Episodios

  • Ep 177 Twelve Step Trauma + Self Fulfilling Prophecy – Rene’s Story
    Dec 30 2025

    Rene joins us today to share about how AA became a self prophecy leading him to be in and out of the rooms for twenty years.

    Rene's IG

    Rene's TikTok

    Timestamps:

    00:00 In + Out of AA For 20 Years

    05:50 Going to AA Knowing It's A Cult

    17:25 Leaving AA Cult Within A Cult

    20:48 South Florida Pill Mills

    23:18 AA Ideology Created A Negative Cycle

    32:08 AA is a Self Fulfilling Prophecy

    36:50 Changing the Recovery Narrative

    44:39 The Big Book Mythology

    49:11 How He Actually Got Better

    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

    Más Menos
    1 h
  • Ep 176 You're Not Powerless: AA's Pickle Myth Busted — Burnie + Bestie
    Dec 29 2025

    Today we are exploring AA's powerless idea and pickle mythology.

    You know how in AA they say "once a cucumber becomes a pickle, there's no going back." Meaning once you "cross a line" with drinking and become an "alcoholic" there is no becoming a normal drinker again. But modern science debunks this.

    We'll bring in thoughts and research from experts (you know I like to read a little from deprogramming books on these pods!), Burnie aka Tara Grace from Burn The Stigma will share her perspective, I'll share mine (it's me, Kirsten, Sobriety Bestie). Then we crowd source for comments to see what everyone else thinks.

    Resources for deconstructing AA:

    👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)

    🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA)

    📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)

    Let’s get f*cking free

    Más Menos
    2 h y 12 m
  • Ep 175 The 12 Days of Leaving AA
    Dec 25 2025

    Join us for a fun Holiday episode as Carrie (Carrie's Substack) and I sing about the 12 days of leaving Alcoholics Anonymous.

    👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, Book Club, Escape Kit + more)

    📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)

    Let’s get f*cking free.

    Más Menos
    11 m
  • Ep 174 The Gifts of Leaving AA
    Dec 23 2025

    Join us for a fun Holiday inspired episode as Carrie (Carrie's Substack) and I share the gifts of leaving AA from our perspective.

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Gifts of Leaving AA Intro

    01:13 The Gifts When Starting AA or Love Bombing?

    01:55 Gift Newcomer Conversation

    06:50 Growing Up in AA Cult + Leaving

    11:40 Deprogramming AA is The Gift That Keeps Giving

    16:27 Gift When First Leaving AA

    19:30 Gift Months After Leaving AA

    23:16 GIft One Year After Leaving AA

    25:40 Gifts of Current Deprogramming Journey


    👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, Book Club, Escape Kit + more)

    📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)

    Let’s get f*cking free.

    Más Menos
    32 m
  • Ep 173 Rehab Repeat Customers — Burnie + Bestie
    Dec 22 2025

    Today we are exploring the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of 12 step rehab treatment centers.

    Resources for deconstructing AA:

    👉 Deprogram Lounge (community, Zooms, book club, Escape Kit + more)

    🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA)

    📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)

    Let’s get f*cking free

    Más Menos
    2 h y 3 m
  • Ep 172 Spiritual Bypassing in AA
    Dec 19 2025

    Today we're unpacking spiritual bypassing, the use of spirituality or spiritual practices to override our feelings. We'll cover what spiritual bypassing can look like inside 12 step, how our brains are often trained to spiritual bypass via our sponsors, the meetings and the literature and what spiritual bypassing can be like on our deprogramming AA journey.

    This audio is from today's livestream on Sobriety Bestie YouTube from our weekly show "Tea With Bestie." Feel free to join us live on Thursdays at 9am Pacific / 5 pm UK.

    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

    Más Menos
    1 h y 27 m
  • Ep 171 Nick Reiner: Mental Illness and Alcoholics Anonymous
    Dec 17 2025

    I've received a lot of DM's after yesterday's episode on Rob Reiner and Nick Reiner so am coming back today to answer the top questions. You wanted to know is Nick Reiner mentally ill and was he sober at the time of the murders. So we'll dive into that in today's episode.

    Also I have a clip with Rob Reiner and Nick Reiner's thoughts on Alcoholics Anonymous (thanks to the person who DM'd it to me!) so we'll roll that clip as well.

    Timestamps

    00:00 Nick Reiner charged with murder

    01:34 Was Nick Reiner Under The Influence?

    01:47 Is Nick Reiner Mentally Ill?

    02:41 Does Rehab Work?

    03:56 Rob Reiner + Nick Reiner on "Does AA work?"

    06:14 Nick + Rob Reiner addiction message

    06:44 Nick Reiner's Thoughts on 12 Step Not Working

    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

    Más Menos
    8 m
  • Ep 170 Rob Reiner, Nick Reiner: Addiction, Relapse + Recovery
    Dec 16 2025

    Today's episode is a bit heavy, heartbreaking and also a deep dive into the addiction movie the now late iconic director Rob Reiner made in 2015 with his son Nick Reiner called "Being Charlie."

    We'll look at the addiction recovery movie through a deconstruction lens, examine the 12 step loaded language, and follow Charlie through his addiction recovery journey - a character based upon Nick Reiner.

    In real life, Nick Reiner went to 17+ rehabs in 7 years before being inspired to create this movie with his father. This is an invitation to think about why non effective "treatment" is continually pushed and pursued via medical professionals, treatment centers and 12 step meetings.

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Rob Reiner, Nick Reiner + Addiction Recovery Intro

    02:32 Nick Reiner 17+ Rehabs

    03:46 Deconstructing Being Charlie Movie

    04:17 12 Step Loaded Language

    07:58 How Nick Reiner Got Sober

    08:58 12 Step Treatment is Ineffective

    10:47 RIP Rob + Michele Reiner

    11:48 Rob Reiner + Nick Reiner Interview


    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

    Más Menos
    17 m