This Naked Mind Podcast
Bestselling author Annie Grace invites you to explore the role of alcohol in our lives and culture without rules, pain, or judgement. The podcast offers insights and support for those looking to change their relationship with alcohol. It promotes a free 30-day challenge called The Alcohol Experiment designed to deliver happiness, wellbeing, and self-respect.
Episodes
Why We Drink To Cope
Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 949
Alcohol and emotional regulation. For a long time, they were basically the same thing for Gwen and Cynthia. Gwen can feel sure she doesn’t want to drink, then find herself wavering in a grocery store parking lot when her husband asks if she wants wine. Cynthia has spent decades on a farm she calls Never Done, 26 of them alone, pouring wine from a box because for
Can You Really Forgive Yourself for Your Drinking Past?
Lisa’s Naked Life | EP 948
Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to domestic conflict, impaired driving with a minor in the vehicle, and a cancer diagnosis.
Six beers in, Lisa drove her fifteen-year-old son to a friend's house. It wasn't the first time she'd driven after drinking, but something about that night finally scared her. By then, she was drinking about two bottles of wine
Facing the Fear of Change
Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 947
Trigger Warning: This episode mentions a pregnancy loss and substance abuse.
What if it’s not giving up the substance that you fear? Deb and Rosie are both finding success in their breaks from alcohol and THC, respectively. They don’t realize it until Coaches Cole and Hayley ask the right questions, but both women are now facing the fear of change. Are they re
An Ultimatum to Stop Drinking
Where Are They Now? | EP 946
"I had to pick one life or the other." That's how Sabrina describes the ultimatum to stop drinking her husband gave her two years ago. Sabrina is back to catch up with Hayley and explore what happens in that time between learning to live alcohol-free and truly living an alcohol-free life. Her key takeaway for other moms? Quitting doesn't clear out the mental s
Are You Drinking To Check Out?
Five o'clock. It's like an internal alarm that goes off for Sandra. The day goes from manageable to get me the heck out of here as soon as the clock flips. For Lucy, it usually hits mid-afternoon: the realization that today won't be Day 1 alcohol-free after all. Drinking to check out is so normal that most people will tell you it isn't a problem at all, but that isn't for anyone else to decide. It
The Empty Bottles She Couldn't Stop Hiding
5 a.m., and the bottles go out before anyone's awake. A soft clink of glass against the can, quick hands, quicker steps back inside. For years this was Michelle's ritual, drink alone, hide it, wake up and do it again. A DUI didn't stop it. A year and a half without a drink during COVID didn't stop it. One sentence, heard on a commute to work, finally put a stop to her cycle of drinking alone and h
Why Do I Think Something Is Wrong With Me?
Trigger Warning: This episode mentions death by suicide and death from alcohol use.
Something is wrong with me. Five words, but they can resonate in your brain over and over again for decades. That's the reality Lisa and Michelle have been living with day in and day out. To the point where drowning that voice out with wine was the only way to find peace. Or so they thought. Coaches Cole and Zoe o
The Job That Almost Kept Her Drinking
How do you quit drinking when your job is getting other people to drink? For years, that was Kelly's daily reality. She sampled wine and liquor with retailers all day, then went out drinking with her coworkers once the samples were done, and some nights she couldn't drive home afterward. She kept a tablecloth in the back seat of her car for exactly those nights, climbing back there to sleep it off
How Honest Can You Be?
Trigger warning: This episode mentions disordered eating and self-harm.
