SOBER AS F*CK

What happens when quitting drinking is only part of the story?In this episode of Sober as F *ck, Ryan and Jess sit down with Mollee Flores, a recovery and wellness coach, licensed social worker, peer support specialist, and Reframe meeting moderator approaching 11 years in recovery.Mollee shares her journey through daily blackout drinking, methamphetamine addiction, child welfare involvement, treatment, and a return to substance use before her last use on Christmas Eve 2015. Today, she supports women and families through the same recovery program she once attended.Together, we explore the work that happens after quitting: setting boundaries, breaking people-pleasing patterns, protecting your recovery when a partner still drinks, and learning to give yourself the compassion you offer everyone else. Mollee also explains why helping people make their own decisions matters more than simply telling them what to do.The conversation gets especially personal when Ryan shares why her story hits close to home. It’s an honest look at loving someone in active addiction, holding onto hope without ignoring reality, and recognizing that every recovery journey looks different.In this episode:• Alcohol and methamphetamine addiction, denial, and the excuses that kept Mollee stuck• Relationships and marriage when partners are on different recovery timelines• Healthy boundaries, overworking, and the pressure to be everyone’s go-to person• Why long-term sobriety still requires daily attention and support• Finding connection, laughter, and actual fun in recoveryWhether you’re sober curious, navigating early recovery, years into sobriety, or worried about someone you love, this conversation offers lived experience, honest perspective, and room to see a different future.Subscribe, follow, rate, and review the podcast, and share this episode with someone who needs it. Explore our challenges, coaching, merch, The Last Bet podcast, and guest application on our website.🎧 LISTEN & WATCH ON OUR WEBSITE - SAFPODCAST.COM🔗 Linktree: linktr.ee/Soberasfck📸 Instagram: @safpodcast_jess.ryan🎵 TikTok: @soberaftok🎥 YouTube: Sober as F*ck PodcastFollow. Share. Send it to someone who’s ready to level up.

Haunted houses, questionable wigs, and a Halloween we’ll actually remember. Jessica and Ryan are dressed as Daphne and Fred for this episode of Sober as F *ck, and the conversation is as unfiltered as the costumes are ridiculous.We’re recapping Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando, where Jessica went from closing her eyes through haunted houses to leading the way. We get into facing fears, our favorite Halloween costumes, and why Stranger Things brought back more than just a love for ’80s music.Underneath the jump scares and terrible hair is an honest conversation about sober holidays, parenting, and being present. Ryan reflects on Halloweens lost to drinking, the guilt that still surfaces in recovery, and learning to appreciate today without getting stuck in yesterday.Whether you’re sober, sober curious, or just here for the Halloween chaos, there’s room for you here. Turns out, you can scream, laugh, and make some pretty fucking great memories without alcohol.Find more episodes, resources, coaching, and more at SAFPODCAST.COM. Follow the show, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who could use a laugh.

What if becoming “boring” was the best decision you ever made?From wild parties, reckless nights, and being known as the “Wolf of Frankfort” to 11 years of sobriety, fatherhood, and building a lifestyle brand that celebrates living alcohol-free, Marc Dabaco's story proves that getting sober doesn't mean giving up the fun. It means discovering what real fun actually looks like.In this episode of Sober as F*ck, Ryan and Jess sit down with Marc Dabaco, husband, father of four, and co-founder of Boring Boys, a lifestyle clothing brand built on a simple philosophy: Not Boring. Evolved.Marc opens up about growing up without much supervision, partying from an early age, and building a successful career while struggling with alcohol and substance use. Despite having a family and professional success, his drinking continued to escalate.Everything changed after a particularly wild Fourth of July in 2015. Waking up the following morning, Marc made a decision that would transform his marriage, his relationship with his children, and his entire future: He was done drinking.Now, more than 11 years later, Marc shares how sobriety helped him break generational cycles, become the father he always wanted to be, and rediscover the joy of everyday life.In this episode, we discuss:Why being successful doesn't mean you don't have a drinking problem.The Fourth of July that became Marc's final day of drinking.How sobriety transformed his marriage, parenting, and family vacations.Breaking generational cycles of alcohol abuse and unhealthy relationships.Why sober living doesn't have to mean missing out on parties, concerts, friendships, or fun.How an ice cream run and a joke from his wife, Gabby, inspired Boring Boys.Turning a clothing brand into a community for people who are sober, sober-curious, or simply choosing a different lifestyle.Boring Boys' partnership with The Bridge to Recovery and its Life Saver Fund to support recovery scholarships.A shocking night in Orlando involving a $5,000 champagne delivery, dangerous decisions, and a rental car left running in the yard.Ryan and Jess also share their experiences of rediscovering marriage, parenting, travel, and everyday happiness without alcohol.This conversation is funny, unfiltered, and deeply personal. It's about second chances, being present for your family, finding purpose beyond drinking, and realizing that the life you once considered boring might actually be the one worth living.Because sobriety doesn't make you boring. It gives you the chance to become who you were meant to be.Marc DabacoInstagram: @dadrizzzzzBoring Boys | Lifestyle Clothing BrandInstagram: @theboringboysShop the collection: https://www.boringboys.shopExplore Boring Boys' mission, community initiatives, and recovery partnerships on their website.🎧 LISTEN & WATCH ON OUR WEBSITE - SAFPODCAST.COM🔗 Linktree: linktr.ee/Soberasfck📸 Instagram: @safpodcast_jess.ryan🎵 TikTok: @soberaftok🎥 YouTube: Sober as F*ck PodcastLooking for real conversations about sobriety, addiction recovery, mental health, relationships, and living alcohol-free? Subscribe to Sober as F*ck for honest stories, practical perspectives, and proof that life doesn't end when drinking stops.Follow. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Share. Send this episode to someone who's ready to level up.

