Episode 4: Is It Too Soon to Make a Big Change?

In this episode of Dear Vernon, Laura McKowen and Eric Johnson take on a question almost everyone in early sobriety faces:

“I’m two months sober, and I hate my job.
I’ve been told not to make big life changes in the first year…
So am I stuck here for 10 more months?”

It’s a real one.

There’s a lot of guidance out there about “no major changes in the first 12 months.”

But is that a rule? A myth? A suggestion?
And what do you do when the thing you want to change feels unbearable?

Laura and Eric chat about:

• Why early sobriety can feel wildly dysregulating

• Where the “wait a year” guidance actually comes from

• The difference between leaving from clarity vs. leaving from chaos

• Trauma responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) and how they show up in big decisions

• The temptation to “blow it up” when feelings get uncomfortable

• Why “wherever you go, there you are” matters more than you think

• How to know if something is truly toxic vs. just uncomfortable

• Why you shouldn’t make these decisions alone

Sobriety doesn’t mean you stay miserable.
It also doesn’t mean every uncomfortable feeling requires an exit strategy.

This conversation is about discernment.
And learning to tell the difference between growth and escape.

As Laura says, there is sanity in community.

If you’re navigating a big decision in sobriety — you don’t have to do it alone.

Resources & Links

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And if you have a question for Laura McKowen and Eric Johnson, submit it here — we might answer it on a future episode of Dear Vernon.

See you next time.