One for the Road: The Quit Drinking Podcast

What happens when you realise alcohol has become more than just a social habit?In this episode of One for the Road, Harriet shares her powerful journey to six months sober, reflecting on the experiences that shaped her relationship with alcohol and the decision to embrace an alcohol-free life. From a childhood marked by family illness and divorce to becoming a mother while navigating postpartum depression, Harriet speaks openly about the emotional challenges that led her to use alcohol as a coping mechanism. Receiving an ADHD diagnosis later in life helped her understand years of masking, overwhelm and drinking to fit in.Together, Dave and Harriet explore how motherhood, mental health, and the normalisation of mummy wine culture can make it difficult to recognise when drinking has become a problem. They also discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced unhealthy drinking habits and why building a supportive recovery community has been essential to Harriet's sobriety.Whether you're sober curious, thinking about giving up alcohol, supporting someone in recovery, or simply interested in honest conversations about addiction and mental health, this episode offers hope, encouragement and practical insight.In This EpisodeHarriet's journey to six months of sobrietyGrowing up with childhood adversityLiving with undiagnosed ADHDAlcohol as a coping mechanismMotherhood, postpartum depression and isolationThe reality of mummy drinking cultureHow COVID-19 changed drinking habitsWhy stopping drinking transformed Harriet's lifeBuilding confidence without alcoholFinding purpose through recoveryWhat You'll LearnThis conversation explores:Why alcohol problems often develop gradually rather than overnight.The connection between ADHD and alcohol use.How social expectations can influence drinking behaviour.The impact of postpartum mental health on substance use.The importance of self-awareness in recovery.Why community support plays a vital role in long-term sobriety.How life can improve after choosing an alcohol-free lifestyleThis episode is for anyone interested in:Sobriety and alcohol recoveryWomen's recovery journeysMental health and wellbeingADHD in adultsMotherhood and alcoholSober curiosityAddiction recovery storiesPersonal development and resilienceHarriet reminds us that recovery isn't about perfection—it's about understanding yourself and making choices that support your wellbeing.One for the Road is a podcast exploring sobriety, alcohol recovery, mental health and the real stories behind giving up drinking. Through honest conversations with guests from all walks of life, the podcast challenges drinking culture while sharing practical advice, lived experiences and inspiration for anyone seeking a healthier relationship with alcohol.If you want to connect with me via Instagram, you can find me on the instahandle @Soberdave https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/or via my website https://davidwilsoncoaching.com/Provided below are links for services offering additional help and advice.www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-serviceshttps://nacoa.org.uk/

This week on One For The Road, Dave is joined by Liberty X star Michelle Heaton for one of the rawest and most brutally honest conversations of the series.From pop fame, red carpets and chart success to addiction, intervention, rehab and rock bottom — Michelle opens up about the reality behind the headlines. She speaks candidly about living with the BRCA gene, undergoing a double mastectomy and hysterectomy, the identity crisis that followed, and how alcohol and cocaine slowly took over her life.Michelle shares the terrifying depths of addiction, drinking vodka at 7am, hiding bottles around the house, pushing away the people she loved most and reaching a point where she genuinely believed she was going to die.Now sober and rebuilding her life one day at a time, Michelle talks about recovery, boundaries, motherhood, self-worth and finding hope after complete chaos.This episode is fearless, heartbreaking, funny in places and deeply inspiring — a conversation about survival, sobriety and what happens when you finally decide you want to live.If you want to connect with me via Instagram, you can find me on the instahandle @Soberdave https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/or via my website https://davidwilsoncoaching.com/Provided below are links for services offering additional help and advice, and links for Michelle.https://www.instagram.com/wonderwomanshel/https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-serviceshttps://nacoa.org.uk/https://alcoholchange.org.uk/Show producer- Daniella AttanasioInstagram - @Daniellattanasio

