This Naked Mind Podcast

Can someone really quit drinking cold turkey? Just stop and not start again? Is it possible? Is it safe? First and foremost, if you are at all concerned that you might suffer withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking, talk to a doctor first. In this episode, Annie Grace describes who falls into the group of people most likely to need medical assistance detoxing from alcohol, and she explains what...

Matt is a married father of four whose passion for living alcohol free is truly contagious. He fully owns and transparently and shamelessly shares all aspects of his journey, including the work he has done and continues to do to repair his relationships with his wife and children. Today, Matt and Annie talk about how Matt stopped drinking, why he proudly uses the label alcoholic when referring to...

Two Annies today! Annie Grace talks with Annie who marked her one year This Naked Mind anniversary the week this episode was recorded. Looking back, Annie sees clearly a time when drinking occupied very little space in her head. But in the 15 plus years since becoming a mother, her relationship with alcohol changed dramatically. She found herself working very hard to make sure there was room for d...

Today, a reader writes in to say they have been alcohol free for six months and are feeling tempted to have a drink - although they cannot deny how amazing they feel as a result of sleeping better and a clear mind and love how they look and feel, they don’t want to give up alcohol forever. Is moderation possible? What are the rules? Annie Grace shares her thoughts.  Hi, it's Annie Grace. I wanted...

On this month’s coaching episode, This Naked Mind Head Coach Scott Pinyard welcomes This Naked Mind Senior Coach Teri Patterson as his guest co-host. After a brief discussion about the absence of alcohol from wellness conversations and the focus of Teri’s work, they answer four great questions: What are your top tips to prepare for the first 30 days alcohol free? When I am home I am completely com...

Today’s question comes from a mom of a kindergartener who has been alcohol-free for more than five months, has no desire to drink, but is concerned about fitting in with mom friends who drink and making sure her sobriety doesn’t affect her daughter’s social life. Annie Grace shares her thoughts about what it is that truly makes those situations weird and awkward, as well as how to become the most...

Growing up in New Zealand, Lisa was one of five children. She remembers being aware her mother had a problem with alcohol but didn’t notice alcohol in their daily lives. At university, nicotine became Lisa’s go-to stress reliever. Alcohol crept in later, very slowly for a long time, and then ramped up after Lisa’s second child was stillborn and she blamed herself for the death. Drinking felt like...

How much brainpower does it take to make a decision? Have you ever experienced decision-making fatigue? How can deciding not to drink silence, relax, and pause all the noise in your brain? On today’s episode, Annie Grace explains the power of just one decision. Did you miss This Naked Mind Live? Do you maybe have a little bit of FOMO? Don't worry. I've got you covered. In fact, I had the entire ev...

Born and raised in Switzerland, Barbara is a married mom of an adult daughter. Her first exposure to alcohol was when she was 17 years old, working in Italy as an au pair. She didn’t like how tired it made her. She got into climbing and loved the natural high - drinking beer and wine after climbs was part of the culture but wasn’t something Barbara enjoyed. After marriage and childbirth, though, s...

A reader writes: “How can I remain alcohol-free when my spouse tries to sabotage my efforts? He buys me drinks when we eat out and buys my favorite liquor and has it waiting for me when I get home. I haven't had a drink yet, but I feel like I have to choose between my health or my relationship.” Is it intentional sabotage or there something else underneath this behavior? How can you better underst...

Mandy and Kate are British mums whose journeys to change their drinking brought them together in an online sober community. After several starts and stops, they each found freedom from alcohol after reading This Naked Mind. The two became fast friends and have now co-authored a book and work together to help other women stop drinking. Today, they share their stories with Annie - from ditching perf...

Why do we think it’s alcohol that makes things fun? When we look back on our lives, most of us can remember times when we had fun without drinking. So, why do we believe we will be miserable when we remove alcohol? How can we change the way we feel? Annie Grace explains. I'm so excited you guys, because we are just about to start another live alcohol experiment. If you do not know about the alcoho...

Today, This Naked Mind head coach Scott Pinyard welcomes Certified Naked Mind senior coach Robbie Saner Sullivan as his guest co-host. Robbie is a mom of three, and a former wine drinker and news junkie who has learned to put herself first and give back in meaningful ways that don’t deplete her. She and Scott team up to offer some coaching around three questions: All my friends drink. Everything w...

