I Wasn’t as Bad as Them, So I Kept DrinkingI Wasn’t as Bad as Them, So I Kept Drinking
Sober Friends
Matt and Steve talk about how comparing their drinking to more dramatic stories kept them stuck for years. They share experiences of family addiction, stigma and everyday frustrations, and question whether the real issue is simply alcohol becoming unmanageable.
34:20•21 Jul 2026
“I Wasn’t as Bad as Them” – How Comparison Kept the Drinking Going
Episode Overview
- Comparing your drinking to someone else’s worst consequences can stop you from recognising your own problem.
- Alcoholism is described as a disease that affects people from every background, not just the stereotypical "gutter drunk".
- The key question suggested is whether alcohol has become something you can’t reliably manage, rather than whether you’re "bad enough".
- Small sober wins on tough days – like not acting out or drinking – are framed as genuine victories worth celebrating.
- Fellowship, meetings and simple phone calls with other alcoholics are highlighted as practical tools for getting through difficult moments.
“So instead of asking, am I alcoholic enough, why not ask: has alcohol become something I can’t reliably manage on my own?”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This chat between Matt and Steve pulls apart one of the biggest myths that keeps people stuck: the idea that you have to be "as bad as them" before you’re allowed to admit there’s a problem.
You’ll hear Matt reflect on growing up with a violent, alcoholic father and how he used that image to reassure himself he was fine: as long as he wasn’t beating his wife or drinking a jug of cheap wine every night, he couldn’t really be an alcoholic. Steve shares his own story of growing up in the projects, surrounded by addiction, and comparing his drinking to a brother who was shooting drugs intravenously and in and out of rehabs.
If you’re silently thinking, "I’m not that bad," their stories might feel uncomfortably familiar. A big thread through the conversation is the idea that alcoholism doesn’t have a uniform look. Matt and Steve talk about sitting in meetings next to doctors, PhDs and people from every background, and how the disease cares nothing for social status, gender or lifestyle.
They stress that it’s not about how much you drink or the drama in your life, but whether alcohol has become something you can’t "reliably manage". There’s also plenty of real-life recovery talk: frustration-filled days, urges to smash garden ornaments, crippling anxiety, and the small but huge victory of simply getting through a tough day sober.
A phone call from another alcoholic in the aisle at a DIY store becomes a reminder of how simple fellowship can change the course of a day. If you’ve been waiting until things get truly catastrophic before you ask for help, this conversation might nudge you to ask a different question: has alcohol already taken more space in your life than you’re comfortable admitting?
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