Parenting while staying sober isn’t for the faint of heart—but you don’t have to do it alone. On this week’s episode of Sisters in Sobriety, Sonia and Kathleen are diving into the layered, often unspoken, realities of recovery and motherhood with the brilliant Sarah Allen Benton. Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, addiction specialist, and the author of Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic and Parents in Recovery. She brings nearly two decades of personal sobriety and professional experience to this candid and compassionate conversation.

From blackout drinking in her early 20s to running a mental health practice and parenting a teen in sobriety, Sarah shares her remarkable journey and hard-won wisdom. Sonia and Kathleen explore questions like: What does it really mean to be a “high-functioning alcoholic”? Why is parenting in recovery so uniquely challenging? How can we teach our kids about addiction and emotional health? Sarah breaks down the importance of talking openly about addiction with children, how to handle digital addiction in the age of iPads and TikTok

Sarah opens up about her early drinking days, her moment of reckoning at age 27, and the slow, gray, sometimes thankless beginning of recovery. She also shares what it’s been like to raise a daughter in a sober household, how her marriage has been shaped by recovery, and why self-care is not optional—it's essential.

This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our Substack for extra tips, tricks, and resources.

Episode Highlights:

00:01 Welcome Sarah Allen Benton and intro

00:58 Sarah’s first experience with alcohol and her early patterns

02:45 Blacking out from the beginning—what Sarah misunderstood about “normal” drinking

05:12 Being a high-functioning alcoholic in college

06:35 The illusion of control and trying to outthink addiction

09:12 The moment Sarah knew she had to stop

11:00 Building her own outpatient sobriety plan

12:30 What early sobriety felt like (hint: not pink clouds)

14:40 Writing as a tool for processing recovery

15:35 Becoming a parent in recovery and writing Parents in Recovery

17:05 Talking to kids about addiction and recovery

18:45 The stigma of being a parent in recovery

20:10 Raising toddlers vs. teens—sobriety challenges by age

22:00 Hypervigilance and screen time addiction

24:55 The science of digital hygiene and dopamine overload

26:50 Creative ways to talk to kids about brain health and family history

29:15 “The Telling”—navigating when and how to tell your kids you’re in recovery

32:00 Kids noticing changes in drunk adults—and the emotional fallout

35:30 The challenge of giving your kids real-world exposure without trauma

38:00 Why this generation is more risk-averse but more anxious

40:10 Self-care vs. soul care—and why it’s not optional for parents in recovery

42:50 Recovery as a long-term investment, not a short-term reward

44:00 Wisdom from single parents in recovery

46:30 The myth of doing it all: learning to say no without guilt

49:00 How sobriety changes marriage and dating dynamics

51:00 Love without martinis: codependency, relapse fears, and boundaries

54:00 The importance of having a recovery-affirming partner

56:00 The parallel recovery journey for spouses and family members

Links

Learn more about Sarah!

Parents in Recovery: Navigating a Sober Family Lifestyle

Parents in Recovery Facebook Group

💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen

📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email

📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram

🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast

📸 Kathleen’s Instagram