Humans. Am I Right?Humans. Am I Right?
Untoxicated Podcast
Matt and Sheri reflect on the odd things humans do, from festive rituals to drinking at graduations, and connect those habits to alcohol, addiction and recovery. With humour and candour, they contrast irreversible loss with the possibility of sobriety, emphasising perspective and the quiet gifts of an intact family.
13:44•21 May 2026
Humans, Alcohol and Perspective: Matt and Sheri on Being "The Luckiest"
Episode Overview
- Human traditions, from Christmas trees to painted mulch and neckties, often make little logical sense but reveal how people cling to rituals.
- Alcohol is described as a toxin that can make people act foolishly, even during serious events like graduations.
- Alcoholism is framed as a destructive disease that can still have a recovery path for those who stop before permanent damage is done.
- Comparing his own story to families facing irreversible loss, Matt highlights the importance of perspective and seeing sobriety as a form of luck.
- Complaining and sarcasm may remain habits, but they can coexist with a deeper awareness of how comparatively fortunate some struggles are.
“Alcohol makes less sense than the Christmas tree.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? Here, Matt and Sheri Salis bring their trademark mix of sarcasm, honesty and hard-won experience to a very human question: why do people do such bizarre things, especially with alcohol in the mix? Matt reads his essay "Humans. Am I Right?", starting with light but sharp observations about Christmas trees, painted mulch, lawns and pointless neckties. It’s funny, a bit grumpy, and very relatable.
Then he shifts to a graduation ceremony, where he admits to cheering loudly for his son and his friend, and then mentally checking out for the rest of the 700 names. The scene takes a sharp turn when he bumps into an acquaintance whose supposed sobriety clearly hasn’t held, leading to the stinging line: "Alcohol makes less sense than the Christmas tree." From there, the tone deepens.
Matt reflects on families who have faced irreversible loss – a baby, a mother, a daughter’s brain function – contrasting those tragedies with his own story of alcoholism and recovery. Drawing on Laura McKowen’s phrase "We are the luckiest" and Charles Swindoll’s quote about life being "10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it," he frames alcohol addiction as brutal but, crucially, something that can be recovered from if the bottle is put down in time.
Between the jokes about neckties and complaints about graduation hats, there’s a serious message for anyone touched by addiction or emotional chaos in their family: perspective matters, recovery is possible, and even the boredom of a long ceremony can be a quiet blessing when your family is still intact. Aimed at drinkers, partners, and anyone trying to make sense of alcohol’s impact on relationships, this episode offers humour, realism and gentle encouragement, all wrapped in a very human confession: "Humans.
Am I right?" So where does your own perspective need a little nudge today?
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