How Trauma Impacts Addiction

How Trauma Impacts Addiction is a virtual panel hosted by Soberocity that will dive into three women’s stories and how their trauma affected them when they became sober. They each had to face the demons they had been running from for so long and this time without their unhealthy coping mechanisms.

This virtual discussion is hosted by sober coach and founder of Recovery is the New Black, Michelle Smith. Our panelists include: founder of Out Loud Recovery, Martha Duke, prolific blogger and sober Mom, Colleen Perry, and educator and sober/ mental health advocate, Katie St. Pierre.

This panel will be held on Friday, September 3rd at 7pm EST and is free to all. We do offer a $5.00 general admission ticket that also goes towards the programming of more panels such as this one. We do our best to offer as many free events as we can, any contribution made will ensure we can continue to offer low to no cost events in the future. 

You can also become a patron on our Patreon for updates and offers on events as well as the ability to grab tickets one week before they go on sale to the general public.

Key Information

• Tickets are free for anyone who RSVPs, you will receive the Zoom link via email a week before the event and on the day of the event
• You will need to be able to access Zoom or a telephone line to attend this virtual event 
• Please email us at soberocity@gmail.com should you have any accessibility requirements for attending this event

The Panelists

Martha Duke: Founder of Out Loud Recovery, Martha Duke is three years sober from alcohol. A single mother of two raising her boys in Manhattan. Out Loud Recovery isn’t just a blog, but a mission to break the stigma surrounding addiction and recovery. Through sober meet ups, Instagram and podcast appearances Martha shares her story of surviving childhood trauma, sexual assault, and domestic violence to come out the other side sassier and stronger than ever. Being a Sober Mom is among her greatest joys. With an obsession with ice coffee and her favorite artist Prince she breaks the sober stigma by remaining true to herself with the motto “sober not dead”. 

Colleen Perry: is an advocate for children of alcoholics. After losing her Mother to alcoholism in 2015, she has found healing within telling her story.  She founded the online community Impacted by Alcoholism to help others do the same.

Colleen uses her story to raise awareness about alcohol abuse. She started the #Impactedbyalcoholism campaign, and participated in  COA week 2021 with NACOAUK. She tells her story in hopes of breaking the stigma around addiction and bring awareness to how it impacts families.

Katie St. Pierre: Single mom and high school history in San Diego, CA. Katie is loud and proud about being sober. She celebrated 8 years of sobriety on May 28th. Katie believes that it is important for recovering addicts to share their stories with the world, not just to help other addicts get and stay sober, but to help nonaddicts understand the nature of addiction. Sobriety gave her a new life and she believes that is something that should be shared and celebrated.

The Host

Michelle Smith: Michelle is an author, TEDx Speaker, Podcaster, host of Sober Mom Squad, and founder of Recovery is the New Black, a digital community for moms in recovery. As a wife and working mother of two, she fell into the "mommy juice" drinking culture. Michelle found a way out and has been in recovery from alcohol abuse since 2016. As a certified addiction and mental health counselor, she provides services to other moms who are seeking supportive alternatives to a boozy culture that tells us alcohol is an accessory to motherhood. Michelle has 20 years of experience in the field of addiction medicine and behavioral health treatment.

About Soberocity

Founded in 2017, Soberocity’s mission has always been clear: we want to connect people living a sober life with like-minded individuals through online meet-ups, live streams, and more. We want to change the perception of what it means to live a sober life and make it achievable and attainable for everyone suffering, or who has suffered, from addiction. Soberocity also believes in helping our community to stay sober and to pursue a sober life by offering sober resources and a unique opportunity to connect with other sober individuals. For us, sobriety is a spectrum and we fully embrace all looking to join our community, for together we are infinitely strong.

Soberocity is for anyone with an interest in retaining or gaining sobriety worldwide, including:

• People who are sober curious
• Anyone who is new to recovery
• Anyone who has been in recovery for a long time
• Sober companions, sponsors, and counselors looking to learn more about the sober community
• Anyone looking to be surrounded by the sober community and be uplifted by it

Privacy Notice

Please note that this panel discussion may be recorded and shared online after the event. We may also use photos and screenshots from this virtual event to be used both internally and externally for learning, marketing and promotional reasons.

If 'dialing-in' to this event by telephone, your number will be visible on the Soberocity Zoom screen. You can dial '141' before the number you want to call to 'withhold' it.

Any views, information or opinions expressed by third parties during this panel discussion are the speakers’ own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Soberocity or its affiliates.

If you have any questions, please email soberocity@gmail.com.