We need to talk about how recovery became an industry — and what gets lost when healing turns into a business model.

In this episode, we dig into the Recovery Industrial Complex — the network of treatment centers, rehab programs, celebrity sobriety brands, and billion-dollar “sober curious” marketing machines that sell the illusion of transformation while often keeping people disempowered.

I’ll unpack how capitalism, patriarchy, and privatized healthcare systems shape what “getting better” is supposed to look like — and who gets access to it. We’ll look at why recovery culture often mimics the same control and hierarchy as addiction itself, and how to reclaim your own authority in the process.

This one’s not about rejecting help — it’s about seeing the system for what it is, so you can choose what actually serves your healing, not what sells it.

✨ Explore More:

• Download the free guide: 3 Radical Mind Shifts for the Sober Curious

• Join the waitlist for the next Wayward Sober Collective

• Learn more about Sarah’s 1:1 work at Wayward Sober

📘 Free Guide: ⁠3 Radical Mind Shifts for the Sober Curious⁠

• 
  

• 👥 Join the ⁠Wayward Sober Collective⁠ — a 6-week group for those questioning their relationship with alcohol

• 📖 Read: ⁠Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health (CCSA)⁠

• 📣 Find your MP to advocate for alcohol health warning labels: ⁠House of Commons Directory⁠

It’s legal, everywhere, and even sold by the government — so alcohol can’t really be that dangerous… right?

In this episode, Sarah breaks down the illusion of safety that props up alcohol culture — and how “regulated” doesn’t always mean “safe.” From cancer risks and mental health spirals to secondhand harms like gender-based violence, suicide, child neglect, and impaired driving, the numbers tell a story the industry doesn’t want us to see.

We’ll talk about:

• Why alcohol is officially classified as a Group 1 carcinogen (alongside tobacco and asbestos)

• How it’s connected to depression, anxiety, and suicide

• What “secondhand harms” really mean — from violence to neglect

• The billions in costs Canada carries while the industry protects profit

• Why refusing warning labels on bottles isn’t an accident — it’s a strategy

And we’ll close with some tangible tools to help you translate awareness into action. Because understanding the risk isn’t about guilt — it’s about agency. Once you see the truth clearly, you can decide what’s worth it for you.

We’ve all seen the “mommy juice” memes, the mugs that say “this might be wine,” and the jokes about hiding in the pantry with a glass just to survive. On the surface, it looks like humor and solidarity. But underneath, Wine Mom culture is a trap — one that targets women at their most vulnerable.

In this episode of Wayward Sober, Sarah shares her own story: drinking heavily, quitting cold turkey after a positive pregnancy test, and then facing postpartum exhaustion, body changes, loneliness, and guilt — all while a culture told her that wine was the answer.

We’ll talk about:

• How Wine Mom culture normalizes alcohol as coping and bonding in motherhood

• The double standard between “quirky” drinking and “problem” drinking for moms

• The ways postpartum depression, body dystopia, and sleep deprivation make women easy targets for alcohol marketing

• Why memes and jokes hide the reality of post-party depression and guilt

• Two practical tools (IFS + CBT based) you can use when cravings or overwhelm hit

This conversation is centered on women, but men need to listen too. Partners, fathers, and friends need to understand this hidden struggle — because behind the jokes, so many women are silently fighting to survive.

• 📘 Free Guide: 3 Radical Mind Shifts for the Sober Curious → Grab It Here!

• 👥 Join the Wayward Sober Collective (6-week group program) → waywardsober.com

• Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol & Health (CCSA): https://www.ccsa.ca/en/guidance-tools-resources/substance-use-and-addiction/alcohol/canadas-guidance-alcohol-and-health

• Statistics: About 23% of new mothers in Canada experience postpartum depression or anxiety (Statistics Canada, 2019)

Is sobriety going to make you boring? Will you lose your edge if you quit drinking?
This fear keeps so many people stuck...I know it did for me. For years I thought alcohol gave me personality, toughness, even rebellion. But the truth? That “street cred” was manufactured, sold to me by billion-dollar industries and wrapped in a performance I didn’t even write.

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on:

• How Hollywood, music, and pop culture turned alcohol into shorthand for cool.

• Why the myth of “cred” sticks so hard — and why it feels like hypocrisy to walk away from it.

• The surprising roster of sober icons (from Eminem to Steve-O to Drew Barrymore) who prove you don’t lose your edge when you quit — you sharpen it.

• A reframe on rebellion, featuring a powerful Glennon Doyle quote.

• Practical tools for reclaiming your street cred, sober.

Spoiler: sobriety doesn’t ruin your street cred. It ruins the illusion that alcohol ever gave you any in the first place.