“You either drink, or you don’t,” Kelly’s husband actually said to her. If only it were that simple, like there’s a switch you can just flick and the desire to drink evaporates. While that might be true for some people, most of us find the path to freedom much harder. Jules knows that, and she knows how hard being honest with
I Am Not Drinking Again
Twenty-four hours of food poisoning on an all-inclusive holiday, and Helen's body made a decision before her mind caught up. She'd been drinking that week too, the way she always did with her sister, and somewhere in the middle of being violently sick she found herself pleading with her own stomach: no more, nothing else toxic, please. She got home and never drank again. You don't need an excuse n
I Never Gave Myself a Chance
What does it take to stop shaming yourself for drinking again? Sarah and Katie are trying to figure that out. It's easy to say that you need to change through compassion, self-love, and empathy, but putting that into practice is a much different story. Coach Hayley and Coach Cole use their training and their own experiences with drinking again to help Sarah and Katie use curiosity instead of blame
How to Quit Drinking as a Mom
Six years ago, Payal looked in the mirror the morning after a blackout and finally had enough of herself. She's back on Where Are They Now to talk about how to quit drinking as a mom when mommy wine culture makes it feel normal, and what six years actually built: a dad and two sisters who gave up alcohol right along with her, and two boys who have never once seen their mom drunk.
Payal and
Regular Drinkers Don't Exist
Learning how to stop feeling left out when you quit drinking starts, for Brenda, with a very specific list: people who can supposedly drink like it's nothing and never seem to pay for it. Kate's experience looks different: a friend in recovery who stopped getting invited to things, and a dinner this weekend she's already rehearsing lines for. Listen as our coaches help Brenda and Kate separate fac
Drinking Out of Boredom
Trigger Warning: This episode includes mentions of a medical emergency and a homicide.
Sunday morning, and Brenda can't get out of bed. Her head is pounding hard enough that she genuinely believes she might die from it, so she turns over and doesn't get up again until one in the afternoon. She'd been retired for years by then, a daily schedule and routine filled with wine instead, and what she la
When You Quit and They Don't
Trigger warning: This episode contains references to disordered eating and the death of a parent following a medical complication.
“I'm actually on day twenty-six alcohol-free right now, the first time since I was pregnant with my daughter,” Bethany says. Bev has been counting differently: hers started January 13th, and her husband hasn't missed a single one of his own drinking nights since. Bet
The Drink Responsibly Myth | Interview - The Shift
Annie Grace grew up in a cabin with no running water, no electricity, and a dad who never drank. A decade later, in a corporate job in New York City, she was pouring close to two bottles of wine a night, buying the boxed kind so nobody would notice when one ran out. In this episode, she sits down with Mike Marshall, CEO of the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance, on his podcast The Shift, to talk about w
Why One Drink Never Stays One Drink
Why can’t I just have one drink? For Pamela, that question comes from her struggle to moderate her drinking, and for Claude, it sits in her fear of never being able to drink again. Same question but from two very different perspectives. Coaches Cole and Hayley work with Pamela and Claude to discover what sits behind these questions and to find out why one drink never stays one drink for most of us
Twenty-Five Years Trying to Quit Drinking
Judd never considered that he would quit drinking before turning forty. After all, for twenty-five years he would pick the idea up and put it down as regularly as if it were his morning coffee. But one day he picked up a receipt for a book he'd bought two years earlier yet never read. Suddenly the countdown was on, and he was no longer willing to keep the idea of quitting drinking before forty on
Stop Borrowing Confidence From a Glass
What does it take to figure out how to stop relying on alcohol for confidence? Amy needed eleven months alcohol-free, followed by more stops and starts than a city bus has, to decide something needed to change. For Dee, it was an entire wedding weekend and the fear of being the only one without a drink in her hand that made her realize alcohol was holding way too much headspace for her. Coaches Zo
62 Wasn't Too Old to Stop Drinking
Deb's Naked Life | EP 920
If you're thinking about stopping drinking in your 60s but keep telling yourself you're too old, too set in your habits, or too far gone, Deb's story is the one you need to hear. She was a registered nurse who had directed a hospital addiction recovery program and still didn't see herself in it. She was caring for a dying parent, married to a heavy drinker, and drinking
Who Am I Without Alcohol?
⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode contains references to domestic violence and a mental health crisis.
