How I quit alcohol

In this episode, I chat with Celeste Yvonne, a certified recovery coach and author known for her impactful essays on parenting, mommy wine culture, and sobriety. With over two decades of communication experience, Celeste's work has been featured in renowned publications such as the Washington Post and Good Morning America. As a founding host of the Sober Mom Squad, she advocates for moms facing ad...

In this episode I catch up yet again with my good friend Lyndal Hunt to chat about the 3 stages of relapse. Emotional relapse (disconnection from our community, disconnection from daily practices, shitty thinking). Mental relapse ( starting to bargain with ourselves about moderation). Physical relapse. (The picking up of the drink). These stages are great to become aware of these warning signs so...

In this episode I catch up radio host, Maz Compton. Maz, 8 years sober, has just released a book Last Drinks, she also hosts the podcast Last Drinks and is an awesome advocate for sobriety. While alcohol wasn't having a huge impact on Maz's professional life it was taking it's toll on her energy and she started to question her relationship without alcohol. Once she started to question her relation...

In this midweek episode of the pod, I catch up with Ben Schiller we break down the DSM 5 Criteria for assessing alcohol use disorder and compare it to our relationships with alcohol. A great reminder of how far we have come but also a great diagnostic for anyone wondering if it could be time to take a break. To reach out to Ben go to ben@benschillerpsychology.com.au DSM-5 Criteria for AUD 21 To co...

In this episode I catch up HIQA Grad, Michelle McDonald. Shell and I talk about life for her at the 2 year mark, and that next step from doing sobriety to being sobriety. Michelle went from being a daily drinker, to loving and thriving without booze to now coaching and helping others change their lives without alcohol. To reach out to Shell you can reach her on instagram at @thesoberconnection or...

In this episode I catch up with 29 year old mother of 3, Kacee Toogood. Growing up with family violence and addictions, Kacee has had to deal with trauma from an early age. She used alcohol as a way to deal with the pain from her past and then later on the death of her brother. With support from her husband Joel and lots of therapy Kacee is two years sober and learning new tools to cope with emoti...

In this mid week minisode I catch up with my good friend Lyndal Hunt. Lyndal introduces the concept of the "safety trap", and becoming aware of feeling so good that we start to neglect the ongoing work required to maintain sobriety. She emphasises the importance of vigilance and proactivity, even during the good times, as this is when the risk of relapse can be at its highest. Recovery is an ongoi...

In this episode I catch up with comedian Mandy Nolan to talk about her 12 month of sobriety, we chat about how she is getting the most out of life, as a self professed black out sleeper, selling out shows, running for greens candidate and just smashing it generally. Check out all of Mandy's offerings https://authenticyoumasterclasses.com/book-here Authentic You Masterclass. https://www.starcourtth...

As creator of JJJ"s like a version, Lissie Tuner aka (Mel in the morning) has lived a big trashbaggy life, the partying with celebrities and enjoying the fruits of her own success. With the recent countdown of Like A Version, Lissie has been thrown back into the public spotlight for part in creating such an iconic institution in Australian music industry. Over 10 years sober and 10 years away from...

In this episode I catch up with Kate from New Zealand. Kate was brought up in a strict Christian household, her Dad was the local pastor of their church and as such was a late bloomer with alcohol. Kate found that when she drank at first, she liked the person she became when she was drunk, it made her more outgoing, more confident until it didn't. After weighing up the pros and cons Kate realised...

In this episode I catch up with one of the HIQA grads Naomi from NSW, Naomi suffered huge blackouts and would go to huge lengths to try to jog her memory from the night before. We chat about the dreaded drunk dialling episodes. After her separation and other events, Naomi's inner critic was so strong that the thought of time on her own would cause her to drink excessively. We also chat about navig...

Back to the podcast, Ash Grunwald (my lovely hubby) and I give a recap on our trip around Australia and navigating campsites, campfires and new people on our trip around Australia without alcohol. We also chat about the next steps in sobriety, what to do when you start to get a little complacent and turning you struggles into a challenge. The book I mentioned is The Dreaming Path by Paul Callaghan...

