Social media affects mental health more than most of us realize. And now that AI-generated content is everywhere, it’s becoming harder to tell what’s real, what’s performative, and what’s draining us.

In this episode of No Alcohol Needed, Julie Miller and Steve Knapp are joined by Robbie Pike and Kristyna Holler for a candid conversation about loneliness, doom scrolling, AI content, and what real connection actually looks like in an alcohol-free life.

If you’ve ever:

• Scrolled for “just a few minutes” and felt worse after
• Compared yourself to someone online and felt inadequate
• Gotten angry in a comment section
• Felt strangely lonely after spending hours on social media
• Wondered whether AI is changing how we relate to each other

This conversation is for you.

We talk about how social media affects mental health, how AI is reshaping authenticity online, and why so many people feel more disconnected than ever - even while constantly “connected.”

And most importantly, we talk about how to protect real human connection in a world that keeps pushing us toward screens.

Whether you’re sober, sober-curious, or simply trying to build a healthier emotional life, this episode will challenge how you think about social media and connection.

At No Alcohol Needed (formerly Through the Glass Recovery Podcast) we’re hanging out at the intersection of emotional wellness, personal growth, and living an alcohol-free life.

We talk about emotional intelligence, self-worth, sobriety, and how to build a life you don’t wish you could escape from.

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Learn more about the podcast and the work we do: https://noalcoholneeded.net

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Meet our guests:

https://noalcoholneeded.net/meet-the-voices/

You can be doing everything “right” in your relationships - showing up, being agreeable, staying committed - and still feel deeply lonely.

In this episode of No Alcohol Needed, hosts Julie Miller and Steve Knapp are joined by Mike Coyne and Christen Miller for an honest conversation about why relationships often feel empty even after you’ve stopped drinking and started working on yourself.

This isn’t a conversation about fixing your partner or trying harder. It’s about the patterns many of us learned early on - performing, people-pleasing, staying quiet, avoiding conflict - and how those habits quietly block real connection.

Together, they explore:

• Why effort doesn’t automatically create intimacy
• How performative relationships keep us feeling unseen
• The difference between being partnered and being connected
• Why vulnerability feels so risky - and why it matters
• How healthier relationships support emotional stability and happiness

This episode is for anyone who is emotionally aware, doing the work, and still wondering, “Is this really as good as it gets?”

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If this conversation resonates and you’re feeling stuck in “emotionally aware but still lonely,” you’re not alone.

You can explore more episodes and resources here: https://noalcoholneeded.net

Stress doesn’t go away just because you stop drinking - or just because you do the ‘self care’ stuff that someone told you to do.

In this episode of No Alcohol Needed, we talk about how to handle stress without alcohol in a way that actually works in real life. Not bubble baths. Not pretending everything is fine. Not dumping positive thinking on top of real stress and hoping it goes away.

Self-care - the kind that works - helps regulate your nervous system, build self-trust, and move through overwhelm instead wishing you could numb out.

Julie Miller and Steve Knapp are joined by Janice Dowd and Amber Fenner for an honest conversation about:

• Why stress feels so overwhelming
• Why self-care often “doesn’t work”
• How stress shows up physically and emotionally
• What real self-care looks like in daily life and in crisis
• How learning to handle stress builds confidence and self-trust

This episode is for anyone who feels overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, or tired of relying on alcohol or other numbing habits to cope.

At No Alcohol Needed (formerly Through the Glass Recovery Podcast) we’re hanging out at the intersection of emotional wellness, personal growth, and living an alcohol-free life.

We talk about emotional intelligence, self-worth, sobriety, and how to build a life you don’t wish you could escape from.

Learn more about the podcast and the work we do: https://noalcoholneeded.net

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Free weekly group sessions on Zoom Real conversations that go beyond the alcohol https://noalcoholneeded.net/meeting-faqs/

Julie’s writing on sober living and emotional growth: https://createalifesofull.com

Browse the full library of podcast episodes: https://noalcoholneeded.net/category/blog/