One of the most important parts of my recovery has always been to keep learning. I continue to expand what I know about sobriety and how to handle my new life sans alcohol. Although everyone comes on the sobriety journey for different reasons, there’s one thing that I bet all of us can agree on: The importance of learning about sobriety and recovery.
That’s where listening to a great recovery podcast (or 25!) can come in.
We sober folks are major beneficiaries of the podcast boom because there are so many great shows that focus on life after alcohol and drugs. This growing medium is a powerful way to hear other’s recovery stories and learn from their journey.
The best part, though? You can do it all from the convenience of your own home or during your commute to work… or any other time that you need a little time to escape. Below are some of our favorite recovery podcasts that you simply have to check out and subscribe to.
1. Seltzer Squad
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Jes Valentine and Kate Zander are two friends who gave up drinking and started a podcast. This fairly new venture was started because they were sick of going to a bar and watching their friends get drunk. So, instead, they’re on a mission to create a community about getting sober, talking shit and, yes, drinking seltzer.
We love this podcast so much that we’ve featured Valentine and Zander on Saturday Scaries!
Recommended episode: “13- Princess Fomo And The Babysitters Club”
2. The Only One in the Room
This show is hosted by The Temper and HuffPost contributor, Laura Cathcart Robbins. The concept for this podcast came from being the only Black woman at Brave Magic, a writing retreat hosted by Elizabeth Gilbert and Cheryl Strayed. Robbins wrote about her experience for HuffPost… and then the comments came pouring in. Folks who have also been “othered” finally felt seen by the article. Each guest is someone who’s been the only person in the room. Topics range from sobriety to race to politics and more.
Recommended Episode: “Irina Gonzalez Is The Only Bisexual Woman in a Heteronormative Marriage”
3. This Naked Mind
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Annie Grace, the author of The Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life, hosts a podcast of the same name. In the 150-plus episodes of the show (so far), Grace gives listeners insightful information on how to stay sober, answers reader questions and features stories by This Naked Mind coaches, and members of her community.
Some of the episodes discuss alcohol withdrawals, the link between drinking and binge eating, how to deal with loneliness and so much more.
Recommended episode: “EP 130: Reader Question – How to deal with loneliness?”
4. Recovery Rocks
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Tawny Lara, founder of SobrieTea Party, and her friend/mentor, Lisa Smith, got together to create this podcast to talk about recovery and rock ‘n roll. That’s right, rock ‘n roll!
The really exciting thing about this podcast is that the two friends come from different generations—one is a Gen X lawyer in 12-Step recovery, and the other is a millennial who found recovery through blogging—which gives them plenty to talk about as they discuss the issues for those of us who struggle and recover. They have different perspectives, of course, but also find much in common—and you’ll find much in common with them as you listen.
Recommended episode: “Episode 14: Sober Sex”
5. Editing Our Drinking and Our Lives
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Another great buddy podcast on our list is the EDIT podcast hosted by Aidan Donnelley Rowley and Jolene Park. In this podcast, the two friends aim to talk about why they made an “Early Exit” from the drinking life as well as what it means when you live inside of the gray area of drinking.
They also discuss the ongoing edits- or changes- that they are making in their own lives, such as talking about social media, grief, relationships, and the moderation question.
Recommended episode: “#Dry Life + Social Media”
6. The Bubble Hour
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Jean M. is a sober woman who started The Bubble Hour podcast because she wanted to break down the walls of stigma and denial around alcohol use disorder. In her podcast, which has more than 200 episodes, she invites guests on to discuss the various areas of sobriety and recovery that affect all of us today. This can mean talking about anything from early recovery to how to plan for a new year to celebrating your soberversary.
Recommended episode: “Kate’s Story: Alcohol-free by choice”
7. Recovery Elevator
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Another popular recovery podcast that has upward of 200 episodes is Recovery Elevator. In this one, each episode focuses on a particular aspect in recovery. Recovery Elevator emphasizes how to overcome difficult parts of sobriety while also making room for the good parts.
For instance, a recent episode talks about the “joy of missing out” and how that can be one of the most powerful forces in recovery. Other highlights include the mindset of sobriety, the calories of alcohol and how normal drinkers view addiction.
Recommended episode: “RE 204: Should I Avoid Social Events Where Alcohol Will Be Present?”
