The Wild Ride to Sobriety: What Happens When Responsibility Becomes Freedom
This week on The Sober Edge Podcast, I had the joy of speaking with Ian Fee, author of Wild Ride to Sobriety. If you haven’t read his book yet, it’s exactly what it sounds like: raw, honest, funny, painful, and deeply human. Ian doesn’t hide from the truth of his story—and that’s part of what makes his sobriety so inspiring.
Our conversation quickly found its rhythm. We talked about:
✨ Personal responsibility—not the punishing, shame-filled kind, but the kind that opens a door.
For Ian, everything shifted when he realized he didn’t need to wait for rescue, permission, or the perfect moment. He needed to choose himself. Not because he was bad, but because he was worth it.
This mirrors so much of what we talk about here:
Responsibility as empowerment. Responsibility as identity. Responsibility as freedom.
✨ The stages of recovery
Ian beautifully describes the arc of change we all move through:
– The collapse
– The awakening
– The rebuilding
– The becoming
And in his storytelling, you hear what so many of you have experienced: recovery is not linear, and that’s not a flaw. It’s the design.
✨ The neuroscience of identity shifts
We touched on the science behind why recovery feels like you’re becoming a different person—because in many ways, you are. Neural pathways reorganize. Prediction errors fire as you step outside old patterns. The brain learns safety and pleasure in new ways.
As I often remind my clients:
You are not starting over. You are rewiring forward.
✨ Loving the sober life
This may be my favorite part of the interview.
Ian and I talked about the quiet moments—not the big dramatic ones—where you suddenly realize:
“I’m happy.
I like myself.
I love this life.”
Sobriety stops being a fight and starts being a gift.
Why Ian’s story matters for all of us
Every journey is different, but there’s something universal in Ian’s message:
You are capable of building a life you’re proud of.
Not by being perfect. Not by never struggling.
But by continuing to choose yourself, day after day.
I hope you’ll tune in to the full episode. It’s one of those conversations that stays with you—grounding, uplifting, and deeply relatable.