Millie Gooch is the founder of Sober Girl Society, author of The Sober Girl Society Handbook, and one of the loudest voices in the UK sober community for women in their twenties.But four years ago she was a blackout drinker.She didn't drink at all until 18, then went to uni, took three bar jobs, got paid in alcohol, and came out the other side a four-or-five-night-a-week binge drinker. PR and journalism after that. Free Bar Fridays. Ending up in Dover at 4am because she'd fallen asleep on the train. Three weeks in Thailand spent almost entirely drunk or hungover. A six-year relationship breakup at 24 that sent her head-first into another year of going out and getting hammered.She read a Stylist magazine interview with Catherine Gray on the tube one hungover morning. Took a photo of the article. Did nothing about it. Then in February 2018, after a night she couldn't remember at all, she downloaded the audiobook and listened to it for eight straight hours on the worst hangover of her life.That was her last drink.In this episode she walks through how Sober Girl Society started by accident, the trap of becoming "the sober person" instead of just a person, and what changes between year one and year four.If you enjoy One For The Road, then click follow to be notified of the release of our next episode.You can also access further content and shows on my Patreon account by clicking the link below.https://www.patreon.com/user?u=62824759&fan_landing=trueIf you want to connect with me via Instagram, you can find me on the instahandle @Soberdave https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/or via my website https://davidwilsoncoaching.com/Provided below are links for services offering additional help and advice, and links for Millie.Instagram.com/sobergirlsocietyInstagram.com/milliegoochhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Sober-Girl-Society-Handbook-empowering/dp/1787634124/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1636881084&sr=8-1https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-serviceshttps://nacoa.org.uk/https://alcoholchange.org.uk/Show producer- Daniella Attanasiohttps://www.grownuphustle.com/Instagram - @daniellattanasio

Ollie Ollerton was 10 years old when a 50-pound chimpanzee pinned him to the floor of a circus enclosure and tried to kill him. He fought it off. Nearly lost his arm to gangrene. Then spent the next thirty-something years chasing danger to feel something close to that adrenaline again.Royal Marines. Special Forces. Iraq, where he drove drunk through Baghdad on his own with an AK-47 in the back of an armoured Mercedes. Steroids. Valium. A bottle most nights to muffle whatever was underneath. He was the life and soul of every party. He was also barely keeping it together.Ollie is now sober, runs his company Breakpoint, hosts SAS Who Dares Wins, and uses his platform to talk honestly about what alcohol actually cost him.You'll hear about: the chimp attack that shaped 30 years of his life; "personality rental" and why none of it was ever really him; the moment in Baghdad when he realised he was knocking on death's door; why he had to dip back into drinking to be sure; what it actually means to choose short-term discomfort for long-term gain.If you've been telling yourself you've got it under control, this one's for you.If you enjoy One For The Road, then click follow to be notified of the release of our next episode.If you want to connect with me via Instagram, you can find me on the instahandle @Soberdave https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/or via my website https://davidwilsoncoaching.com/Provided below are links for services offering additional help and advice, and links for Ollie.https://ollieollerton.com/https://www.instagram.com/ollie.ollerton/https://twitter.com/ollie_ollertonhttps://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-serviceshttps://nacoa.org.uk/https://alcoholchange.org.uk/-Martinezhttps://www.grownuphustle.com/Instagram - @daniellattanasioHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to finally quit drinking when you feel like you can’t stop?In this episode, we dive into a powerful sobriety journey that explores the reality of blackout drinking, alcohol addiction recovery, and mental health.Jordan Hurt shares his story of growing up around alcohol, developing addictive patterns early, and using drinking as a way to cope with identity, pressure, and pain. What started as social drinking quickly turned into blackout drinking, hospital visits, and complete loss of control.As his addiction progressed, his life became increasingly chaotic — from DUIs and broken relationships to isolation and severe mental health struggles that ultimately led to a stay in a psychiatric ward.This conversation is an honest look at:What blackout drinking actually looks likeWhy some people cannot moderate alcoholThe mental health impact of addictionThe turning point that leads to real changeWhat alcohol addiction recovery really requiresWhy quitting drinking is a process, not a single decisionIf you’ve ever questioned your drinking, struggled to stop, or wondered what a real sobriety journey looks like — this episode will give you clarity and perspective.https://www.instagram.com/jordvnhurt/https://www.instagram.com/queerityapp/https://queerityapp.com/If you want to connect with me via Instagram, you can find me on the instahandle @Soberdave https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/or via my website https://davidwilsoncoaching.com/Provided below are links for services offering additional help and advice.www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-serviceshttps://nacoa.org.uk/Show producer- Daniella Attanasio-MartinezInstagram - @TheDaniellaMartinezhttps://www.instagram.com/thedaniellamartinez/www.instagram.com/grownuphustle

