Must Hold36:20 8 - Occam's RazorResources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Let’s get f*cking free

MARA is a recovery path and stands for Medication Assisted Recovery Anonymous. It has 12 steps but is NOT affiliated with AA or even that similar to AA but the steps are inspired from AA. I find MARA to be very compassionate, empathetic and a recovery path that I'm so glad now exists.Bob shares his story with leaving NA, joining MARA and how it's made all the difference in his own recovery and life.MARA websiteMARA bookTimestamps:00:00 Medication Assisted Recovery Intro 03:25 Why Bob Left NA 08:32 Googling Harm Reduction 09:41 What is Medication Assisted Recovery Anonymous22:36 Prescribed Opioids at 22 Years Sober30:31 Withdrawing From Suboxone35:04 Recovery Treatment Not Working + Relapse42:29 Living a Safe Lifestyle44:35 NA vs MARA Recovery47:33 MARA Meetings1:03:34 My First MARA Meeting1:07:47 Working in Treatment + Harm Reduction1:13:22 We Were At The Same MARA Meeting1:22:23 Building a Support System1:29:00 Benefits of MARA Recovery1:33:40 Why MARA is a Better Solution👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Let’s get f*cking free

Today on Burnie + Besite LIVE Tara Grace and I are joined by The 13th Step film maker and OG Deprogramming Badass Monica Richardson. We discuss her The 13th Step film, harm inside AA, dissenting and the hate that can follow, tips for deprogramming AA or deprogramming 12 step in general and more.You can watch Monica's Film 13th Step Film here and here's links to Tara Grace and Monica Richardson YouTube. Monica's Deprogramming podcast is here.Timestamps: 00:00 The 13th Step in AA Intro01:42 "I Was Never Broken"08:11 How AA Indoctrination Happens Fast13:06 "A Behavior Cannot Be A Disease"26:52 How AA Can Affect Family33:00 Why Monica Made The 13th Step Film37:42 12 Step Hate40:37 Advice For AA Dissenting54:09 AA HQ Ignoring Requests For Safer AA01:14:48 Advice For Navigating 13th Step01:17:24 Advice For Deprogramming AA01:26:13 Making Changes With AA01:32:34 Deciding To Speak Out About AAResources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free

Introducing the Gold Standard for alcohol addiction recovery! This is the path I wish I knew about back in 2009 when I was getting sober. Or better yet, I wish I knew about it years earlier when I first realized I had a problem with alcohol.Katie Lain from Thrive Alcohol Recovery shares with us her journey of accidentally getting sober while using Sinclair Method. She'll also unpack what ex AA's struggle with when they come to her program after AA doesn't work for them.And best of AA Katie shares about how The Sinclair Method is the "easier softer way" AA said didn't exist yet. Well flash forward from when the AA Big Book was written in the 1930s and we do have a pill that can make a normal drinker out of a problematic drinker. It's called Naltrexone, is generic, cheap and works for 78% of those who try it according the science.Katie's websiteThrive Alcohol Recovery YouTubeThrive Alcohol Recovery IGThrive Alcohol Recovery TikTokTimestamps:00:00 The Gold Standard For Alcohol Addiction Recovery05:40 How Katie Drank Her Way Sober08:40 Sinclair Method Results Are Gradual13:04 AA Is Complex21:11 A Pill "To Make A Normal Drinker"24:43 Feeling Traumatized By AA29:21 TSM is "The Easier Softer Way"31:50 Possible Naltrexone Side Effects37:40 How To Get Naltrexone39:52 Drinking Moderately After Abstinence54:53 Naltrexone Can Reduce Alcohol Cravings + Obsession57:32 Replacing AA Ideology With Modern Science1:09:47 Most Surprising Thing With SInclair Method1:14:21 Changing The Mainstream Recovery Narrative1:25:27 Best Time To Start Naltrexone1:41:28 TSM Has A 78% Success Rate1:54:08 Needing More Support With Naltrexone2:01:08 Be Your Own Recovery Advocate2:06:52 "Relapse"Resources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free