Today’s question is one Annie Grace hears a lot. A reader writes that they are drinking again and can’t seem to stop. Quitting the first time was easy and they thought they could have one or two and now they’re stuck drinking again. How can this process be worth it if you feel like you keep failing at it? Why continue down this road if all you do is keep hitting bumps? Start by remembering the jou...

Growing up in the UK and Africa, Emma remembers alcohol was always present. She and her friends began drinking in their mid-teens - they did not socialize without booze. In her 20s and 30s, Emma lived a hectic stressful life working internationally for some huge corporations. She moved to Australia, became a mother, and continued drinking - in fact, even with healthy hobbies like running, Emma’s w...

A reader asks, “After about five days of being alcohol-free, my spirits are lifted and I feel more alive and more happy … I want to have a fun night celebrating with my new state of mind, which is that I don't feel controlled by alcohol. Afterwards, I return to daily drinking, usually for two weeks or so, until I'm back to feeling lifeless, purposeless, sad, and tired. It's a common pattern. Is th...

When Evan began drinking in high school at age 16, he thought alcohol was the greatest thing on Earth. He found it easy to balance everything in his world - social life, academics, a part-time job, sports. In college partying became more important, and he barely graduated. As he began his career, Evan worked hard and played hard, committed to never changing his drinking. Then stuff started happeni...

Do you really lose weight when you stop drinking? What happens from a hydration and nutritional standpoint when you remove alcohol from your diet? How do your decisions about what to eat tend to change when you're no longer drinking? Annie Grace answers these questions and shares what she has found is even more meaningful than weight loss when it comes to not drinking. Have you tried The Alcohol E...

On today’s episode, Early shares their drinking story with Annie Grace. From their first drink at 10 years old to drinking box wine they found in a dumpster to the 12 years they spent trying over and over again to use willpower to control alcohol. Early describes themself as a person who's living on the margins of society, a punk and a queer who has spent most of their adult life hitchhiking and r...

On today’s episode, Annie Grace answers a reader's question about mental cravings. But, how can we deal with them if we’re not sure what they are? First, Annie talks about the differences between the physical and mental aspects of alcohol addiction. She then deconstructs mental cravings, how they keep us stuck, and what we can do to tackle them. Hi, it's Annie Grace. I wanted to interrupt this pod...

In this month’s coaching episode, This Naked Mind head coach Scott Pinyard is joined by Certified Naked Mind senior coach Christy Wynne who has a clinical background as a physician assistant, has studied nutrition and integrative medicine, and focuses her coaching on nervous system regulation, hormone balance, and mindfulness. Christy shares a little bit about her journey to find freedom from alco...

How do you go from being the drinker who used to poke fun at non-drinkers to the non-drinker afraid of being the butt of the drinkers’ jokes? What can you do to avoid being perceived as a hypocrite if you speak up when people think they’re being funny at your expense? Annie Grace shares her wisdom and advice in today’s episode. Hi, it's Annie Grace. I wanted to interrupt this podcast, I guess the...

From shots and beers after shift at her summer job working in a bar to what she considered sophisticated wine drinking in her twenties, Jill describes herself as a sloppy drunk. Then the blackouts started. For a long time, people excused Jill’s drinking -- she was coping with her sick mother, then her mother’s death six months before her wedding -- in fact, people encouraged her to drink in order...

What kind of damage does alcohol do to your brain? Is it reversible? Aside from stopping drinking, is there anything you can do to heal your brain? Also, what is the impact of all the worry you feel wondering if you have caused yourself permanent brain damage? Annie Grace explains … Hey, it’s Annie Grace. I want to tell you about the most important book that I never wrote. I mean that. This is Thi...

Robbie is a married mom of three adult children, an empty nester who considers stopping drinking her greatest accomplishment. On today’s episode, this Certified Naked Mind Senior Coach gets vulnerable as she lets us into her world and shares her drinking and quitting journey, from motherhood to what ultimately led her to become a coach. She and Annie talk about how to identify when alcohol becomes...