Sober Mom Journey: Not Always Easy But Worth It!Sober Mom Journey: Not Always Easy But Worth It!
I Love Being Sober
Recovery coach and mum Amanda Marino talks openly with host Tim Westbrook about her journey from chaotic addiction to being a present sober parent, including the extra challenges brought on by COVID-19. The conversation focuses on guilt, healing, self-care and creative support for families seeking a life without alcohol.
56:00•3 Aug 2020
Sober Mum, Real Talk: Parenting, Guilt and Hope in a Pandemic
Episode Overview
- Taking consistent action in recovery can shift thinking and emotions over time.
- Parents can begin sobriety motivated by their children and gradually learn to value themselves.
- Guilt and shame about past parenting can ease through therapy, step work and showing up differently day by day.
- During COVID-19, creative support such as walks, small groups and online meetings is crucial for maintaining sobriety.
- Self-care practices like meditation, exercise, sleep and connection help both recovering parents and professionals stay stable.
“"You don't have to have a mommy cocktail every day to relax or to be able to handle your kids."”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This chat on **I Love Being Sober** follows recovery coach and interventionist Amanda Marino as she talks honestly about being a sober mum, and why it’s messy, emotional, and absolutely worth the effort. You’ll hear Amanda trace her story from childhood trauma and early substance use to years of chaos, institutions and failed attempts at getting clean.
She doesn’t gloss over the hardest part: admitting she was "an awful mother" during the first 18 months of her son’s life, emotionally detached and lost in addiction. That brutal honesty sets the tone for a conversation many parents in recovery will recognise. Host Tim Westbrook asks the questions a lot of mums and dads quietly carry: can you get sober for your kids and still learn to love yourself?
Amanda explains how her son initially drove her into treatment, but staying sober became about rebuilding her own sense of worth through therapy, 12-step work, fitness, meditation and consistent, present parenting. The pair also talk about parenting in the COVID-19 pandemic: home-school meltdowns, internet crashes, feeling trapped, and why getting sober right now can feel even harder.
Amanda shares how she’s seeing alcohol use spike, and how she’s helping families get creative with support through small in-person connections, walks, and online meetings. Her work with mothers in interventions adds a powerful layer for anyone battling guilt and shame. Threaded through the episode is a strong message: recovery is built on action, connection and showing up for yourself and your kids, one day at a time.
As Amanda puts it, "You don't have to have a mommy cocktail every day to relax or to be able to handle your kids." If you’re a parent wondering whether a sober life could really change things at home, what’s stopping you from taking that first step?
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