Becca Atkinson on Why Alcoholic Shouldn’t Be a Bad Word

Feb 10 2022 • 27 mins

This week, I sit down with Becca Atkinson, host of The Unashamed Alcoholic, where she talks with sober people using their platforms to speak openly about their journey with addiction.

This includes sports stars, media celebrities, and more, and who inspired Becca to openly talk about her own journey as a recovering alcoholic.

The Freeing Power of Openness

Becca shares how she didn't do anything by halves when it came to opening up about her journey as an alcoholic. Indeed, it was on a national radio station that she first got the courage to speak up, and she never looked back from there.

I wanted him to know he wasn't alone and he still had a fan in me.

When Bobby Ryan of NHL hockey team Ottawa Senators shared his own story of addiction, Becca wrote a letter to her local newspaper stating her unequivocal support for the player, and thanking him for his bravery in talking out This, in turn, enabled her own bravery.

The Expectation of Drinking

Despite more people opening up and talking about their own journeys with alcohol and addiction, it's still a very taboo subject for many. Becca feels this can come down to how we've normalized drinking - we're simply expected to start drinking at legal age - but we haven't yet normalized talking about addiction.

I was never told being sober is an option

The Conversations with Family

When Becca was going through her journey, it led to conversations with her family about what she had been going through, and the lengths she'd gone at times to hide that journey. It was interesting to hear how the different parts of the journey she was on led to very different conversations with her family, especially her two young children.

The Growth Process of Recovery

Recently, Becca posted a tweet about receiving an email from her ex-husband, and how she read the first line and deleted it, knowing she didn't need that negativity in her life anymore. As she says, this is a part of the recovery process, and a good indicator of how far she's come.