Who am I without alcohol? Does that question sound eerily familiar? Steph and Nicole both find themselves grappling with that very idea and wondering what the answer will mean for them. Steph is 55, and alcohol has been by her side and has helped define her for most of her adult life. Nicol
The Life You Stop Needing to Escape
What does building a life you don't want to escape from actually take? Donna joined The Path in March 2021 after a COVID grocery store moment she couldn't unsee and hasn't had a drink since. Now five years in, she's back with Coach Hayley to share what's genuinely changed, what she's still working through, and a question that keeps getting more interesting.
Donna and Coach Hayley discuss:
Tha
How to Give Yourself Grace About Drinking
⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode contains references to childhood abuse, parental alcoholism, and the death of a parent from alcohol-related illness.
Most of us were never taught how to give ourselves grace about drinking, only how to judge ourselves for it. Kelly and Amber are proof that the shame and guilt show up no matter how different the situation looks. For Kelly, it shows up after a weeke
When Using Alcohol to Self-Soothe Stops Working
Trigger warning: This episode contains references to drunk driving, DWIs, and thoughts of not wanting to live.
Zita was in her kitchen in 2017, working up the nerve for a hard conversation with her boyfriend, when the thought arrived: "You know what would make this easier?" She took a shot to self-soothe before the conversation, and it worked so well that her brain filed alcohol away as the answe
The Real Reason You Drink
⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode contains references to psychological and emotional abuse in a marriage.
The answer to "why I use alcohol to cope" is rarely what you expect. For Will, it’s buried in a need for control he's carried since a chaotic childhood. For Kathleen, it comes from decades of being the one everyone else leans on. Coaches Cole and Zoe help Will and Kathleen take steps towards
How Grief Built Perfectly Made AF
Trigger warning: This episode contains references to the alcohol-related death of a family member.
Is it possible to build something meaningful out of the worst loss of your life? For Kelly, the answer arrived just five months after she got free from alcohol herself. That's when her brother died from the same thing she'd spent years measuring her own drinking against. She built Perfectly Made AF
Are You Drinking To Escape?
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of traumatic brain injury.
Are you drinking to escape your life? Catherine was. She called it the escape room. Rachael didn't use those words, but she'd no doubt agree with them. If you're drinking to escape a life that feels like too much, too heavy, and too demanding, you'll want to tune in. Catherine and Rachael work with Coaches Hayley and Zo
I Was A Functional Drinker For 32 Years
For 32 years, Travis was a functional drinker who never got a DUI, never missed a day of work, and never fit the picture most people hold when they hear "drinking problem," but spent years hiding beers in the garage, lying to his wife about the count, and woke up after one Christmas morning knowing his kids had been worried Santa wasn't coming. He came to This Naked Mind thinking he might be able
Why You Drink To Fit In
Andrew and Adele both know why they need alcohol to socialize — or think they do. For Adele, 64 and living in a New Zealand wine region, it started at 14 in the back of a school bus and never really stopped being about fitting in. For Andrew, who is navigating a late-life ADHD diagnosis and the possible end of his marriage, the answer turned out to go a lot deeper than the social stuff.
Andrew d
Summer of Love
In Summer of Love, Kerri Maher writes about wine country glamour, shame that runs across generations, and the woman at the center who can't quite say out loud what she knows about herself. She lived that from the inside before she could write it clearly. She read Annie Grace's This Naked Mind in its earliest self-published form in 2016, stopped drinking for 15 months, then convinced herself the pr
Why You Keep Going Back To Alcohol
Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 919
If you're trying to figure out how to stop drinking for good, you’ll want to tune in for this episode. Shannon is 14 days alcohol-free and the first person on either side of her family to ever try changing their drinking — and every time a family member sets down their glass because she isn't having one, the guilt shows up right on schedule. Amy read This Naked
When AA Isn’t Working
Tim's Naked Life | EP 918
When AA isn't working, most people assume they're the problem — not committed enough, not broken enough, not at rock bottom enough to figure it all out and make a change. Tim Kelly thought that too. A 30-year sales professional who'd always been able to muscle through whatever came at him, Tim spent years inside 12-step programs and still couldn't stop drinking. In thi
When Alcohol Is The Only Coping Tool You Know
Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 917
What happens when you finally want to stop using alcohol to cope, but the idea of facing everything without it feels almost impossible? In this episode, Kim and Liv bravely step into that very question. They open up about just how easily alcohol became a source of comfort — soothing a nervous system wrecked by family crisis and serving as the one reliable, fami
How One Mom Stopped Drinking
Sabrina’s Naked Life | EP 916
Trigger Warning: This episode includes mentions of an eating disorder.
