One for the Road: The Quit Drinking Podcast

Why can alcohol make you feel relaxed in the moment — but anxious, overwhelmed and full of regret the next day?Millie Gooch, founder of Sober Girl Society and author of Hangxiety, joins Dave for a fascinating conversation about what alcohol actually does to the brain and why drinking can make many of the things we use it to escape even worse.Millie shares her own journey from heavy binge drinking and blackouts to more than eight years alcohol-free, and explains the science behind the anxiety that can follow a night of drinking — often called “hangxiety.”They explore how alcohol affects GABA and glutamate in the brain, why it can temporarily quiet a busy mind, and why anxiety can come roaring back as alcohol wears off.Millie and Dave also discuss ADHD, autism and neurodivergence; blackouts and overthinking; genetics and addiction; shame and self-compassion; emotional sobriety; and why stopping drinking doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll immediately feel amazing.They also explore an important question: What if the thing you’re using alcohol to fix is actually the thing alcohol is making worse?Whether you’re sober, sober curious, questioning your drinking or simply interested in the relationship between alcohol and mental health, this conversation offers a science-backed look at why we drink, what alcohol does to the brain, and what can change when we remove it.Brand New Book From Millie On Amazon: Hangxiety: How Alcohol Messes with Your Mind: https://sobergirlsociety.com/pages/hangxiety-links

Carmela grew up seeing firsthand what alcohol addiction could do to a family and was determined she would never follow the same path.But what started as social drinking eventually became drinking at home, blackouts, anxiety and years of questioning whether she had a problem with alcohol.There was no dramatic rock bottom. Carmela simply reached a point where she knew she was done.Now more than six years sober, she joins Dave to share how she quit drinking, what finally made sobriety stick, and why removing alcohol was only the beginning of rebuilding her life.If you’ve ever questioned your drinking, tried to moderate, or wondered whether you need to hit rock bottom to get sober, this episode is for you.Carmela on IG: https://www.instagram.com/womanonasobermission/

When does drinking cross the line from having fun to something you can no longer control?Alex Clapp shares his journey from teenage drinking and blackouts to alcohol dependency, three trips to rehab, drinking three bottles of wine a night and eventually starting his mornings with vodka.After years of using alcohol to numb fear and difficult emotions, a conversation with his 17-year-old son became a turning point.Alex and Sober Dave talk honestly about alcohol addiction, rehab, getting sober, cravings, vulnerability and what it takes to build a life in recovery.Alex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clariteegroup

Have you ever wondered whether your drinking is still “normal,” or whether alcohol is taking up more space in your life than you’d like to admit?In this episode of One for the Road, Sober Dave is joined by bestselling author and grey area drinking expert Sarah Rusbatch for an honest conversation about women’s relationship with alcohol, mummy wine culture, moderation and the subtle ways drinking can become something we rely on.Sarah shares how she appeared happy and successful on the outside while, internally, her anxiety was getting worse and alcohol was taking up more and more headspace. What began as a way to socialise and have fun gradually became wine at home, a reward at the end of the day and a way to switch off.They explore why so many women don’t identify with traditional ideas of alcohol addiction, how one glass can quietly become two or three, the shame of repeatedly promising yourself you’ll drink less, and why grey area drinking can be so difficult to recognise.Sarah also opens up about trying to moderate her drinking for years before eventually accepting two things that changed her life: she couldn’t moderate, and everything in her life was better when she didn’t drink.Dave and Sarah also discuss mummy wine culture, alcohol marketing towards women, the 5 p.m. drinking trigger, alcohol and anxiety, sober friendships, relationships after quitting drinking, finding healthier ways to regulate stress, and learning to build a life where alcohol is no longer needed as the reward.If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t have a drinking problem, but I know I want to drink less,” this episode is for you.Sarah Rusbatch is the bestselling author of Beyond Booze and host of the Stronger, Bolder, Wiser podcast.

