E102: Navigating Grief Without Using Alcohol

Continuing our re-releases for the summer months. This episode was one of our most listened to in Season 2 and for good reason - no one makes it through life without experiencing grief. It's a complicated set of emotions, and moving through grief sober is even more of a challenge. 

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Grief and alcohol don’t mix. We all know this… and yet, when grief strikes, it’s hard not to want to numb the pain. We get it.

In this sober podcast episode, we gathered some very special people with poignant stories together to share what they’ve learned about navigating grief sober. Polly has lost not one, but two husbands. Dave’s step daughter passed away suddenly last year when he was 8 months sober. And Corina shares about the grief of divorce, along with the grief of losing loved ones.

Listen as they share their stories in this very honest, open conversation about why grief and alcohol don’t belong together, and how to move through grief in healthier ways instead.

“The tools we use for sobriety aren’t just for sobriety – they’re tools for life.”

In this episode:

• The fear of facing grief, and how it leads to even more alcohol use
• Everyone experiences grief differently, and that’s okay
• Drinking only postpones the feelings that eventually must be felt
• Allow space for things that make you smile amidst the grief
• Grieving relationships – friendships, divorce
• Dealing with the anger and bitterness that come with grief
• Facing the fear of the unknown after experiencing a loss
• Learning to surf the waves of grief, similar to surfing the waves of cravings
• Using the tools of sobriety to cope with grief in healthy ways