What does it really take to stop drinking when every warning sign you've been handed just isn't enough? Sabrina grew up watching her father drive drunk, got her own DUI at 17, and spent years treating pregnancy as her only real break from alcohol. It wasn't a rock bottom that finally did it; it
Feeling Raw? That Means It's Working | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 915
Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to suicidal ideation, childhood trauma, family violence, and mental illness.
Laura has been alcohol-free since Christmas and the voice in her head keeps saying: this isn't going to work for you. Patricia is 83 days in, standing outside in minus-17 degrees watching the moon, finally letting herself cry. Feeling raw after quitting alcohol is exactl
High-Functioning Doesn't Mean Fine | Tim’s Naked Life | EP 914
Is your life mostly intact — job fine, marriage okay, responsibilities covered — and yet you're drinking every single night and can't quite picture stopping? That's exactly where Tim Knapp was for years, and he was also, at the same time, one of the people other people called in a crisis. He spent over a decade working inside addiction recovery programs, walking men out of homelessness and incarce
Breaking the Drinking Cycle, Finding Yourself | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 913
Have you ever gotten exactly what you wanted, only to wait for something to go wrong? That's where Brenda is in today's episode — alcohol-free, feeling like herself again, and quietly afraid to believe it will last. In the second session, Emma has spent five years in a cycle she can't seem to break, and she finally gets a look at what's really underneath it. Two coaches, two guests, two conversati
The Book That Changed His Mind Twice| Jonathan's Naked Life | EP 912
Ever used drinking to cope with grief and felt like it wasn’t even a conscious choice but rather a reflex? Jonathan knows that feeling exactly. He'd been living alcohol-free for two and a half years when he lost his father-in-law and then his dad, just months apart, during the pandemic. On the drive home from the funeral, he stopped at a Mexican restaurant and ordered a margarita. He thought he'd
Why Do I Keep Going Back to Drinking? | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 911
What if the thing keeping you stuck isn't a lack of willpower, but a lack of understanding what's really driving you back? Linda has nearly 100 days alcohol-free and is starting to wonder if she trusts herself more than she thinks she does. Jane is asking a question she's carried for decades: why do I keep going back to something that gives me nothing anymore? In this episode, Coach Cole and Coach
Breaking the Alcohol Shame Spiral | Krista's Naked Life | EP 910
What does it take to finally break the alcohol shame spiral when it's been running your life for decades? Krista knows the cycle well: a data point, the crushing shame that followed, a vow to do better, and then the slow, sneaky creep back to hiding bottles and pulling over on the side of the road to drink before going home. In this episode, she sits down with Coach Cole Harvey to share the full a
When Grief and Drinking Go Hand in Hand | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 909
Trigger Warning: This episode includes conversations about grief, loss of loved ones, family estrangement, trauma, and depression.
Have you ever been in so much pain that reaching for a drink just felt like the most human thing to do? That is exactly where today's two guests have been, and this episode will meet you right there. First up is Cathy, 87 days alcohol-free, who joins Coach Cole to wor
How I Stopped Drinking After Trying To Moderate | Michele’s Naked Life | EP 908
Wondering how I stopped drinking after trying to moderate for years? "Have I got a story for you!" says Michele. She ran a business, raised her daughter, kept things moving — and drank every night in a relationship where no one questioned it. Then the pandemic stripped away her structure, her purpose, and everything that had kept things manageable. She tried cutting back. She tried understanding i
How to Rebuild Self-Worth After Drinking | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 907
Trigger warning: This episode contains references to domestic violence, suicidal ideation, & self-harm ideation.
