Podcast Episode Details
Back to Podcast Episodes
Ep 137 Deconstructing Sobriety Birthdays and AA Sober Time
Episode 137
Welcome to our sobriety birthday party podcast. Today September 29th I'm 16 years sober and Carrie (here's her Substack) turned 26 years sober on September 17th, the day we recorded this. You're in for a fun treat as we unpack all the sobriety birthday and sober time things.
In this candid convo, Carrie and I unpack the status game around sober time, the shame of “starting over,” why slips don’t erase growth, and what feels actually worth celebrating now.
If you’ve ever felt weird about chips, countdowns, or announcing your sobriety date, this one’s for you.
We explore:
- What sobriety dates measure—and what they don’t
- The difference between early-days momentum vs. long-term identity
- How purity culture sneaks into recovery language
- Alternative markers of progress (health, boundaries, critical thinking, purpose)
- Harm-reduction openness and letting people choose what works for them
00:00 Intro deconstructing sobriety birthdays and AA sober time
1:04 Carrie's sobriety birthday feels
06:26 Rethinking slips, relapses and changing sobriety date
10:36 AA conference slipped alcohol
16:02 Rigidity around sobriety birthday announcements
21:39 What does a sobriety birthday actually measure?
23:04 Does drinking actually "erase" sobriety time?
31:04 Why anchor to an old bad habit?
36:59 Sobriety date becomes new birthday
40:18 Sobriety birthday parties
47:37 How long does it take to deprogram?
55:18 Sobriety time "status" game
57:27 Coerced into marketing AA via sobriety chips
1:07:52 What feels relevant to celebrate now?
1:17:22 Do sobriety birthdays matter?
1:24:20 Sober time hierarchy + countdowns
Carrie's Substack: https://carrieengland.substack.com/
🪩 Get fee tools, community, Zooms and book club to deprogram 12-step ideology 📚
👉 Inside the Deprogram Lounge click here.
💬 Let’s Connect @SobrietyBestie
DM me or comment on any Sobriety Bestie socials. I’m here for the conversation.
Let’s get f*cking free.
Published on 2 months, 3 weeks ago