Today we're unpacking the AA saying "Share the message, not the mess" and how it can be harmful. We'll cover how sharing the message not the mess:Timestamps: 00:00 Intro Share The Message, Not The Mess05:12 1. Replaces authentic expression with scripted speech19:49 2. Reinforces indoctrination through repetition38:10 3. Disconnects you from your inner authority58:31 4. Creates emotional stagnation1:01:54 5. Trains self-censorship1:03:18 6. Keeps the system alive, not you1:07:28 Reconstruction: Telling A New StoryResources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Let’s get f*cking free

I LOVED the book The Real AA by Ken Ragge. I definitely recommend reading it to help in your deprogramming AA journey.I've compiled a list of all the deprogramming books I recommend here:📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Timestamps:00:00 The Real AA intro01:24 Jack Trimpey Forward02:18 The Real AA Book04:55 New Recruits Are Recruiting07:19 Dr. Silkworth's Opinions12:30 Anonymous Manipulation15:50 Bill "Kicked Out" of Oxford Group?16:30 Disease Theory Is Learned Helplessness19:28 Critical Thinking Manipulation23:05 Psychology of The Pawn28:02 Doubting The Program👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

Today we're unpacking the AA slogan and line from the 12th tradition, "Principles Before Personalities." We'll cover what this is, how it happens in the rooms, what it can sound like, the control pattern (a textbook propaganda example), why it can hurt after you leave and what moving forward can look like.Resources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Let’s get f*cking free

Jon barely survived 12 step. His courageous story highlights the harm inherent in 12 step ideology and the importance of trying something different if the "treatment" you are in is making you worse.Since leving NA he's created a "life beyond his wildest dreams." Truly an inspiration and I'm thrilled he's just begun his dissenting journey to help others recover from recovery and discover a life truly worth living.You can vibe with Jon here:Jon's Deprogramming YouTubeJon's other YouTubeTroubled Teen "Attack Therapy" From Recovery to Discovery FB GroupTimestamps:00:00 From Recovery to Discovery02:47 Childhood Abuse Conditioned Fast Indoctrination08:10 Therapist Recruits Him to NA14:42 18 Months In, 5 Years Out, Still Deprogramming20:40 Getting Shunned, Distrusting People + Making Friends26:46 Deconstructing 12 Step Mythology33:19 Mental Health Professionals Are Told To Recruit to 12 Step35:00 Misdiagnosis in AA + NA39:02 Can't + Won't Go Back to 12 Step42:43 12 Step Takes Lives59:27 Leaving NA + Reconnecting With Joy1:07:29 Healing After 12 Step1:19:12 Finding Healthy Communit6y + Connection1:25:20 Advice For Those Leaving 12 Step1:28:00 Stanton Peele's Life Process Program1:32:33 Synanon Based Troubled Teen Cult1:45:06 When the "Treatment" is Harmful1:56:12 Calling Addiction a "Disease" is Offensive2:01:00 Telling a Loved One 12 Step is Harmful2:05:57 Plans For DissentingResources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free

Today on Burnie + Bestie Live we are exploring the movie The Business of Recovery.I'm joined today of course by my cohostest Burnie aka Tara Grace from Burn The Stigma. Resources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Let’s get f*cking free

A lot of us can feel shocked or shell shocked after leaving AA or 12 step. Today we're going to unpack what shell shock is, how it applies to leaving AA, post cult trauma and post cult symptoms that people may experience according to cult expert Margaret Singer's work in her book Cults in Our Midst.Of course this isn't medical advice and if you need support, find a professional who can help support you.Timestamps: 00:00 Feeling Shocked After Leaving AA Intro 04:44 What is Shell Shock? 09:24 How Shell Shock Applies to Leaving AA 15:35 Post Cult Trauma 33:25 Post Cult Systems Resources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Let’s get f*cking free

