Sobriety isn’t just about the moment you quit—it’s about what happens after. This is the ethos behind the Sober Curator Podcast, and it’s brought to life in Episode 21 by filmmaker and creator Aaron Strand. Host Alysse Bryson dives deep with Aaron, exploring the creative alchemy that transformed his struggles with addiction into an acclaimed feature film, Withdrawal. Their conversation peels back the curtain on creativity, ego, and growth, showing the power of staying open when recovery gets real—and messy.
Aaron’s story is both raw and inspiring. After hitting a low—homeless in New York City and returning to his small hometown of Athens, Georgia—he found himself pouring anger, resentment, and disappointment into notebooks just to survive another day sober. These weren’t polished prose or poetic reflections. They were messy, honest, and unfiltered. But a serendipitous Facebook conversation with a college friend changed everything; after reading Aaron’s vivid account of addiction’s internal chaos, she encouraged him: “This would be a great monologue.”
That bit of support planted a crucial seed. “It’s amazing what a little well-timed encouragement can do, especially when you’re in that super broken, vulnerable place just grasping for any kind of light,” Aaron reflects. With that validation, those venting sessions morphed into early scripts and a creative purpose that would evolve over a decade.
Building a Feature Film from Heartbreak—and Hope
Ten years—and many unfinished projects—later, Aaron reached a turning point. When a funded film fell through, he pivoted, channeling his experience into a contained, deeply personal story about a young couple preparing to quit heroin and try Suboxone for the first time. The result is Withdrawal: a love story wrapped in the gritty reality of recovery, told over a taut 36 hours.
“For every year, for 10 years, basically since I got sober, I said to myself, this is the year that I’m going to make a feature film,” Aaron recalls. “Every year I have fallen short… It’s hard to get those pieces together, especially for a first one.” Finally, all the elements clicked: the raw truth he’d captured in journals, a flexible indie approach, and the humility recovery had given him.
The production itself felt like another stage in recovery—pragmatic, community-supported, and focused on mutual respect. “I made a promise to every single person that I worked with… You’re going to be taken care of, treated with respect. You’re going to leave feeling like an artist. I can’t pay you what you’re worth, but I’ll make up for it with meaning.”
Art, Ego, and Emotional Hangovers
Film festivals and creative highs can be intoxicating, especially for those in early recovery. Aaron had tasted artistic success before, but only in sobriety did he learn to hold it with gratitude, not ego. “When I was younger, if to have those experiences, it was an immediate attachment to my ego. It was like, oh, I’m the shit, right? Which would then lead to these huge emotional fall offs.”
Now, he savors the accomplishment without the crash, grounded by gratitude and humility. The film’s sold-out Atlanta Film Festival screening was powerful, but Aaron notes the difference: “I was able to move through it with a degree of maybe grace and humility. I’ve never really experienced anything like it.”
Why Real Recovery Stories Matter—On Screen and Off
In a media landscape filled with polished, sanitized versions of addiction, Aaron’s commitment to honesty sets Withdrawal apart. Audiences connected with the film’s unflinching yet nuanced depiction of recovery; even the challenging scenes were met with respect (and, in one case, a few audience members literally running from the theater—an artist’s badge of honor in some circles).
But more than critical acclaim, it’s the moments when people approach him to share their own stories that affirm his mission. “There’s hardly a person alive in this country that has not been touched by this disease in one way, shape, or another,” he says. By being public and transparent, Aaron has created space for others to step out of the shadows.
Follow along with Aaron Strand in all of the digital spaces and places:
- IG @strandedonstage
- FILM IG @withdrawalfilm
- Withdrawal on Rotten Tomatoes (Sober Curator Pro Tip: This is where you can watch the trailer)
- Behind the Slate Podcast
- Crash Zoom Podcast
Listen to the Latest Episode Now
Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more. That’s the whole premise.
The Sober Curator Podcast brings sober lifestyle, pop culture and recovery to the mic with personality, perspective and a glitter bomb of honesty. Founder and host Alysse Bryson (sober since May 1, 2006, and self-described Kevin Bacon of Recovery) is joined by co-host and show producer Tamar Routly of Podcast Impact Studio, plus a rotating bench of global Sober Curator contributors who pull up a chair as co-hosts.
What we cover, episode to episode:
Happy Every Hour: zero-proof drinks, NA beer, spirits and cocktails, reviewed by people who actually drink them.
Health and Wellness: mental health, physical health and what recovery looks like on a Tuesday.
Lifestyle: dating, parenting, shopping, style and the everyday logistics of alcohol-free living.
Entertainment: quit lit, movies, TV, music, sports and celebrity sobriety, rated with our proprietary Sobees.
Spiritual Gangster: Jesus to astrology, stoicism to the Celtic calendar.
Travel: sober events, sober retreats, Sobriety in the City and global travel without a drink in hand.
