Show Notes
Introducing the Gold Standard for alcohol addiction recovery! This is the path I wish I knew about back in 2009 when I was getting sober. Or better yet, I wish I knew about it years earlier when I first realized I had a problem with alcohol. Katie Lain from Thrive Alcohol Recovery shares with us her journey of accidentally getting sober while using Sinclair Method. She'll also unpack what ex AA's struggle with when they come to her program after AA doesn't work for them. And best of AA Katie shares about how The Sinclair Method is the "easier softer way" AA said didn't exist yet. Well flash forward from when the AA Big Book was written in the 1930s and we do have a pill that can make a normal drinker out of a problematic drinker. It's called Naltrexone, is generic, cheap and works for 78% of those who try it according the science. Katie's website Thrive Alcohol Recovery YouTube Thrive Alcohol Recovery IG Thrive Alcohol Recovery TikTok Timestamps: 00:00 The Gold Standard For Alcohol Addiction Recovery 05:40 How Katie Drank Her Way Sober 08:40 Sinclair Method Results Are Gradual 13:04 AA Is Complex 21:11 A Pill "To Make A Normal Drinker" 24:43 Feeling Traumatized By AA 29:21 TSM is "The Easier Softer Way" 31:50 Possible Naltrexone Side Effects 37:40 How To Get Naltrexone 39:52 Drinking Moderately After Abstinence 54:53 Naltrexone Can Reduce Alcohol Cravings + Obsession 57:32 Replacing AA Ideology With Modern Science 1:09:47 Most Surprising Thing With SInclair Method 1:14:21 Changing The Mainstream Recovery Narrative 1:25:27 Best Time To Start Naltrexone 1:41:28 TSM Has A 78% Success Rate 1:54:08 Needing More Support With Naltrexone 2:01:08 Be Your Own Recovery Advocate 2:06:52 "Relapse" Resources for deconstructing AA: 👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books) 🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace) Let’s get f*cking free
More from Kirsten Johnson Podcast
Did Bill W., co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, consume alcohol after getting sober in 1934? According to his wife, Lois Wilson, yes—but there's a catch. In this episode, we examine the rumors about Bill's drinking, his requests for whiskey on his deathbed, and an incident involving alcohol documented in Lois Remembers. I also share my own experience with a “freelapse” and explore what these stories reveal about one of AA's core claims.
No more groupthink and being "powerless" over critical thinking... This episode is our reminder to not turn our thinking and judgement over to "authorities" outside ourselves. Critical thinking for the win.
I saw a comment in a Facebook deprogramming group that asked if that group was a cult. So I thought we'd dive on in and discuss it on the pod today...
Carrie is back! Between the two of us, we have 54 years of recovery—and a lot to say about AA old-timers. What even makes someone an old-timer, and why does time sober so often translate into authority? We talk about the hierarchy around sober time, “AA math,” sponsorship and service, the difference between longevity and expertise, predatory old-timers, and the recovery beliefs we once accepted and passed on ourselves. We also get into what happens when you stop treating sober time as a measure of wisdom, healing, or how much someone else should listen to you.
Today I join Victor from Quackaholics Anonymous for a wide-ranging conversation about Alcoholics Anonymous, indoctrination, and what happens when recovery becomes an identity. We talk about why people are drawn into AA, love bombing and belonging, shame and the “alcoholic” identity, neurodivergence and mental health being mislabeled as alcoholism, the religious and cult dynamics of the program, predatory behavior and accountability, amends, and the difficulty of questioning a system you were taught you needed to survive. We also explore what it means to deprogram, rebuild trust in your own experience, and speak openly about both the help—and the harm—people can experience in AA.