Timestamps00:00 AA Shutdown Playbook Intro03:10 1 - Make It Personal Immediately06:28 2 - Assume Motive You Can't Know10:09 3 - Invoke Slogans As Sacred Truth15:48 4 - Announce Sober Time19:46 5 - Reduce AA to the Big Book22:33 6 - Ignore Harm Entirely27:48 7 - Turn Anecdotes Into Universal Laws33:20 8 - Claim Superiority Through Suffering35:08 9 - Label Dissent As Denial37:46 10 - Declare Never A "Real Alcoholic"40:22 11 - Truth Claims Without Data, Evidence, Citation42:46 12 - End With RighteousnessResources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Let’s get f*cking free

Today we are exploring AA's "It Works If You Work It" mythology.We'll bring in thoughts and research from experts (you know I like to read a little from deprogramming books on these pods!), Burnie aka Tara Grace from Burn The Stigma will share her perspective, I'll share mine (it's me, Kirsten, Sobriety Bestie). Then we crowd source for comments to see what everyone else thinks.Resources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Let’s get f*cking free

Happy New Year!! Woot woot 2026. Today we're exploring "New Freedom and New Happiness" from the AA promises and what that looks like in deprogramming. I'll share my version of "The Promises" for leaving AA. Then we'll crowd source other people's thoughts and ideas about The Promises when they were in AA and what their creating now that they've left.Resources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Let’s get f*cking free

Rene joins us today to share about how AA became a self prophecy leading him to be in and out of the rooms for twenty years.Rene's IGRene's TikTokTimestamps:00:00 In + Out of AA For 20 Years05:50 Going to AA Knowing It's A Cult17:25 Leaving AA Cult Within A Cult20:48 South Florida Pill Mills23:18 AA Ideology Created A Negative Cycle32:08 AA is a Self Fulfilling Prophecy36:50 Changing the Recovery Narrative44:39 The Big Book Mythology49:11 How He Actually Got BetterResources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free

Today we are exploring AA's powerless idea and pickle mythology. You know how in AA they say "once a cucumber becomes a pickle, there's no going back." Meaning once you "cross a line" with drinking and become an "alcoholic" there is no becoming a normal drinker again. But modern science debunks this.We'll bring in thoughts and research from experts (you know I like to read a little from deprogramming books on these pods!), Burnie aka Tara Grace from Burn The Stigma will share her perspective, I'll share mine (it's me, Kirsten, Sobriety Bestie). Then we crowd source for comments to see what everyone else thinks.Resources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Let’s get f*cking free

Join us for a fun Holiday episode as Carrie (Carrie's Substack) and I sing about the 12 days of leaving Alcoholics Anonymous.👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, Book Club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Let’s get f*cking free.

Join us for a fun Holiday inspired episode as Carrie (Carrie's Substack) and I share the gifts of leaving AA from our perspective.Timestamps:00:00 Gifts of Leaving AA Intro 01:13 The Gifts When Starting AA or Love Bombing? 01:55 Gift Newcomer Conversation 06:50 Growing Up in AA Cult + Leaving 11:40 Deprogramming AA is The Gift That Keeps Giving 16:27 Gift When First Leaving AA 19:30 Gift Months After Leaving AA 23:16 GIft One Year After Leaving AA 25:40 Gifts of Current Deprogramming Journey👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, Book Club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Let’s get f*cking free.

Today we are exploring the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of 12 step rehab treatment centers.Resources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)Let’s get f*cking free

Today we're unpacking spiritual bypassing, the use of spirituality or spiritual practices to override our feelings. We'll cover what spiritual bypassing can look like inside 12 step, how our brains are often trained to spiritual bypass via our sponsors, the meetings and the literature and what spiritual bypassing can be like on our deprogramming AA journey.This audio is from today's livestream on Sobriety Bestie YouTube from our weekly show "Tea With Bestie." Feel free to join us live on Thursdays at 9am Pacific / 5 pm UK.Resources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free

