155. Ana Marie Cox. Everybody’s Not OK. Pandemic Drinking. The COVID Mental Health Crisis. Alcoholics Anonymous As a Model for Governing America. The Church of Media Personalities from Rogan to Maddow. Sober Questioning & Self Care. Austin, Texas, USA.

We are all tired as hell right now. After the last few years of….ALL OF IT….we’re all depleted. From the pandemic, to the political drama, to the possible new world war with Ukraine…it never seems to end. And mid-February can be the hardest time of year–even in the best of times. So here we are. The no-shit is that these are definitely not the best of times. Many of us are exhausted, beaten-down, and wounded. None of us is unchanged. And the global post-COVID mental health crisis is just getting started. 2022 may be the year we end the pandemic and start the suffering that follows. From suicide to divorce to bankruptcies to alcoholism, it’s all happening–and getting worse.

We are not OK. But we can be. We can get through it. To better days. To healthier lives. To happier times. But we all need help making that happen. This is a time especially, to look for the helpers.

And Ana Marie Cox (@AnaMarieCox) is one of those helpers that is now rising to meet this moment. She’s been to the dark edge, and is coming back to help others avoid it. After decades as a media innovator and self-described “troublemaker”, the trailblazing Founding Editor of Wonkette, political columnist, and culture critic you may know from cable TV new and places like MTV, Esquire, the Washington Post and her highly successful Crooked Media podcast, Friends Like These, Ana has launched a new life and a new column. It’s focused on sobriety. But also on her Christianity, her experiences, and her unique brand of wisdom.

And she joins our host, Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff), for a very real, very candid, very thoughtful, very useful conversation–about the hard challenges of life in these exceptionally challenging times. They talk about drinking, divorce, the dysfunction of our politics and media, and how to get through it all. And weave into the biggest political issues and challenges along the way. It’s hard to fight when you’re tired. And we’re all tired. But this is an invaluable conversation to help you through it. It’s a life-hack, a dose of reality, and an injection of advice. It’s unlike any other episode of this show before. And it’s one you’ll want to share.

Check out Ana Marie Cox’s work as mentioned/discussed in this episode:

Sober Questioning. Ana’s powerful new column for New York Magazine’s The Cut.

Space The Nation. The science fiction and politics podcast with co-host Dan Drezner.

The Churn: A Podcast About The Expanse. A deep dive into our favorite scifi show (that you heard about on this show in an awesome Episode 114 with Wes Chatham).

And of course check Ana out on Twitter (where she has over 1M followers).

Every episode of Independent Americans hosted delivers light to contrast the heat. It’s independent content for independent Americans. Always with a focus on military affairs, global conflict and national security.

If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, contact the following people who want to help: Crisis Text Line (text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counseling); The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255); and The Trevor Project (1-866-488-7386). You are not alone.

-Get extra content, connect with guests, attend exclusive events, get merch discounts and support this critical show that speaks truth to power by joining us on Patreon. Our dedicated Patreon members get a special extra clip with Ana talking about her favorite drink (non-alcoholic), her first car, her choice in the epic clash of pancakes vs waffles and more.

-Watch the full video of this conversation with Paul and Ana for free here.