Finding Joy Without the Bottle | Building an Alcohol-Free Lifestyle That Lasts |Lauren's Naked Life | E798
What if the anxiety you've lived with for years could disappear by changing just one habit?
Lauren never questioned the drinking culture she grew up with in the UK, where pubs were central to every social occasion. When the pandemic hit shortly after her move to Canada, she began noticing how alcohol had shifted from enjoyment to an unsatisfying habit. Through research and repeatedly listening to This Naked Mind, Lauren began building an alcohol-free lifestyle that lasts, taking extended breaks from drinking that revealed surprising benefits—including the complete disappearance of her anxiety. In this episode, she shares her journey of ups and downs, the importance of self-compassion after slip-ups, and how she's found more genuine joy and connection without alcohol at the center of her life.
In this episode, Annie and Lauren discuss:
From British pub culture to questioning alcohol's role
How the pandemic revealed problematic drinking patterns
The process of building an alcohol-free lifestyle that lasts
Why tracking "failures" can be counterproductive
The complete disappearance of anxiety after reducing alcohol
Discovering genuine joy without drinking
The surprising impact on hormone health and overall wellness
Finding alternatives to "chasing the high" after activities
Recognizing the link between alcohol and emotional stability
Creating new traditions beyond drinking culture
And other topics…
Episode links:
Related Episodes:
EP 445: Finding Joy with Catherine Gray - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-445-finding-joy-with-catherine-gray/
EP 448: What I Wish I Knew Before My First Drink – The Thief of Joy - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-448-what-i-wish-i-knew-before-my-first-drink-the-thief-of-joy/
EP 20: Reader Question – What do You do about Missing the “High” from Drinking? - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-20-reader-question-what-do-you-do-about-missing-the-high-from-drinking/
Ready to take the next step on your journey?
Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!
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Introducing Negotiate Your Best Life Podcast with Rebecca Zung
Do you find yourself navigating and negotiating through tough times? The Negotiate Your Best Life Podcast with Rebecca Zung captures the stories of people who have navigated past external and internal challenges to finally live their best lives. I hope you check it out.
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Breaking The Negative Thought Spiral | Alcohol Freedom Freedom Coaching | E797
How do our thoughts influence our ability to create lasting change?
Overcoming automatic negative thoughts begins with understanding how they shape our behaviors and emotions. In this episode, Coach Sam helps Marion navigate triggers around holiday memories and past trauma, while Coach Mike guides Maria through breaking free from her lifelong pattern of negative self-talk. Both guests struggle with how their thoughts fuel their drinking behaviors—Marion with holiday-related trauma that previously led to heavy drinking, and Maria with the "failure" narrative that pulls her back into old patterns. Through these powerful coaching conversations, we witness how identifying and questioning habitual negative thinking creates the foundation for sustainable change.
In Marion's Session:
Processing trauma around Christmas and her father's death
Learning to feel proud of caring for her father during difficult times
Moving beyond the memory of a traumatic assault
Understanding how trauma memories can trigger drinking behaviors
Discovering that self-worth is inherent, not earned
The difference between intellectual understanding and embodied knowing
Overcoming automatic negative thoughts by seeing them as memories, not reality
Finding presence and contentment by not numbing emotions
Approaching painful memories with self-compassion
Recognizing that healing comes from wisdom, not just intellectual effort
and other topics…
In Maria's Session:
Identifying habitual negative thoughts like "I'm a failure" and "I'm not good enough"
Understanding how negative thinking fuels drinking behaviors
Learning the ACT technique for overcoming automatic negative thoughts
Questioning whether negative beliefs are actually true
Seeing how thoughts exist to protect us, not punish us
Breaking the cycle of negative thoughts → difficult emotions → unwanted behaviors
Moving from black-and-white thinking to nuanced perspectives
Recognizing that thoughts are "just strings of words" with meaning we assign
The power of neutralizing thoughts rather than forcing positivity
Developing mental resilience by questioning habitual thought patterns
and more…
Sam Goldfinch is a certified Naked Mind Senior Coach, and the founder of Rebel Spirituality and the Rebel Spirituality podcast. He also co-hosts the Present & Sober podcast with Ellie Crowe. Having lived nine years alcohol-free, Sam will show you how to live your best life and uncover the truth of YOU before and beyond your conditioning.
