The most expensive thing alcohol cost me wasn't the $36,000 I wasted—it was my children's trust. After 21 years of failure, here is the brutally honest story of how I finally quit drinking, how I repaired my marriage, and why sobriety was the only way to save my life.

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IN THIS VIDEO: I didn't just have a "habit." I was paying an Ignorance Debt every single day. I viewed alcohol as a friend, but the math proves it was a liability that nearly bankrupted my life—financially and emotionally.

We are breaking down the raw truth of addiction and recovery:

The Wedding Disaster: How I couldn't sit through my own dinner because I was too hungover.

The Financial Audit: Breaking down the $36,000 cost of being a "functioning" alcoholic.

The Biological Truth: Why alcohol is a neurotoxin that shuts off your memory (hippocampus) while leaving your motor skills running.

Why you can't "luck" your way into sobriety—you have to put in the reps.

Rebuilding Trust: How to handle the shame when your kids are terrified of you.

MY STORY: For two decades, I was a tornado. I didn't have a stop button; I had a blackout button. I was the mom falling asleep at the movies and passing out by the campfire. Today, I am over 2.5 years sober, and I’m sharing the "Source Code" of how I rewired my brain so you don't have to wait 20 years to figure this out.

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🌐 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.

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

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📧 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.

Most people think Dry January is the finish line. It is actually the edge of a cliff.

I am going to make a prediction: You will make it to January 31st. You will feel great. And by February 15th—right after the Super Bowl—you will be back to drinking exactly as much as you did in December.

Why? Because 75% of people relapse in February.

You aren't weak. You are fighting a biological war with the wrong weapons. You are trying to use "Willpower" to fight "Dopamine Homeostasis," and your brain is winning.

I spent 21 years living a double life—Personal Trainer by day, blackout drinker by night. I tried to "sweat it out," not realizing that as long as Acetate was in my system, my fat burning was chemically set to ZERO.

In this video, I break down the 4 Phases of the First 90 Days and the exact biological roadmap you need to survive "The Void" of February.

STOP WHITE-KNUCKLING. GET THE STRATEGY.

📝 Download "The Day 31 Survival Blueprint" (Free): https://thesoberstrong.com/the-day-31-survival-blueprint Includes my specific dopamine-replacement drinks, evening routines, and journal prompts to survive days 31-60.

🚀 Apply for 1:1 Identity Sober Coaching: https://soberstrongcoaching.as.me/ For high-performers ready to quit negotiating and do the work.

CONNECT WITH ME: 🌐 Website: https://thesoberstrong.com

📧 Email: meghan@thesoberstrong.com

👉 Contact: https://thesoberstrong.com/contact

0:00 The Super Bowl Trap (75% Fail Here)

0:55 Relapse Isn't Weakness—It’s Biology

1:07 My Story: Fit by Day, Drunk by Night

2:42 The "Deprivation Rebound" Data

3:54 Why You Can't "Sweat Out" Alcohol (Acetate)

6:13 Hormonal Hijacking (Ghrelin & Leptin)

7:09 The Dopamine Seesaw: Why Sobriety Feels "Gray"

9:43 Phase 1: The Interruption (Days 1-30)

10:34 Phase 2: The Void (Days 31-60) & The "Fancy Glass" Hack

12:02 Phase 3: The Grief of the Old You

12:54 Phase 4: Stability (Day 90+)

14:12 Identity Engineering vs. Willpower

15:17 Free Gift: The Day 31 Survival Blueprint

#Sobriety #DryJanuary #RelapsePrevention #Dopamine #SoberStrong #alcoholfree

👉 1:1 Sober Coaching: https://soberstrongcoaching.as.me/

Two years sober. Still missing alcohol.

Tyler shares the powerful story of how a quiet night in his kitchen quit drinking because he stopped loving alcohol. He quit because he had to.

💬 If you’re struggling with alcohol, you’re not alone. Drop a comment. Share your story. We see you.

🧠 Books mentioned:

The Easy Way to Stop Drinking by Allen Carr

Drunk on a Sober Planet by Sean Paul Mahoney

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

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

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📧 Email Me: meghan@thesoberstrong.com

👉 1:1 Sober Coaching: https://soberstrongcoaching.as.me/

Years of addiction to alcohol, meth, and pills led to total collapse — and how Jesus stepped in and radically transformed everything. This story is for anyone who’s relapsed more times than they can count and wondered, “Why can’t I stay sober?”

🕊️ If you’ve ever asked…

- “Why do I keep relapsing after getting sober?”

- “How do I quit alcohol when nothing else works?”

- “Can Jesus really help me overcome addiction?”

- “Is there hope for someone addicted to meth and alcohol?”

- “How do I stop using drugs if I’ve already failed before?”

- “Can God still use me after everything I’ve done?”

- “Why do Christians still struggle with addiction?”

- “How do I surrender addiction to Jesus?”

- “What’s the difference between religion and real transformation?”

This isn’t just a sobriety story. It’s a resurrection story.

👉 If you’re struggling, please don’t walk alone. Drop a comment, reach out, or share this with someone who needs hope today.

👉 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

👉 1:1 Sober Coaching: https://soberstrongcoaching.as.me/

Quitting alcohol saved my life — but only after I lost nearly everything.

I was a 3-term town supervisor, respected in my community, and balancing a high-pressure job at Coca-Cola. But behind closed doors, I was a high-functioning alcoholic. My breaking point came on August 22nd when I crashed my car — drunk — after leaving my therapist's office. My BAC was .354. That crash made headlines… and changed my life forever.

👉 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