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Laughs without Lager
Laughs Without Lager is a podcast about life beyond alcohol—honest, heartfelt, and lots of laughs. Hosted by Ali and Meg, two Australian women living alcohol-free, they explore the real experiences that come with choosing freedom from alcohol. From early challenges to deeper conversations around trauma, healing, and identity, this is a space for growth, connection, and support. Their conversations are honest and authentic. Whether you’re alcohol free, sober-curious, or somewhere in between, you’re welcome here—no judgment, no hangovers, just real talk and shared stories.
Episodes
30 episodes
How Heart Surgery Forced Me to Stop Binge Drinking & Choose Sobriety
Wayne is a FIFO underground gold miner from Western Australia, and his drinking story sounds like a lot of mine site and small-town stories until it doesn’t. He starts young in New Zealand, learns the weekend “outdrink your mates” rhythm, and c...
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How Ayahuasca & Plant Medicine Can Cure Heavy Drinking & Mindset Loops
A lot of people quit drinking and then hit the real problem: parties, stress, loneliness, and that loud inner critic are still there, only now you’re meeting them sober. I’m joined by Sarah, co-CEO of Behold Retreats, who shares how she went fr...
Vic Vanstone: From Party Mum to Sober Awkward & Reclaiming Your Life
Your life can look completely “fine” and still be falling apart every Sunday morning. We’re joined by Vic Van Stone from Sober Awkward, who gets brutally honest about binge drinking that hides in plain sight: the ladette years, the party reputa...
You Were Funny Before Alcohol: Finding Your True Sober Personality
You know that line people love to say, “I’m more fun when I’m drinking”? We don’t buy it anymore, and we’ve got the stories to prove why. We’re talking about the kind of laughter that actually lands, the kind you remember the next day, and why ...
How Quitting Alcohol Rebuilds Self-Trust & Confidence with Ash Butterss
The lie that keeps most of us stuck isn’t what we tell other people, it’s what we whisper to ourselves when no one is watching. We’re joined by Ash Butters (Behind the Smile), who just celebrated six years sober, and she gets radically honest a...
How to Overcome Trauma & Find Freedom Through Sobriety with Jourdi Bleu!
A lot of addiction stories don’t look like the stereotype, and that’s why this conversation lands. We’re joined by empowerment coach, yoga teacher, breathwork facilitator, and public speaker Jourdi Blue, who opens up about the real timeline beh...
Quitting Alcohol & Building a New Life: The Honest Truth with Recovery Jimmy
He started drinking at 14, and it didn’t stay “just weekends” for long. Recovery Jimmy joins us from Glasgow to tell the unvarnished story of how alcohol slid from buzz to baseline, how secrecy and withdrawal took over daily life, and why so ma...
How to Leave a 5-Year Situationship & Break the Scarcity Mindset in Love
If you’ve ever been in a "situationship” while secretly hoping it turns into commitment, you’re going to feel seen. We’re talking about scarcity mindset in love, the kind that keeps you in an on-again, off-again situationship because it feels s...
Danni Carr: What If Your Drinking Is Actually a Nervous System Story?
Ever plan your grand return to wine, only to realize you want your mornings more than the glass? That’s where our guest, musician and trauma‑informed sober coach Danni, found herself after a “just twelve months off” pact turned into eight years...
How to Keep Going Alcohol-Free After 30 Days: Staying Sober Beyond a Challenge
Dry January gave you a reset—now what? We dive into the messy, hopeful middle between a 30-day break and a stable, alcohol-free life you actually enjoy. From the sneaky “just one” voice to the myth of moderation, we break down how to move past ...
Ashton Pienaar: How a Televised Meltdown Became My Catalyst for Sobriety
What if the worst moment of your life played back to you on global TV—and it became the exact catalyst you needed to change? That’s the turning point Ashton shares with us, tracing his jump from a Johannesburg cubicle to Below Deck’s spotlight,...
