Smashing the delusion

Smashing the delusion

In this episode of LOL Sober, Nelson, an alcoholic and addict who writes under a pen name, takes a funny yet very direct look at a single line from page 30 of the Big Book: “The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed.” Right from the start, you’ll hear Nelson playing with the word “smashed” — from TikTok slang and “sexy time” jokes to the irony of having once been “smashed every night” and now needing to smash the idea of ever drinking again.

What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? The humour keeps things light, but the message is anything but soft. Nelson points out that recovery isn’t about gently setting aside the hope of drinking like a “normal person”; it’s about forcefully breaking that idea, again and again. He talks about two dangerous fantasies: that you can drink like others, and that a stint in rehab or a spell of meetings means you’re “done” with recovery.

Drawing on more than 15 years in the rooms, Nelson shares that he’s never seen someone walk away from an active, ongoing programme and then “just out there crushing it” long-term. You’ll hear about pandemic-era complacency, friends who went from desperate daily meeting-goers to “just so busy at work”, and the slow fade of calls and texts that often hints at trouble ahead.

Nelson makes it clear that work, parenting and a full life can all sit alongside daily recovery work, rather than compete with it. His takeaway? “I need to smash it and I need to keep smashing it,” including the belief that alcohol was the only problem and not the “ick” underneath. He closes by linking smashed delusion with “smashing success” in life.

If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “Maybe I’m fine now, maybe I don’t need all this recovery stuff,” this episode might have you asking: what delusion in your own life needs smashing next?