Drunk-ish - A Sobriety Podcast · Stefanie Wilder-Taylor

Perfectionism, Postpartum and Putting Down the Wine with Dana Bowman

·52 min·3 clips

Dana says one sip from a bottle in her kitchen led to a panic attack and the words, “I can’t quit.”

Stephanie opens by introducing Drunkish and noting her long connection to Dana Bowman. Dana comes in with easy familiarity. They joke about history, blurbs, and stalking people in the writer's world. The conversation quickly moves to Dana’s books and the new one coming out in January. Dana names Humble Pie, Addiction, Recovery, and Dessert and connects it to her earlier memoirs. Stephanie leans toward the mother material right away, and Dana follows that thread by talking about her story as a mom. The talk keeps its focus on recovery rather than polish. Dana describes the rituals she used to manage drinking at home. She talks about timing a bottle so her husband would walk in to see only half a glass. She explains that she was really drinking close to a whole bottle, then opening another one to stage the scene. That pattern gets easier when he drinks too, because then she feels off the hook. Dana says the lies worked for a while because her husband was not especially observant. Then they stopped working. She reflects on the fantasy that vodka does not smell and pushes back against that old rationalization. The discussion turns to the false confidence of seeming fine. Stephanie recognizes the pattern and draws a parallel to her own memory of moving through the day hung over and insisting nothing was wrong. Dana names the damage without dressing it up. She also circles back to the emotional side, including the effort of getting through hard feelings instead of drinking around them. The end of the conversation softens into gratitude and practical promotion. Stephanie praises Dana’s work and tells listeners to look for the new book. Dana shares her website and social handles so people can find her directly. It ends like a good recovery conversation ends, with warmth, recognition, and no fake neatness.

As heard by us

A candid sobriety conversation about motherhood, perfectionism, relapse, and the small lies that keep drinking hidden.

Dana Bowman and Stephanie Wilder-Taylor build a candid conversation around sobriety, motherhood, perfectionism, relapse, and the small evasions that can make drinking feel manageable.

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If you want a sober story that skips the tidy arc, start here.

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