The Share Shed – Sober Awkward Writing Competition Specials - No More Numbing Out - By Aliz, Texas

Every Thursday, we’re handing the story telling over to you.

Over the next few months, Vic will be reading some of the incredible entries from this year’s Sober Awkward Writing Competition. Honest, funny, heartbreaking, hopeful, awkward and beautifully human, these stories come from people all over the world who have experienced the ups and downs of changing their relationship with alcohol.

Whether you’re sober curious, newly alcohol-free, years into recovery, or simply wondering if life might feel better without booze, we hope these stories remind you that you’re not alone.

Writing has a powerful way of helping us make sense of our lives. It can shine a light on things we’ve hidden away, help us process difficult experiences, and remind us just how resilient we really are. Plus, it’s considerably cheaper than therapy and doesn’t require you to wear pants.

So grab a cuppa, get comfortable, and join us for this week’s Share Shed as Vic tells another story from our amazing community.

💛 Resources & Links

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

A brutally honest and hilarious look at motherhood, anxiety, and ditching the booze.

👉 Buy the book here or head to the website to find out more about writing mentorships with Vic.

👉 www.soberawkward.com

🫖 Join The Cuppa Community

Our private, supportive online space for sober folk

👉 www.cuppa.community

📘 Get the Sober Awkward Guide

Our downloadable toolkit for ditching booze the awkward way.

👉 The Sober Awkward Guide

📱 Follow us for daily sober fun:

Instagram: @soberawkward

TikTok: @soberawkward

Facebook: Sober Awkward Community for Women

📞 SUPPORT & RESOURCES

If anything in today’s episode felt familiar, or you’re worried about your drinking, there is support available. You don’t have to do this alone.

🇦🇺 Australia

National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline

📞 1800 250 015 (24/7)

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/alcohol-and-drug-information-service

Lifeline

📞 13 11 14 (24/7)

https://www.lifeline.org.au

Hello Sunday Morning / Daybreak

https://hellosundaymorning.org

https://daybreakapp.com.au

Clean Slate Clinic

https://www.cleanslateclinic.com

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Drinkline

📞 0300 123 1110

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/alcohol-support/

Alcohol Change UK

https://alcoholchange.org.uk

We Are With You

https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk

🌍 International

Alcoholics Anonymous

https://www.aa.org

SMART Recovery

https://www.smartrecovery.org

💬 A Gentle Reminder

If you’re drinking in the morning to cope, especially with anxiety or withdrawal symptoms, it’s important to speak to a doctor or medical professional. Stopping alcohol suddenly can be unsafe for some people, and getting support can make a huge difference.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Sober Awkward, Vic steps away from alcohol to explore another addiction that is quietly growing across Australia: Nangs.

Nitrous oxide, often sold legally and delivered to your door within minutes, is commonly seen as harmless party fun. But for Sam Bramman, what started as a few nangs at a house party quickly spiralled into a devastating addiction that led to psychosis, hospitalisation and a long road to recovery.

Sam shares the shocking reality of what happened when nitrous oxide took over his life, including the psychotic episode that saw him drive from Sydney to the Gold Coast before ending up in a psychiatric ward. He talks openly about addiction, recovery and why he believes Australia needs stronger regulation around the sale and delivery of nitrous oxide.

Now the founder of the No 2 Nangs campaign, Sam is using his experience to educate young people, support families and push for change. He is also preparing to run 350 kilometres from Sydney to Parliament House in Canberra to raise awareness of the issue and campaign for greater public education around a substance he describes as both legal and lethal.

It’s an eye-opening conversation about addiction, vulnerability, recovery and a drug many of us know very little about.

Follow Sam’s work:

Instagram: @sambramman

TikTok: @stepsforchange

💛 Resources & Links

📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays

A brutally honest and hilarious look at motherhood, anxiety, and ditching the booze.

👉 Buy the book here

🎧 Listen to more Sober Awkward episodes

👉 www.soberawkward.com

🫖 Join The Cuppa Community

Our private, supportive online space for sober folk

👉 www.cuppa.community

📘 Get the Sober Awkward Guide

Our downloadable toolkit for ditching booze the awkward way.

👉 The Sober Awkward Guide

📱 Follow us for daily sober fun:

Instagram: @soberawkward

TikTok: @soberawkward

Facebook: Sober Awkward Community for Women

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week in the Share Shed, one listener wakes up to discover he’d apparently spent 40 minutes running barefoot on a treadmill at 3am… after swimming in a stranger’s pool and blacking out at a party.

The only problem? He remembers none of it.

A hilarious story with a surprisingly thoughtful twist about sobriety, fitness, and what happens when one obsession gets replaced by another.

The Share Shed is where listeners send in their funniest, cringiest and most unbelievable drinking stories. It’s not about judgement, it’s about recognising how wild things could get when alcohol was in charge, and laughing about it now we’re on the other side.

But sometimes, it’s also a place for the harder stuff, the honest bits we don’t always say out loud.

If you’ve got a story you’d like to get off your chest, funny, awkward or something a bit more serious, you can send it to Vic at:

vic@soberawkward.com

Anonymous is absolutely fine. In fact, for legal reasons, probably preferable!!

📞 SUPPORT & RESOURCES

If anything in today’s Shame Shed felt familiar, or you’re worried about your drinking, there is support out there. You don’t have to do this on your own.

🇦🇺 Australia

National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline

📞 1800 250 015 (24/7)

🌐 https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/alcohol-and-drug-information-service

Lifeline

📞 13 11 14 (24/7)

🌐 https://www.lifeline.org.au

Hello Sunday Morning / Daybreak

🌐 https://hellosundaymorning.org

🌐 https://daybreakapp.com.au

Clean Slate Clinic

🌐 https://www.cleanslateclinic.com

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Drinkline

📞 0300 123 1110

🌐 https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/alcohol-support/

Alcohol Change UK

🌐 https://alcoholchange.org.uk

We Are With You

🌐 https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk

🌍 International

Alcoholics Anonymous

🌐 https://www.aa.org

SMART Recovery

🌐 https://www.smartrecovery.org

💬 A gentle reminder

If you’re drinking in the morning to cope, especially with anxiety or withdrawal symptoms, it’s really important to speak to a doctor or medical professional. Stopping suddenly can be unsafe for some people, and support can make a huge difference.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.