I've received a lot of DM's after yesterday's episode on Rob Reiner and Nick Reiner so am coming back today to answer the top questions. You wanted to know is Nick Reiner mentally ill and was he sober at the time of the murders. So we'll dive into that in today's episode.Also I have a clip with Rob Reiner and Nick Reiner's thoughts on Alcoholics Anonymous (thanks to the person who DM'd it to me!) so we'll roll that clip as well.Timestamps00:00 Nick Reiner charged with murder01:34 Was Nick Reiner Under The Influence?01:47 Is Nick Reiner Mentally Ill?02:41 Does Rehab Work?03:56 Rob Reiner + Nick Reiner on "Does AA work?"06:14 Nick + Rob Reiner addiction message06:44 Nick Reiner's Thoughts on 12 Step Not WorkingResources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free

Today's episode is a bit heavy, heartbreaking and also a deep dive into the addiction movie the now late iconic director Rob Reiner made in 2015 with his son Nick Reiner called "Being Charlie."We'll look at the addiction recovery movie through a deconstruction lens, examine the 12 step loaded language, and follow Charlie through his addiction recovery journey - a character based upon Nick Reiner. In real life, Nick Reiner went to 17+ rehabs in 7 years before being inspired to create this movie with his father. This is an invitation to think about why non effective "treatment" is continually pushed and pursued via medical professionals, treatment centers and 12 step meetings.Timestamps:00:00 Rob Reiner, Nick Reiner + Addiction Recovery Intro02:32 Nick Reiner 17+ Rehabs03:46 Deconstructing Being Charlie Movie04:17 12 Step Loaded Language07:58 How Nick Reiner Got Sober08:58 12 Step Treatment is Ineffective10:47 RIP Rob + Michele Reiner11:48 Rob Reiner + Nick Reiner InterviewResources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free

It's the 91 year anniversary of BIll W.'s "White Light Spiritual Experience" so we're going to unpack it all in this episode. We'll cover what drugs Bill was on, some of Towns history (the founder of the rehab Bill was in), Carl Jung's work on the numinous or spiritual / religious experiences and we'll hear from the livestream audience about their thoughts on spiritual experience. I timestamped it below in case you want to skip around.Timestamps:00:00 91 Years Later: Deconstructing Bill Wilson’s White Light Experience02:32 Bill Made His Experience Institutional "Proof"05:14 The Spiritual Experience Requirement 11:05 The Drugs Bill Was On25:08 The Jung Letter and Chain-Style Transmission29:22 Personal Psychedelic Experiences vs Universal Prescription49:23 Leaving AA and the Psychological Devastation51:57 Deconstructing ‘AA Worked For Me’ or 'Didn't Work'55:32 Bill's Hallucination Still Shapes Recovery Today1:03:44 The Cognitive Dissonance Around Bill’s LSD Use1:09:18 AA as Mythology, Not Medicine01:14:42 Carl Jung vs. Bill Wilson01:25:08 Towns Hospital 1:33:42 Healing Trauma + Exit Costs 1:41:03 Jung Was Opposite of Bill in ThinkingResources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free

December 11th 1934 is Bill W, the Founder of AA's, last day drinking and the day he went into Town's Hospital for alcohol addiction treatment. Today on Sobriety Bestie pod we're diving into how Bill was preyed upon when he was incredibly vulnerable (by the Oxford Group). Then how Bill turned around and built this methodology, of AA preying on the vulnerable, into his 12 step system.Resources for deconstructing AA:👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free

