Author: Amy Liz Harrison

Dealing with a relapse can be challenging, but it’s important to approach it with kindness and understanding towards yourself. Oh, it can be very difficult, but it is crucial to not kick yourself when you’re already down. Refuse to have a negative mindset and remember you are worth fighting for! Here are 24 ways to practice self-compassion and resilience after a relapse: Recovering from a relapse is a process, and being kind to yourself during this time is crucial. You have the strength and resilience to get back on track. RESOURCE GUIDE: At The Sober Curator, we provide high-quality content centered around…

Considering a sober lifestyle, even temporally, is a big deal! Here are 24 ways to help bring internal peace to your mind and your life during Dry January and beyond. Remember, mental clarity depends on the elimination of until chaos. We simply don’t have room in our brains for the clutter and new ideas at the same time. That’s why we have to remove things in our lives that no longer serve us in order to make room for new things that do. Even adopting one or two of these changes is a great start! Reading is to the mind…

Amy welcomes back Carolyn Bunn, Sarah Alaimo, and Alysse Bryson of The Sober Curator to discuss Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir by Matthew Perry. As one of the stars of Friends in the 1990s, Perry started struggling with alcohol and opiate addiction very quietly before it took over his life. The Sober Babes, as people who have consumed a ton of “Quit-Lit” and attended 12 Step programs, gives their impressions of the book and Perry’s honesty in depicting the program and sober living. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir by Matthew Perry http://amylizharrison.com/ Subscribe…

In this episode of the “Eternally Amy” podcast with Host Amy Liz Harrison and Guest Host Alysse Bryson, Laura Cathcart Robbins shares her journey of recovery, discussing the common misconception that sobriety instantly leads to a perfect life. She highlights her raw and honest experiences post-treatment, including heading to the pharmacy, revealing her love for Ambien, and her evolving relationships, all while navigating the challenges of recovery. Laura’s story emphasizes the importance of patience, intentionality, and self-love. The conversation also touches on her upcoming auto-fiction novel, which explores a painful betrayal from a place of neutrality. Additionally, Laura discusses her…

In this episode of “Eternally Amy,” host Amy Liz Harrison interviews Daniel G. Garza, a multi-talented individual with a breadth of experience in various fields. They discuss overcoming fears, self-doubt, and the importance of embracing opportunities that come our way. Daniel shares his journey of recovery, discussing how fear can manifest and how breaking down barriers can lead to personal and professional growth. Fun fact, both Amy and Daniel are Sober Curators! In this episode, we also talked about: Learn more about Daniel: Read Amy Liz Harrison and Daniel G Garza’s Sober Stories #WEDORECOVER: Amy’s Sober Story « The Sober…

In this episode of the “Eternally Amy” podcast, Amy Liz Harrison discusses with Will Thatcher his book, “Killing Hurt.” The book follows Troy Martin, a recovering addict with a troubled past, as he embarks on a surfing trip to Nicaragua to find a new path in sobriety. The episode goes into addiction fiction as a genre and shows how hard it is for the characters and how deep they are. Will Thatcher talks about where the story came from and how he writes flashbacks. Did the book do a good job of showing the long road to recovery after the…

In this episode of the “Eternally Amy” podcast, Amy Liz Harrison and Kate Vitela delve into the often-overlooked connection between eating disorders and addiction, particularly focusing on the concept of ‘Drunkorexia.’ Through their own experiences, they show how disordered eating and drinking too much can be linked in unexpected and sneaky ways. The discussion shows how social pressure, shame, and keeping secrets can keep these problems going. By talking about their own experiences, the hosts emphasize how important it is to talk about these problems openly and to understand them. They tell people to meet people where they are, have…

In this episode of the “Eternally Amy” podcast, Amy Liz Harrison and Alysse Bryson discuss the memoir “Stash” by Laura Cathcart Robbins. The book follows Robbins’ journey through addiction, her efforts to hide her pill addiction while maintaining her Hollywood lifestyle, and her path to sobriety. The hosts highlight the relatability of her experiences, her candidness about addiction, and the challenges she faces upon returning from treatment. They also talk about privilege and race, which are important parts of her story. The hosts talk about how the book’s writing is interesting, how it makes them feel, and how it deals…

Many of us sober alcoholics have realized the beauty of sober travel. It’s far less dangerous, we spend less money, we can connect authentically, experience the joy of living in the moment and have incredible adventures in exotic places. Maybe best of all, we don’t have to retrace our steps on the plane ride home through a hazy hangover while scouring our photos for clues as to what we actually did, Jessica Fletcher style.It’s not just the unique beauty or the friendly people, but Costa Rica is perfectly catered toward group gatherings because of its wide variety of activities for…

