{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Beyond the Gray","title":"1,000 Days Sober: How a Teacher Stopped Using Alcohol as a Personality | Ep.14","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2396,"description":"He wasn't drinking because he loved alcohol. He was drinking because he didn't think people would like the real him.\nIn Episode 14 of Beyond the Gray, Kari welcomes Billy Lahr, host of the Mindful Midlife Crisis podcast, joining live from Seoul, South Korea. Billy shares his full story: growing up in small-town Minnesota where the bar was the Sunday restaurant, building a drinking identity in college, showing up hungover to teach ninth graders, and the moment anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation forced him to take a hard look at what alcohol was actually doing.\nWhat followed was years of \"sober school years,\" traveling the world alcohol-free, one bad date that became his zero day, and now at 1,000 days of sobriety. This conversation is raw, funny, and deeply relatable.\nIn this episode you'll hear:\n• How Billy created a drinking personality to get people to like him and what it actually cost him\n• The 180-day challenge that turned his mental health around\n• Why he did \"sober school years\" from 2013 to 2021 and what he learned from each one\n• The date that became his zero day and why \"F the zero\" keeps him going\n• Why Billy believes \"follow your passion\" is terrible advice and what to follow instead\n• The free writing practice (started in Minneapolis jails) that's now connecting people worldwide\n• Kari's personal connection to free writing through her late friend Chris\n• The hidden cost of staying in a gray area: living small and giving up agency\n• Why comfort is fine but complacency will cost you everything\nIf you've ever used alcohol to fit in, to feel confident, or to become someone you thought the world wanted you to be, this conversation was made for you.\n—————\nGUEST: Billy Lahr\nMindful Midlife Crisis Podcast (120+ episodes)\nInstagram: @mindful_midlife_crisis\nLinkedIn: Billy Lahr\nCommunity: www.mindfulmidlifecommunity.com\nEmail: billy@mindfulmidlifecrisis.com\nTo join the Free Writers community: https://www.mindfulmidlifecommunity.com/freewriters\n—————...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/o3QgvEYD_EzW-1N7UZfNYTN4qL2oafyqZIw1SF69BYo/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kYjNl/NjgxZTdjNDY2YjIw/NjdlNjBlYTUyMjgw/OTZjMy5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}