He survived military deployment, built a successful business, and raised a family. But the hardest battle Army veteran Joe Yurick ever fought was against his own alcohol addiction.In this powerful episode of Sober as F*ck, Ryan and Jess sit down with Joe Yurick, U.S. Army veteran, entrepreneur, and co-host of This Sober Vet Podcast, to discuss high-functioning alcoholism, military drinking culture, addiction recovery, and the life-changing freedom of sobriety.Joe served in the U.S. Army in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. From underage drinking in high school to alcohol-fueled nights in the military, drinking became more than a habit. It became part of his identity.Even after returning to civilian life, Joe maintained a successful career, built a veteran-owned business, and provided for his family. On the outside, everything appeared under control. Behind closed doors, he was hiding liquor throughout his home, drinking in secret, and convincing himself he couldn't possibly have a problem because he was still functioning.Everything changed when his wife discovered the hidden bottles and gave him a choice: alcohol or his family.Joe shares the painful reality of quitting alcohol, the intense withdrawal he experienced, and the emotional struggle of discovering who he was without drinking.With more than four years of sobriety, Joe now describes a life built around authenticity, accountability, family, and purpose.IN THIS EPISODE:🎖️ How military culture normalized excessive drinking and reinforced Joe's relationship with alcohol🍺 Why high-functioning alcoholism can hide behind success, responsibility, and discipline💔 The moment his wife confronted his secret drinking and demanded change🧠 The physical and emotional challenges of alcohol withdrawal and early sobriety💪 How therapy, faith, supportive friendships, and accountability helped him recover🥾 Why Saturday morning ruck marches became a powerful part of his recovery🔥 The advice that changed his perspective: "Make it to your pillow."🎙️ How Joe reunited with his former Army supply sergeant, Dr. Teresa Thomas, to launch This Sober Vet Podcast🇺🇸 Why normalizing sobriety and discussing mental health within the veteran community mattersJoe also discusses losing approximately 60 pounds after quitting alcohol, rebuilding his confidence, and realizing that the personality he thought alcohol created was never dependent on drinking in the first place.Jess shares her family's military history, while Ryan and Joe explore the complicated relationship between discipline, identity, addiction, and recovery.This episode is for veterans, military families, people struggling with alcohol, and anyone who has ever wondered whether they can live a fulfilling life without drinking.You don't have to lose everything to recognize that alcohol is taking too much. And sobriety doesn't mean losing yourself. It might be how you finally find yourself.🇺🇸 CONNECT WITH JOE YURICK🎙️ Podcast: This Sober Vet Podcast📸 Instagram: @thissobervetpodcast🌐 Website: https://www.thissobervet.com🎥 YouTube: Search "This Sober Vet Podcast"📘 Facebook: Joe Yurick🎧 LISTEN & WATCH ON OUR WEBSITE - SAFPODCAST.COM🔗 Linktree: linktr.ee/Soberasfck📸 Instagram: @safpodcast_jess.ryan🎵 TikTok: @soberaftok🎥 YouTube: Sober as F*ck PodcastSUBSCRIBE • FOLLOW • RATE • REVIEW • COMMENT • SHAREFollow. Share. Send it to someone who's ready to level up.#SoberAsFck #AlcoholRecovery #VeteranMentalHealth #SobrietyJourney #ThisSoberVet

