This week I am talking to Jo in Essex who is 6 months sober at the time of this recording. Jo is 41-year-old skincare therapist and a mum of three. Jo talks about how she didn't grow up in a big drinking family and as an adult, wasn't a very heavy drinker. She stopped drinking because she felt less than great and wanted to live a healthier life. It's a simple story with a big impact. Enjoy!

Todays episode is with Mike from Colchester, Essex. Mike is 39 and has been sober for 4.5 years at the time of this recording. Mike talks about how alcohol didn't have any significant role in his childhood and it wasn't until he started higher education that he tried to get into social drinking just to try and fit in. After a while, Mike got fed up of feeling the damaging effects of alcohol and decided to quit for good. This story is another great example of taking the decision to stop...

***TRIGGER WARNING*** References of child sexual abuseThis week I am chatting to 30 year old May in Streatham, London, who is 8 months sober at the time of this recording. Like many people her age she is into traveling, eating out, catching up with friends and reading. Her story with alcohol was relatively tame for most of her teenage years and early 2o's but it ramped up after a significant break up, and then 'tipping point' being shut away alone in covid lockdown. This is a great episode....

In the 60th episode of Sober Stories, I am chatting to Luke B from Stratford-Upon-Avon who now resides in Wales, UK. Luke is almost 10 months sober after a couple of stints in The Priory. He has also recently been diagnosed with ADHD. Luke talks about drinking to fit in, mini rock bottoms and how he always had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. He is now into running and getting outdoors and is absolutely loving his sober adventure and where it is taking him. Enjoy the episode.

This weeks episode is with Leah who is living in Belgium after growing up in New Hampshire USA. Leah runs a bar with her husband (who is also sober) after working in hospitality all her life. She is coming up to one year sober very soon. happy listening!

This weeks episode is with Suzanne from Stratford Upon Avon. Suzanne is almost 2 years sober and has noticed everything has improved since quitting drinking. Happy listening!

This weeks episode is with Fran in Battersea, London, who is 194 days sober at the time of this recording. Fran talks about challenges in her family dynamic at a young age and slowly watching the wheels come off that eventually lead her to quitting drinking, and finding her inner creativity again. I hope you enjoy it!

This weeks episode is with Julia from Dumfries in Scotland. Julia is 2.5 years into sobriety and is feeling calmer, more happy and more grateful following her decision to quit drinking. She is recently married, has a toddler and is pregnant with her second child. Julia shares lots of tips and wisdom including her 'joy list' and looking for 'glimmers'. Happy listening!

This week I am talking with Catrina from Glasgow who is 21 months sober. Catrina shares such a similar story to many of us who fall into drinking as a teenager and then just continue on throughout 20's & 30's without questioning it. After working for 9 years in a call centre, Catrina's sobriety has lead her to seeking a job as a recovery worker, helping local young people with addiction, which she is really excited about. Catrina is warm, candid and incredibly relatable. Enjoy!

This weeks episode is with Heather from Hazlemere in Buckinghamshire. Heather is celebrating 1 year alcohol free today (at the time of releasing this episode). Heather explains brilliantly how alcohol can just be the thing you do for a long time and how it can eventually negatively impact your mental wellbeing. She is super down to earth and shares so much helpful wisdom. I hope you enjoy the show and congratulations Heather!

This week I am chatting to Claire from Wokingham. Claire is 46 years old and has been sober for several months. She explored sobriety originally because a best friend decided to stop drinking and she found she was envious of her choice. Since then, her husband has also stopped drinking and they are enjoying a new lease of life without alcohol. Claire has recently qualified as a sobriety coach and is loving helping others to change their relationship with drinking. I hope you enjoy it!

This week's episode is with Aideen from Dublin who is celebrating 3 years of sobriety this month. Aideen realised she had a problematic relationship with alcohol after a breakup with a partner and then living on her own and drinking at home. Aideen took a slightly different journey into quitting drinking in that she turned to her family for help and then took strength and inspiration from events happening in her life. These events helped her to redefine who she wanted to be and gave her new...

In this episode I am speaking with Meggie in Minnesota, USA, who is 237 days sober at the time of this recording. Meggie has 4 small children and keeps herself busy with a variety of different projects including teaching hot yoga and freelance writing. Meggie's story with alcohol is similar to many others in the way it progressed through her 20's and 30's, but an early drunken experience would change the course of her life forever. Meggie is a breath of fresh air; she is open, warm and...

