The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions

The Share Shed: Awkward Questions & Confessions

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This Share Shed instalment of *Sober Awkward* heads straight for that question, mixing raw honesty with the show’s usual cheeky humour. Vic reads a powerful email from a "desperate mum" who is sober now but haunted by how she parented while drinking. She describes missing moments, snapping at her kids, and feeling she has "already done the damage".

Vic treats the message with huge care, acknowledging how common this experience is among parents who quit booze and suddenly see their past behaviour with startling clarity. Rather than offering platitudes, Vic talks frankly about shame as "one of the biggest drivers of drinking" — the voice that says you’ve failed, then suggests alcohol as the solution.

She explains the vicious loop of shame and drinking, sharing her own experience of being too hungover to properly look after her children and then drinking again to block out how awful that felt. The heart of her advice?

Focus on what happens from now on: "The only way your kids will truly understand who you are and what you're capable of is by what you do from here on in." Vic stresses that addiction is heavily shaped by culture, that parents did the best they could with the tools they had, and that kids don’t need perfection — they need presence, consistency and honesty.

She suggests practical ways to handle overwhelming shame, from distraction techniques and putting the kettle on, to therapy such as cognitive behavioural approaches to break unhelpful thought patterns. The tone then lightens with a ridiculous confession about trying to ride a pig while drunk, reminding you that shame can be serious and silly — and sharing both is part of healing.

If you’ve ever lain awake cringing about your drinking past, this candid mix of comfort, laughter and straight-talking might be exactly what you need today.