Episode 166: How to Get Sober and Live a Glorious Life with Laura McKowen, author of We Are The Luckiest

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Have you ever had something about yourself that you don’t think is that big of deal, but when you share it, everyone else seems to think it is a big deal?

That’s Mike and me with drinking. Or not drinking, as the case may be.

Our most popular episode of The Kate & Mike Show of 2019 BY FAR was the one we did about Sobriety, Substances, and Choosing to Live Awake (episode 137) in which Mike shared his sordid journey with drugs and alcohol, and I shared mine (not so sordid but still worth mentioning).

That’s why we’re kicking off 2020 with back-to-back episodes on sobriety. Last week we talked with Holly Whitaker about our culture’s f’d up relationship with alcohol and the ways in which the traditional, patriarchal structures of recovery don’t serve everyone.

This week we’re back with an equally powerful episode with memoirist Laura McKowen about her journey with addiction, getting sober, and then falling deeply in love with her sober life.

As Laura shares, she thought that sobriety was a sentence for a sad existence without fun or sex or truly living.

Until her life required her to get sober and discover the truth: that sobriety is an invitation to a truer, more beautiful life, not a sentence.

You don’t have to want to get sober in order to get the gold from this episode, though I would totally cheer you on if you do!

In the episode you’ll hear:

What Laura did about the shame she was carrying from the things that happened while she was drinking
How we forgive ourselves for things we think are unforgivable
How to actually feel your feelings and why they won’t kill you (and what opportunities lie on the other side)
About the beauty and possibilities of a sober life
Laura’s story of getting a book deal (I always have to ask some business questions)

I’m really excited for you to get to soak in the beauty and wisdom of Laura. She’s a gem. So are you.

In This Episode

Laura’s writing process for her new book, and why she says it is the book that she needed [11:21]
What a lot of people are most ashamed about when it comes to addiction [14:39]
Her recommendation for anyone who believes that they may have a problem with alcohol [21:02]
Laura’s own sobriety journey and what led to her quitting alcohol [22:43]
How society believes any normal, healthy adult should be able to drink responsibly – and why this is wrong [27:44]
The negatives effects from drinking that we may not even realize [32:15]
Her thoughts on drinking and dating [34:24]
One thing that you absolutely need to be sober [40:24]
What happened when Laura started allowing herself to feel things, instead of numbing them with alcohol [44:09]
The story behind the naming of her new book [45:59]
How her life is now and why she says it’s everything she ever wanted – and more [48:09]