Virgin Vodka Soda: The QueerRecovery Podcast

Mick Resendez
  • 5.0 (3)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Virgin Vodka Soda is a podcast about queer life after the healing buzzwords wear off. I’m Mick Resendez — gay, sober, and done performing wellness. What started as a show about sobriety has evolved into something deeper: a space for high-functioning, emotionally fluent queer men who still feel stuck, spiraling, or like they’re faking it. Each episode is a raw, unfiltered dive into the messier side of growth — from dating and loneliness to body image, boundaries, and finally learning how to feel instead of just perform. Sometimes it’s storytelling. Sometimes it’s coaching. Always honest. Always human. If you’ve done the work but still don’t feel whole… you’re not broken. You’re just ready for something real.

Episodes

  1. Why Can't We Be Friends? Part One

    08/27/2025

    Why Can't We Be Friends? Part One

    Send a text Platonic friendship isn’t supposed to feel impossible — but for gay men, it often does. In this episode, I dig into the viral Threads post that pulled in over 250,000 views and thousands of comments from men saying the same thing: I want connection, but I don’t know how. We get into the real reasons why: validation chasing, hookup culture, shame, and the conditioning that makes every new interaction feel like it has to be about sex. I talk about what it means to crave friendship but not have the skills to build it, why “low-maintenance” friends aren’t the flex they think they are, and yes, why half my gay friends are hot — and that’s not a problem. This episode is about honesty. About saying the quiet parts out loud. About why so many of us are lonely even when we’re surrounded by people. And it’s about starting the conversation that no one else seems to be having: friendship isn’t hard, it’s unpracticed. 👉 New here? Follow Virgin Vodka Soda on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.  📱 TikTok, Instagram & Threads: @QueerRecovery

    32 min
  2. Stillness Is Scarier Than Chaos

    08/20/2025

    Stillness Is Scarier Than Chaos

    Send a text You’re not too busy. You’re avoiding yourself. In this episode, I unpack the cycle of chasing, crashing, and craving clarity — but never letting yourself sit still long enough to get it. We talk about “someday” reality, healing as performance, and why high-functioning gay men (yes, you) keep filling their calendars instead of facing their truth. We cover: Why silence feels unsafe to your nervous systemHow healing became a brand (and a distraction)What performative vulnerability actually looks likeWhy you keep matching, texting, spiraling, and repeatingAnd what changes when you stop outrunning your lifeThis isn’t about “doing the work.”  This is about being still long enough to let the work matter. 🎧 Listen to Virgin Vodka Soda on Apple + Spotify 💬 Like, follow, subscribe, and comment on TikTok, Instagram, and Threads 📱 @QueerRecovery — for when your healing finally gets honest.

    23 min

  3. 08/13/2025

    I Don’t Want to Go to the Cheesecake Factory

    Send a text Let’s talk about the moments you don’t speak up. Not because you can’t. But because you’ve convinced yourself that being “chill” or “healed” means staying silent. Even when you don’t want to go to Cheesecake Factory. This episode is for the high-functioning gay or queer man who knows their attachment style, knows their triggers, knows their trauma… and is still spiraling over a 30-minute text delay. You’re not crazy. You’re not broken. You’re stuck in performative healing — and no meme account is gonna fix it. In this episode, I break down: Why insight without action keeps you stuckHow “the work” became a performance (and a trap)Why knowing your patterns isn’t the same as interrupting themWhat emotional integration actually looks like in real life (hint: it’s awkward, human, and unfiltered)How to stop spiraling and start living with your whole damn selfIf you’ve ever said, “I’ve done too much work to still feel this f****d up,” this one’s for you.  📱 Follow @QueerRecovery on TikTok, Instagram, and Threads Stop performing. Start living. Even if you still end up at Cheesecake Factory.

    29 min
  4. Pivot! Pivoooot!

    08/06/2025

    Pivot! Pivoooot!

    Send a text We’re back with the second episode of QueerRecovery 2.0 — and this is the one where I finally break down what “emotional integration” really is. This episode is for the high-functioning gay or queer man who’s been in therapy, read all the books, bought the crystals, journaled, meal prepped, and still spirals over texts that go unanswered. You’re not broken. You’re just performing your healing. And you’re exhausted. I talk about: What performative healing looks like (and why it’s so sneaky)How we use therapy and self-help to intellectualize emotions instead of feel themWhy confidence after therapy fades by Friday nightWhy knowing your patterns isn’t the same as changing themAnd how I built QueerRecovery from that exact burnoutWe also get into the trap of chasing external validation, gay gym culture, dating as a people-pleaser, and the difference between having tools and using them. If you feel stuck, spiraling, or like all your growth isn’t translating to how you live — this episode is your mirror. 🎧 Listen now on Apple & Spotify  🗓️ New episodes every Wednesday  📱 Follow @QueerRecovery on TikTok, Instagram, and Threads It’s time to stop performing your healing and start living your life.