If you've been wondering how to rebuild self-worth after drinking, this episode will meet you right where you are. Coach Zoe coaches Katia through the power of her "alive goal" — learning to love the girl in the mirror after years of not being able to look at her own reflection. Then C
How Coaching Helped Me Change My Drinking | JiAna's Naked Life | EP 906
What if the thing you thought was holding your life together was actually pulling you under? JiAna spent years reaching for alcohol not because she wanted to drink but because she was living in relentless pain and nobody had anything better to offer her. Between a chronic illness that left her on the floor and a culture that pushed wine at baby showers and playgroups, it made a terrible kind of se
Why Willpower Fails With Alcohol — and What Actually Works Instead | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 905
Have you ever done everything "right" and still felt like alcohol had the upper hand? You're not alone — and there's a really good reason for that. Coach Hayley coaches M through the fear and doubt swirling around her upcoming break, while Coach Zoe helps Lawrence see that his drinking is actually rooted in a rebellious 15-year-old who never got to grow up. When you understand why willpower fails
Rewiring My Mindset Around Drinking | Anne's Naked Life | EP 904
What happens when the thing you're most afraid to lose is also the thing quietly costing you everything? Anne grew up in a home where five o'clock cocktails were as reliable as the sunset. Drinking was culture, celebration, and comfort, and for a long time, it felt completely earned. But through two pregnancies, her parents' declining health, and eventually losing both of them, a bottle a night be
Letting Go of Shame and Finding Freedom | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 903
Does it ever feel like you know everything there is to know about why you drink, and none of it is enough to make you stop? You're not alone in that. In this episode, Coaches Hayley and Cole each sit with a Path member who's been carrying that exact weight. Audrey has 20 years of binge drinking, a ton of quit lit under her belt, and a shame so deep she's not sure she deserves to feel better. Savan
Beyond Moderation and White-Knuckling | Where Are They Now? - Calley | EP 902
What is gray area drinking for women – and what happens when “drink less” slowly turns into “I don’t even want this anymore”? In this Where Are They Now conversation, Calley returns after first appearing on the podcast in October 2019 to share what seven years alcohol-free really looks like. Talking with Coach Hayley, she reflects on motherhood, moving, social discomfort, and the quiet but powerfu
How to Separate Fun From Alcohol | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 901
What if the fun was never actually in the drink? What is the best way to stop associating fun with alcohol? Zion called alcohol the "jewelry" of life, the thing that made every moment glitter, and spent years believing that celebrations, friendships, and good food just needed a cocktail to feel complete. Audra built her whole identity around being the bold one who drank scotch and bourbon and neve
The Crossroads That Changed Everything | Kelly's Naked Life | EP 900
What made me question my drinking? “It wasn't a rock bottom — it was a barstool, a mirror, and a quiet voice asking where this road was headed,” says Kelly. Kelly grew up in a drinking household, spent years drinking daily, and was smart enough to see the writing on the wall before things got worse. Five years later, she joins Coach Cole to share the health wake-up call, the book that changed eve
Releasing Guilt, Embracing Freedom | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 899
Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to grief and the loss of a child.
