Amanda is a co-founder of Bravo and Cocktails and co-hosts the Cocktails and Gossip podcast with B, the Prosecco Princess. With a long career in marketing and advertising — and an even longer one as a reality TV fan — Amanda has been hooked since the genre began with The Real World. She grew up devouring blogs like The Awful Truth on E! and Perez Hilton, and treating herself to People and Us Weekly at the checkout line. These days, you can find her cheering on her kids from the sidelines, traveling, checking out new restaurants, and of course, watching TV with her husband. Amanda is also the person behind the scenes at Cocktail Party — if you have questions about the site or your membership, feel free to send her a note at amanda@bravoandcocktails.com.
Carl? James?Kathryn? Braunwyn? Too many to choose from
Kim Lo
on 05/10/2022 at 4:50 am
Psychedelics are linked to a lot of trauma treatment these days, with vastly documented benefits. And weed also isn’t shunned anymore in a sobriety community. It can play a role in maintaining sobriety and mental wellness during recovery from a lot of more detrimental substances. What century are you from? Asking for a friend.
Dr. Bob
on 05/10/2022 at 8:31 am
So why doesn’t he talk about it then?
Annoyed
on 05/10/2022 at 9:44 am
Look up the chart of self-harm for alcohol vs. other substances. Weed is about halfway down the list of harm to self and users. Psychedelics are last. Alcohol is NUMBER ONE in harm to self and others. Please educate yourselves before acting Iike a damn fool with this garbage.
Kim Lo
on 05/10/2022 at 10:45 pm
I am educated. I’ve worked with addiction directly and indirectly for many years. Either dealing with the OD, or on mental em health wards, or medical units managing medical fall out from long term use. I’ve done the courses, read the texts, sat in on the information sessions. I also work within a health team that provides care directly to the community in my very small town that is being swallowed up with meth and opiate use. Overdoses are becoming rampant with fentanyl.
I also have spent majority of my life dealing with addiction in some facet. Family. Friends. My dad is an alcoholic and drug addict. My brother is a drug addict. My sister is a drug addict. Numerous aunts/uncles/cousins addicted to one or both. Numerous friends addicted to one or both. We have buried our share of loved ones. I agree that Some will need traditional ideas of sobriety where they shouldn’t use at all and that be embedded in their treatment. Some likely wouldn’t succeed with that approach to treatment at all. So do we do nothing bc they haven’t achieved your expectation of sober?
I also grappled with alcohol myself. Binge drinking inappropriately, mental wellness in the shitter following, depression etc. I was fortunate to be able to recognize my issues, hardline my limits, take the time I needed, and I can now handle one drink occasionally without descending into madness. I haven’t been intoxicated in probably 3 years.
So, yes, education is there. So please don’t assume education and experience before acting like a damn fool. Your little chart doesn’t really mean shit to me.
Also, I agree Dave. Maybe he should talk about it. I’m sure there’s some compelling insight to gain from it.
Sorry!
on 05/11/2022 at 6:44 am
My comment was in support of weed and psychedelics as opposed to alcohol. I did not mean to negatively reply to your comment. I agree with you Kim!
Kim Lo
on 05/11/2022 at 10:32 am
Ahh I catch ya! I got defensive there didn’t I? Thank you for clarifying.
I don’t know what “sober community” you’re part of, but if you use marijuana you are in fact not sober. Same thing with psychedelics (and yes, I am familiar with them being used for trauma and I’m not refuting it’s benefits.) you can use them for that but if you do, you are not sober. I own a sober living and we do not let our clients use marijuana. And that applies to every other sober living provider I know in LA.
Bill W said
on 05/10/2022 at 2:15 pm
Clean and sober is clean and sober, the end. That means no drugs or alcohol, including weed and psychedelics. Having said that many people who have dealt with substance abuse still continue to drink or smoke, they just don’t do what causes addiction. That is frowned upon in traditional programs but it happens all the time.
Kim Lo
on 05/10/2022 at 5:26 pm
Not in the literal sense would he then be “sober”, I suppose. But the absolute discount of it being a means of therapy, and protracted like the person isn’t working on themselves, isn’t fair either. AA or other very hardline methods of treatment obviously doesn’t work for everyone. I’ve buried enough friends and family to acknowledge that.
My cousin, who has failed rehabilitation efforts more times than we can count, was able to come off long standing addiction to meth and opiates with the aid of Ayahuasca and mushrooms in conjunction with therapy of marijuana. He doesn’t use them at all anymore.
I work indirectly with teams that work in self harm reduction programming directly in my community, and follow a lot more radical based intervention strategies in areas like Vancouver.
Cali sober style
on 05/10/2022 at 5:01 am
California sober lol
Nancy
on 05/10/2022 at 5:36 am
Yes. No one is dying from weed and psychedelics might be helping someone heal their mind. Let’s leave people alone with their sobriety. People who are just trying to stay alive.
