Alcohol, Colonization, and 30 Years Sober

Deb Haaland shares how sobriety, generational trauma, and survival shaped her life and leadership. In this Soberness episode, she speaks candidly about alcoholism, Native American boarding schools, and 30 years of sobriety.

This is not a political interview. It’s a conversation about how trauma gets passed down, how alcohol was weaponized against Native communities, and what it takes to choose sobriety when numbing feels easier. Deb Haaland reflects on family, public service, recovery, and the responsibility she carries to honor those who came before her.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• HOW GENERATIONAL TRAUMA LED TO DRINKING

• THE TRUTH ABOUT BOARDING SCHOOLS AND STOLEN CHILDREN

• WHAT 30 YEARS OF SOBRIETY ACTUALLY TAKES

• THE MOMENT SHE WAS TOLD, “YOU’RE AN ALCOHOLIC”

• WHY PUBLIC SERVICE BECAME HER SOBER PURPOSE

CHAPTER MARKERS

00:00 — ALCOHOL USED AS A WEAPON

01:58 — 30 YEARS SOBER, EVERY DAY GRATEFUL 0

2:43 — WALKING DOWN A MOUNTAIN WITH A BROKEN LEG

03:56 — WHAT POVERTY LOOKED LIKE IN LAGUNA

06:25 — WHAT MY GRANDPARENTS TAUGHT ME ABOUT LAND

07:49 — BEING THE ONLY NATIVE KID IN CLASS

08:14 — WHY REPRESENTATION MATTERS

10:46 — WHEN I FIRST STARTED DRINKING

11:43 — DISCOVERING GENERATIONAL TRAUMA

13:04 — THE BOARDING SCHOOLS AND STOLEN CHILDREN

15:06 — HOW THE GOVERNMENT USED ALCOHOL AGAINST US

19:03 — THE MOMENT SOMEONE CALLED ME AN ALCOHOLIC

20:31 — TREATMENT, AA, AND LEARNING TO ACCEPT HELP

22:08 — LOSING FRIENDS AND BUILDING A NEW LIFE SOBER

23:24 — WHY PUBLIC SERVICE IS MY SOBER WORK

27:16 — “THEY SAID I’D NEVER WIN” 30:18 — COURAGE IN A BROKEN SYSTEM

35:07 — CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE FEAR THAT DRIVES ME