Episode 652: Elli Rose Cikovic on Addiction, Blackout Drinking, and Getting Sober at 25Episode 652: Elli Rose Cikovic on Addiction, Blackout Drinking, and Getting Sober at 25
Busy Living Sober with Host Elizabeth Chance
Host Elizabeth “Bizzy” Chance talks with author Elli Rose Cikovic about blackout drinking from age 14, family addiction, social media pressure and getting sober at 25. Elli shares how writing her memoir and redefining sobriety helped her move from chaos towards a more grounded life.
45:40•25 Jun 2026
Blackouts, Phones and a Diary at 25: Elli Rose Cikovic’s Sobriety Story
Episode Overview
- Starting drinking young and blacking out early can be a clear warning sign that “something is wrong”, even if adults minimise it.
- Addiction often runs through families and is tied to divorce, instability, secrets and unspoken trauma.
- Writing, creativity or another outlet can be a powerful way to channel early sobriety, especially when emotions feel overwhelming.
- Elli stresses that “sobriety is not linear” and that some people move through phases, including things like being California sober, before full abstinence.
- Phones and social media can act like another drug, so tracking usage and setting boundaries is crucial for mental health in recovery.
“I truly believe that sobriety is not linear.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation between host Elizabeth “Bizzy” Chance and author Elli Rose Cikovic offers a brutally honest look at what it means to grow up in alcohol-fuelled chaos, blackout through your teens, and quit drinking at 25. Elli talks about starting drinking at 13, blacking out by 14, and growing up with divorced parents and an alcoholic mum.
She explains, “I had the disease right away,” describing how weekend blackouts quickly became the norm and how she was taught to manage hangovers rather than question her drinking. A big focus is on younger generations and tech. Elli and Elizabeth swap memories of early Facebook and iPhones, and call phones “the newest drug”, sharing how social media ramps up anxiety and comparison.
Elli jokes that she’s “a professional oversharer”, but also admits social media gives her “crippling anxiety”, which many people in early recovery will recognise. The heart of the chat is Elli’s memoir, *The Diary of a Twenty-Five-Year-Old Alcoholic*. She explains how quitting alcohol on 4 May 2022 and then writing 40 essays became her lifeline: “In order to get sober, you need somewhere to put that.
And for me, it was writing.” She’s very open that during the book she was still “California sober”, using weed and shrooms as a buffer, and only later reached full sobriety. Her line “I truly believe that sobriety is not linear” sums up her approach: honest, imperfect, and very human.
This episode suits anyone dealing with addiction in their family, young people questioning their drinking, and parents trying to understand what their kids are facing with alcohol, divorce, phones and all. It might leave you asking: what would your own ‘diary’ of drinking and recovery look like if you wrote it down?
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