Episode 645 Parenting Then vs. Now: Crash, Michael Jackson & How the World Changed with Elizabeth “Bizzy” ChanceEpisode 645 Parenting Then vs. Now: Crash, Michael Jackson & How the World Changed with Elizabeth “Bizzy” Chance
Busy Living Sober with Host Elizabeth Chance
Elizabeth “Bizzy” Chance reflects on a weed-fuelled teen tragedy in the film *Crash* and the driven, disciplined life of Michael Jackson to question how parenting, boundaries and culture have shifted. She links these themes to her own commitment to sobriety and the importance of consequences, structure and family responsibility.
17:33•2 Jun 2026
Parenting, Weed, Social Media and Michael Jackson: Bizzy Reflects on How Everything Changed
Episode Overview
- Normalising teen weed use can blur the sense of danger and lead to devastating consequences, especially when driving is involved.
- Children need clear boundaries and consequences rather than parents trying to act like friends during their formative years.
- Discipline and structure, while uncomfortable, can help young people develop respect, purpose and resilience.
- Choosing sobriety means rejecting all mind-altering substances, even those that society insists are harmless or trendy.
- Life is harder without numbing out, but refusing to pick up a drink or drug, no matter what, protects both you and those around you.
“For every action, there has to be a reaction. If we don’t have consequences, then what is this world for?”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? For Elizabeth “Bizzy” Chance, it’s the same mindset that has her questioning how parenting, boundaries and culture have shifted so dramatically over the past few decades.
In this solo episode of Busy Living Sober, she reflects on watching two very different films: *Crash* on Netflix, about a teen girl steeped in weed, social media and chaos, and the new Michael Jackson film, which shows his intense discipline, work ethic and complicated childhood. Side by side, they spark a raw conversation about consequences, structure and what kids grow up thinking is normal.
Bizzy talks frankly about how shocking it is to hear parents in the film say it’s fine for their daughter to smoke weed, only for her to later drive at 100 mph, crash and kill her boyfriend and a friend. She asks, “For every action, there has to be a reaction.
If we don’t have consequences, then what is this world for?” and questions how children are meant to learn right from wrong if parents try to be friends instead of setting limits. She contrasts this with Michael Jackson’s upbringing: a harsh, often abusive father who nevertheless demanded respect, focus and commitment to craft. Bizzy doesn’t excuse the abuse, but she does highlight themes of family, responsibility and having a purpose bigger than yourself.
Throughout, she weaves in her own sobriety, why she avoids all mind-altering substances, and the relief of not having her wild drinking days recorded on social media forever. If you’re a parent, in recovery, or simply wondering how we got from Motown to TikTok, this honest chat might get you thinking about the kind of boundaries and examples you’re setting today. What kind of world are your kids seeing as “normal”?
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