This week, our Shaz is the one doing all the talking (even more so than usual). You may or may not already know that she's about to take some time off so we thought it best that we let you know why. Of course, she's a trooper and when Shaz is back she will be back better than ever but it never hurts to have a few words of support so feel free to drop us a message at [email protected] to say "big up ya bad self Hartley"! Don't worry, behind-the-scenes we're working away to make...

In this episode we welcome our lovely community member and jet setter Sue to the podcast! Sue is just about to hit her two year alcohol free milestone, an amazing achievement and we're so proud to have been a part of her AF journey. We talk all about why Sue felt it was time to knock drinking on the head for good and how joining our Over The Influence community helped overcome some of the challenges that ditching the booze can bring. It's all about reframing it: you're not losing the...

In this episode we welcome Kelly from Scotland onto Over The Influence! Kelly has just celebrated a whole year alcohol free - although she has been part of our OTI Community for a little longer than that. Kelly's story is about the importance of keeping on - and even though it has been far from easy, she talks about why being AF is so important to her. Kelly talks about the importance of action when it comes to sustaining an alcohol-free lifestyle - and how it's as much about positive...

In this episode we welcome Scott Woolley onto Over The Influence! Scott is a FDAP Substance Misuse Professional and the founder of Arclett, which is a community brand devoted to removing the stigma attached to sober living. Scott quit alcohol at 26 to spend less time hungover and spend more time exploring his passions, the culmination of which is his beautiful portfolio on his website arclett.com. Thanks Scott for coming on OTI! --- Get In Touch: Of course, you can always get in touch...

This week we welcome the fantastic Venessa McPhie onto the podcast! Venessa is a listener to the pod and was keen to share her story with all you other sober curious folks out there. Following a traumatic experience caused by alcohol, Vanessa decided it was time to rid herself of alcohol once and for all. She now runs the Facebook page The Sober Bus, so if you want to keep up to date with Vanessa make sure you follow her there! Thanks again to Venessa for sharing her time and her story...

This week we have one of our own on the pod, Big Dan from Essex!  Dan has successfully smashed his one year milestone and now in his year two, he’s looking to spread the sober message. He’s an absolute breath of fresh air and we know you’re going to love hearing what he has to say.  Thank you again to Dan for coming on the show and sharing your thoughts on AF life.  If you think you might benefit from joining the community and would like to find out more, head over to our website...

This week we are joined on the podcast by the fantastic author Justin B. Long! Justin takes us through the reasons why his drinking got out of control, stemming from his difficult childhood. If you'd have told him fifteen years ago that he is where he is today, he wouldn't have believed you. His books include his inspirational memoir The Righteous Rage of a Ten-Year-Old Boy: A Journey of Self-Discovery and his series The Adventures of the Horse Doctor’s Husband, written about his raucous...

This week we welcome the fantastic Luke Colson onto the podcast all the way from sunny California! Luke is a fellow sobriety advocate and has come along to tell us about some of the lows he reached as a drinker, but more importantly the glorious highs that he's now enjoying as a non-drinker. Luke is a fascinating person to listen to, we could have chatted to him all day. If you enjoy this episode (we suspect you might), then you can listen into Luke's podcast 'Well, That F*cked Me Up!' in...

In this episode we welcome back the lovely Chris to the pod! Chris is a big part of our OTI Community, joining us all the way from New York (the state, not the top of the Empire State Building like Shaz seems to think) in the US of A. We've heard from Chris before when he came on with his AF BFF Aran but now he's back to tell his sobriety story and what has brought him to where he is today. If you think you might benefit from joining the community and would like to find out more, head over...

He's a man that goes by many names in our community. Some call him 'The Porky Prince', others 'The Prince of Pastry'. It's even been claimed that he is 'The Sausage King of the North West'. We simply know him... as Danny Bangers. Danny is a much loved and very active member of our community. He's found a home here with us at OTI and as you'll hear on the episode, that's not something he always thought was possible.    We're very grateful to Danny for sharing his story with us. We love him,...

Shaz and Ben recently received the best e-mail ever to the OTI inbox. It's author was the guest on this episode, the fantastic Grace Cowley. Grace is a dedicated listener to Over The Influence and she got in touch to let us know how listening to the pod had changed her life forever. When the e-mail arrived, Shaz immediately called Ben to say that Grace had to come on to the show. Get a brew, sit back and enjoy the wonderful story that Grace has to share.  --- Get In Touch: Of course,...

This week we welcome the fantastic Todd Kinney on to the podcast all the way from Omaha, Nebraska in the US of A! Todd is an attorney by trade but since going AF has become a QuitLit author too with his book that may be already familiar to you, 'I Didn't Believe It Either'. For those of you who have come through Dry Jan and you're thinking "is that it?!" - take a listen to what Todd has to say, because the good bit is only just getting started. We'd like to thank Todd for his time and you...