Go to the Betty
on 05/10/2022 at 2:17 pm
Unfortunately leaving people to their sobriety is what often kills them. It’s a fine line.
Truth
on 05/11/2022 at 6:34 am
Nobody is dying from weed or mushrooms. People are dying from alcohol tho.
Demi Lovato
on 05/10/2022 at 5:36 am
Carl….
But sober is his only storyline, so insert Lindsey…
Nancy
on 05/10/2022 at 5:48 am
Being sober on reality tv might just save someone’s life so I wouldn’t diminish that storyline. Better than laying in a filthy bed and smelly room all day.
Anna
on 05/10/2022 at 6:00 am
I agree with this completely. The entire cast seemed annoyed at their PR status.
Rachel
on 05/10/2022 at 5:42 am
I’m guessing Lauren from Utah…
Titsmcgee
on 05/10/2022 at 7:33 am
How about instead of knocking someone’s sobriety journey we start celebrating it?!?! More people have died this year from ODs than ever before. Just last year over 100,000 died just from opiate ODs…
Really puts things into perspective when someone close to you loses their life to this.
Amanda
on 05/10/2022 at 8:07 am
Amen ?
Heather
on 05/10/2022 at 7:45 am
James Kennedy
Jackie
on 05/10/2022 at 8:22 am
It’s the holier than thou attitude. If booze was the issue then def kudos to you for cutting that out, But grandstanding on sobriety as a major storyline is BS if you still use substances that make you high. I can think of at least 3 Bravo stars who do this.
CC
on 05/10/2022 at 9:23 am
Sounds like California sober. I haven’t drank in a years, but still claim “sober”.. It’s easier than explaining I still use weed/shrooms but can’t do alcohol. The things shrooms can help with shouldn’t be overlooked!
Bravo Bravo Effing Bravo
on 05/10/2022 at 10:09 am
This post is far too vague to make a guess. Could be so many.
Bravo Stan
on 05/10/2022 at 12:47 pm
Hi Paige (OP) (Jackie) (Demi Levato)
Hi Carl
Hi Hubbs (titsmcgee)
More life
on 05/10/2022 at 1:36 pm
So he’s sober from alcohol. He had a problem with alcohol. He lost his brother from alcohol. The reason why he probably doesn’t talk about it is because of these comments and how there’s such a stigma attached to it.
Kim Lo
on 05/10/2022 at 7:42 pm
^This right here is the truth. Easy for people free from personal addiction to pass judgement, and to enforce old method thinking.
Rooting for Radke
on 05/10/2022 at 7:53 pm
I don’t know if this post refers to Carl or not, but Carl’s brother died from a drug overdose. He also suffered from mental health struggles. All according to published accounts after his death.
Pepsi
on 05/10/2022 at 8:39 pm
And coke. He mentioned coke this year.
Nunya
on 05/10/2022 at 9:39 pm
Does it matter how someone’s is recovering from alcoholism this is fucking rude/hateful and feels like we know who it’s coming from
Kim Lo
on 05/11/2022 at 5:40 am
Yup. I have some guesses. I have two. Two guesses. And they’re dating.
Random Thoughts
on 05/11/2022 at 2:44 am
Had this convo with someone in AA recently.. think it comes down to personal views (and whatever helps them lead a healthier life so be it I guess) but “sober” and “clean” are totally different. Sober relates to alcohol, clean to drugs.. both are even defined this way in the dictionary. We do seem to use the term sober to mean everything, so it gets tricky..
Bravo
on 02/14/2023 at 4:06 am
This is def about James Kennedy though from the pod, not Carl
Carl.
Carl? James?Kathryn? Braunwyn? Too many to choose from
Psychedelics are linked to a lot of trauma treatment these days, with vastly documented benefits. And weed also isn’t shunned anymore in a sobriety community. It can play a role in maintaining sobriety and mental wellness during recovery from a lot of more detrimental substances. What century are you from? Asking for a friend.
So why doesn’t he talk about it then?
Look up the chart of self-harm for alcohol vs. other substances. Weed is about halfway down the list of harm to self and users. Psychedelics are last. Alcohol is NUMBER ONE in harm to self and others. Please educate yourselves before acting Iike a damn fool with this garbage.
I am educated. I’ve worked with addiction directly and indirectly for many years. Either dealing with the OD, or on mental em health wards, or medical units managing medical fall out from long term use. I’ve done the courses, read the texts, sat in on the information sessions. I also work within a health team that provides care directly to the community in my very small town that is being swallowed up with meth and opiate use. Overdoses are becoming rampant with fentanyl.