What happens when you stop treating recovery like a temporary fix and finally decide to change everything?This week on Sober as F*ck, Jess and Ryan sit down with Stephen O’Neil, co-host of the award-winning podcast Chaos and Recovery, for an unfiltered conversation about addiction, relapse, family, fatherhood, the 12 Steps, and rebuilding a life that once felt completely beyond repair.Stephen’s substance use began young and eventually progressed into years of cocaine, pills, methamphetamine addiction, repeated relapses, homelessness, arrests, detoxes, treatment programs, sober living, and roughly 15 to 20 trips to rehab. At his lowest, relationships were fractured, contact with his children was limited, and even the people closest to him were preparing themselves for the possibility that he might not survive.After years of trying to use recovery as a temporary escape from consequences, Stephen finally began doing the deeper work. Drug court, intensive outpatient treatment, daily meetings, accountability, service, and an honest commitment to the 12 Steps helped him begin rebuilding his life from the ground up.Today, Stephen is rebuilding relationships with his children and family, recently married the woman he once thought he had lost, is preparing to welcome another child, and is using his experience to help others through Chaos and Recovery. He shares why recovery had to become something he did for himself first, how giving back keeps him connected to sobriety, and why patience is one of the hardest but most important parts of long-term recovery.Stephen also shares one of the most powerful full-circle moments of the episode: years ago, while struggling with his own recovery, he spent more than a year driving a young couple and their baby to meetings every week. Years later, he unexpectedly saw them again. They were still sober, and the baby he once drove to those meetings was now eight years old and growing up with sober parents.This episode is about more than quitting drugs or alcohol. It’s about ego, instant gratification, accountability, family, community, service, self-respect, and what becomes possible when someone keeps getting back up.In this episode:• Addiction beginning in adolescence• Cocaine, methamphetamine, pills, alcohol, relapse, and polysubstance addiction• Repeated rehab, detox, incarceration, and homelessness• Drug court and structured addiction treatment• Why temporary sobriety and long-term recovery are not the same thing• The role of the 12 Steps in Stephen’s recovery• Rebuilding trust with children, partners, and family• Why recovery sometimes has to be “selfish”• Patience and instant gratification in early recovery• Service, community, and helping the next person• Becoming the sober father Stephen once thought he could never be🎙️ CONNECT WITH STEPHEN O’NEIL + CHAOS AND RECOVERYListen/watch Chaos and Recovery on Spotify and YouTube.Follow Chaos and Recovery on Instagram and Facebook.The podcast features conversations with people in recovery as well as family members, professionals, and guests affected by alcohol addiction, drug addiction, gambling addiction, overeating, and other forms of addiction and recovery.🎧 LISTEN & WATCH ON OUR WEBSITE - SAFPODCAST.COM🔗 Linktree: linktr.ee/Soberasfck📸 Instagram: @safpodcast_jess.ryan🎵 TikTok: @soberaftok🎥 YouTube: Sober as F*ck PodcastFollow. Share. Send it to someone who’s ready to level up.

What if sobriety isn’t about giving something up, but finally realizing how much you have to gain?Suzanne Warye is back on Sober as F*ck for a conversation that goes way beyond quitting drinking.Suzanne is the creator and host of The Sober Mom Life and author of The Sober Shift: A Modern-Day Guide to Living an Abundant Sober Life, now available in paperback. She joins Ryan and Jess to talk about changing the way we look at alcohol, motherhood, sobriety, identity, and what happens when you stop waiting for a “rock bottom” before questioning whether alcohol still belongs in your life.Suzanne shares the philosophy behind The Sober Shift: moving from seeing sobriety as deprivation or punishment to recognizing it as an opportunity for freedom, abundance, self-trust, and a completely different relationship with yourself.They get into:• Why you don’t have to identify as an “alcoholic” or lose everything before examining your relationship with alcohol• The fear and self-doubt that can come with choosing sobriety for yourself• Why moderation can become an exhausting cycle of rules and negotiation• Alcohol marketing and the industries that benefit from keeping drinking normalized• Mommy wine culture and how deeply alcohol has been woven into parenting and everyday life• Learning who you are again without alcohol• Motherhood, teenagers, technology, music, and raising kids without pretending your own past never happened• Why authenticity and showing the imperfect parts of life connect more than trying to appear polished• The decline in alcohol use among younger generations and Suzanne’s concerns about vaping, synthetic substances, and other emerging trends• Why honest conversations and informed decisions about alcohol matterAnd because this is Sober as F*ck, the conversation also somehow finds its way through parenting, true crime, terrible horror movies, clowns, questionable music choices, bodily functions, and the kind of completely unfiltered conversation you only have with people you actually like.At the center of it all is a bigger question:What could happen if, instead of asking whether your drinking is “bad enough” to quit, you gave sobriety a real chance?📚 THE SOBER SHIFTSuzanne’s book, The Sober Shift: A Modern-Day Guide to Living an Abundant Sober Life, is available now, including the NEW paperback edition released September 29.Follow Suzanne and explore everything she’s created:📸 Instagram: @suzannewarye📸 The Sober Mom Life: @thesobermomlife🎙️ The Sober Mom Life Podcast🌐 suzannewarye.com☕ Sober Mom Life Cafe👥 The Sober Mom Life Facebook community🆓 Sobriety resources, guides, events and more available through her website📚 Find The Sober Shift at suzannewarye.com/book and through major booksellers.🎧 LISTEN & WATCH ON OUR WEBSITE - SAFPODCAST.COM🔗 Linktree: linktr.ee/Soberasfck📸 Instagram: @safpodcast_jess.ryan🎵 TikTok: @soberaftok🎥 YouTube: Sober as F*ck PodcastFollow. Share. Send it to someone who’s ready to level up.

