Ep 197 Kirsten's Leaving + Deprogramming AA Story

About this episode

Kirsten Johnson discusses her experiences with AA and the deprogramming process with guest Katie Lain.

Katie Lain of Thrive Alcohol Recovery interviews me (Kirsten!) about joining, leaving and deprogramming AA. We also talk about trauma, autism, ADHD and what can be going on beyond the misdiagnosis of "alcoholism." We dive into The Sinclair Method, which Katie's program is based upon, and discuss what dissenting has been like. 🔥 Deprogram Course + leaving AA resources → here 🧠 Brain optimization tools → here 🌶️ Neurodivergent Discovery Portal (with self assessments) → here ❤️‍🔥 If you’re ready to stop holding yourself back → here Katie's YouTube Timestamps: 00:00 Sobriety Bestie on Thrive Alcohol Recovery Podcast Intro 01:46 Katie Lain of Thrive Alcohol Recovery 03:23 Getting Sober Advice 10:50 Trauma, Autism, ADHD + Alcohol 18:33 AA Indoctrination + Alcoholic Identity 21:14 CSA, Autism, ADHD, TBI's + Brain Optimization 30:15 AA is a Religion 31:46 First AA Meeting 38:02 AA Propaganda + the Rockefeller Model 43:24 Why Doesn't AA Update the Big Book? 47:26 AA is a Harmful Self Fulfilling Prophecy 52:28 AA is a Cult + Free Labor Exploitation 1:02:30 Cracks in AA Brainwashing 1:10:26 Realizing AA is Baloney 1:19:27 Breaking Anonymity + Dissenting 1:26:09 Support For Leaving AA…

People in this episode

Host: Kirsten Johnson

Guest: Katie Lain

Topics covered

• alcohol recovery
• deprogramming
• trauma
• neurodiversity
• AA criticism
• mental health

Keywords

• alcoholism
• AA indoctrination
• neurodivergent
• trauma
• autism
• ADHD
• The Sinclair Method

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Thrive Alcohol Recovery, AA, The Sinclair Method

More episodes of Kirsten Johnson Podcast

• Ep 209 Thirty Rehabs, Leaving AA + Pioneering Modern Recovery — Justin's Story · June 9, 2026 · 2h 51m
• Ep 208 Dangerous AA Comment · June 7, 2026 · 31 min
• Ep 207 Leaving AA, Harm Reduction + Autism — Kylee's Story · June 2, 2026 · 1h 33m
• Ep 206 Deprogram AA Live with Carrie · May 26, 2026 · 1h 37m
• Ep 205 How To Tell People You Left AA · May 19, 2026 · 35 min
• Ep 204 What People Secretly Think About AA · May 12, 2026 · 37 min