In this episode I chat with Greg from the Sunny Coast in Australia. Greg was an almost every day drinker, the life of the party and probably the drunkest guy at the party. We talked about his relationship with alcohol and how at 54 years of age he decided it was time to change. That change has had a huge impact on physical health, his relationship with his wife, his daughter and eve...

Jade practices and instructs yoga, is an author, passionate about mindfulness, sustained mental health, and employee well-being. She was a self-confessed “piss-head” (Australian slang for heavy partier) and was convinced that she could be an “alcoholic yogi” for many years until she began her ethanol-free journey 4 years ago and developed the foundations that enabled her to start stringing togethe...

Once again, I catch up with incredible Dr Luke Sniewski in this episode we chat about the freedom and life changing power of radical self acceptance. We chat about the importance of honest and acceptance playing a key role in addiction recovery. How a practice of stillness can transform us, and how stillness and self acceptance go hand in hand. How feeling into your body and tracking your feelings...

In this episode I catch up with New Zealand based musician Sam Cooper. Sam is 28 years old and at the time of recording has been 17 months sober. Sam, a shy kid by nature found that drinking first gave him confidence to talk to girls and to clown around. When some of his wild and uncharacteristic behaviours were caught on camera and posted on the internet, Sam started to gain popularity and a new...

In this episode I catch up with Casey Davidson a life and sober coach and host of the Hello Someday Podcast who runs programs from Seattle in Washington, USA. We chat about her journey with alcohol and how she worked hard from the start to hide her drinking from her husband and family, how alcohol held her back and how she not only found her own freedom, but now helps hundreds of women find theirs...

In this episode I catch up with HIQA Grad, Kate Morrison. We chat about her life in sobriety in the corporate world and how she navigates sobriety in her corporate job, our general disconnection from ourselves and our bodies. How difficult it can be to share with our co-workers that we are sober and maintaining your sobriety while trying to form connections in the corporate world. Andrew Huberman...

In this episode I catch up with my good friend and clinical psychology registrar Ben Schiller. Ben and I talk more about his own recovery journey and the amazing changes in his life that have presented due to his journey in sobriety. Ben has just completed his masters in psychology and is now stepping back into private practice with a focus on Schema Therapy.  Ben hel...

In this episode I catch up with one of the HIQA Grads from Ireland, Aine Aventin. We chat about her own journey with alcohol, sobriety and extending her learning to a modality that is very close to my heart, Family Constellation Therapy. Family Constellation is a method that is designed to help reveal the hidden family dynamics which may go back generations. Using techniques from her own studies a...

In this episode I catch up with country music singer Meg Doherty we chat about the lies some of us tell ourselves and others when our drinking has got out of control and the shame that surrounds that. At the peak of Meg's drinking she was drinking daily a bottle of vodka and a bottle of wine. The shame and guilt she was feeling from the amount she was consuming created secrecy and then lying becam...

In this episode I catch up with comedian Mandy Nolan to check in with her on her progress on her 12 month sober challenge. At the time of recording Mandy was 9 months sober and really starting to see the benefits of her time without alcohol. Mandy has noticed how she actually loves her own company, how she is more open to reaching out to people, feeling more engaged with people around her and more...

In this episode I chat with incredible Psychotherapist and mind-body eating coach, Nicki Lucas. We chat about the importance of listening to the messages the body is sending us. Staying in your window of tolerance for good decision making. How mindful awareness helps to ground us and bring us out of the mind chatter. Self resourcing and finding ways we can calm our own nervous systems. Taking the...

In this episode I catch up with Adelaide artist Lissy Elliott. Lissie's relationship with alcohol began impacting her relationship with her wife after continual alcohol fuelled arguments. Eventually after one huge fight, Lissy realised the damage that alcohol was causing and decided to take a break which has proven to be a complete game changer. We chat about the joy of not waking up with burning...

In this episode I catch up with Emma Gilmour. Emma is a qualified counsellor, psychotherapist, This Naked Mind and Gray Area Drinking Coach, living in Melbourne, Australia. Emma worked for 20+ years in corporate marketing. A working mum fuelled by adrenalin, coffee and booze, she looked like she had it all. But on the inside, she was running on empty. As she reached her mid-forties alcohol started...