10 Years Sober, Tawny Lara Opens Up About Social Media Addiction

Tawny Lara has been sober for more than 10 years and was one of the early voices in the sober curious movement. But after building a career and personal brand online, she began questioning another complicated relationship in her life: social media.

Tawny became known as the “sober sexpert,” writing openly about sobriety, sober dating, sex, and relationships while growing an audience on Instagram. Social media helped launch her writing career and eventually her book, Dry Humping: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze.

But over time, Tawny says she began to lose herself in the online persona she had created.

Eventually, she deleted Instagram from her phone. Today, she describes herself as approaching two years “sober from Instagram” and has spent that time reconnecting with who she is away from the algorithm.

In this episode, Tawny and Melissa talk about social media addiction, sobriety, dopamine, doom scrolling, identity, online validation, and the pressure to constantly create content. They explore the similarities between changing your relationship with alcohol and becoming more intentional about your relationship with your phone and social media.

Tawny also shares her journey quitting drinking, becoming one of the original sober influencers, navigating sober dating and relationships, and what more than a decade of sobriety has taught her about identity and personal growth.

If you’ve ever questioned your relationship with alcohol, social media, your phone, or the constant need to be connected, this conversation is for you.

Tawny Lara is the author of Dry Humping: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze.

Tawny's Website:

https://www.tawnylara.com/