Shit! Am I Drinking Too Much?Shit! Am I Drinking Too Much?
Sober Awkward
Vic and her new co-host Ulrika Jonsson get into the nitty gritty of booze...
47:44•13 Sept 2026
Shit! Am I Drinking Too Much? Vic and Ulrika Get Real About Booze
Episode Overview
- You don’t have to hit a dramatic rock bottom or wear an alcoholic label to decide that drinking isn’t working for you anymore.
- Medical guidance now states there is no completely safe level of alcohol, with zero intake being the lowest-risk option.
- Anxiety and shame often drive drinking, but alcohol in fact worsens anxiety, even at relatively low levels.
- Surrounding yourself with heavy drinkers can make problematic behaviour feel normal and delay recognising red flags.
- Sobriety brings a chance to find out who you are without booze, feel genuinely present, and build pride and trust in your own behaviour.
“You don’t have to be an alcoholic to quit drinking; it just has to be a realisation that it’s not working for you anymore.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This episode of Sober Awkward kicks off a new era, as Vic teams up with her surprising new co-host, broadcaster and writer Ulrika Jonsson, for a frank and funny chat about booze, anxiety and the moment you think, "Shit!
Am I drinking too much?" You’ll hear Vic and Ulrika swap wildly different drinking histories: Vic as the self-described "last man standing" party animal who blew a finger off with a firework and still treated it as a pub story, and Ulrika as a highly functioning daily drinker, fuelled by rum while keeping an impeccable home and caring for her kids.
Both talk about that quiet point of exhaustion where they finally said, "I can’t do this anymore." The tone is sweary, warm and self-deprecating, with plenty of toilet humour and wheelie-bin puking confessions, but it’s balanced by clear facts.
Ulrika takes on the "party pooper" role, explaining that the World Health Organization says there’s "no completely safe level of alcohol" and that medically the safest amount is "boring old zero." Vic adds that alcohol sits in the same cancer-risk category as tobacco and asbestos, and shares how even one weekly glass of wine can ramp up anxiety.
Together, they gently prod you to ask whether you’re "the boss of the drink or is the drink the boss of you," stressing this isn’t about judgement or labels.
As Ulrika puts it, "You don’t have to be an alcoholic to quit drinking; it just has to be a realisation that it’s not working for you anymore." They touch on teen drinking, changing attitudes in younger generations, and how sobriety exposes anxiety, identity issues and imposter syndrome but also brings presence, pride and real self-knowledge.
If you’ve ever Googled "am I an alcoholic" at 2am, or sworn off booze on Sunday only to hit happy hour by Friday, this chaotic, honest chat might be the nudge you’ve been waiting for. So, are you the boss of the drink, or is it running the show?
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