Learn more about Coach Sam: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/sam-goldfinch/
Mike Shennan is a certified Naked Mind Senior Coach. He was a long-time social drinker, and his drinking habits increased in his forties due to various life events. However, he has been alcohol-free since February 23, 2018. By sharing his personal experiences and using techniques from This Naked Mind, Mike supports clients who feel their drinking habits have grown as they age, helping them regain control and create a healthier relationship with alcohol.
Learn more about Coach Mike: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/mike-shennan/
Related Episodes:
EP 512: Reader Question - How do you get comfortable with your own mind? - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-512-reader-question-how-do-you-get-comfortable-with-your-own-mind/
EP 438: Reader Question – How do you survive the holidays without alcohol? - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-512-reader-question-how-do-you-get-comfortable-with-your-own-mind/
EP 616: Reader’s Question – Getting Past Emotional Drinking Triggers - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-616-readers-question-getting-past-emotional-drinking-triggers/
Ready to take the next step on your journey?
Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!
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"I Was Trained to Be Dysfunctional": A Doctor's Story of Finding Alcohol Freedom| Jenie's Naked Life | E796
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Fixation vs. Liberation: Finding Freedom From Alcohol | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | E795
How do you process emotions after years of drinking when you've spent a lifetime disconnected from your feelings?
In this powerful episode, Coach Ellie works with Gayle and Christie, who both struggle with alcohol fixation but from different angles. Gayle feels constantly consumed by thoughts about drinking or not drinking, finding that fixation creates anxiety, overwhelm, and triggers deep stories of not being good enough. Christie has spent decades suppressing emotions and using wine as a "talking stick" to allow herself to feel things, rather than numbing. Through gentle exploration, Coach Ellie helps both women understand the path from fixation to liberation - recognizing that spiritual awakening often begins with alcohol freedom but leads to something much deeper: recovering our true nature and learning to be present with all our emotions.
In Gayle's Session:
Defining fixation
How fixation creates physical symptoms of anxiety and overwhelm
The path from cognitive understanding to embodied knowledge
Experiencing "the magic trick": seeing alcohol's truth changes everything
The role of data points in building new beliefs about alcohol
How to process emotions after years of drinking through presence
Recovery of self: discovering who you are without alcohol
Why alcohol freedom is just the doorway to deeper transformation
The concepts of true nature and soul edification
And more
In Christie's Session:
Moving from fear-based motivation to emotion-based goals
Finding joy after years of emotional disconnection
The connection between creativity and emotional healing
Recognizing permission to feel all emotions, not just "acceptable" ones
How to process emotions after years of drinking through bodily awareness
Restorative yoga as a bridge to feeling into the body
Cues of safety that help regulate the nervous system
The concept of "unf*withable" emotional resilience
Moving beyond perfectionism
The role of curiosity in spiritual liberation
And other topics
Related Episodes:
Reader’s Question - Episode 634: How do you get rid of the punishing voice inside your head? - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-634-readers-question-how-do-you-get-rid-of-the-punishing-voice-inside-your-head/
Episode 69: Allowing Feeling with Scott Stabile - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-69-allowing-feeling-scott-stabile/
Reader’s Question - Episode 604: Embracing Your Authentic Self - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-604-reader-question-embracing-your-authentic-self-overcoming-self-judgment-and-insecurities/
Ready to take the next step on your journey?
Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!
Bestselling author Annie Grace invites you to explore the role of alcohol in our lives and culture without rules, pain, or judgement. Ready to make a change? Join The Alcohol Experiment - a FREE 30-day challenge designed to deliver happiness, wellbeing and self-respect. Check out The Alcohol Experiment at alcoholexperiment.com
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