Why You Keep Making Bad Decisions (Even When You Know Better)
You already know better.So why do you keep saying yes to what you’ll regret tomorrow?
In this episode, Angela gets brutally honest about why you keep making decisions that don’t align with who you want to be — and how instant gratification is keeping you stuck in the cycle.
This isn’t just about drinking.It’s about how you handle discomfort.Fear, frustration, boredom, anxiety — you’ve trained your brain to escape instead of lead.
And that habit?It’s wrecking your confidence, your progress, and your peace.
Inside this episode:
How instant gratification fuels bad decisions (even sober ones)
Why your “first thought” is often the wrong one — and what to do instead
What real commitment looks like when you want to protect your peace
The power of delayed gratification — and how it builds self-trust
You don’t need more willpower.You need structure, discipline, and the courage to lead yourself differently.
🔗 Links List
📅 Book a Free Consultation Callhttps://addictionunlimited.com/call
💬 Join the Facebook Group (Sober Society)https://www.facebook.com/groups/addictionunlimited
📝 Download my Free Daily Planhttps://addictionunlimited.com/plan
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28:39
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28:39
If You’re Wondering “Can I Drink Again?”… Listen to This First
If you're thinking about drinking again — that's the clearest sign you still can't.
Maybe you’ve been sober for a while… and you’re starting to wonder if you could handle drinking again.If that thought has crossed your mind — I want you to pause right here and hit play on this episode.
We’re talking about the subtle signs that tell you everything you need to know about your relationship with alcohol — even now.
In this episode, I’m sharing the addict traits that still show up in my life after almost 20 years sober — and how they confirm, without a doubt, that I’m not someone who can ever drink normally.
We’ll talk about:
The "more" mentality — when enough is never enough
Overthinking and rumination (AKA emotional avoidance)
Feeling “less than” no matter how much you accomplish
Being extra in everyday ways (and what that really means)
Why avoiding hard things in sobriety is just as dangerous as numbing them
And we’ll bring it all back to the biggest red flag of all:Just how much mental energy you’re spending thinking about alcohol.
You’ll hear the truth about the addict personality: how it still shows up in overthinking, overdoing, compulsive patterns, and that constant hunger for “more.”
Because if you’re fantasizing, negotiating, or justifying a future where you might drink again... that’s not healing. That’s the addiction, whispering in a different voice.
🔗 Links List
📅 Book a Free Consultation Callhttps://addictionunlimited.com/call
💬 Join the Facebook Group (Sober Society)https://www.facebook.com/groups/addictionunlimited
📝 Download the Free Daily Planhttps://addictionunlimited.com/plan
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24:01
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24:01
The Daily Plan for Sobriety, Structure, and Getting Unstuck
A step-by-step plan to structure your day after quitting drinking.
You didn’t just remove alcohol — you removed the thing that used to shape your day, distract your mind, and give you a false sense of control.
So what now?
If you’re stuck in the cycle of starting over…Or if you’ve been sober for a while but feel like you’re drifting through your days…
This episode is for you.
I’m walking you through my exact Daily Plan — the structure I use to stay sober, focused, and grounded in my sober power.
You’ll learn:✨ What to do when you wake up✨ How to avoid the afternoon crash✨ Why structure creates peace✨ And the #1 mistake that keeps people in relapse loops
This isn’t about willpower — it’s about ownership.
🎯 Your Next Step:Don’t just listen — download the free Daily Plan and start putting structure into action.This is where sobriety becomes your strategy.
🔗 Links Mentioned in This Episode
🎯 Download The Daily Plan (Free Tool):addictionunlimited.com/plan
💬 Join the Conversation in the Facebook Group:facebook.com/groups/addictionunlimited
📞 Book a Free Discovery Call with Angela:addictionunlimited.com/call
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31:13
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31:13
Ego, Excuses, and Emotional Sobriety
Why character work never ends -- and how to dismantle the ego patterns and excuses keeping you stuck.
You don’t do character work once and ride off into a peaceful sober sunset.
