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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

02:24:42

Ep 151 What No One Warns You About Leaving AA –...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/09

After years in Alcoholics Anonymous — and a lifetime of seeking belonging in controlling systems — Teri realized she didn’t need to dim her light or outsource her thinking anymore.This raw and powerful conversation explores what it’s really like to leave AA, find your voice again, and build a new life rooted in freedom, truth, genuine connection and self-trust.Timestamps:00:00 Best Thinking Got Her Out Of AA Intro01:08 Leaving AA05:33 Staying Silent, Guilt + Mormon Roots08:24 AA Was Helpful + Also

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25:20

Ep 150 The #1 Way Angry AA's Come For You

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/06

You’re Angry. You’re Resentful. You’re a Dry Drunk. You’ll Be Drunk in Five Years.Have you ever heard things like this? 👀Today’s episode dives into the #1 way AA defenders come for you (and why it’s actually a logical fallacy).This one’s a total game-changer in our Critical Thinking Series, because once you see this pattern — you can’t unsee it. We’re breaking down how ad hominem (Latin for “to the person”) and appeal to authority show up in arguments, manipulation, and cult-like thinking — not

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12:56

Ep 149 I'm sorry (my amends)

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/04

Today’s episode is called “I’m Sorry (My Amends)” — but this isn’t the kind of amends you think. 🕊️I just got off our Deprogram Zoom Call inside the free Deprogram Lounge, and someone said something that hit me hard:“I don’t agree with everything you say.” And honestly… that’s exactly what I hope for.This episode is about learning to think for ourselves again — after indoctrination, after dogma, after groupthink. It’s about realizing that disagreement isn’t danger. It’s freedom. 💥In this

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01:39:01

Ep 148 Vibing LIVE with Burn The Stigma

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/03

You're invited to our first ever 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 2nd and are thinking about making this an ongoing thing (let me know what you think!).Burn The Stigma channel:‪@Burnthestigma420‬Tara's Stanton Peel interview🌀 Deprogram AA Course📚 Deprogram Book List 🪩 Get free tools, community, Zooms and book club to deprogram 12-step ideology 📚👉

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43:02

Ep 147 Escaping from Alcoholics Anonymous 👻🎃🕸️🕷️💀

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/10/31

Escaping AA: Halloween Special with Carrie (AA Escapee 👻)Your best thinking got you here — now let’s get you free. In this Halloween jam, Carrie and I riff the AA clichés we lived, how we actually left, and what life’s like now without the daily-reprieve hamster wheel. Critical thinking, self-trust, nervous system regulation, and writing a new story — no chips required.Carrie's SubstackTimestamps:0:00 Escaping from AA Intro0:19 What It Was Like (in AA)08:36 What happened (to leave AA)10:59 No Daily

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11:19

Ep 146 The AA Big Book's Most Harmful Line

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/10/28

There are many harmful aspects of Alcoholics Anonymous, but today we’re diving into what I believe is the most damaging paragraph in the Big Book of AA — and how it quietly stripped away my self-trust, autonomy, and personal power.If you’ve ever wondered why you still doubt yourself, feel “selfish” for wanting things, or have trouble trusting your own instincts after AA — this episode is for you.In this podcast, I break down how this one paragraph shaped my thinking for years and how I’ve been

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24:37

Ep 145 Five Ways AA Fools Smart People

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/10/26

Ever wonder how smart, self-aware people can get trapped in systems like AA for years, decades or life? 🤔In this episode, we break down the decision traps that keep us stuck — and how to reclaim your mind, freedom, and critical thinking power.If you’ve ever felt fooled, shamed, or confused after leaving a high-control group or belief system, this one’s for you.Timestamps:00:00 AA Fools Smart People Intro01:38 1 - Loss Aversion05:20 2 - Sunk Cost Fallacy08:56 3 - Framing Effect11:04 4 - Mental

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12:34

Ep 144 Ideological Possession: Big Freedom Unlock

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/10/23

There’s a term that unlocked massive freedom for me when I left Alcoholics Anonymous: Ideological Possession.In this episode, I share how I first heard the concept from Jordan Peterson, how it helped me see AA for what it truly is — a belief system, not a path to truth — and how understanding it completely changed the way I see the world.If you’ve ever felt possessed by an ideology — whether it’s AA, religion, politics, or something else — this one’s for you.We’ll talk about:00:00 Ideological

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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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155 results

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