Drea Moore is the Sober Herbalist | Episode 517

Drea Moore is the Sober Herbalist | Episode 517

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation with Drea Moore – widely known as "the sober herbalist" – offers a raw mix of humour, honesty and practical recovery wisdom. Drea shares how her drinking, which began with cheap wine and social parties, eventually stripped away her potential and wrecked relationships. She recalls the moment she finally called her neighbour from Alcoholics Anonymous, finished the last bottle, and walked into her first meeting two days later.

Standing in a circle, hands linked for the Lord’s Prayer, she says she felt, "I'm supposed to be here" – and she never drank again. You’ll hear how service became central to her life: from making coffee and greeting, to sponsoring early and often. Outside AA, she now supports people in the herbal community who are sober or struggling with substances, using the Twelve Steps and Traditions as her "template" for how she shows up in the wider world.

A big theme is alcohol-free herbalism. Drea explains the shock of discovering that most herbal medicine is made with high‑proof alcohol, and why that’s a serious risk for those who are abstinent.

She has spent years teaching people how to work with plants without alcohol, insisting, "You don’t need alcohol to have the most gorgeous experience of herbalism." Her approach ties recovery to nature, mindfulness and the body, offering another layer of healing for those who feel disembodied after years of addiction. Along the way, she and host Jason swap childhood stories of neglect, early caregiving, and the painful work of forgiving themselves.

Drea sums up recovery as "stability and freedom and hope" – a dynamic experience of paradox, where powerlessness and being empowered can coexist. If you’re sober, sober‑curious, or simply worn out from the "social lubricant" lie, could an alcohol‑free, plant‑based path add something beautiful to your recovery toolkit?