Don’t Wait! Create Your Own Sober Meet Up with Sarah Showard
Sober Edge
What if the sober social group you're looking for doesn’t exist yet? Then it might be time to create it! In this episode, Teri chats with Sarah Showard, founder of the thriving Tucson Sober Girlfriends community. Together, they explore how Sarah went from craving connection to hosting alcohol-free events each month—and why IRL (in real life) meetups are a key part of long-term alcohol-free living. Whether you're newly alcohol-free or just wishing you had a stronger support network in your city, this episode is packed with practical encouragement to help you take the first step. Teri and...
info_outline
Is It Really Self-Sabotage? A New Perspective on Growth and Change
Sober Edge
In this episode, we dive into the sneaky patterns that keep us stuck. What if it's not self-sabotage? From resistance, which tells us we don’t need to change, to the pull of our comfort zone, where familiar patterns feel safer than growth, we uncover why breaking free can feel so hard. We’ll also explore how fear of failure (or even success!) creates doubt, and why perfectionism convinces us that if we can’t do it perfectly, we shouldn’t do it at all. Letting go, moving on and getting unstuck is possible when we rewrite the stories from our past.
info_outline
Coming To Our Senses - Alcohol-Free
Sober Edge
In this episode of The Sober Edge Podcast, we explore how alcohol dulls our five senses—sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell—and what happens when we remove it from our lives. From the rich flavors of food to the warmth of human connection, breaking free from alcohol allows us to experience the world in full color again. Join host Teri Patterson as she delves into the science behind sensory impairment and shares inspiring insights on how we can rediscover joy, presence, and beauty in the everyday moments that make life extraordinary.
info_outline
My Big Sober Feelings
Sober Edge
Emotions can feel overwhelming, especially when we’re no longer numbing them with alcohol. In this episode, we'll explore together how we can better understand and manage our emotions in this alcohol-free life. From self-awareness to self-regulation, we’ll discuss practical ways to move beyond reaction and into intentional response. Whether you’re facing frustration, anxiety, or even joy, learning to process emotions in a healthy way is key to loving your AF life. Join me as I share insights and tools to help you experience emotional freedom and navigate life’s ups and downs while...
info_outline
Finding Focus Alcohol-Free with Michelle Houston
Sober Edge
The future of non-alcoholic beverages is bold, innovative, and—thanks to Focus by Be Honest Bev. Co.—packed with an extra boost. In this episode, I dive into the evolving world of NA drinks and where hemp-infused drinks fit into the mix. My guest, Michelle Houston, shares the surprising twists and challenges of creating a better, cleaner, and more intentional beverage. Could this be the new go-to for mindful drinkers? Tune in to find out!
info_outline
Emotions, Motivation and Alcohol
Sober Edge
Emotions, motivation and alcohol. When it comes to emotions, we need to understand a few things about alcohol and the connection between our feelings and our motivations. There are four pillars of human motivation that overlap with emotions. Avoid pain: our natural inclination is to avoid pain. When it comes to being motivated to change our relationship with alcohol, avoiding pain can be a help or a barrier... Seek Pleasure: just as we want to avoid pain, we are also wired to seek pleasure. This is partly due to our old friend, dopamine, which is responsible for...
info_outline
Encore: Not Drinking Tonight with Amanda E. White
Sober Edge
Back again for an encore is my very special conversation with Amanda E. White. This is the most popular episode of The Sober Edge Podcast and I invite you to listen in to this important conversation about: Women's health Boundaries around drinking Making an empowered choice Since our conversation in 2021, Amanda had continued to be a powerful voice and advocate for 'not drinking tonight'.
info_outline
Starting Over on Your Alcohol Free Journey
Sober Edge
Getting a 'fresh start' or 'a new lease on life' might seem the perfect way to begin your alcohol-free journey. But, what if we have some time away from alcohol, and then we go back to drinking, first just the occasional glass of wine, or beer on a hot summer's day. Gradually, (or maybe rapidly), we find ourselves drinking again every day. Now it's time to start again. In this episode of The Sober Edge, I introduce you to a concept that sounds just slightly different from starting over but, in practice, is actually very different. Starting from where you are allows one to take the...
info_outline
Straight Talk on Surgeon General's Alcohol Warning
Sober Edge
Breaking news: Surgeon general calls for cancer warnings on alcohol. This headline generated a lot of messages and conversations with my family, clients and colleagues. It's happening! Maybe... It’s been nearly four decades since Congress approved the first government warning label on alcohol, the one that says pregnant women shouldn’t drink and warns about the dangers of driving while drinking. No updates have been made since then. Any effort to add a cancer warning label to alcohol would face significant push-back from a well-funded and powerful beverage industry,...
info_outline
A Word to Live By for 2025
Sober Edge
Happy 2025! I love the energy of intention that comes with a new year. I no longer set resolutions, but I believe it is important to explore where we have been and what is ahead. I have been enjoying hearing from other thought leaders and some of my mentors about how they embrace the new year. In this episode of The Sober Edge Podcast, I share my own fondness for selecting a word of the year. This is a practice I have embraced for the past 5 years and one of my favorite ways to embrace the new year. I guess I am a sucker for rituals! Here are a few other things I cover on...
info_outline
My life changed profoundly in 2015 when I decided I would give up alcohol. I knew I wanted something different, but I had no idea that this life would be better than my wildest dreams! I was simply ditching booze because I needed to change something. I had a sense it was alcohol that might be standing in the way of a more fulfilling life, but I didn't know for sure. Now I do.
My Christmas wish for all of you is to discover how much bigger and brighter and better life can be when we stop hiding and numbing and tamping down our true self. It's not that giving up alcohol in itself creates this change, but instead, it allows us to discover a part of ourselves that we have not yet met. A part that is vulnerable and messy and beautiful. A part that wants to be seen and wants to shine. This takes time and work - we will have to do hard things, but the reward is a bold and courageous life. A life where we can be fully ourselves, and we can learn to love ourselves again.
May we be brave enough to share the deepest parts of ourselves with one another so that we may be blessed by the human spirit within each of us.