Ostracized for leaving AA. Told she’d die if she walked away. Came back anyway. Left again. And is still here, and finally free.In this raw, funny, and brutally honest conversation, Lilly and I talk about what it’s really like to be "AA-famous," get shunned when you “go out,” and slowly realize the thing you thought saved you is also harming you.We get into informed consent, harmful sponsorship, Al-Anon culty offshoots, drinking again without going back to meetings, ADHD/dopamine, and why so many of us feel more broken after years in 12-step than we did going in.If you’ve ever:Been terrified to leave AA because “you’ll die”Been shunned or quietly dropped when you stopped goingWondered if it’s ethical for traumatized non-professionals to hear 4th-step confessionsTried to “work on yourself” to deathOr are just sitting in that after-recovery void thinking, “What now?”…this one’s for you. You are not crazy, you are not alone, and you’re allowed to change your mind.Timestamps:00:00 Shunned After AA Intro02:08 Leaving AA07:46 Taking What She Wanted, Leaving The Rest08:30 It's Unethical To Sponsor10:01 We Met In AA15:49 What The "Daily Reprieve" Actually Is22:40 What Helped Lilly Leave AA26:26 "Informed Consent" in AA33:46 Harmful Alanon + Amends 45:36 AA Breaks You Down48:19 Half Measures AA50:02 Full Blown Cult Alanon53:30 Connecting With AA Escapees56:20 Drinking Moderately1:05:36 ADHD, Dopamine, Addiction + Hobbies 1:14:39 Feeling Angry After Leaving AA1:23:32 Cult Within A Cult + Sponsoring Yourself 1:31:18 When Your Sponsor Leaves 12 Step👉 Deprogram Lounge (Deprogram community, courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

Today we're reading a book review for AA's Big Book or the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" that was featured in JAMA, the Journal of American Medical Association back in 1939, 6 months after the Big Book was published.Here's the source.👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

In today’s episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, Tara Grace (Burn The Stigma) and I break down AA's "we're spiritual not religious" gaslight.This episode comes from today's Bernie & Bestie LIVE, where we just unpacked what a religion is, how AA maps to a religion, some of the God language inside the Big Book and taking the third step (in public!). Then we crowd sourced everyone's perspectives on the AA spiritual not religious indoctrination to add to the conversation.👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

Leaving 12 step can feel like freedom and heartbreak at the same time.You thought walking away would be the hard part. But it’s the after that gets quiet and confusing.The mixed emotions. The questions you didn’t expect. The “now what?” feeling.Today on Sobriety Bestie Podcast we're diving in deep to explore what the hardest part of leaving AA is. I share my perspective and experience then we crowd source the comments to see what's been hard for others and how they've navigated it.👉 Deprogram Lounge (Deprogram community, courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

In today’s episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, Tara Grace (Burn The Stigma) and I break down how the language inside Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs can lock people into a forever-sick identity—often without realizing it.We explore common phrases like “progressive and fatal disease,” “mental obsession,” “physical allergy,” “character defects,” “daily reprieve,” and “you’re only as sick as your secrets.” These ideas can shape how we see ourselves and create a kind of learned helplessness.I share my own shift: Changing how I think about myself changed everything.I’m not forever sick, broken, or spiritually defective—and you likely aren't either.This episode comes from Sunday’s Bernie & Bestie LIVE, where we spent two hours unpacking how 12-step culture can keep people stuck—and what breaking free actually looks like.👉 Deprogram Lounge (Deprogram community, courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

Wondering how long it takes to deprogram 12 step? Today we'll explore a cult recovery checklist to help get an idea of where you're at and what might be next on your deprogramming journey.Timestamps:00:00 How long is AA Deprogramming Intro04:15 Phase 1 Stabilization10:05 Phase 2 Cognitive Deconstruction20:13 Phase 3 Emotional Reprocessing35:02 Phase 4 Identity Reconstruction44:19 Phase 5 Social Reconnection51:30 Phase 6 Behavioral Unlearning54:28 Phase 7 Long Term Integration👉 Deprogram Lounge (Deprogram community, courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

So many of us "crave" meetings after we decide to leave AA. Here's what I think is going on...👉 Deprogram Lounge (Deprogram community, courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