What alcohol was really costing me was my peace, my presence, and a life that felt true and authentic. That's the realization both Michelle and Susan come to with the help of Coaches Hayley and Cole. Michelle just hit 30 days and is only now connecting the dots between what alcohol was really costing her and the f
How Alcohol-Free Living Improves Anxiety | Brooke's Naked Life | EP 898
What does it take to finally walk away from drinking when you love the party, love your people, and have never once thought of yourself as someone with a problem? Brooke was a high-functioning extrovert running a business and raising a family when a quiet voice in her head kept telling her something was off. Once she found The Path and started doing the real work, she discovered how alcohol-free l
Emotions, Perfectionism, and the Courage to Feel Without Alcohol | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 897
Ever reach for a drink because your feelings felt too big, too messy, or too hard? How often have you wondered what is the best way to feel your feelings without drinking? Coaches Soraya & Cole show that it isn't about white-knuckling through emotions; it's about letting them in. Dianne walked away from 15 alcohol-free years after her son's ultimatum broke her, and hasn't found her way back. Beth
From Survival Mode to Thriving: My Alcohol-Free Life Transformation | Valerie's Naked Life | EP 896
Trigger warning: This episode contains references to domestic violence, sexual assault, self-harm, disordered eating, substance use, and mental health crises.
What does an alcohol-free life transformation actually look like from the inside? For Valerie, it looks like CrossFit at 4:30 AM, a flourishing marriage, a challenging career, and a self she genuinely loves for the first time at 36. But get
How To Stop Drinking When You Feel Overwhelmed | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 895
Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to PTSD, depression, loss, and self-harm.
What if the thing you've never tried, not once in your whole life, turned out to be the answer? Beverlee is fresh out of eight years of isolation, finally learning how to stop drinking when you feel overwhelmed by caregiving, grief, and years of putting herself last. Steve is 75, alcohol-free since July, a
What Happens When You Choose Yourself for the Very First Time | Shannon's Naked Life | EP 894
Breaking the nightly drinking habit can feel impossible when alcohol has been “normal” your whole life—so what happens when you finally decide to choose you? Shannon grew up with alcohol in the background, avoided drinking for years, and then slowly found herself becoming the “drinking buddy” in a marriage where beer was everywhere. When the boys moved out and her drinking escalated, she hit a gut
How to Deal With Stress Without Alcohol | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 893
Ever notice how the craving doesn’t wait til you get home? How it shows up the second the day gets heavy? Coaches Cole and Hayley sit down with Beth and Patrick to unpack what’s really happening under the urge to drink, and how to respond with support instead of self-criticism. Along the way, they answer a question so many of us have asked: What is the best way to deal with stress without alcohol?
Letting Go of Wine Culture | Sherri’s Naked Life | EP 892
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussions of substance use, parental substance abuse, blackouts, and trauma-related behaviors.
Letting go of wine culture—what if it’s not about losing something… but getting you back? Sherri grew up in a world where partying was normal, alcohol was everywhere, and being “the fun one” felt like her role. Over time, that same “fun” turned into nightly wine
What To Do When A Voice In Your Head Says You Can't Change | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 891
What if working through urges to drink didn't have to feel like fighting failure? In this episode, Coaches Cole and Hayley sit down with Kristen and Nicola — two Path members — for Alcohol Freedom Coaching sessions that shine a light on how our urges to drink can become our greatest teachers rather than our enemies. Kristen drinks to escape overwhelm, creating a self-perpetuating cycle, while Nico
How Brain Rewiring Made Alcohol Small and Insignificant | Monica's Naked Life | EP 890
Picking health over alcohol—what if that choice could feel less like deprivation and more like relief? Monica grew up in a culture where drinking wasn’t just normal, it was identity: being the fun one, staying late, shining at happy hour, making alcohol the “reward” for workdays, celebrations, stress, and everything in between. Even when the downsides started showing up (worse anxiety, feeling run
How to Break Routine Drinking Patterns When Alcohol Is Everywhere | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 889
Breaking routine drinking patterns can feel like the most difficult part of finding freedom in your relationship with alcohol. Our brain kicks into autopilot mode, and suddenly, it seems like a drink magically appears in our hands. Figuring out what feeds that pattern is key to breaking it. Today, Coach Soraya works with Cheryl, who's about to spend five months in Mexico, where daily drinking is t
Choosing Freedom Over Fitting In | Maxine’s Naked Life | EP 888
Trigger Warning: This episode contains a reference to sexual assault.
