{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/681fbf9d27cd62263856567f/69603c68d11f0c4fbb90b163?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"How To Be Sober","description":"<h2>Navigating Dry January</h2><p><strong>Special Guest: Hamza Najam (Founder of Breathe Sober)</strong></p><p>Welcome to the first episode of 2026. While many are attacking January with \"New Year Resolution Fever,\" Marc sits down with sobriety coach and breathwork teacher <strong>Hamza Najam</strong> to unpack our complex, often automated relationship with alcohol.</p><p>Marc reflects on his own 12 months of sobriety—the gains, the \"othering\" at work, and the unexpected challenges of a sunny Christmas—while Hamza explains why your struggle to stop isn't a lack of willpower, but a deeply wired nervous system.</p><p><strong>Connect with Hamza Najam:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Website:</strong> <a href=\"https://breathesober.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">breathesober.com</a></li><li><strong>Instagram:</strong> <a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.instagram.com/hamzannajam.sobrietycoaching\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@hamzannajam.sobrietycoaching</a></li><li><strong>YouTube:</strong> <a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.youtube.com/%40BreatheSober\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Breathe Sober Breathwork</a></li></ul><p><strong>Follow us on X/Insta:</strong> @DadsGotAnotherTattoo</p><p><br></p><h3><strong>🧠 The Science of the \"Old Mind\"</strong></h3><ul><li><strong>Nature vs. Nurture:</strong> Hamza breaks down his journey from a binge-drinking culture in Pakistan to the high-stakes house and techno scene in Canada. He explains why we often drink not for the taste, but to change an internal state.</li><li><strong>The Nervous System Trap:</strong> Why \"willpower is like bringing a knife to a gunfight.\" Hamza explains how our subconscious automates drinking patterns to serve an identity we might not even like anymore.</li><li><strong>Introspection as a Tool:</strong> Moving past the \"external excuses\" (the friends, the parties, the stress) to realize that unhappiness is often the root cause of over-consumption.</li></ul><p><br></p><h3><strong>🛡️ The \"Trailblazer\" Tax: Social &amp; Career Pressures</strong></h3><ul><li><strong>The Work Dynamic:</strong> Marc shares a raw account of how sobriety might have \"hurt\" his career in the short term—missing out on the 2:00 AM post-conference bar bonding and the \"never trust a non-drinker\" stigma.</li><li><strong>The \"Mirror\" Effect:</strong> Why do people ask \"Why aren't you drinking?\" Hamza reveals the uncomfortable truth: they aren't curious about your health; they are holding up a mirror to their own habits.</li><li><strong>Holiday Hurdles:</strong> Marc discusses the \"Final Boss\" of his sobriety year—spending Christmas in the sun and the nostalgia of \"quietly getting sozzled\" on a sunbed with his wife.</li></ul><h3><strong>🌬️ The Path Forward: Phases of Recovery</strong></h3><ul><li><strong>Phase 1 &amp; 2 (Mindset &amp; Visualization):</strong> Moving from \"lacking\" to \"embodying\" the person you want to be.</li><li><strong>Phase 3 &amp; 4 (Rewiring &amp; The New Mind):</strong> How breathwork allows you to bypass the ego and release years of unresolved shame to build a thriving, alcohol-free life.</li><li><strong>The 900-Patient Insight:</strong> Hamza shares the one thing he’s learned from coaching nearly a thousand people: Alcohol is never the problem; it’s a symptom of an alignment issue.</li><li><br></li></ul><p><br></p>","author_name":"Mum! Dad's Got Another Tattoo"}