In this episode of One for the Road, Sober Dave sits down with Allie Bailey, ultra runner, running coach, speaker and author, for an honest conversation about what really happens after you quit drinking.This is emotional sobriety. The uncomfortable bits. The parts of recovery nobody warns you about.Allie started drinking at 14, spent years as a functioning alcoholic in the music industry, hit rock bottom in her late thirties and quit without AA or formal support. She has been sober four and a half years.They talk about losing your identity when you stop drinking, relationships and intimacy sober, attachment styles, core values and why the resilience built through years of drinking can actually serve you in sober life.If you are thinking about quitting alcohol, in early sobriety, or well into your journey and wondering why it still feels hard, this episode is for you.Allie's new book 31 Days is available on Amazon, Audible and at adventurebooks.com. Buy direct and get a free workbook included.Follow Allie on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ab_runs/Allie's Book: https://amzn.eu/d/03O7NRTzIf you want to connect with me via Instagram, you can find me on the instahandle @Soberdave https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/or via my website https://davidwilsoncoaching.com/Provided below are links for services offering additional help and advice.www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-serviceshttps://nacoa.org.uk/Show producer- Daniella AttanasioInstagram - @TheDaniellaMartinezhttps://www.instagram.com/thedaniellamartinez/www.instagram.com/grownuphustle

In this episode, I sit down with Steve Smith to talk about a side of drinking that often gets overlooked.Life can look good on the outside—work, responsibilities, everything in place—but underneath, something feels off.Low energy. Poor sleep. Always needing something to take the edge off at the end of the day.Not rock bottom. But not where you want to be either.We talk about what it looks like to question your drinking, even if you wouldn’t call it a serious alcohol problem, and how that “grey area drinking” can quietly hold you back.Some of the things we get into:The subtle signs alcohol is holding you backFeeling “fine” but not fully yourselfUsing alcohol to cope with stress and shut the day offWhat actually changes when you quit drinkingIf you’ve ever wondered whether it’s time to stop drinking, or asked yourself, “Do I have a drinking problem?”—this one will probably hit.Going alcohol-free didn’t change who Steve was — it changed what he believed was possible.Instagram: @Steve SmithWebsite :www.soberilliant.comLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-smith-5917519a/If you want to connect with me via Instagram, you can find me @Soberdave https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/or via my website https://davidwilsoncoaching.com/Provided below are links for services offering additional help and advice.www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-serviceshttps://nacoa.org.uk/Show producer- Daniella Attanasio-MartinezInstagram - @TheDaniellaMartinezhttps://www.instagram.com/thedaniellamartinez/www.instagram.com/grownuphustle

Sue Tickle was a senior NHS manager, a mum of two, and secretly drinking two to three bottles of wine every single night. Nobody at work knew. Nobody stepped in. Then one morning after blacking out at her sister's hen party, her mum rang and said five words that changed her life. "You're turning into your dad."Sue never touched another drink. That was over seven years ago. In this episode she and Sober Dave talk about what it really looks like to function on the outside while falling apart behind closed doors, the grief that sent her spiraling, self sabotage in sobriety, and why putting the glass down is only the beginning. Sue now runs women's wellness retreats in Bali and coaches others through sobriety using breathwork and sound healing.To read more of my story over the 7 years – All Shiny and New – Sue TickleTo join sober space Facebook Page – Sober Space | FacebookFollow me on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sober_space_To subscribe to the daily coaching group for a small fee - Tickle Life CoachingIf you want to connect with me via Instagram, you can find me on the instahandle @Soberdave https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/or via my website https://davidwilsoncoaching.com/Provided below are links for services offering additional help and advice.www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-serviceshttps://nacoa.org.uk/Show producer- Daniella Attanasio-MartinezInstagram - @TheDaniellaMartinezhttps://www.instagram.com/thedaniellamartinez/www.instagram.com/grownuphustle