Choosing freedom over fitting in. What if that one decision changed everything? Maxine grew up in an Irish culture where drinking was considered a vital piece of celebration, identity, and belonging, and for years she rode the exhausting cycle of stopping, starting, and negotiating with alcohol. Then she took on 75 Hard for her
Breaking Through Boredom and Building Lasting Change | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 887
What happens when you're doing all the "right things" but still feel stuck? Coaches Cole and Soraya guide Audra and Scott through the messy middle of changing their relationship with alcohol. Audra's wrestling with pressure to be perfect while learning how to stop drinking when you're bored, and she’s seeing wins even when her brain tries to minimize them. Scott just moved, lost people he loved, a
Why I Don't Miss Alcohol Anymore | Elise's Naked Life | EP 886
Can you really have more fun, deeper connections, and better adventures without alcohol? Elise wasn't sure. She'd spent her whole life watching alcohol take center stage at every party, every milestone, every celebration. Her mom always said it helped her relax. Her dad marked achievements with champagne. As a kid, Elise mixed the perfect gin and tonic every night. Fast forward to her high-powered
What If Staying On Track Didn’t Require Willpower? | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 885
What happens when you're crushing your break, feeling better than you have in years, but that little voice starts whispering, "Okay, but what about day 31?" In this episode, Coaches Soraya and Hayley help two Path members figure out exactly that. Christine opens up about her "Hellcat" pattern of achievement and escape, learning how to stay on track after a 30-day alcohol break by understanding the
Starting Over at 70: Finding Clarity and Peace Without Alcohol After Retirement | Jan's Naked Life | EP 884
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of divorce and loss of a loved one to cancer.
Have you ever wondered why life changes can make old habits suddenly feel louder? Jan never imagined retirement would lead her here. She had done everything “right”—worked hard, raised her kids, showed up for everyone else. Alcohol had always felt manageable. Until it didn’t. When retirement, relocati
From “I Blew It” to “I’m Learning”: Stopping the Shame Spiral | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 883
Stopping the shame spiral—what if the fastest way out isn’t more willpower, but more compassion? In this episode of Alcohol Freedom Coaching, Coach Hayley supports Carol, a newly retired grandmother who felt “so far behind” after a vacation slip, and Coach Cole guides Nancy, a devoted mom caring for a daughter with complex special needs, who’s learning to relax without wine and let go of “I should
I Thought Alcohol Was Helping My Anxiety—It Wasn’t | Monnica’s Naked Life | EP 882
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussions of severe alcohol use disorder, blackout drinking, hospitalization, family trauma, and parental death.
Using alcohol to calm down—does it actually work, or does it quietly make everything harder? Monnica didn’t start drinking to escape her life. She drank to manage it. What began as a way to settle postpartum nerves slowly turned into a cycle of
Thought, Craving, or Old Habit? Making Sense of the Urge to Drink | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 881
Does the urge to drink ever go away, or is it something you’re stuck managing forever? In this Alcohol Freedom Coaching episode, Coach Hayley works with Mark, and Coach Soraya supports Michael as they share the real, messy middle of change. Mark talks about years of 30, 60, and 90-day breaks, the weight of the “alcoholic” label, and how an emotion-based goal—making alcohol immaterial in his life—f
Rebuilding Identity and Relationships After Alcohol | Sheela’s Naked Life | EP 880
What if the connection you think you're creating while drinking together is actually pulling you apart? Sheela spent decades as a heavy drinker, immersed in Australian culture where alcohol was everywhere—from Schoolies Week celebrations to working as a musician in bars. Wine o'clock became her daily escape, a numbing ritual she believed helped her relax, until health problems and 3am anxiety wake
From Numbing to Nurturing: Desire vs. Resistance | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 879
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of suicide, mental health crises, domestic violence, & family trauma.
