Beer Goggles and Sober Sex!Beer Goggles and Sober Sex!
Sober Awkward
Vic and Ulrika start their Sober Awkward Journey in at the deep end!
47:07•20 Sept 2026
Beer Goggles, Awkward Hooks-Ups and the Truth About Sober Sex
Episode Overview
- Alcohol can create a false sense of confidence, attraction and "chemistry" that often leads to regret and unsafe situations.
- Heavy drinking lowers inhibitions and judgement, increasing sexual risk and making consent confusing and harder to assert.
- Promiscuity tied to alcohol use frequently erodes self-esteem and can push people into unsuitable or harmful relationships.
- Sober sex and dating may feel awkward at first, but tend to be more authentic, memorable and aligned with genuine desire.
- Sobriety strengthens self-trust and boundaries, helping people feel safer and more able to say a clear yes or no in intimate situations.
“Alcohol convinces us that it makes us more confident, more attractive and more adventurous. In reality, it was often making us less aware of ourselves.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? For many, it’s when someone takes on the big, messy topics we’d rather avoid – like sex, dating and drunken decisions – and talks about them with brutal honesty and a sense of humour. In "Beer Goggles and Sober Sex!", Sober Awkward hosts Victoria Vanstone and Ulrika Johnson chat candidly about how alcohol shaped their sex lives, dating choices and ideas about romance.
From one-night stands fuelled by "beer goggles" to mornings spent doing what Vic calls a "cum stain investigation", you’ll hear how booze once seemed like the official sponsor of romance and confidence, but actually left a trail of regret, shame and danger. They share vivid stories of risky hook-ups, blurred consent and waking up beside people they barely remembered, all tied to the belief that confidence "came in a wine glass or after a sloppy, pissed up shag".
Ulrika adds a clear explanation of how alcohol affects judgement and risk-taking, while both reflect on how heavy drinking made them vulnerable and less able to protect themselves. The conversation then shifts to life on the other side: sober sex, dating without Dutch courage, changing bodies, motherhood, menopause and long-term relationships. Ulrika talks about how being sober has given her "real confidence" and made intimacy more authentic.
Vic admits that sober sex still feels awkward at times and that she’s learning to reconnect with her body and self-worth without relying on booze. Threaded through the humour is a serious message about consent, safety and self-trust. The pair stress that you never owe anyone sex just because you’ve had a drink or gone home with them, and that sobriety can bring a powerful sense of clarity and protection.
If you’ve ever wondered how romance and sex might look without alcohol in the mix, this conversation might spark a fresh question: is the confidence you’re chasing already inside you, waiting to be trusted?
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