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PODCAST

Sobriety Bestie Podcast

Kirsten Johnson

The Sobriety Bestie Podcast helps you deprogram AA, heal from recovery dogma, and build a bold, empowered life on your own terms.

business entrepreneurship

All Episodes

13:08

Ep 43 How AA Controls Your Mind - part 3 of 8: Demand...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/19

Welcome to Part 3 of our 8-part series: “8 Signs AA Is Controlling Your Mind” — today we’re diving into Demand for Purity 😇➡️🩸In high-control groups, purity isn’t about health — it’s about obedience. In this episode, we'll dive into how AA creates an all-or-nothing mindset:👉 Character defects = normal emotions labeled as flaws👉 Self-policing and shame are spiritualized👉 Outside help is discouraged👉 Relapse = total failure, instead of a data point…and how that pressure can sabotage your healing

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03:18

Ep 42 AA's Harm Runs Deeper Than You Think

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/18

AA is worse than I thought — 5 weeks of speaking out is changing everything.I was in AA for 10 years — from 2009 to 2020. I left five years ago. But it wasn’t until I started talking about it publicly that I realized how deep the indoctrination really went.Now that I’m five weeks into sharing my truth online, I’m seeing AA with new eyes — and honestly, it’s worse than I thought. The control, the shame, the silencing… it’s all showing up again, only this time I’m on the outside of Alcoholics

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05:51

Ep 41 Ten Reasons Why AA Holds You Hostage

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/17

— Here's 10 ways Alcoholics Anonymous benefits from keeping you trapped inside the rooms of AA.Ever wonder why AA wants you to stay forever?In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, I’m breaking down 10 ways AA benefits from keeping you inside — from book sales to free labor to spiritual obedience disguised as “God’s will.” This isn’t just a support group. It’s a system that uses fear, guilt, and control to hold onto you… even after you’ve outgrown it.Want guidance with your deprogramming

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08:13

Ep 40 How AA Controls Your Mind - part 2 of 8:...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/16

Mystical Manipulation is when AA reframes your emotional responses, coincidences, or discomfort as “spiritual guidance” to keep you loyal to the program. It’s when sponsors are treated like prophets, emotional highs are assigned religious meaning, and everything—especially harm—is justified as “God’s will.”I even share the most disturbing thing my sponsor ever said... and how weaponized spirituality made it possible.This series is based on Lifton’s “Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism.”

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15:04

Ep 39 How AA Controls Your Mind - part 1 of 8: Milieu...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/15

Welcome to a powerful 8-part mini-series based on Dr. Robert Jay Lifton’s Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism — originally used to study brainwashing in Maoist China, and disturbingly relevant to high-control groups like Alcoholics Anonymous.In Part 1, we’re breaking down Milieu Control — how AA controls your physical environment, your relationships, your thinking, and even your identity.We’ll explore:AA's indoctrination through immersionSponsorship as moral authoritySuppression of voice,

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06:45

Ep 38 Why I'll Never Go To AA Again

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/14

I was an AA true believer. I cried on Bill W’s grave. I did AA across the world.But once I saw the truth—it all fell apart.In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, I break down how AA hooked me with high-control tactics, outdated 1930's ideology, and identity-based manipulation… and why I’ll never go to AA again.🔍 Topics we cover:The sales tactics hidden inside the 12 stepsWhy “real alcoholic” is loaded language that locks you inThe pushup disease in the parking lot myth 🙄How AA keeps you

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06:32

Ep 37 What's The Hardest Part of Leaving AA?

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/13

Let's open up about the reason leaving Alcoholics Anonymous is so hard. For me, it was probably the phobia indoctrination, the deeply ingrained belief that to leave is to die.✨ But today is about you.What’s been the hardest part for you about leaving AA?Whether you’re freshly out or still untangling the mindset years later, this episode holds space for your truth—and invites you to share it.📥 DM me on Instagram @sobrietybestie or comment on Sobriety Bestie YouTube. Your experience might inspire an

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15:32

Ep 36 The Mindf*ck of Being Half In and Half Out of AA

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/12

What if you're going to meetings, working with a sponsor, maybe even doing the steps… but deep down, you don’t believe it anymore?Today’s episode is for you.This is a living f*cking amends to anyone I ever indoctrinated into AA. I used to believe it all. I taught it all. And now I know better. If you're stuck in that weird in-between—half in, half out—you're not alone. And you're not crazy.We’re talking about:What it feels like to question AA while still in itThe emotional + mental toll of staying

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07:44

Ep 35 Finding A Good Therapist After AA

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/09

When you're deprogramming from Alcoholics Anonymous or any high-control group, finding the right therapist can make all the difference.In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, I walk you through key questions to ask when choosing a therapist — based on advice from cult recovery expert Dr. Janja Lalich. This isn’t just about credentials. It’s about alignment, safety, and whether your therapist truly supports your freedom — not just your compliance.Read the list of Q's on Dr. Janja Lalich's

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15:04

Ep 34 Is Your Therapist Stunting Your Growth?

