Episode 5: Can We Be Friends?
March 5, 2026
Laura McKowen and Eric Johnson tackle one of the most common (and least talked about) challenges in recovery: the profound loneliness that can show up after early sobriety.
How do I make friends in sobriety?
This week’s question comes from a member of The Luckiest Club who’s over a year sober and struggling with what he calls “drifting through interstellar space socially.”
The camaraderie of early recovery has faded, old relationships feel less relatable, and he’s wondering: if connection is the key to long-term sobriety, what do you do when you feel more alone than ever?
Laura and Eric get real about:
Why early sobriety loneliness hits so hard (and lasts longer than you think)
The awkwardness of making friends as a sober adult
How alcohol was a shortcut for intimacy that we have to rebuild without
The vulnerability it takes to ask someone, “Can we be friends?”
The energetic shift that happens when you stop hiding your sobriety
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