Are we all addicted to something, or have we started calling every habit an addiction?Addiction isn’t limited to alcohol and drugs. Gambling, social media, food, shopping, exercise, work, sex, technology, and other behaviors can become compulsive. But where is the line between something you love, a habit you rely on, and an actual addiction?In this episode of Sober as F*ck, Ryan and Jess get candid about addiction, compulsive behavior, coping mechanisms, and the vices people don’t always recognize in themselves.Jess examines some of her own obsessive tendencies, from working out to absolutely crushing audiobooks, while Ryan and Jess unpack a bigger question: When does a healthy or harmless behavior cross the line into something that is controlling you?They get into:• Why addiction goes far beyond alcohol and drugs• The difference between habits, compulsions, and addiction• How society normalizes certain potentially harmful behaviors while stigmatizing others• Why people can replace one unhealthy coping mechanism with another• Social media, exercise, work, food, gambling, and other modern-day vices• The role denial can play when a behavior starts interfering with your life• Why self-awareness matters in sobriety and recovery• And whether Jess's audiobook obsession actually needs an interventionThis isn't about labeling every guilty pleasure as an addiction. It's about getting curious about why we do what we do, what we're trying to escape or change, and whether we're still the one making the choice.Because sometimes the most important question isn't, “Am I addicted?”It's: “Can I stop, and what happens when I try?”🎧 LISTEN & WATCH ON OUR WEBSITE - SAFPODCAST.COM🔗 Linktree: linktr.ee/Soberasfck📸 Instagram: @safpodcast_jess.ryan🎵 TikTok: @soberaftok🎥 YouTube: Sober as F*ck PodcastFollow. Share. Send it to someone who’s ready to level up.#SoberAsFck #AddictionRecovery #Sobriety #MentalHealth #RecoveryPodcast

Ever feel like you’re chasing the day instead of actually living it?Nic Collins knows that feeling. After years of heavy drinking, hiding his emotions, and trying to be who everyone else expected, he found himself in a jail cell wondering how his life had gotten there. What started as a two-week break from alcohol became more than seven years of sobriety.In this episode of Sober as F *ck, Jess and Ryan sit down with Nic, a therapist, keynote speaker, author, and ultramarathon runner, for an honest conversation about alcohol recovery, men’s mental health, and building a life that feels like your own.Nic shares how a decade of consistent therapy helped him understand himself, why he left a nearly 20-year corporate career to become a therapist, and how sobriety gave him the energy to stop postponing the things he wanted to do.We get into:• Emotional masking, people-pleasing, and the exhaustion of chasing approval.• The therapy work that helped lay the foundation for his sobriety.• Taking alcohol-free life one milestone at a time.• Finding connection and joy through trail running and adventure.• Changing careers, embracing authenticity, and learning to enjoy where you are.Nic is a mental health professional, author, speaker, coach, sobriety advocate, ultramarathon runner, and co-host of The Constant Quest Podcast.📸 Nic: @nic_collins_authentic🌐 NicCollinsAuthentic.com🎙️ The Constant Quest Podcast📖 Author of ADVANCE🎧 Watch the full conversation with Nic Collins on Sober as F*ck at SAFPODCAST.COM🔗 Linktree: linktr.ee/Soberasfck📸 Instagram: @safpodcast_jess.ryan🎵 TikTok: @soberaftok🎥 YouTube: Sober as F*ck Podcast