*Trigger warning-This show has discussions around suicide*How do you know when drinking has crossed the line from “I drink a lot” to “I have a problem”?In this episode of One For The Road, Sober Dave is joined by Emma Walsh, who shares how her relationship with alcohol slowly progressed from social drinking to drinking two, sometimes nearly three bottles of wine a night.From the outside, Emma had built a successful life — a career, a marriage and two young children. But underneath it all, she was struggling with anxiety, depression, imposter syndrome and a deep sense of not knowing who she really was.As drinking became her way of coping with difficult emotions, the consequences began to grow. Blackouts, risky decisions, overwhelming hangovers and constant negotiations with herself about how much she would drink became part of everyday life. Yet for a long time, Emma still didn’t believe she had a problem with alcohol.Everything began to change when a friend told Emma she had stopped drinking and encouraged her to educate herself about alcohol. Emma started listening to recovery podcasts and, for the first time, began recognising herself in the stories she was hearing.The realization finally hit her: “I just thought I was drinking a lot. But I never realized I had a problem.”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/

Have you ever wondered why getting sober didn’t magically fix everything you thought it would?After eight years of sobriety, Victoria Vanstone the host of Sober Awkward podcast found herself hitting an unexpected wall. She wasn’t craving alcohol or wanting to return to drinking. Instead, sobriety had started revealing something deeper: people pleasing, anxiety, identity, boundaries and years spent trying to prove she could still be the fun person in the room.In this episode of the One For The Road Podcast, Sober Dave and Victoria have an open conversation about what happens after the initial excitement of quitting alcohol wears off and the deeper work begins.Victoria shares why she spent years trying to fit in after getting sober, the reality of mummy wine culture, parenting without alcohol, social anxiety, shame and regret, and why sobriety is often the starting line rather than the finish line.They also explore alcohol cravings, moderation, sober socialising, mental health, personal growth and what it really means to build a life you no longer need to escape from.If you’ve quit drinking, are sober curious, questioning your relationship with alcohol, or wondering why life still feels difficult in sobriety, this conversation is for you.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who could benefit from hearing that sobriety isn't about perfection—it's about progress.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.https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-serviceshttps://nacoa.org.uk/https://alcoholchange.org.uk/

Have you ever promised yourself you wouldn’t drink, only to find yourself buying alcohol again hours later?Peter’s drinking eventually reached the point where a litre of gin wasn’t a problem. He would wake up determined to stop, only to find himself back at the supermarket buying more by the afternoon.In this episode of One For The Road with Sober Dave, Peter shares how growing up around alcoholism, heroin addiction and chaos shaped his life, how his own drinking became an escape, and what finally happened when he decided enough was enough.This is a powerful conversation about alcohol addiction, childhood trauma, quitting drinking, recovery and rebuilding your life in sobriety.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/Thank you for listening to One For The Road.

Have you ever wondered if your drinking is “bad enough” to quit? What if a bottle of wine at night has slowly become something you rely on just to switch off?Harriet didn’t think she fit the stereotype of someone with an alcohol problem. But drinking gradually became her escape from anxiety, overwhelm, motherhood and an undiagnosed ADHD brain. At her lowest point, she was drinking around a bottle of wine at home, sometimes more, while telling herself other people drank far worse. In this episode of One For The Road with Sober Dave, Harriet shares how mummy wine culture and social drinking turned into relying on alcohol, the denial that kept her stuck, and why she finally decided to quit drinking.Now six months sober, she also gets real about something that isn’t talked about enough: what happens when the excitement of early sobriety wears off and you have to learn who you are without alcohol. If you’re sober curious, trying to stop drinking, questioning your relationship with alcohol, or looking for real sobriety stories, this episode is for you.Topics: quit drinking, sobriety, alcohol addiction, alcohol dependence, sober curious, mummy wine culture, ADHD and alcohol, sober living, recovery, anxiety and 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