E277: The Voice Didn’t Go Away When I Got Sober

E277: The Voice Didn’t Go Away When I Got Sober

What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? In this conversation, Matt and Steve get honest about the nagging inner voice that doesn’t magically vanish once the drinking stops. If you’ve ever thought, “I’m a fraud,” even while doing your best in sobriety, you’ll probably recognise a lot here.

Matt talks openly about tapering off venlafaxine and how heightened anxiety sends his brain into overdrive, making up stories like, “I’m a fraud and I’m doing this as a vanity thing and it doesn’t make a difference.” He links this same mental voice to the way he once minimised his drinking: “You’re not that bad… you’re overreacting.” That connection between self-doubt and addiction runs right through the chat.

Steve shares his long-standing struggle with imposter syndrome at work and at home, including the fear that someone would “show up at your door and say, oh, wait, you don’t deserve to live here.” He explains how AA, especially steps four and five and working with a sponsor, helped him learn honest self-evaluation rather than either tearing himself apart or inflating his ego.

There’s a surprisingly practical twist too: Matt describes using AI tools as a kind of neutral mirror for his work reviews, helping him see that he’s been underselling himself. Steve, meanwhile, leans on regular meetings, service work and this very podcast to keep his recovery close and his thinking in check. Throughout, they stress that many people drank to bury feelings, not just to “have fun”, and that questioning your relationship with alcohol is a serious signal in itself.

One line from a friend of Steve’s sums it up perfectly: “You don’t have to drink today if you don’t want to, and you don’t have to drink today even if you want to.” If that inner critic is still loud in sobriety, could it be time to look at how you’re talking to yourself, and who you’re asking for help?