You don't quit drinking and magically become the healthiest version of yourself.
This work never ends.
And if that sentence annoyed you a little -- you're exactly who this episode is for.
This episode is a wake-up call if you’ve been sober for weeks, months, or years—and life feels flat, repetitive, emotionally dull, like you're just going through the motions.
No joy. No spark. No goals.
That's a sign your emotional growth has stalled.
You’re not fired up about life. You’re avoiding discomfort instead of growing. And your excuses sound really reasonable… but they’re killing your progress.
This is where relapse starts—not always with alcohol, but with chaos, overspending, overeating, overworking, control, drama… anything to feel something.
That's why this whole idea that "more time sober = more maturity" is garbage.
Character isn't measured in time. It's measured in effort and behavior.
And plenty of people have a lot of time sober but stop working on themselves - and they'll get stuck just as quick as someone with 10 days sober.
Today, we dig into the real problem: it isn’t alcohol anymore. It’s ego, excuses, and emotional stagnation.
🎧 In this episode:
(3:00) Sobriety solves the alcohol problem—not the everything underneath it problem
(8:00) What ego really is and why a big ego + low self-esteem are the same thing
(16:00) The excuse system: how your mind lies to protect your comfort
(23:00) What emotional sobriety actually is (not a meme—real psychology)
(30:00) The path forward: emotional fitness tools that create real change
Sobriety is the foundation. Character is the house.
And character gets built by dismantling ego, eliminating excuses, and developing emotional sobriety—the ability to feel everything without being controlled by it.
🔗 Links mentioned in this episode
Book a Call with Angela → https://addictionunlimited.com/call
Join the Facebook Group → https://www.facebook.com/groups/addictionunlimited
Listen to this related episode: #396 – How to Take Action When You Don’t Feel Motivated → https://addictionunlimited.com/396
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27:19
Stop Starting Over: Use Structure to Make Habits Last
If you’re tired of starting back at day one, this episode will show you how to rebuild habits that last — with structure, not willpower.
You don’t need more motivation.
You need a better system.
This is one of the most downloaded episodes I’ve ever released — and for good reason.
Because when life gets hard, we fall into old routines.
We wait for motivation to magically reappear.
And we keep starting over — again and again.
In this episode, I’m walking you through the exact structure I use (and teach my clients) to create habits that actually stick. No fluff. No trendy hacks. Just real, brain-based strategies that work.
You’ll learn:
How habits form in your brain — and why they’re so hard to break
What the habit loop actually is (cue → routine → reward)
How to identify your weak spots and reinforce them
Why reframing your goals makes all the difference
Simple ways to change your environment to support your new life
And if you want more on the motivation piece — go listen to the last episode:
“How to Take Action When You Don’t Feel Motivated.” That link is in the show notes, too.
🔗 Links Mentioned in This Episode
💬 Sober Society MembershipYour private community for accountability, structure, and serious transformation.👉 addictionunlimited.com/membership
📣 Join the Free Facebook GroupConnect with other high-functioning sober humans on the same path.👉 facebook.com/groups/addictionunlimited
📅 Book a Free Clarity CallReady to get serious? Let’s talk about your goals and map out your next steps.👉 addictionunlimited.com/call
🎧 Episode 396 – How to Take Action When You Don’t Feel MotivatedIf you want more support with motivation, don’t miss this one.👉 addictionunlimited.com/396
Are you ready to ditch daily drinking, reclaim your confidence, and create a life of freedom? Each week, Angela combines no-nonsense advice, personal stories, and science-backed strategies to tackle the challenges of sobriety. Angela Pugh is a globally-ranked Life Coach and podcast host, a professional Interventionist, and entrepreneur with more than 18 years of personal sobriety, helping people rebuild their lives since 2008. From navigating relationships to managing triggers, you’ll discover practical tools, empowering insights, and real-world solutions to thrive in sobriety. It’s time to stop feeling stuck and start feeling unlimited. Listen now for the inspiration, tools, and support you need to live a sober, confident, and happy life.
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