Amy welcomes friends Tamar Medford and Lane Kennedy of the Laughing Without Liquor podcast to share more about the work they do in their careers and in their podcast and their own respective journeys in recovery. Tamar and Lane talk more about how they initially met and came to work together and the importance of collaboration versus competition. They also both speak to challenging times during their combined 36 years of recovery and how they find the strength to carry on. Amy and her guests also discuss the difference between self-care and self-preservation, and how Tamar and Lane try to get women to truly…

Amy welcomes Rehab Barbie, AKA Claire Comai, the founder of fashion brand, Rehab Studios. The brand and designs are inspired by her own struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, which dominated her life until age 24. Now more than three years sober, she is focused on building a brand that celebrates recovery. Claire shares more about the importance of shedding the anonymity and speaking out against the stigma that often comes alongside a life in recovery. She also speaks more about where the name Rehab Barbie initially came from, how she was able to get her business successfully funded on Kickstarter, and how…

In this episode, host and Sober Curator Amy Liz Harrison is joined by Alysse Bryson, founder of The Sober Curator and Sober Curator Carolyn Bunn for another entry of The Boozeless Book Club. This month Amy and her guests discuss Wildflower by Drew Barrymore. The Boozeless Babes are big fans of Drew, and Alysse shares her story about how she met Drew at a book signing years ago and how she was unable to react in the nonchalant way she expected. The gang share more about their favorite short stories in the book and how each of the vignettes impacted them directly. Listen now to learn more…

In this episode of Eternally Amy, host Amy Liz Harrison speaks with wellness coach and strategic advisor Megan Swan about prioritizing wellness in sobriety. Megan emphasizes that wellness is not a one-size-fits-all solution and encourages listeners to find what works best for them. She also discusses the importance of finding balance in wellness, being mindful of what you consume, and making time for yourself. Megan shares her journey to becoming a wellness coach and integrating wellness into her sober life. She stresses the importance of taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally and offers tips for finding the right…

In this episode of Eternally Amy, Amy celebrates her sober anniversary with Alysse Bryson, CEO and Founder of The Sober Curator. The two discuss the emotions and reflections that come with a soberversary, sharing personal stories of their first experiences with Alcoholics Anonymous and their decision to become sober. Through their conversation, Amy and Alysse explore how sobriety has transformed their lives for the better. Tune in to hear their inspiring and insightful conversation on sobriety and the path to living a fulfilling, alcohol-free life. Listen on APPLE PODCASTS IG Reel Outtakes with @amylizharrison CLICK HERE to watch more Eternally Awkward…

If you think it’s hard to deal with a walk of shame and hangovers, try dealing with the complexities of a DUI. It’s a lot to get sober AND figure out how to navigate the particulars of DUI. Coming from the recipient of a certificate of excellence in 2011 Driving Under the Influence Club myself (including the honorable mention of 4 counts of reckless endangerment), I can tell you firsthand the trials and tribulations of a DUI are nerve-wracking, stressful, and perplexing…on top of attempting to commence a recovery program. #1 – It’s confusing. Here’s my unsolicited piece of advice:…

Beads crunch under my shoes as I make my way through tight crowds. Amplified rap music spills out from slow-moving vehicles. Strobe lights on plastic wands flash. Floats roll by with costumed revelers yelling, waving, and tossing trinkets and toys out to parade attendees. Cups of mixed beverages with paper straws, wine in disposable plastic containers, and Hurricane drinks on neck straps slosh out of open containers, and I can smell it all as if it’s soaked into the city. Yep, I’ve stumbled upon Mardi Gras as a person with a dozen years of sobriety. A sober life has afforded…

Amy welcomes Barbara Legere, author of Keven’s Choice: A Mother’s Journey Through Her Son’s Mental Illness, Addiction, and Suicide. What do you do when your depressed son tells you that he won’t live to be 30? Barbara’s son Keven showed signs of depression at a very young age, and though she did everything she could, she was forced to watch him slip into heroin addiction.  After Keven’s death two years ago, Barbara is sharing more about her experience as a parent who lost their child to addiction and strives to help families do a better job in navigating these turbulent…

Las Vegas. It’s a place many of us have old memories of, good, bad…. or hazy. We may not be able to change the past, but we can set a new trajectory for the future. I recently returned from a conference in Las Vegas, where I spent a fun-filled FIVE days. Which, in Vegas time, as we all know, is approximately 37 years. I have since started wearing dentures and have commenced collecting social security. Just kidding. But really….it would have been an extremely long and perhaps triggering trip if I hadn’t thought about this ahead of time. (And by…