How to Handle Alcohol Urges & Beat Cravings Without White-Knuckling
Ever feel that sudden pull toward a drink on a sunny afternoon or a lonely weeknight and wonder why it hits so hard? We get honest about what cravings really are—quick promises of comfort wrapped in nostalgia—and how to meet the real need under...
No Hangovers, Just Bunnings & Radical Wins: Navigating a Sober New Year!
The calendar is sprinting toward a fresh start, but we’re not making resolutions—we’re choosing action. We look back at a year of sober wins and hard lessons, from funneling former bar tabs into a down payment to staying present during those ne...
Choosing Sobriety at Christmas: Turning Holiday Chaos Into Calm
Holiday parties, family tables, and New Year countdowns can feel like a maze when you’re choosing not to drink. We open up about what actually helps: the tiny moves that protect your peace, the scripts that end awkward pressure, and the plans t...
Choosing Boundaries Over Bottles: When Drinking Glues the Wrong Friendships Together
We unpack how alcohol glued unhealthy friendships together, why sobriety exposed toxic patterns, and how learning to respond instead of react rebuilt our boundaries and our circles. Some ties faded, stronger ones deepened, and we found new frie...
Courage Without a Cork: Rewriting the Story of Fear & Sobriety
What happens when you take the mic, skip the “liquid courage,” and tell the truth anyway? We open up about two moments that reshaped our confidence: MCing a 90th birthday with shaking hands and a full heart, and saying yes to a day at the races...
Why I Stopped Drinking Alcohol: Nostalgia, Loss, And Choosing Presence
What if the ache you feel when life moves on isn’t a problem to fix, but a compass pointing you back to what matters? That question sits at the heart of this solo story from Meg, where nostalgia, fear of loss, and the bittersweet nature of chan...
Choosing Presence Over Piss: Rewriting Family Memories on School Holidays
What if the school holidays weren’t a blur of recovery but a season you actually remember? We get honest about how alcohol once ran the schedule—stacking holiday programs to make space for hangovers, leaning on sleepovers and grandparents, and ...
We Stopped Chasing the Bar Tab: Finding Real Connection & Clarity Without Alcohol
A bag of manure, a wrong funeral procession, and two friends laughing so hard their faces hurt—this is a story about how fun didn’t vanish when the wine did. We crack open the invisible rules that used to run our lives: the bar tab at weddings,...
How to overcome Alcohol Cravings & Have fun Sober with Kim Raysmith!
Alcohol freedom doesn't mean the end of fun—it's the beginning of something far more authentic and expansive. In this eye-opening conversation with Kim Raysmith, founder of Sober Party People and retreat host, we dive deep into what it really t...
Blackouts, Bad Choices & Breaking Free: Faye Hughes Tells All
Valentine's Day typically conjures images of romantic love, but for Faye Hughes, it became the day she finally chose self-love over self-destruction. Flying back to Australia after a family wedding gone wrong, shame and regret weighing heavy on...
Blackouts: The Memories You'll Never Get Back & Navigating Life's Lost Moments
Have you ever woken up after a night of drinking with no memory of how you got home? Those aren't just fuzzy memories—they're scientifically proven to be memories that never formed at all. Welcome to the neurological phenomenon of blackouts.
Meg's Sober Summit Takeover: Turning Our Hardest Moments Into Our Greatest Strengths
Have you ever wondered if those small, seemingly insignificant moments from your past might be driving your drinking habits today? In this powerful conversation with Meg, we uncover the hidden connections between what she calls "invisible traum...
We Never Questioned the Cost of Booze: The Hidden Price of Alcohol vs. Self-Care
Imagine standing in a store, debating whether to spend $75 on a massage gun for chronic pain relief, while never once questioning dropping $200 on weekend alcohol. This jarring realization sparked our deep dive into the strange financial double...
Red Flags in Drinking Behaviour: The Warning Signs We Wished We Didn't Ignore
Ever wonder if those nagging concerns about your drinking might actually be important warning signs? Join Ali and Megsy as they candidly unpack the red flags they ignored on their paths to alcohol dependence—and eventual sobriety.With u...