We also review other sober podcasts on Recovery Podcastland, dig into sponsored product spotlights, and go deep with contributors on how they got sober and what keeps them there. New episodes drop as video on YouTube and audio everywhere you listen.
Want more? BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator is our membership community with Media Nights, Studio Nights, Edutainment Nights and The Sober Curator Mixtape, a monthly mini-zine delivered in a cassette case. Details at https://thesobercurator.com/backstage-with-the-sober-curator/
Whether you’re sober curious or decades in, we’ve got you. We’re not here to help you get sober. We’re here to help you live sober and love it.
Rate, review and subscribe. It takes 60 seconds and we will love you forever.
Contact: thesobercurator@gmail.com
A.J. Daulerio got sober in the middle of the Hulk Hogan trial. Three months in, every defect of character he had was being read to a jury. He calls it fourth step dinner theater.
Then he built The Small Bow, the recovery publication Alysse was embarrassed she didn’t know about: literary essays, free Zoom meetings every day of the week, a podcast, and now a book. Two magazine people and a producer try to name the category they’re in, and mostly fail.
In this episode:
- Why AJ interviews himself in the car (and who he pretends is asking)
- “Sober BuzzFeed” vs. “literary meat”: what each of us is building and who it’s for
- The Harper’s story about AA that made AJ pay $100 a year, and why nobody writes for people who are past rock bottom and a little adrift
- Abstinence, sobriety, recovery: why 12-step is one of nine things AJ does
- The Hulk Hogan trial, the Uber driver who didn’t care, and the lesson in humility
- The Small Book, out Dec. 29
Heads up: this one goes to some dark places, including a reader AJ lost and a friend Alysse lost. Take care while listening.
CHAPTERS
00:00 The train, off the tracks
01:28 AJ interviews himself in the car
05:34 How Alysse found The Small Bow
11:39 “Chicken soup for the dark night of the soul”
14:40 Are we wellness? Sound baths and trust falls
15:19 Sober ten years, and the problems get classier
18:54 Abstinence, sobriety, recovery: 12-step is one of nine
26:35 The Harper’s story that started everything
29:58 Literary meat vs. sober BuzzFeed
41:15 Fourth step dinner theater: the Hulk Hogan trial
46:57 “I’m the writer. I’m the human.”
48:47 “So you met Hulk Hogan?”
57:17 What AJ would tell year one
01:01:59 “Fast-forward to the part they get sober”
Sober Shots:
“You’re allowed to build your whole life around a routine nobody will ever write a headline about.” (Alysse Bryson)
“All the things that I thought were being taken away from me were also the things I needed to let go of the most.” (A.J. Daulerio)
Mentioned in this episode:
– The Small Bow – The Small Book, out Dec. 29 – I’m The Sober Curator, and I Just Found The Small Bow – S2E17 with Paulina Pinsky – Backstage with The Sober Curator
Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more.
SEASON 2 MERCH: https://shopthesobercurator.com/
SC RESOURCES:
– Meet the Contributors – Alcohol + Substance Use Disorder Guide – Recovery Nonprofit Resource Guide – LGBTQ+ Recovery Resource Guide – Family Resource Guide
CONNECT: www.thesobercurator.com | The Sober Sip newsletter: https://www.thesobercuratornewsletter.com/ | @thesobercurator on Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube + Pinterest
Love the show? Rate, review + follow. It takes 60 seconds and helps more people find us. Feedback + guest ideas: thesobercurator@gmail.com
Hosted by Alysse Bryson with co-host + producer Tamar Routly. For informational and entertainment purposes only; not a substitute for professional advice.
Music: TSC S2 theme “Sober Shots” created by Alysse Bryson using Suno AI, under Suno’s commercial license.
Getting sober is one thing—but staying sober? That’s where the real adventure begins. The Sober Curator Podcast, hosted by Alysse Bryson and featuring the many voices of Sober Curator Contributors, proves that ditching booze doesn’t mean ditching fun, pop culture, or your social life.
Each episode serves up bold conversations, celeb interviews, zero-proof cocktail inspiration, and pop culture deep dives—all with laughs, honesty, and zero preachy vibes. Whether you’re sober or sober-curious, you’ll find insider tips, real-life stories, and endless reasons to love the alcohol-free life. Pull up a seat—this party’s just getting started!
MOVIE NIGHT WITH THE SOBER CURATOR: is your go-to guide for films and documentaries that intricately weave addiction, recovery, and mental health into powerful storytelling. Think of us as your bee-zy movie critics, curating a hive of must-watch titles that inspire, educate, and spark conversation.
Our review archives are neatly organized into Drama, Dramedy, and Documentary categories, making it easy to find your next captivating watch. Whether you’re in the mood for a heartfelt indie, a laugh-through-the-tears comedy, or a thought-provoking doc, we’ve got you covered.