    23 min
  5. I Took a Pill in Ibiza

    07/30/2025

    I Took a Pill in Ibiza

    Send a text After a long (and very human) hiatus, I’m back — and this episode is the raw, reflective, real-ass heart of where QueerRecovery started and where it’s going. I take you through the moment that changed everything: officiating a party-heavy wedding in Ibiza just five months sober, and realizing I didn’t need a sponsor, a step, or a sip to stay grounded in who I was becoming. This episode isn’t just about sobriety — it’s about learning to trust yourself even in the loudest rooms. I talk about what it meant to build my own support system, why I stepped away from AA, and how QueerRecovery was born from that sun-drenched, emotional moment across the world. I also open up about the real reason I paused this podcast: because sobriety was just one piece of what I was actually here to do. That’s where QueerRecovery 2.0 comes in — not just about getting sober, but about becoming whole. I share the new direction of this work: coaching high-achieving gay and queer men who have done all the healing, and still feel like something’s missing. You’ll hear me name what “emotional integration” really means, why perfection isn’t the goal, and how we train people to treat us — then get mad when they do. (Yep. We’re going there.) ⚠️ PS: I’m testing out a new editing platform, so you might hear a few minor audio glitches — it’s part of the vibe. Imperfection is authenticity, babe. 👉 Follow & comment on the podcast  📱 TikTok, Instagram & Threads: @QueerRecovery Let’s get out of our heads — and into our lives.

    17 min
  6. AA: Absolut Assholes

    05/07/2025

    AA: Absolut Assholes

    Send a text After a disastrous weekend left me hungover, humiliated, and alone, I turned on the TV and saw the Notre Dame Cathedral burning — and somehow, it felt personal. This episode picks up right where the spiral ended and walks straight into the fire: my first experiences with AA. I talk about the shame, the silence, and why those rooms never felt like mine — even when I was desperate for something to work. I know AA has helped millions, and I honor that. But I also know I’m not the only queer person who walked in needing connection and walked out feeling even more broken. This one’s about gatekeeping, grit, and what happens when you realize your path to sobriety might not follow anyone else’s map.

    21 min
  7. Airplane Chardonnay

    05/07/2025

    Airplane Chardonnay

    Send a text What do you do when you’ve ruined a weekend meant to celebrate someone you love? What happens when the fun runs out, but the feelings don’t? In this episode, Mick shares one of the most personal and pivotal moments in his recovery journey — a blurry, emotional spiral that cracked something wide open. If you've ever mistaken chaos for connection or tried to drink away the discomfort, this one’s going to hit. Hard. This is about memory, meaning, and the moment you ask yourself, “Where do I go from here?” Listen now. Your next chapter might start here.

    14 min
  8. Cocaine & Dog Shit

    04/23/2025

    Cocaine & Dog Shit

    Send a text A car crash. A mugshot. Those can be rock bottom for some — I’ve had both — but that’s not what made me question everything. In this episode, I talk about that moment. The one that stuck. The one that made me go, “Wait… who even am I right now?” It’s not glamorous. It’s not tragic. But it cracked something open. I’m talking gay party culture, denial dressed up as fun, and the quiet little “wtf am I doing” that lingers long after the high wears off. If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and said “I’m fine” when you knew damn well you weren’t — this episode is for you.

    19 min
  9. My Name is Mick, and I am an Alcoholic

    04/22/2025

    My Name is Mick, and I am an Alcoholic

    Send a text Welcome to Virgin Vodka Soda, the QueerRecovery podcast—where we skip the steps, ditch the shame, and keep it real. In this premiere, I unpack my first drink (ft. a hot older guy and a red Solo cup), the chaotic relationship I had with vodka, cocaine, and the club scene, and why AA just didn’t work for me (and maybe doesn’t work for you either). I also drop 5 brutally honest lessons from 6 years sober—including the part no one tells you about missing alcohol, craving peanut butter M&Ms like it’s your job, and realizing some friends were just drinking buddies in disguise. If you’ve ever thought, “Maybe I need a break from drinking... but I don’t see myself in those rooms,” this one’s for you. Sobriety can still be queer, bold, chaotic, emotional, and full of power. Press play and let’s get into it.

    25 min
  • 9 Episodes

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Virgin Vodka Soda is a podcast about queer life after the healing buzzwords wear off. I’m Mick Resendez — gay, sober, and done performing wellness. What started as a show about sobriety has evolved into something deeper: a space for high-functioning, emotionally fluent queer men who still feel stuck, spiraling, or like they’re faking it. Each episode is a raw, unfiltered dive into the messier side of growth — from dating and loneliness to body image, boundaries, and finally learning how to feel instead of just perform. Sometimes it’s storytelling. Sometimes it’s coaching. Always honest. Always human. If you’ve done the work but still don’t feel whole… you’re not broken. You’re just ready for something real.

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