What if your life looks completely fine on the outside, but you know something isn’t right underneath?This week on Sober as F*ck, we sit down with Jonathan Ball, alcohol-freedom coach and creator of CreativeAF Coaching, for a conversation about the kind of drinking problem that can remain almost invisible to everyone except the person living it.Jonathan had the career, the education, the marriage, the ambition, and the outward appearance of having his life together. But behind the scenes, alcohol had become tangled up with anxiety, burnout, overworking, isolation, and the constant pressure to keep performing. He could still work. He could still exercise. He could still show up. And for years, those things helped convince him that his drinking couldn’t really be that bad.Jonathan opens up about spending more than a decade trying to moderate his drinking, eventually becoming alcohol-free for roughly two and a half years, and then turning back to alcohol while grieving the sudden deaths of his father-in-law and his father. What started with one margarita gradually led him straight back to the patterns he thought he had already escaped.But his second time getting alcohol out of his life was different.Instead of only removing the drink, Jonathan began examining why he drank in the first place. Through This Naked Mind and his subsequent coaching certification, he started digging into human behavior, psychology, beliefs, shame, self-worth, and the deeper patterns driving his choices. That work ultimately became the foundation for the coaching he does today.We also get into the stigma surrounding the word alcoholic, why Jonathan once believed there were only two categories, “normal drinkers” and people who needed traditional recovery, and why discovering that there are multiple paths to changing your relationship with alcohol was so important to him.Today, Jonathan works primarily with driven, ambitious professionals, particularly men, who may be succeeding by every external measure while privately knowing alcohol is taking more from their lives than they want to admit. His message is simple: you do not need a catastrophic rock bottom to want something better for yourself.We talk sobriety, relapse, grief, masculinity, vulnerability, high-functioning drinking, self-worth, behavior change, fitness, relationships, and what becomes possible when you stop fighting yourself and actually start doing the deeper work.And yes, Jonathan also tells us about waking up in a bush in Japan, covered in his own pee, because this is still Sober as F*ck.ABOUT JONATHAN BALL📸 Instagram: @creativeaf.coach🌐 Website: livecreativeaf.com🎙️ Podcast: The Alcohol Myth Podcast🧠 This Naked Mind Certified Coach💬 CreativeAF Coaching🎓 Affective Liminal Psychology trained💻 Alcohol-freedom, behavior change & personal coaching🔄 Free courses and coaching resources available at livecreativeaf.comSOBER AS F*CK🎧 LISTEN & WATCH ON OUR WEBSITE - SAFPODCAST.COM🔗 Linktree: linktr.ee/Soberasfck📸 Instagram: @safpodcast_jess.ryan🎵 TikTok: @soberaftok🎥 YouTube: Sober as F*ck PodcastFollow. Share. Send it to someone who’s ready to level up.

What happens when the thing you love is deeply connected to the thing you’re trying to leave behind?In this episode of Sober as F*ck, Ryan and Jess sit down with Joe Annotti, founder of Skull and Bogeys, a golf apparel brand built around sobriety, purpose, community, and giving back.Joe opens up about his path to sobriety, why recovery finally had to become something he chose for himself, and what it was like returning to the golf course without alcohol. For years, drinking and golf had gone hand in hand. Getting sober meant learning how to enjoy the game, and his life, without relying on alcohol to be part of the experience.Joe also shares the story behind Skull and Bogeys, including how his love of pirates, golf, and an unexpected idea about “armor” from his kids helped shape the brand. What started as an idea became a mission-driven company committed to supporting the recovery community, with 25% of net profits donated to charitable partners including Namaste Sober and Bastion.Ryan, Jess, and Joe get into:• Why Joe says he had to get sober for himself• Navigating golf culture without alcohol• The connection between drinking, identity, and belonging• How therapy and self-work helped Joe rebuild his identity• The story and meaning behind Skull and Bogeys• Creating a sober golf community where people actually feel like they belong• Building a business around purpose instead of just profit• Why support and authenticity matter in long-term recovery• And one unforgettable Mardi Gras story involving Joe on top of a carThis conversation is funny, vulnerable, and real. It’s about more than quitting drinking. It’s about figuring out who you are when alcohol is no longer part of the equation and building a life you genuinely want to be present for.Whether you’re sober, sober curious, navigating addiction recovery, or simply trying to build a more authentic life, Joe’s story is proof that removing alcohol doesn’t have to make your world smaller.Sometimes it gives you room to build something bigger.GUEST: Joe AnnottiBRAND: Skull and BogeysWEBSITE: skullandbogeys.com🎧 LISTEN & WATCH ON OUR WEBSITE - SAFPODCAST.COM🔗 Linktree: linktr.ee/Soberasfck📸 Instagram: @safpodcast_jess.ryan🎵 TikTok: @soberaftok🎥 YouTube: Sober as F*ck PodcastFollow. Share. Send it to someone who’s ready to level up.