The single most dangerous lie in addiction. In this video, Shane Ramer proves that "Functioning" isn't a type of alcoholic.

📄Free Sobriety Survival Checklist: https://thesoberstrong.com/sober-strong-survival-checklist Subscribe for more raw truths about sobriety, growth, and reclaiming your life.

Shane went from a "social drinker" with a college degree to facing multiple felonies and a prison sentence in less than 40 minutes. He wasn't homeless. He wasn't "one of those people." He was just like you.

In this interview, we break down:

The "Walgreens Paradox": Why we trust alcohol just because it’s legal (and why that’s a fatal mistake).

The "Dr. Jekyll" Effect: The biological reason your personality flips when the Prefrontal Cortex shuts off.

The Replacement Stack: Why "willpower" fails and how to use Sun, Sweat, and Service to hack your dopamine.

The Suicide Standoff: The raw, unfiltered story of Shane’s "Rock Bottom" that changed everything.

0:00 - Society's Blind Spot: The Legal Neurotoxin

0:54 - The "Ignorance Debt": Why the First Drink Lied

2:20 - The Slide: From 7th Grade to Heroin

4:51 - The High-Functioning Shame Cycle

7:52 - Rock Bottom: Waking Up in a Psych Pod

11:02 - The Turning Point: "Get Your Head Out of Your Butt"

13:10 - Consequences: The Permanent Felony

16:51 - Volume Negates Luck: Getting Hired With a Record

20:44 - The "Not That Bad" Trap (Comparison is Deadly)

24:17 - How to Earn Trust When You've Burned It

29:23 - The ROI of Sobriety: Being There for the End

34:50 - The Replacement Stack: Sun, Exercise, & Purpose

42:00 - It’s Not Addiction, It’s Trauma (EMDR)

47:31 - Year One Tactics: Building the Bunker

50:44 - Breaking the Stigma: Bad Chemistry, Not Bad People

53:14 - Daily Protocol: Winning the Morning

55:52 - Pattern Recognition: Stopping Relapse Early

👉 Stay In Touch: https://thesoberstrong.com/contact

👉 Be On My Podcast: • Sobriety Uncensored: Real Stories. Real Pe...

🌐 My Website: https://thesoberstrong.com/

📧 Email Me: meghan@thesoberstrong.com

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I am a alcohol survivor sharing my story. If you need medical help, please contact a professional.

Is "Functioning Alcoholism" stealing your potential? Here is how to quit drinking without feeling like you are giving up your social life.

📄Free Sobriety Survival Checklist: https://thesoberstrong.com/sober-strong-survival-checklist Subscribe for more raw truths about sobriety, growth, and reclaiming your life.

I didn't lose my job. I didn't get a DUI. Because I was "functioning," I thought I was safe. I was wrong.

In this video, I break down the "Ignorance Debt" of alcohol—the price you pay every single day in lost energy, anxiety, and potential. I spent years thinking I was the life of the party, only to realize I was paying $600 a weekend to poison my own happiness.

In this video, I reveal:

The Financial Audit: The sickening math of what "social drinking" actually costs (hint: it was over $200 a weekend).

The Overstimulation Protocol: How to handle the "Witching Hour" and ADHD triggers without numbing out.

The Identity Shift: Why saying "I'm trying to quit" guarantees failure—and what to say instead.

0:00 - The "Fun Mom" Trap (Functioning Alcoholism)

0:35 - The Financial Audit ($600 Weekends)

1:20 - The Ego & "Ruining Events"

2:20 - The Turning Point (Waking Up Without Shame)

2:54 - Rule #1: The Overstimulation Protocol (ADHD & Anxiety)

3:45 - Rule #2: The Money Reality Check

4:26 - Rule #3: The Identity Shift ("I Don't Drink")

4:56 - Free Sobriety Survival Checklist 5:18 - The Cost of Being "Absent"

6:07 - Health Scares & Generational Trauma

7:54 - Dealing with Haters & Spiritual Warfare

9:30 - Nobody Is Coming To Save You

10:20 - How to "Ride The Wave" of Cravings

11:25 - A Warning If You Are Young

12:40 - The Truth About Alcohol & Weight Loss

13:37 - "Playing The Tape Forward"

14:40 - Finding Your Tribe

Resources:

👉 Stay In Touch: https://thesoberstrong.com/contact

🌐 My Website: https://thesoberstrong.com/

📧 Email Me: meghan@thesoberstrong.com

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I am a alcohol survivor sharing my story. If you need medical help, please contact a professional.

They call it "high functioning alcoholism." It's a lie we tell ourselves to keep drinking.

Brittany was consuming a liter of rum and 30 beers every single day while working a full-time job and raising two kids. She wasn't functioning. She was dying on an installment plan.

In this episode, she breaks down exactly how she went from getting a DUI in her own driveway to 9.5 years sober and owning a successful marketing agency. This isn't another "how to quit drinking" video. This is a masterclass on the mechanism of profound change, surrendering willpower, and fixing the root trauma instead of just treating the symptom.

I put together the full "First 30 Days Survival Guide" with every tool she mentioned: ✅ The "Beverage Swap" List ✅ The "Safe Person" Text Scripts ✅ The "Love, Me" Journaling Method

Get the Free Guide sent to your inbox here: 👉 https://thesoberstrong.com/the-first-30-days-survival-guide-operational-manual-for-radical-sobriety

📺 WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS VIDEO:

Why "willpower" is a guaranteed path to relapse (and what to use instead).

The dangerous myth of the "high functioning" alcoholic.

How to survive the first 30 days when your body is screaming for a drink.

Why you cannot heal in the same environment that made you sick.

The critical difference between AA and building an "intentional community."

How to address the underlying trauma that is actually driving your addiction.

👉 Stay In Touch: https://thesoberstrong.com/contact

👉 Be On My Podcast: • Sobriety Uncensored: Real Stories. Real Pe...

🌐 My Website: https://thesoberstrong.com/

📧 Email Me: meghan@thesoberstrong.com

Disclaimer: This video is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. If you are struggling with addiction, please seek professional help.