I also have spent majority of my life dealing with addiction in some facet. Family. Friends. My dad is an alcoholic and drug addict. My brother is a drug addict. My sister is a drug addict. Numerous aunts/uncles/cousins addicted to one or both. Numerous friends addicted to one or both. We have buried our share of loved ones. I agree that Some will need traditional ideas of sobriety where they shouldn’t use at all and that be embedded in their treatment. Some likely wouldn’t succeed with that approach to treatment at all. So do we do nothing bc they haven’t achieved your expectation of sober?
I also grappled with alcohol myself. Binge drinking inappropriately, mental wellness in the shitter following, depression etc. I was fortunate to be able to recognize my issues, hardline my limits, take the time I needed, and I can now handle one drink occasionally without descending into madness. I haven’t been intoxicated in probably 3 years.
So, yes, education is there. So please don’t assume education and experience before acting like a damn fool. Your little chart doesn’t really mean shit to me.
Also, I agree Dave. Maybe he should talk about it. I’m sure there’s some compelling insight to gain from it.
My comment was in support of weed and psychedelics as opposed to alcohol. I did not mean to negatively reply to your comment. I agree with you Kim!
Ahh I catch ya! I got defensive there didn’t I? Thank you for clarifying.
I don’t know what “sober community” you’re part of, but if you use marijuana you are in fact not sober. Same thing with psychedelics (and yes, I am familiar with them being used for trauma and I’m not refuting it’s benefits.) you can use them for that but if you do, you are not sober. I own a sober living and we do not let our clients use marijuana. And that applies to every other sober living provider I know in LA.
Clean and sober is clean and sober, the end. That means no drugs or alcohol, including weed and psychedelics. Having said that many people who have dealt with substance abuse still continue to drink or smoke, they just don’t do what causes addiction. That is frowned upon in traditional programs but it happens all the time.
Not in the literal sense would he then be “sober”, I suppose. But the absolute discount of it being a means of therapy, and protracted like the person isn’t working on themselves, isn’t fair either. AA or other very hardline methods of treatment obviously doesn’t work for everyone. I’ve buried enough friends and family to acknowledge that.
My cousin, who has failed rehabilitation efforts more times than we can count, was able to come off long standing addiction to meth and opiates with the aid of Ayahuasca and mushrooms in conjunction with therapy of marijuana. He doesn’t use them at all anymore.
I work indirectly with teams that work in self harm reduction programming directly in my community, and follow a lot more radical based intervention strategies in areas like Vancouver.
California sober lol
Yes. No one is dying from weed and psychedelics might be helping someone heal their mind. Let’s leave people alone with their sobriety. People who are just trying to stay alive.
Unfortunately leaving people to their sobriety is what often kills them. It’s a fine line.
Nobody is dying from weed or mushrooms. People are dying from alcohol tho.
Carl….
But sober is his only storyline, so insert Lindsey…
Being sober on reality tv might just save someone’s life so I wouldn’t diminish that storyline. Better than laying in a filthy bed and smelly room all day.
I agree with this completely. The entire cast seemed annoyed at their PR status.
I’m guessing Lauren from Utah…
How about instead of knocking someone’s sobriety journey we start celebrating it?!?! More people have died this year from ODs than ever before. Just last year over 100,000 died just from opiate ODs…
Really puts things into perspective when someone close to you loses their life to this.
Amen ?
James Kennedy
It’s the holier than thou attitude. If booze was the issue then def kudos to you for cutting that out, But grandstanding on sobriety as a major storyline is BS if you still use substances that make you high. I can think of at least 3 Bravo stars who do this.
Sounds like California sober. I haven’t drank in a years, but still claim “sober”.. It’s easier than explaining I still use weed/shrooms but can’t do alcohol. The things shrooms can help with shouldn’t be overlooked!
This post is far too vague to make a guess. Could be so many.
Hi Paige (OP) (Jackie) (Demi Levato)
Hi Carl
Hi Hubbs (titsmcgee)
So he’s sober from alcohol. He had a problem with alcohol. He lost his brother from alcohol. The reason why he probably doesn’t talk about it is because of these comments and how there’s such a stigma attached to it.
^This right here is the truth. Easy for people free from personal addiction to pass judgement, and to enforce old method thinking.
I don’t know if this post refers to Carl or not, but Carl’s brother died from a drug overdose. He also suffered from mental health struggles. All according to published accounts after his death.
And coke. He mentioned coke this year.
Does it matter how someone’s is recovering from alcoholism this is fucking rude/hateful and feels like we know who it’s coming from
Yup. I have some guesses. I have two. Two guesses. And they’re dating.
Had this convo with someone in AA recently.. think it comes down to personal views (and whatever helps them lead a healthier life so be it I guess) but “sober” and “clean” are totally different. Sober relates to alcohol, clean to drugs.. both are even defined this way in the dictionary. We do seem to use the term sober to mean everything, so it gets tricky..
This is def about James Kennedy though from the pod, not Carl