In this episode we welcome our OTI Community's very own medical professional to the podcast, the fantastic Dr Helen! Now a decade into her sobriety, Helen is an AF veteran and is absolutely smashing life without alcohol. She joined the OTI Community in our earliest days as she says she finally found a group of people that didn't look at quitting alcohol as something to be ashamed of but instead it's something to celebrate! If you think you might benefit from joining the community and...

In this episode we welcome back the wonderful Aran to the pod! Aran is one of our lovely OTI Community members and he joined us just over a year ago when he went AF last Dry January. Since then, it's safe to say he has bedded himself into the community and has got everything he can out of alcohol free life.  If you think you might benefit from joining the community and would like to find out more, head over to our website www.overtheinfluence.co.uk for more info. --- Get In Touch: Of...

To those of you doing Dry January, we salute you! Keep up the great work. We are delighted to be joined this week by Professor David Nutt (Imperial College London), a Psychiatrist who researches the affects of drugs on the brain. The drug in question this week is of course alcohol. David has spent much of his career researching how alcohol impacts brain function and the dangers of drinking to excess, so there really is no better person to be talking us through this subject on the pod. If...

Our old mate Craig Beck is back on the pod! He's back this Dry January to discuss with us why we shouldn't put a time frame on sobriety and if you're enjoying it, push on and enjoy each sober moment as it comes! Craig's book "Alcohol Lied To Me" and it's sequel "Alcohol Lied To Me... Again!", are essential quit lit reading. A lot of you out there will have already read them; anyone that hasn't, make sure you do as they are sure to change your perspective and your relationship with alcohol....

In this episode we catch up with friend of the podcast William Porter, the author of Alcohol Explained! William talks us through what happens to your body and brain when you decide to remove alcohol... And the reasons why it doesn't feel very good at first. He talks us through the science (both physiological and psychological) to give us an understanding of why we feel rubbish at first, but then also talks to us about how you start to feel better - and why. If you're doing Dry January and...

Happy New Year! It's the most wonderful time of the year - Dry Jan! To celebrate, we've invited on some members from our community here at Over The Influence to share their alcohol free tales after getting started on their journeys during January. Sobriety isn't a pipe dream - it's an achievable life choice and this lovely lot, are the proof in the pudding (or the podcast). Whether you're embarking on your first Dry Jan, you're a sober veteran or you're just sober curious and want to...

Ho-ho-ho, Merry Christmas!! As an extra special gift for you lovely lot today, we've got the one and only Ruth Jones on the podcast! She's a much-loved actress, writer, producer, novelist and you guessed it - she's one of the alcohol free gang. We're delighted that Ruth has joined us on the pod to spread some AF festive cheer and appreciate her taking the time to share her sobriety story with our community. We hope you all enjoy the pod and from all the team at Over The Influence, we...

This week we have the fantastic Dupe Witherick on the pod! Dupe is an accredited alcohol free & wellbeing coach and the author of "A Cocktail of Clarity". She is also a fellow AF podcaster so make sure you check out Thrive Alcohol Free! In this episode we chat to Dupe about what life was like before giving up alcohol and the remarkable improvement that she has felt since she removed it. With Christmas just around the corner, Shaz and Dupe reminisce about their first AF Christmas and...

In this episode we welcome Karl Considine onto the pod, founder of the AF bar Love From in Manchester! Karl is also the host of sobriety pod (big up the sobriety pods!) What Next. After kicking the booze himself, Karl saw that there was a massive gap in the market for somewhere that non-drinkers could go out and have a nice drink without being surrounded by alcohol. We had a wonderful time chatting to Karl on the pod and are massive supporters of everything that he's doing for the alcohol...

In this episode we chat to two of our fantastic community members, Chris and Aran. One of our favourite things about the pod and the community is that you, our wonderful listeners, not only connect with us but with each other as well. Chris and Aran are a great example of that and we wanted to get them on the pod to discuss how removing alcohol hasn't diminished their social life as they suspected it might, but has instead sent them to places they never expected to go. Our OTI Community...

This week we welcome Transformation Coach Marcus Jones onto the podcast, who shares his own sobriety story with us in the hope of helping other men who are currently in a similar situation to where he was pre-pandemic. Following the breakdown of his marriage, Marcus found that he turned to alcohol and substance abuse to help him cope. Far from giving him comfort though, he found that in the longterm that the alcohol was in fact the problem. Marcus provides yet more quotes for Ben's board,...

No guest this week because our Shaz is turning 50! Her and Ben are taking a moment to reflect on the last decade and how quitting the booze half way through her 40s changed the direction of travel for everything Sharon Hartley related. Enjoy your holiday Shaz, you flippin' deserve it!  --- Get In Touch: Of course, you can always get in touch with us (publicly or privately) on our socials - @alcoholfreepod on Instagram, or search for "Over The Influence" on Facebook. We'd love to hear...