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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

18:50

Ep 143 Why Addiction Is Not A Disease — Biology of...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/10/21

Is addiction a disease, a choice — or something in between? 🤔In this episode, I dive into The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction Is Not a Disease by Mark Lewis, PhD — the book we just finished in our Deprogram Book Club inside the free Deprogram Lounge community. 💬📚Mark Lewis argues that addiction isn’t a disease or a moral failing — it’s a deeply learned habit rooted in neuroplasticity and desire. In this video, I share my biggest takeaways from the book, how my view of addiction has evolved since

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34:48

Ep 142 Seven Ways AA Hijacked Your Brain

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/10/19

Leaving AA isn’t just about walking away from meetings — it’s about rewiring your brain.In this episode of The Sobriety Bestie Podcast, I share 7 ways Alcoholics Anonymous can hijack your thinking (often subtly, then aggressively)… and how to get your critical thinking and self-trust back.I spent 10 years in AA and left in 2020. What I’ve discovered since will blow your mind. This video is part of our Critical Thinking Series — because freedom starts with changing our minds. Timestamps:00:00 Intro –

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41:52

Ep 141 5 Ways To Stop Second Guessing Yourself After...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/10/12

Have you ever caught yourself spinning on a decision — looping between “what if” and “maybe not”? You’re not alone. In this episode, I’m sharing 5 powerful ways to stop second-guessing yourself, especially if you’re leaving AA, deconstructing 12-step ideology, or just learning to trust your own thinking again.By the end of this video, you’ll understand:Why second-guessing happensHow to spot cognitive dissonance in real timeA simple move to get unstuck fastThis is for anyone who’s been taught to

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35:33

Ep 140 Six Months Speaking Out About AA Changed My Life

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/10/06

Six months ago I finally hit publish on my first video about leaving AA—and it changed everything. What started as fear turned into freedom, growth, and a whole new life. In this episode I reflect on six months of dissenting out loud, what I’ve learned from deconstructing Alcoholics Anonymous, and why this work matters so much. From 123 videos to playlists on AA mind control, cult comparisons, grieving, and alternatives, we’ve built a massive resource for anyone ready to get AA out of their head

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01:49:37

Ep 139 Quackaholics Anonymous: AA Kept Him Relapsing,...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/10/03

Victor from Quackaholics Anonymous shares his powerful journey of breaking free from Alcoholics Anonymous and finding the power to quit drinking on his own.In this candid conversation, Victor opens up about being branded a “chronic relapser” in AA, feeling isolated and hopeless, and how leaving the program set him free. From realizing AA was a scam, to rebuilding life on his own terms, to starting one of the first dissenting AA YouTube channels — this is his story of reclaiming self-esteem, critical

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11:33

Ep 138 AA Invented This Term to Control You...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/10/01

In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, I’m unpacking a culty comment that accuses my podcast of being “alcoholic thinking and behaving at its finest.”🚫 Here’s the truth: there is no such thing as “alcoholic thinking” or “alcoholic behavior” outside of literally drinking alcohol. These terms were invented and weaponized by AA to control the narrative, sell the disease model, and funnel people toward God as the supposed solution.We’ll break down:How Bill W. used Dr. Silkworth’s “fatal

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01:28:01

Ep 137 Deconstructing Sobriety Birthdays and AA Sober...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/09/29

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,

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15:51

Ep 136 AA Across The World Same Book, Same Control...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/09/26

In today’s Culty Comments episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, we’re breaking down a classic AA defender argument: “You got sober in the wrong country — AA is different elsewhere.”I’ve been to meetings across the U.S., Australia, Bali, India, Nepal, and Europe — and here’s the truth: no matter the culture, no matter the meeting format, it all comes back to the same book and the same controlling ideology.👉 In this episode we’ll cover:Attacking the messenger instead of the messageMy firsthand

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26:46

Ep 135 How Charlie Sheen Got Sober (And His Thoughts...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/09/24

Charlie Sheen has been one of the most outspoken celebrities about his relationship with Alcoholics Anonymous and sobriety. From his infamous “winning” era in 2011 to creating his own Sober Valley Lodge, to now approaching 8 years sober, Charlie has been refreshingly candid about what worked—and what didn’t—for him.In this video, we react to Charlie Sheen’s recent appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast, dive into his brand-new book The Book of Sheen (2025), and unpack his raw thoughts on AA,

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31:16

Ep 134 Alan Carr's Quit Drinking Without Willpower —...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/09/22

Alan Carr flips the script on alcohol. Instead of using willpower to fight cravings, he shows how to remove the desire to drink altogether. 🎉In this episode, I review Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Quit Drinking Without Willpower and share how the method connected with my own journey—both quitting cigarettes and alcohol.Whether you’re looking for an AA alternative, rethinking your relationship with alcohol, or just curious about habit change, this perspective shift might blow your mind.Get the book

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01:15:42

Ep 133 Deprogramming AA From the Inside — Bobby C.’s...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/09/19