In this 10-part series, Amy is taking a look at The Enneagram. The Enneagram is a nine-sided figure used in a particular system of analysis to represent the spectrum of possible personality types. Amy is looking at what the Enneagram types look like and walks through how to do your own enneagram test as you listen. Links to find out your Ennegram Type: The Enneagram Made Easy: Discover the 9 Types of People Enneagram Type 1 Amy is taking a look at 10 ways to spot a perfectionist AKA Enneagram type 1. As someone who loves a Type 1 in…

Amy welcomes Sarah Alaimo and Alysse Bryson of The Sober Curator to discuss The Gangster’s Guide to Sobriety: My Life in 12 Steps to round out September and National Recovery Month. This book tells the story of career criminal, Richie, running from his problems and location to location, until he finds the 12 steps and turns his life around for the better. While Richie’s story may sound far and away from Amy and her friends, his struggle with amends and his journey to sobriety resonated with these three sober women (mostly anyway). RIP Coolio. RIP COOLIO – Aug 01, 1963 -…

Amy Liz Harrison welcomes friends Carolyn Bunn and Jayne Follette Steinbach to discuss the different pathways they took on their journeys to sobriety. From how they decided they need a change from that constant “tired” feeling to customizing their recovery, Carolyn and Jayne share more about what they’re now able to accomplish since finding sobriety. Book: The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Grey The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober Facebook Group AL-Anon Eternally Amy on Apple Podcasts About the Eternally Amy Podcast “We all have defining moments that shape our lives. One of mine was spening the night…

Do you love reading books about recovery and mental health? Do you love book clubs? If you answered YES to both of these questions and #QUITLIT is your jam, then we invite you to join us for our new monthly Boozeless Babes Book Club hosted by Amy Liz Harrison, host of the Eternally Amy podcast. July 2022 – Mean Baby by Selma Blair #QUITLIT The Boozeless Bookclub: Mean Baby, A Memoir of Growing Up by Selma Blair – Check out our 1st book for the Boozeless Babes Book Club and listen to Amy Liz Harrison and her friends discuss the…

Amy welcomes friends Carolyn Bunn and Alysse Bryson of The Sober Curator for the first in a series we are calling The Boozeless Bookclub! This week, they are taking a look at Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up by Selma Blair and discuss some of the most of resonate parts of her tough relationship with her mother, struggles with sobriety, and being diagnosed with MS. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Subscribe on Spotify #QUITLIT Book Review: “Mean Baby” by Selma Blair Selma Blair’s “Mean Baby” is a raw and poignant exploration of motherhood, resilience, and the unfiltered realities of raising…

Sober Curator Amy Liz Harrison is diving into some of her first major social experiences after finding sobriety and how nerve-racking it can be. From the first time she attended a U2 concert to a number of corporate events with her husband, Amy struggled to deal with her discomfort around alcohol and a fear of relapse. Knowing how mentally draining these experiences can be, Amy shares a few practical tips to help you navigate these sobriety firsts. RECOVERY PODCASTLAND: There are so many solid, binge-worthy podcasts out there. But with new episodes coming out weekly, it’s impossible to keep up. The…

Awkward moments. We’ve all been there, right? Wardrobe malfunctions, uncontrollable diarrhea of the mouth, various bodily mishaps—these things humble us in new ways when we get sober. We no longer have alcohol to blame and (gasp) we get to feel ALL our uncomfortable feelings. The more we embrace embarrassment, the easier it gets. Awkward moments right-size us. We learn to laugh at ourselves, which allows us to see ourselves through a fresh lens. As our self-acceptance grows, we realize not only are we surviving…but we are thriving. Back at the end of March, we asked YOU, our dear sober readers, to…

“We all have defining moments that shape our lives. One of mine was spending the night in jail after a DUI in 2011. I was at my lowest point – raw and broken. It felt like my life was over, but what I didn’t know then was that actually just beginning.” – Amy Liz Harrison Join best-selling author Amy Liz Harrison as she chats about being a sober mom of 8, deconstruction of faith while in recovery, and other family adventures in travel. New episodes every week, so please subscribe to the show and join in Amy’s journey from jail…

Being newly sober is tough and you can feel like it’s an uphill climb for many days. As a friend, family member, or support person for an NSP (A newly sober person), it can be so difficult to know what to say and how to hold space. Here are some suggestions of things to say, and later, some things to avoid saying. Suggestions of what to say to an NSP: 1. “I’m Always Here for You.” 2. “You’re Brave.” 3. “You’re Strong.” 4. “I’m just here to listen if you want to talk.” 5. “You’re Such a Fighter.” 6. “I’m…