Join us for a fun Thanksgiving inspired episode as Carrie (Carrie's Substack) and I reclaim gratitude after leaving AA.A lot of us are forced into masking our feelings with "gratitude" inside 12 step. But that wasn’t gratitude — that was obedience, conformity and spiritual bypassing.So of course so many of us get the ick around gratitude after leaving AA.It’s like a post-cult mandatory-gratitude hangover — your body remembers the coercion.But we can reclaim what's been taken from us, we get to own ALL of our humanity.We can choose to reclaim gratitude.Timestamps:00:00 Reclaiming Gratitude Intro02:05 Mandatory Gratitude Rules05:50 Mandatory Gratitude Checklist10:23 Gratitude Officers Retire12:24 Mandatory Gratitude in AA22:58 Using Others To Feel Grateful32:57 Genuine Gratitude33:52 November AA Gratitude Month39:46 Spiritual Bypassing in AA46:39 "Nobody held a gun to your head"1:00:50 Reclaiming Gratitude👉 Deprogram Lounge (Deprogram community, courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

Burnie + Bestie LIVE is back. Here's yesterdays livestream episode with Tara Grace from Burn the Stigma and me, Sobriety Bestie vibing in the comment section answering questions and having fun.👉 Deprogram Lounge (Membership with courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

I'm starting a new weekly live show on YouTube and wanted to share the first one here with you (from yesterday).👉 Deprogram Lounge (Membership with courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

Sam ("Ebby Thacher" on Instagram) opens up about what it was actually like to leave AA after years of fear-based messaging, confusion, and being told that walking away was dangerous. The story dives into the shock of realizing that the “only way” wasn’t helping, the exhaustion of searching for real mental-health support, and the moment everything clicked: the problem wasn’t a lack of willingness — the problem was the system itself.What created real change was stepping outside AA ideology, learning the science, exploring harm reduction, and finally trusting personal experience over dogma. Sam’s story is honest, raw, and deeply validating for anyone who’s questioning AA. The takeaway is clear: choosing a different path is not only safe — it can be the beginning of actual healing and freedom.Timestamps00:00 Intro Leaving AA Saves Lives02:00 Leaving AA03:16 Phases of Leaving AA10:45 Therapy, IOP + Pushed to AA21:03 AA is a Cult + Rehab a Scam??36:53 First Time at AA39:18 The Allergy Mythology42:19 What Helped Sam Get Sober44:52 Cannabis Saved Sam's Life54:37 Still "In Recovery" ?1:00:42 Guilt Over Sponsoring + Self Gaslighting1:08:07 Inner Child, Healing + Internal Family Systems1:23:54 Speaking Out About Leaving AA1:28:17 Ebby Thatcher1:31:40 Hope For The Recovery Narrative1:36:20 You're Not Going To Die If You Leave AA👉 Deprogram Lounge (Membership with courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

Burnie + Bestie are back for our second Burnie + Bestie LIVE stream episode featuring Tara Grace from Burn The Stigma and Kirsten (me, Sobriety Bestie) discussing all the addiction and recovery things. We went live on Sunday November 16th and are thinking about making this an ongoing thing LIVE on Sobriety Bestie YouTube on Sundays at 9 am pacific.Burn The Stigma channel: ‪@Burnthestigma420‬👉 Deprogram Lounge (Membership with courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club. + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

Most addicts and alcoholics do recover — and up to three quarters recover without any treatment. Today we’re breaking down the author of Biology of Desire, Mark Lewis’s TED Talk to explore how he got sober and what neuroscience reveals about self-trust, belief, and recovery.Mark Lewis, PhD, is a neuroscientist and former addict whose research challenges the disease model of addiction. His story offers a science-backed, empowering perspective — one rooted in self-trust, personal agency, and belief in our ability to change.Timestamps:00:00 Marc Lewis Intro0:39 Marc Lewis TED Talk01:39 Self Trust04:14 Powerful or Powerless?05:52 Delay Discounting09:05 How Marc Lewis Got Sober10:13 Addiction Recovery is Backwards👉 Deprogram Lounge (Membership with courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club. + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.