How do you build the desire to stop drinking when alcohol feels like your only escape from an overwhelming life? Richard shares his struggle with using alcohol to cope with family challenges, including his son's mental health crisis and decades of marital strife, while Stephani
From Blackouts to Boundaries: A Year That Changed Everything | Where Are They Now? – Mary | EP 878
Trigger Warning: This episode discusses pregnancy and fertility loss, breast and brain cancer, caregiving stress, grief, blackout drinking, relapse, and substance use.What if relief isn’t in the glass but in the space you reclaim? Mary maps the messy middle—moderation rules, peer pressure, the “pitcher plant,” and the night she couldn’t care for her sister because she was too sick to stand. Revisi
Anxiety, Overwhelm, and Alcohol: Tools to Find Calm and Confidence | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 877
What if “I deserve a drink” is just an old script you can rewrite? In today’s episode, Coach Cole helps Matt notice how removing alcohol lowered his baseline stress at a new job—turning frantic mornings into steady ones and replacing dread with data. Coach Zoe supports Constance, a second-grade teacher whose activated nervous system kept her in fight-or-flight; together they connect the dots from
Why We Drink Too Much: Breaking Free from Alcohol Dependence | Interview with Dr. Charles Knowles | EP 876
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of alcohol dependence, addiction, suicidal thoughts, mental health struggles, and relapse.
Why we drink too much isn't always obvious—what if the answer lies deeper than willpower or self-control? Dr. Charles Knowles, a world-renowned surgeon and author, spent decades trapped in a cycle he couldn't explain: 10 years of fun, 10 years of fun with c
Learning to Love Yourself Unconditionally | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 875
Trigger Warning: This episode contains mentions of chronic illness, disordered eating, self-harm, and the death of a loved one.
Can learning to love yourself unconditionally be the missing piece in your alcohol-free journey? Jean, 65 days alcohol-free, worries about her sister's upcoming visit and how to maintain their bond without wine. Coach Cole helps her realize their connection runs deeper
From Shutting My Brain Off With Booze To Tuning Into My Life | Glenn's Naked Life | EP 874
Do you find yourself wondering how to shut your brain off without alcohol when social situations feel overwhelming? Glenn spent decades believing alcohol was essential—from watching his parents' basement bar parties to using beer as a social crutch in college. By COVID, weekend-only drinking had become daily drinking, and he was hiding bottles from his wife. Traditional counseling focused on willp
Possibility Over Fear: Gentle Tools That Work | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 873
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of stroke, death of a spouse, and grief.
What happens when you stop trying to think your way through living alcohol-free and start feeling your way forward? Ann felt trapped by an endless to-do list and the fear that alcohol would "attack" when her defenses were down. Jamie clung to her nightly glass of wine as the last piece of normalcy after lo
Finding Connection Without Alcohol - Heather’s Naked Life - EP 872
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses childhood trauma, parental abandonment, domestic abuse, substance use, and mental health topics.
Have you ever realized you're doing to someone you love exactly what hurt you most as a child? That gut-wrenching moment hit Heather hard when she recognized she was neglecting her son the same way her alcohol dependent father neglected her. Growing up, she wat
Break The Habit, Bring Back Joy | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 871
Is your struggle with alcohol secretly a struggle for your true self? This powerful dual-coaching session with Coaches Zoe and Cole brings you inside The Path to witness the transformation of Jason and Jim. Jason is 50 days alcohol-free but still tormented by the idea that he’s lost his place in his social circle, grappling with the fear of sacrificing his identity as he removes the "existential g
Losing the Fear of Not Drinking: Rewriting the Story of “Fun” and Freedom | Lindsey’s Naked Life | EP 870
Losing the fear of not drinking can feel impossible, can’t it? For Lindsey, alcohol was woven into every milestone: sixth-grade sleepovers, college weekends, early marriage, and long workweeks that ended with “just one more” drink on the couch. Drinking wasn’t just a habit; it was how she fit in, turned off the noise, and chased that first rush of feeling totally okay for a moment. Over time, the
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