This week I chat to the lovely Noreen from West Byfleet who's just turned 9 months sober. Noreen has had several previous years of sobriety under her belt, but went back to drinking before getting fed up and quitting again. She has worked really hard on making sobriety different this time and focusing much more on her emotional sobriety and overall wellbeing. Noreen is honest, she is frank and we both share a deep connection with our painful 'mother wounds'. Happy listening.

In this episode I chat with 32 year old Becky from Leeds who's 133 days sober at the time of this recording. What I love bout Becky's story is she challenged her relationship with alcohol a single person in her early 30s. Becky started drinking to help her cope with social anxiety in her late teens, which just carried on as a pattern at weekends until she decided to stop drinking altogether. I hope you enjoy her story as much as I did!

Trigger Warning - Suicide. This week's episode is with Mike in Devon who is just about to celebrate being clean and sober for 4 years (in June 2023). Mike opens up about his trauma and his journey with alcohol and drugs, and how a few failed sobriety attempts, resulting in relapses, finally lead him to the help and support he had been craving. Mike got the help he needed and now he is giving back in more ways than one, to the community to help others seek happiness in sobriety. He is open,...

This weeks episode is with Steve from Canada, who lives just outside of Toronto. He is sober 1 year this week (at the time of the episode release). Steve recounts a childhood where his dad would drink every night and how he fell into a similar pattern, because it was the social norm. He talks of becoming aware of how alcohol was impacting his life, not resonating with AA, how Annie Grace's 'This Naked Mind' changed his life and the importance of education to transform your mindset. I hope you...

This week's episode is with Sara from Durham, UK. Sara has three children and is currently at university studying Occupational Therapy. In our chat we cover growing up with alcohol in the home, teenage drinking, living overseas and sober curiosity. Like many, Sara flip flopped between drinking and sobriety before taking the final plunge into living completely alcohol free one year ago. I hope you enjoy the episode!

This week I am chatting to Sarah from East Yorkshire who is 214 days sober at the time of recording. Sarah is a mum to two teenagers and like many of us, used alcohol to enjoy life, have fun and embrace handling a busy life. Sarah is warm, funny, relatable and powerfully frank in her story of typical binge drinking and how she is enjoying sobriety. I hope you love the episode!

This week I am chatting to Julia from Tasmania. Julia is 6 months sober and has also been a member of my THRIVE Community since the beginning. After decades of heavy sociable drinking, Julia started to drink more at home and more on her own. After graduating in midwifery at 49 and meeting her current partner, she decided enough was enough and something had to change. Julia is honest, brave and relatable. I hope you enjoy listening.

This week I am talking to Katy from Chelmsford in Essex. Katy is a mental health nurse who has been sober for 6 months. Katy drank like many of her friends until one day she suffered some health issues that would transform her life forever. After working hard on her early sobriety and becoming a much loved member of THRIVE, Katy is now settling nicely into her alcohol free life. It's another very relatable story. I hope you enjoy it!

This week I am delighted to bring another male voice to Sober Stories. Luc from Toronto is six years sober at the time of this recording. After a hedonistic career in tech sales, Luc quit drinking to pursue a better quality of life for himself and for his future family. A wake up call during a visit to a therapist took Lucy into drug and alcohol therapy services and started his successful journey with sobriety. Luc is a passionate runner and an avid coach in the mens sobriety space. I hope...

This week I chat to Michelle from Brisbane, Australia. Michelle is 503 days sober at the time of recording this episode. She described her drinking style as a high functioning woman having everything in order from the outside whilst feeling a fraud on the inside. After signing up for a 3 month challenge to remove alcohol from her life, her sober journey quickly blossomed and grew from strength to strength. She now continues with her own personal development as well as focusing her attention...

This weeks episode is with Sophie, the person behind instagram's @sober_and_happy and also someone who I consider a friend. Sophie, like me, is celebrating 4 years of sobriety in April 2023. We were connected very early on in our sober journey's and we've been in and out of contact up until several months ago, when we became proper mates. Sophie's story is so relatable; starting with drinking in her teens to getting regularly blackout drunk. She is warm, direct, charismatic and full of...

This episode is with Jo E from London. Jo is 7 months sober at the time of this recording. Jo is a nurse who is just about to complete her masters in Professional Practice. The daughter of a teetotal mother and an alcoholic father, Jo references a chaotic relationship with alcohol starting like many of us, in her teenage years. Jo recently suffered from bouts of anxiety and depression on top of being peri-menopausal which plays a big role in getting sober. She is into festivals, running, yoga...