✨ Ready to go deeper? Join the Wayward Sober Collective — a 6-week group where we unpack the myths, share stories, and build tools for living with clarity and freedom.

And don’t forget to grab your free guide: 3 Radical Mind Shifts for the Sober Curious — also at waywardsober.com.

Quit Lit to get you started:

• Quit Like a Woman — Holly Whitaker

• We Are the Luckiest — Laura McKowen

• This Naked Mind — Annie Grace

• The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober — Catherine Gray

• • The Recovering: Intoxication and it's Aftermath - Leslie Jamieson
  • The Biology of Desire — Marc Lewis

In this episode of the Wayward Sober podcast, host Sarah Cairns delves into the complex relationship between personal choice and societal influence when it comes to alcohol consumption. Through insightful discussion, Sarah challenges the notion of drinking as a purely personal decision, exploring how advertising, culture, and neurochemistry shape our choices. Listeners are invited to question their own drinking habits and consider sobriety as a powerful, intentional choice. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation that encourages reclaiming freedom and making conscious decisions.

Links

• • Ready to get started? Book a call today: ⁠Book a Free Call⁠
  • 3 Radical Mindshifts for the Sober Curious guide: ⁠⁠Grab Yours Here⁠⁠
• • Learn more about the Wayward Sober community and upcoming programs: ⁠⁠Registration is Open!⁠
  • Values List to get you started: ⁠⁠Get Yours Now⁠⁠
  • 
    
  • 
    

Find out more at ⁠waywardsober.com

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational andeducational purposes only. It is not medical advice and should not replaceprofessional care from a qualified healthcare provider. For some people,stopping suddenly can be unsafe. If you drink heavily every day, haveexperienced withdrawal symptoms (like shakes, sweats, nausea, rapid heartbeat),or have a history of seizures or hallucinations when stopping alcohol, pleaseseek medical guidance before making changes. Safe, effectivetreatments—including medications and supervised detox—are available.

In this episode of the Wayward Sober Podcast, Sarah challenges the myth that quitting alcohol is only for “alcoholics” or those who’ve hit rock bottom. This is part of a 10-episode series where we dismantle the alcohol myths that keep so many people stuck.

Sarah dives into the harmful narrative that if you haven’t experienced a dramatic downfall because of drinking, you don’t have a “real” reason to quit. She explains why this myth persists, why it’s damaging, and how it keeps people from making the change they secretly want. Whether you’re someone who’s tired of the hangovers, the repeating cycle, or just feels like alcohol isn’t serving you anymore, this episode will help you reclaim your power without needing a label or a crisis.

You’ll also get practical tools to help you break free from the guilt and shame that often accompany questioning your drinking, like:

• How to define your personal values to help shift your relationship with alcohol

• The concept of Opposite Action to shift your mindset when you feel shame for choosing to drink less

• Why you don’t have to hit rock bottom to make the choice to stop drinking

If you’ve ever told yourself “I’m not an alcoholic, so why would I quit?” — this episode is for you. Grab Sarah's free guide, 3 Radical Mindshifts for the Sober Curious, linked in the show notes, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear that quitting is for everyone, not just the “alcoholics.”

Links

• • Ready to get started? Book a call today: Book a Free Call
  • 3 Radical Mindshifts for the Sober Curious guide: ⁠Grab Yours Here⁠
• • Learn more about the Wayward Sober community and upcoming programs: ⁠Registration is Open!
  • Values List to get you started: ⁠Get Yours Now⁠
  • 
    
  • 
    

• Find out more at waywardsober.com

  
  

  Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and should not replace professional care from a qualified healthcare provider. For some people, stopping suddenly can be unsafe. If you drink heavily every day, have experienced withdrawal symptoms (like shakes, sweats, nausea, rapid heartbeat), or have a history of seizures or hallucinations when stopping alcohol, please seek medical guidance before making changes. Safe, effective treatments—including medications and supervised detox—are available.

  
  

  
  

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “if alcohol is so fun, why do I feel like shit after?”...then this one’s for you.

In the first episode of my 10-part series Dismantling Common Beliefs About Alcohol, I dig into why alcohol feels so tied to celebration, connection, and freedom...and why that story falls apart when you look closer. From dopamine spikes to cultural coercion, we’ll unpack how the idea of “fun” can quietly become a trap that keeps you stuck in the cycle.

Because fun doesn’t have to come with a hangover.

Wayward Sober Collective - 6-week sober support group - Registration Open Now

3 Radical Mindshifts For The Sober Curious - Grab Your Guide

Book 1:1 Exploration Call - Click This Link

Template for Joy List - ⁠Grab Your's Here

Visit www.waywardsober.com for more !