# Ep 197 Kirsten's Leaving + Deprogramming AA Story Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/kirsten-johnson-podcast-6900631/ep-197-kirsten-s-leaving-deprogramming-aa-story Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/kirsten-johnson-podcast-6900631/ep-197-kirsten-s-leaving-deprogramming-aa-story.md Podcast: [Kirsten Johnson Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/kirsten-johnson-podcast-6900631) Published: 2026-03-31T13:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://www.kirsten-johnson.com/ Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/122c7936-7620-4641-abbe-8e9297406936.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/kirsten-johnson-podcast-6900631/episodes/ep-197-kirsten-s-leaving-deprogramming-aa-story Duration seconds: 6460 ## Resource Katie Lain of Thrive Alcohol Recovery interviews me (Kirsten!) about joining, leaving and deprogramming AA. We also talk about trauma, autism, ADHD and what can be going on beyond the misdiagnosis of "alcoholism." We dive into The Sinclair Method, which Katie's program is based upon, and discuss what dissenting has been like. πŸ”₯ Deprogram Course + leaving AA resources β†’ here 🧠 Brain optimization tools β†’ here 🌢️ Neurodivergent Discovery Portal (with self assessments) β†’ here ❀️‍πŸ”₯ If you’re ready to stop holding yourself back β†’ here Katie's YouTube Timestamps: 00:00 Sobriety Bestie on Thrive Alcohol Recovery Podcast Intro 01:46 Katie Lain of Thrive Alcohol Recovery 03:23 Getting Sober Advice 10:50 Trauma, Autism, ADHD + Alcohol 18:33 AA Indoctrination + Alcoholic Identity 21:14 CSA, Autism, ADHD, TBI's + Brain Optimization 30:15 AA is a Religion 31:46 First AA Meeting 38:02 AA Propaganda + the Rockefeller Model 43:24 Why Doesn't AA Update the Big Book? 47:26 AA is a Harmful Self Fulfilling Prophecy 52:28 AA is a Cult + Free Labor Exploitation 1:02:30 Cracks in AA Brainwashing 1:10:26 Realizing AA is Baloney 1:19:27 Breaking Anonymity + Dissenting 1:26:09 Support For Leaving AA 1:31:34 The Sinclair Method 1:42:44 We're Not Broken - The System Is Come vibe with me: Kirsten's Facebook Kirsten's Instagram Kirsten's TikTok πŸ“š Books that helped me deprogram and think for myself β†’ here πŸ“± My content creation setup (camera, mic, lighting, etc.) β†’ here πŸ’» Tools + software I use to run my business and create online β†’ here ⚠️ Disclaimer: I’m not a therapist, doctor, or licensed healthcare provider. Everything shared is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional care. πŸ’– Some links may be affiliate links. I only share what I genuinely use and love. ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/kirsten-johnson-podcast-6900631/episodes/ep-197-kirsten-s-leaving-deprogramming-aa-story/transcription-requests` β€” Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/kirsten-johnson-podcast-6900631/ep-197-kirsten-s-leaving-deprogramming-aa-story.md` β€” Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.