8. The Unruffled Podcast
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Sondra Primeaux and Tammi Salas host this weekly show. Their aim is to explore all of the topics that are related to creativity in sobriety. Cool, right?
Here’s their thinking: “When an addiction is removed, there is a void that is left.” This show’s aim is to find ways to fill that void through creative pursuits. In each episode, they interview someone in recovery about their sober journey and creative pursuits.
Recommended episode: “Episode 88 – Before The Relapse”
9. You Are Remarkable
The Temper writer and certified success coach for women Jocellyn Harvey hosts this new podcast that is focused on personal development. She talks about how, for women, this starts from a place of encouragement and recognizing ones greatness. Although not every episode is centered on sobriety, as a sober woman of color, Jocellyn includes plenty of conversation surrounding recovery.
Recommended episode: “How I feel after leaving Instagram”
10. Mother Recovering
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This podcast is all about #mommyingsober: It’s perfect for women who are committed to both their sobriety and their kids. Although the show isn’t currently releasing new episodes, the archives are incredibly rich if you’re a mother in recovery.
In fact, you might be surprised to find that parenting is a lot like recovery. “It’s a beautiful, challenging, exhausting and rewarding process that provides the sweetest moments of joy,” podcast host Annika wrote on the official podcast website.
Recommended episode: “Episode 17: Help a Mother Out”
11. A Sober Girls Guide
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Want to listen to a super-relatable podcast on sobriety and recovery? Then tune in each week to A Sober Girls Guide.
Jessica Jeboult hosts these insightful conversations about mental health, self-development, wellness, and spirituality and their influence the recovery journey. She’s hosted fantastic guests including Taryn Strong of She Recovers and Martha Duke of Recovering Out Loud.
Recommended episode: “A Sober Girls Mom”
12. Recovery Happy Hour
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It’s common to have the fear of missing out when first entering recovery. It may seem as if everyone you know is out to happy hour and you’re, well, not.
But every Tuesday, Recovery Happy Hour reminds us what sobriety is really about: bettering ourselves. It encourages its listeners to embrace the joy of missing out instead. Each episode features inspiring stories of life beyond the bottle, such as dating in sobriety, the #newyearnewme lie and more.
Recommended episode: “Episode 36 – Dating in Sobriety”
13. Take a Break From Drinking
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Rachel Hart is a life coach who hosts the Take a Break From Drinking podcast. She aims to help women take a break from drinking so that “they can learn how to relax, have fun and feel confident without a glass in hand.”
Episodes, which are released every Tuesday, focus on things such as mastering the urge to drink, drinking and the emotional tunnel vision, how drinking prevents you from creating a future (one I can personally relate to), and more.
Recommended episode: “Catastrophizing”
14. Home Podcast
We can’t end this list without mentioning the Home Podcast, co-founded by Tempest founder Holly Whitaker, and Laura McKowen, who now hosts the Spiritualish podcast.
From 2015 until 2018, these two awesome women teamed up to ask the big questions of life, answered through the lens of addiction recovery. With more than 100 episodes, The Home Podcast’s archives have so much on exploring our hearts, relationships, life, love and the universe at large.
Recommended episode: “Episode 107: How to Begin”
Disclosure: Tempest is the parent company of The Temper.
15. Spiritualish
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You’re probably no stranger to Laura McKowen since she co-hosts the podcast HOME (above), but here she’s co-hosting yet again — this time with Meadow DeVor. In a podcast that is sometimes spiritual sometimes not, the two discuss all sorts of topics. From the benefits of nature (see our recommended episode) to the cons of being likable to why boundaries are important. Don’t miss out!
Recommended episode: “Ep. 72: Support of Nature”
16. She Recovers
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You’re probably already pretty familiar with She Recovers, amirite? Well, the SHE RECOVERS community now includes this podcast, which is a collection of audio posts, interviews, and recorded talks especially curated.
As they say on the website, “we are all recovering from something.” This podcast is dedicating to examining the healing power of connection and intentional living, as well as what happens in our lives when we put down our past stories and pick up our soul’s true purpose. It’s a must-listen for a true dose of inspiration.
Recommended episode: “Episode 31: Self Love and Releasing Shame with Nica Selvaggio”
17. Sober Curious
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The author of the ever-popular book, Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol, Ruby Warrington hosts this podcast that is full of deep discussions with all kinds of folks about their relationship with booze, as well as how to navigate the world as a non-drinker in a world that loves to get wasted.
