The Sober Docs Podcast

Join Dr. Kali Theis, a Board Certified Pediatrician and a recovering alcoholic as she delves into the world of addiction and mental health in healthcare.  She’ll share her personal journey with alcoholism and recovery with honest stories, expert guests, and additional resources.

Whether you're a healthcare provider struggling with addiction or just interested in learning more, all are welcome here on The Sober Doc. 

Ellie McBride Ellie McBride

9. Alcoholism Defined: How to know if you have a drinking problem

On this episode of The Sober Doc Podcast, your host Dr Kali Theis explores the traditional and medical definitions of alcoholism and how to know if you have a problem. She shares how these definitions relate to her ultimate decision to quit and how they make apply to you more than you think.

Read More
Ellie McBride Ellie McBride

8. Friendship Foes: Friendship challenges during alcoholism and recovery

On this episode of The Sober Doc Podcast, your host Dr Kali Theis shares some of the challenges faced by many women in healthcare with finding and maintaining true, authentic friendships and how this can lead to addiction and how research has shown you can use true connection to battle against isolation and alcoholism.

Read More
Ellie McBride Ellie McBride

7. Finding Faith

On this episode of The Sober Doc Podcast I discuss the journey I've had with my faith throughout the years and how sobriety has led my back to the church. Because if there's one thing I've learned from my medical training, it's that you can't have miracles without a little faith.

Read More
Ellie McBride Ellie McBride

6. Bottle Down to a Boring Life

On this episode of The Sober Doc Podcast, I share a little about my life once I walked away from alcohol, for good. Requiring medical treatment to detox and finding a version of myself that needed to learn to listen to my body in order to avoid cravings. Listen to find how I resisted boredom and continue to find joy in both the old and new things.

Read More
Ellie McBride Ellie McBride

5. Relapses Before Recovery

On this episode of The Sober Doc Podcast, I walk through the mental gymnastics of admitting both out loud and to myself that I had a problem with alcoholism and desperately trying to find ways to get sober. The path to sobriety is not an easy one when the common support systems such as Alcoholics Anonymous are not a viable option. With multiple attempts at moderation and sobriety, I found myself in many relapses before finally letting go of the chains of alcohol.

Read More
Ellie McBride Ellie McBride

4. Arrival Fallacy of Attending Life

On this episode of The Sober Doc Podcast, I explore life after training. I walk through the process of studying, taking and failing my specialty boards, all while  battling alcohol addiction. And when all of the testing and training is finally complete, I find myself hit with the arrival fallacy that life would be better once I had finally made it.

Read More
Ellie McBride Ellie McBride

3. Residency Reflections

On this episode of The Sober Doc Podcast, I explore my time during training as a resident physician. I walk through just a few of the challenges faced by trainees including long call shifts, exhausting work weeks, expected resiliency after difficult cases and the stigma surrounding asking for help. Ending my time in a global pandemic, these years were washed over in alcohol.

Read More
Ellie McBride Ellie McBride

2. Medical School Musings

On this episode of The Sober Doc Podcast, I dive into my years during medical school. I share some of my deepest moments, including living alone, patient death, and not matching into residency. It's no wonder this time was tied so closely to my worsening mental health and the initiation of drinking alcohol.

Read More
Ellie McBride Ellie McBride

1. Intro to The Sober Docs podcast

Welcome to the very first episode of The Sober Doc podcast where I dive into the importance behind starting this podcast, and why it seems so much to me.

Read More