The Grief That Comes After

OverviewQuitting isn’t the finish line—it’s the starting line. In this episode, we talk about the unexpected grief that can show up after you walk away from alcohol (or anything that once held your life together). This isn’t about regret—it’s about loss, and how it can take many forms: the life you didn’t get to live, the younger self you’ve left behind, and relationships that shift or end.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

The difference between grief and regret in recovery.

Why grief can surface even when you know you made the right choice.

The 3 griefs that often show up after “the quit”:

💭 Grief for What Might’ve Been — mourning the unlived life.

🧸 Grief for a Younger Self — missing who you were (or the strength you had) before the hurt.

🫱 Grief for Relationships That Changed or Ended — honoring losses even when they were necessary.

How carrying these griefs at once can lead to an existential crisis—and why that’s not a sign of failure, but an invitation to deeper work.

How soul recovery can be about stepping into a new life, even when you can’t picture it yet.

Why This Matters:You can’t “positive think” your way out of grief. Pretending it’s not there can pull you back toward the very thing you quit. Acknowledging and honoring these losses is a key part of building a life you don’t want to escape from.