Bobby C from Anonymous Addiction Podcast spent 35 years inside Alcoholics Anonymous — but he was never fully at peace with the ideology. Trapped by cognitive dissonance, he questioned the slogans, the control structures, and the religious roots even while he kept showing up.In this conversation, Bobby shares how he saw “cults within the cult,” why the chips and steps never sat right, and how he finally shifted into true freedom outside the 12-step frame.Bobby C's YouTubeBobby C's Facebook GroupBobby

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16:10

Ep 132 AA Doublespeak: Your Best Thinking Got Your Here

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/09/17

AA loves to say “Your best thinking got you here.” But when I arrived at AA, I was in survival mode with my worst thinking—traumatized, anxious, medicated, and terrified. To call that my “best” is pure doublespeak. In this episode, I break down why this phrase is manipulative, how it positions members to distrust their own thoughts, and how Bill Wilson’s best thinking (propaganda, PR, Oxford Group ideology) is what actually got me to AA.We’ll unpack:Why “best thinking” is not survival mode.How AA

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13:53

Ep 131 When Strangers Try to Convince You You’re...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/09/15

A random AA stranger tried to convince me that I’m powerless—that I can’t even know if I’ll drink tomorrow. He compared my choices to predicting the lottery. 🤦‍♀️ This episode breaks down the logical fallacies and culty ideology behind the powerless narrative AA keeps pushing. Of course I have no clue what YOU should or will do. But I do know I'm not drinking tomorrow.We’re powerful. We can change habits, rewire our brains, and decide our own future. Anyone trying to convince you otherwise? 🚩

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01:35:40

Ep 130 The Doctor's Opinion That Trapped Millions for...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/09/12

Welcome back to our Big Book Deconstruction series. In this episode, Kirsten and Carrie (Carrie’s Substack here) unpack The Doctor’s Opinion — the chapter that AA uses as its "medical" foundation. We explore how Dr. Silkworth’s unproven ideas about a “fatal progressive disease” became the sales pitch that trapped millions into a lifetime of dependence.🕒 Timestamps00:00 – Deconstructing The Doctor's Opinion Intro01:23 – Dr. Silkworth Traps + Converts Us04:08 – Lies AA Coerced Us Into Believing08:25

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20:07

Ep 129 Common Abuse And Mistreatment in AA

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/09/10

In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, we’re breaking down the most common forms of abuse and mistreatment in Alcoholics Anonymous—from being told you have a “progressive, fatal disease,” to being convinced you’re powerless, to the gaslighting baked into terms like “dry drunk” or “denial.”These points come from Rational Recovery by Jack Trimpey, written 30 years ago but still just as relevant today. We’ll unpack the first 10 examples from the book and talk about how AA’s harmful messaging

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17:57

Ep 128 Guilt, Doublespeak + Denial in AA Recruitment...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/09/08

In this #CultyComments episode, we’re breaking down two of AA’s most common contradictions:👉 “AA has no leaders.” Really? Sponsors, old-timers, secretaries, and even professional recruiters all lead — they just hide it behind the doublespeak of “trusted servants.”👉 “You can leave anytime.” On the surface, yes. But the ideology repeats that leaving = relapse, jails, institutions, or death. That’s phobia indoctrination, and it keeps people trapped even when they want out.This isn’t about shaming one

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01:16:10

Ep 127 She Decided to Drink Again After 13 Years in...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/09/05

Emma from Group Thinking Podcast left AA after nearly 13 years—and chose moderation. In this candid conversation, we unpack what made her walk away, how she rebuilt community, why “your disease is getting worse even when you’re sober” never sat right, and what deprogramming looks like in real life. We get into AA culture, Finland AA vs. international AA, sponsorship red flags, nervous system regulation, trying alcohol again (including first-week hangovers and fear), and the power of speaking out

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19:40

Ep 126 Hidden Danger in AA Meetings

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/09/03

Any group that tells you you’ll die if you leave? 🚩 Run for the hills.In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, I dive into the hidden danger in AA meetings — not just shady individuals or mini–cult leaders, but the ideology itself.📖 Inspired by Rational Recovery: The New Cure for Substance Addiction by Jack Trimpey, we’ll unpack his concept of Recovery Group Disorder (RGD) — the compulsive dependency on recovery meetings that looks and feels a lot like addiction itself.Rational Recovery

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29:01

Ep 125 Rational Recovery Book — Escape the Recovery Trap

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/09/01

You are powerful. You can decide your future. You don’t need AA, sponsors, or church basements to stay sober.In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, I dive into Rational Recovery: The New Cure for Substance Addiction by Jack Trimpey — the revolutionary AA alternative that says: once you decide, that’s it. No “recovery process,” no lifelong meetings.We’ll explore:Why Rational Recovery rejects the disease modelThe Addictive Voice Recognition Technique (AVRT) & “The Beast”The power of

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01:20:41

Ep 124 13th Step Filmmaker Exposes AA’s Darkest...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/08/29

After 36 years in Alcoholics Anonymous, filmmaker Monica Richardson discovered the truth she never expected: AA has a dark side.In this episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, Monica shares her journey from devoted member to whistleblower, revealing:How violent offenders and predators are court-ordered into meetingsThe cover-ups and silence that keep people trappedWhy she decided to make her documentary, The 13th StepHow she finally broke free after 36 yearsThis is a powerful conversation about

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187 results

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