The Alcohol ReThink Podcast with Patrick Fox

In episode 178 of The Alcohol ReThink Podcast, Patrick and Kathryn discuss the challenges of over-drinking and overeating during the festive season. They explore the common mindset of indulgence in December, the false promise of January as a fresh start, and the importance of feeling in control. They emphasise the need to redefine celebration, cope with holiday pressures, and create new rituals th...

Have you ever eaten something that tasted so bad that it put you off having it again for life? Were you so disgusted by that experience that you swore never to do it again? This is the power of disgust. In episode 177 of the Alcohol Rethink Podcast, Patrick explores the concept of how you can rethink alcohol by going from addiction to disgust. You'll hear about the psychological principles of...

Do you hear the phrase 'doing the work' and wonder what on earth it actually means? You're not the only one. On this week's episode of The Alcohol ReThink Podcast, Patrick is answering a question recently asked to him about doing the work. Through various analogies, Patrick illustrates the journey of decluttering one's mind and emotions, challenging societal myths about alcohol, and fostering self...

'I looked at my wedding photos and I just didn't remember any of it' On episode 175 of The Alcohol Rethink Podcast, host Patrick Fox speaks with Daniel Wynn, a long time listener of the podcast and a man who knew he had to stop drinking. After many failed attempts at stopping Daniel nearly lost it all, family, career and health. Realising something had to change, it was time for drinking to make w...

What was the function of your addiction? What was it doing for you? Patrick delivers a set of powerful questions during a special guest panel on this week's episode of The Alcohol Rethink Podcast. Get ready to hear some personal stories of addiction and recovery in this week's episode. Each courageous guest opens up about their experiences with different substances, the struggles they faced, and t...

In episode 174 of the Alcohol Rethink Podcast , Patrick Fox sits down with Russell Kramer, the author of Hocus Focus , for a heartfelt chat about his experiences with ADD and addiction. Russell opens up about his journey with ADD medication, the difficult process of coming off it, and the alternatives he’s found to cope and thrive without it. They dive into the highs and lows of living with ADD, h...

"I saw booze as the excuse, not the issue" On episode 172 of The Alcohol ReThink Podcast, Patrick was joined by a fellow men's life & sober coach, Paul Fitzgerald. Paul had used alcohol as a coping mechanism for the majority of his adult life. Toward the end of his drinking had begun to experience suicidal thoughts, and while not acting on them he remembers driving fast down the motorway not g...

In this episode of the Alcohol Rethink Podcast, host Patrick Fox has a deep and enlightening conversation about addiction and how we approach it with Maia Szalavitz, a New York Times best-selling author and renowned neuroscience journalist. They explore the complexities of addiction, discussing its definition, the distinction between compulsion and physical dependence, and the role of developmenta...

Have you ever found yourself contemplating the question 'who am I without alcohol in my life?' and not having an answer... You're not alone. Considering a life without drinking can feel daunting if not near impossible. Especially if you've spent a lifetime associating alcohol with pretty much everything you do. On the surface it makes sense, you've taught your brain that alcohol is part of who you...

Have you ever noticed how one small decision can either make your day better or completely unravel it? Maybe you reach for a drink after a tough day or push through and go for a walk instead. What if I told you those moments of choice are part of something much bigger—what we call a virtuous or vicious cycle ? In today’s episode of Alcohol Rethink , we’re diving into these cycles, exploring how yo...

What do you do when you feel disappointed? Do you acknowledge that you didn't achieve what you set out to and that's ok OR do you beat the crap out of yourself instead? Unfortunately for many, it's the latter and it sucks. In episode 168 of The Alcohol Rethink Podcast, host Patrick Fox discusses the importance of understanding and dealing with disappointment, especially when it comes t...

Are you afraid that being compassionate means excusing your drinking habits? Or that if you're compassionate with yourself you'll keep justifying your reasons to drink? Compassion is not the same as justifying or excusing your behaviour. In fact, it's the opposite. In episode 167 of The Alcohol ReThink podcast, Patrick gets stuck into the difference between compassion and excuses. He s...