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/08

If your therapist is in AA and reinforces the fear, they’re not holding space for your healing — they’re likely holding you hostage to an outdated ideology.In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, we’re diving into a hard truth:You can’t deprogram from AA with a therapist who’s still inside the program.Even if they claim to be open-minded or say they support other paths… if they're still in the rooms, they’re still operating from AA's limiting framework.🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷Want

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16:29

Ep 33 The Craziest Thing My Sponsor Said - the 13th step

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/07

Today I’m telling the story of the most disturbing thing my AA sponsor ever said to me. It was about a known predator in our Alcoholics Anonymous meetings… and how she spiritualized it. This is part of the deprogramming AA series and a crucial conversation about the 13th step—a term so common it has its own name, and that alone should raise alarms.If you've ever felt unsafe, doubted your gut, or experienced sexual predation inside Alcoholics Anonymous—this one's for you.You're not alone. It's safe

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27:54

Ep 32 Thirty Signs You're Being Emotionally Manipulated

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/06

In 30 signs you're being emotionally manipulated, we're diving in so you can recognize emotional manipulation in real time AND reclaim your power.We’re diving into 30 emotional manipulation tactics—what they are, how they show up in everyday life, and how they’re often used inside Alcoholics Anonymous.This episodes corresponding free guide and online course 👇📖 30 Signs You're Being Emotionally Manipulated guide🌀 Deprogram AA Online Course🩷 It's safe to trust yourself 🩷📺 Subscribe to Watch on

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16:33

Ep 31 Does AA Become A New Addiction?

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/05

You got sober—but did you get free?In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, we’re talking about something few people in recovery circles are willing to touch: the idea that Alcoholics Anonymous itself can become addictive. For some of us, the meetings, the steps, the fellowship… it all felt like self medicine. Or maybe it never did.Does AA become another addiction? We'll dive into:How AA can become a new form of dependencyWhy the “daily reprieve” might actually be lifetime codependencyThe

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14:04

Ep 30 Alcoholics Anonymous Costs More Than You Think

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/02

Everyone says AA is free. But what if it’s not?In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, we break down the real costs of Alcoholics Anonymous—from the thousands of hours of unpaid emotional labor to the therapy bills many of us face after leaving. If you’ve ever paid to unfuck your mind from 12-step ideology, this is for you.We’ll dive into:The hidden emotional, psychological, and financial costs of long-term AA involvementWhy “free” often means unpaid labor and internalized guiltHow coercive

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14:05

Ep 29 AA’s Disease Model Is Learned Helplessness

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/05/01

Today in our deprogram AA series we’re unpacking how the AA disease model doesn’t just offer support—it can program you into a state of learned helplessness.What starts as help can turn into a trap: you’re told you’re powerless, broken, and forever in recovery. But what if that’s not true? What if the idea of having a “fatal, progressive disease” is a belief system—not a biological reality—and what if that belief is what’s keeping you stuck?We explore:The origins of AA’s disease concept (spoiler:

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15:45

Ep 28 Identity Manipulation + Self Diagnosis in AA

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/04/30

What if you weren’t an “alcoholic” after all?In this episode, we dive deep into two of AA’s most insidious high-control tactics:🔹 Identity manipulation🔹 Self-diagnosis under pressureWe unpack:How AA gets you to adopt the “alcoholic” label when you’re at your most vulnerableWhy that label isn’t a medical diagnosis (and never has been)The harm that comes from mistaking neurodivergence, trauma, or mental health struggles as “alcoholism”How many folks only discovered their ADHD, autism, or bipolar II

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12:27

Ep 27 Graduating From Recovery

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/04/29

In today's Daily Dogma Detox series, we’re talking about a phase of sobriety that no one seems to mention — graduating from recovery. What if you don’t need to “recover” for the rest of your life? What if you’re actually done?We'll reflect on what it means to leave AA, the silence around the exit, the courage it takes to trust your gut, and the power of reclaiming your own timeline. This episode is for the brave souls who know it's time to move on — and want permission to celebrate their

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12:26

Ep 26 AA Brainwashes You To Fear Leaving

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/04/28

What happens when a recovery group uses fear to keep you from leaving?In this episode, I unpack one of the most manipulative (and most normalized) control tactics inside AA:phobia indoctrination—the messaging that to leave the group is to die.We talk about:How this tactic is baked into AA's structure and slogansWhy it feels so terrifying to leave—even if your intuition is screaming to goA real-life story of receiving one of these subtle “death threat” messages in the middle of a manicureWhy this

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36:22

Ep 25 Is Alcoholics Anonymous a Cult?

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/04/27

The question so many of us wonder... Is Alcoholics Anonymous a Cult?We're pulling today's pod from Sobriety Bestie YouTube on.. is AA a cult. Listen in here or you can watch it on Sobriety Bestie Youtube.Based on my 10 years inside AA, 5 years outside AA, and everything I’ve learned since speaking publicly — I’m unpacking it all.Inside this episode:✨ My first impressions of AA (hint: it wasn’t great)✨ Love bombing, mind control, and "friends with conditions"✨ Why informed consent matters in

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14:12

Ep 24 AA Didn't Save My Life

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/04/25

In this raw and honest episode, I dive deep into one of the most common mantras in recovery spaces: “AA saved my life.”But what if it didn’t?What if you saved your own life?This is a powerful conversation for anyone walking through the fog of deprogramming—especially if you’ve ever felt like AA took credit for your transformation while gaslighting your intuition. I’m unpacking the cultural conditioning that equates obedience with salvation, and why reclaiming your autonomy is such a big damn deal.If

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187 results

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