Recommended episode: “Are We Addicted to Privilege? with Layla F. Saad”
18. Beyond the Self with Africa Brooke
It’s not difficult to love globally-recognized mindset coach, consultant, speaker, and explorer of the subconscious, Africa Brooke. After all, she’s written for The Temper before! This podcast is her delving into the mess and glory that comes with the human experience. As a sober woman of color, she explores all themes (which are not exclusive to recovery) in this podcast through the lens of transformational psychology.
Recommended episode: “How to move through impostor syndrome”
19. The Sober Experiment
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One of the newer podcasts on our list, this one is all about Nan (the host) posing the question: What would it be like not to take that drink? That snort? That pill? That needle? That tenth cookie? Ultimately, it’s about what it would be like to be sober and uninsulated from the slings ad arrows of life’s sometimes excruciating reality. All you have to do is listen and find out.
Recommended episode: “10: Dragged into Sobriety”
20. Soberful
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Okay, so half of this podcast duo is a woman by the name of Veronica Valli and the other half is a man, Chip Somers, but these two experts on recovery have a must-listen podcast so we’re still including them here. Chip, a psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience, and Veronica, a recovery coach and author of ‘Why you drink and How to stop,’ together talk about all of their stories, messes, experience, and occasionally helpful advice to share on living in sobriety.
Recommended episode: “Creativity and Sobriety with Kiki Wong”
21. Sober as a Mother
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What is it like to be a sober mom? That’s the question being asked by host Alyson Premo, the founder of Sober Mom Tribe and the Sober Mom Coach. In this podcast, moms share their experience of sober parenting. That’s right, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly to show us how to survive it all while SOBER.
Recommended episode: “Unapologetic Sobriety with Bri McCorkell”
22. Addiction Unlimited
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Hosted by recovery roach Angela, this podcast is here to offer you a fresh perspective on living sober with the support you need. Angela knows what it feels like when drinking is taking over your life and destroying everything, which is why she is here to help you get the sober life you want.
Recommended episode: “Recovery, Sober Sex & Meditation”
23. Love Sober
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Want a podcast that doesn’t just focus on addiction, relapse, and recovery? Well, you’re in luck! Hosts Kate and Mandy bring you a podcast that is a mix of handy tips, personal experience, and interviews with special guests.
They get honest about how they both bought into the “wine o’clock” advertising speak and how it impacted them both as women and as parents, then seek the help of others who are feeling the same. Their wellness journey brought them to “put down the Pinot” and start asking questions about how they really feel and what they really need.
Recommended episode: “Love Sober Podcast Episode Fifty Four 08 11 19”
24. Zero Proof Book Club
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Ever wanted to participate in a virtual book club with your two smartest friends? Well, that’s what listening to Zero Proof Book Club, hosted by writers Shelley Mann Hite and Jackie Mantey, is basically like.
In each episode, the two former journalism colleagues (and bar buddies) read and discuss one book about sobriety, self-growth, or surviving. Their focus is on how these authors found a way to thrive in spaces that profit from when we numb ourselves from ourselves. You can head to their website to see what book is up next and to read along, or simply tune in to the latest episode (or their backlog catalog) for new book or memoir recommendations.
Recommended episode: “Quit Like a Woman”
25. In Recovery
Host Dr. Nzinga Harrison has a pragmatic view on recovery: Seeking help for addiction shouldn’t be any different than seeking help for a heart attack or a physical injury. Harrison is a physician board-certified in psychiatry and addiction medicine who believes in a comprehensive, compassionate approach to treating addiction. My favorite quote from Harrison, “it’s time to shift our thinking away from 28 days and onto recovery for life.”
Recommended Episode: “Why is Latinx Mental Health So Ignored?”
There’s so much in each of these shows, and every one is fantastic for its own unique reason. Plus, because many of these launch on a weekly basis, you may find that there is a never-ending supply of great information on handling your sobriety, embracing the joy of missing out and recovering from whatever addictions of your past.
Whether you took an early exit from drinking, someone who has hit rock bottom, or a person that came to sobriety for other reasons, there’s definitely a podcast here to love (and listen to on repeat) for you.