In this episode of the Alcohol Rethink podcast, host Patrick Fox discusses the importance of understanding your relationship with alcohol and the emotional mechanisms behind it. He introduces the concept of the 'window of tolerance' and how it relates to coping mechanisms, particularly for men. The conversation explores the differences between hyper-arousal and hypo-arousal, societal influ...

What if the real fear of giving up alcohol isn’t about the drink itself, but about what you think you’ll lose? In this episode, Patrick Fox tackles the deeper fears men face when rethinking their relationship with alcohol, offering bold strategies to make the journey easier. He breaks down the fear of missing out (FOMO), showing how it’s really tied to feelings of loss and grief, not the act of dr...

Do you find that people like to chip in with their opinion about your decision to stop drinking? Do you find it annoying or perhaps draining? On this week's episode of The Alcohol ReThink podcast, Patrick Fox discusses the reasons why men decide to stop drinking and the pushback they often receive from others. He shares some of the stupid/unhelpful comments people make when someone stops drink...

You've quit your addiction, now what? Life after alcohol, drugs or any other addiction can feel a little different. A huge part of letting these things go from your life is about creating a new life without them and giving your mind and body a chance to recover. In episode 163 of the Alcohol Rethink Podcast, host Patrick Fox interviews Bash from Rebourne Recovery. Bash has been around addictio...

When you're not getting a buzz from drinking or you've not got that quick escape route from how you're thinking and feeling, life can feel that little bit more uncomfortable or perhaps even boring... The way the mind compares drinking to not drinking isn't a fair comparison though. It's distorted at best and requires some time and patience to re-adjust. On this week's episo...

Are you getting enough sleep? Would you like to get more? We are meant to sleep for a 1/3 of our lives. That's a pretty significant number. Sleep is essential for many different reasons including our overall health and wellbeing. Yet many of us are not prioritising sleep or struggling to get decent sleep. Or worse still, think alcohol is helping with it. In this week's episode of The Alcoh...

What would you do with more clarity in your life? One of the many awesome benefits of rethinking alcohol is the sense of clarity that you start bringing back into you life. Clarity to think Clarity to feel Clarity to act It's not uncommon that a new found sense of clarity (because the fog of drinking has been lifted) leads to new opportunities. Whether that's in relationships, career, heal...

What are you focused on when you go out socialising when not drinking? How good it could be? How how bad it will be? In this weeks episode of The Alcohol ReThink podcast, Patrick discusses the challenges of socialising without alcohol and provides some tools to help shift your focus from negative outcomes to positive opportunities and experiences. Be prepared to hear about the importance of settin...

As we get older we get wiser, so the saying goes. This year Patrick is turning 40 and is recognising his brain have lots of thoughts about what that might mean. With that in mind, he invited a previous guest and expert in men's health for guys over 40 to discuss how men can take better care of themselves as they age graciously (or not), it's none other than Craig Spear of The Spear Method....

In episode 157 of The Alcohol ReThink podcast, Patrick explores the stigmas and shame associated with rethinking alcohol and how they can impact men's mental health. He discusses common stigmas such as perceived weakness, social rejection, and the reflection of masculinity. Patrick talks about the importance of understanding that alcohol is an addictive drug and that addiction is not a reflect...

Do you know how much alcohol is costing you? How is it impacting your waistline, your wallet and your wellbeing? In this weeks episode of The Alcohol ReThink podcast, Patrick introduces the concept of an alcohol audit, which is a tool to create awareness about how alcohol impacts various aspects of life. He explains different ways to perform an alcohol audit, such as tracking consumption, calculat...

In this episode, Patrick discusses six thoughts that can fool you into drinking alcohol. He explores why these thoughts are persuasive and offers alternative thoughts to counteract them. Patrick emphasises the importance of becoming aware of these thoughts, challenging them, and making more informed choices. He also encourages progress, not perfection, in rethinking alcohol. Awesome resources to h...

In this episode, Patrick reflects on the success of the alcohol rethink podcast and the impact it has had on listeners. He shares his journey of overcoming his own drinking problem and how it led him to become a father who is present and available for his children. Patrick discusses the influence of his own upbringing and the patterns of addiction that he observed in his family. He also explores t...