Sober Experiment Podcast

Lotta Dann drank alcohol steadily and heavily from the age of 15 to the age of 39. She got sober in 2011 with the help of an anonymous blog called 'Mrs. D Is Going Without' and her memoir of the same name was published three years later. Her second memoir, 'Mrs D Is Going Within', came next and she's soon to publish book number three entitled, 'The Wine O'Clock Myth: The truth you need to know about women and alcohol'. She writes about alcohol, addiction and recovery from her home in Wellington, New Zealand, where she also manages the community website Living Sober (www.livingsober.org.nz) Click on the following link to find out more of what we are up to, you can sign up to our newsletter, join our Facebook group and subscribe to our YouTube channel - linktr.ee/soberexperiment

Alex and Lisa talk to Clare Pooley Author of The Sober Diaries and New Novel, The Authenticity Project. Clare is a Cambridge graduate and was a Managing Partner at one of the world's biggest advertising agencies, Clare quit drinking and started a blog called Mummy Was a Secret Drinker. Her book is the story of a year in Clare's life. A year that started with her quitting booze having been drinking more than a bottle of wine every day. It sees her starting a hugely successful blog, then getting and beating breast cancer. By the end of the year she is booze free and cancer free, two stone lighter and with a life that is so much richer, healthier and more rewarding than ever before. Sober Diaries is one of our favourite quit lit books it is upbeat, funny and positive Clare shows how to live life to the full. Interwoven within Clare's own very personal and frank story is research and advice, and answers to questions like: How do I know if I'm drinking too much? How will I cope at parties? What do I say to friends and family? How do I cope with cravings? Will I lose weight? What if my partner still drinks? And many more. We are so grateful that Clare took the time to talk to us and hope you enjoy this as much as we did. Click on the following link to find out more of what we are up to, you can sign up to our newsletter, join our Facebook group and subscribe to our YouTube channel - linktr.ee/soberexperiment

Join The Sober Experiment and our panel of guests on this special live edition of our podcast. We chat to Mandy Manners, co-founder of Love Sober, Simon Chapple founder of Be Sober and author of The Sober Survival Guide, Sober Dave and William Porter, author of Alcohol Explained and Alcohol Explained 2 about coping strategies during the Covid-19 pandemic. We discuss cravings, sleep, anxiety, parenting and alcohol free drinks together and with questions from the audience. Links to our panel: https://www.lovesober.com/ https://besober.co.uk/ https://soberdave.co.uk/ https://soberdave.co.uk/ You can also find all of us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Simon and Williams' books can be found on Amazon and Audible. Click on the following link to find out more of what we are up to, you can sign up to our newsletter, join our Facebook group and subscribe to our YouTube channel - linktr.ee/soberexperiment

Alex and Lisa talk to Christy Smith in Ohio. She talks about her recovery journey from alcohol, heroin and cocaine, to soon becoming an addiction therapist. Christy is open and honest about her journey in this moving and emotional episode. Christy can be reached at facebook.com/the addictsfamily44 or @theaddictsfamily44 This episode could be triggering for some as we touch upon some serious topics for example, sexual abuse, childhood abuse, prostitution, heroin use and drug addiction. For additional support you can contact: https://www.nacoa.org.uk/ https://www.al-anonuk.org.uk/ https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/ https://ukna.org/ Click on the following link to find out more of what we are up to, you can sign up to our newsletter, join our Facebook group and subscribe to our YouTube channel - linktr.ee/soberexperiment

Alex and Lisa talk about parenting in sobriety. They discuss their own children and Alex’s childhood and the impact of alcohol on children. They discuss feelings of guilt and shame attached to parents’ drinking and how uncomfortable feelings can emerge in sobriety. Please note, this was a difficult Podcast to record and could trigger emotions especially if you are a child of an alcoholic, in a toxic relationship or a parent in recovery. Please visit https://www.nacoa.org.uk/ if you are affected by any of the topics we discuss. Click on the following link to find out more of what we are up to, you can sign up to our newsletter, join our Facebook group and subscribe to our YouTube channel - linktr.ee/soberexperiment

Janey Lee Grace is an Amazon No 1 Best-selling author, commentator, and co-presenter on the UK’s biggest radio show, BBC Radio 2’s Steve Wright in the Afternoon. Previously she was a backing singer with George Michael and Wham!, Kim Wilde, Boy George and had her own Number 8 chart hit with 7 Ways to Love as Cola Boy. www.imperfectlynatural.com Janey has written five books on Holistic living including the number One Amazon best seller Imperfectly Natural Woman and currently writes columns for many magazines, and offers PR and media training. She hosts the annual Janey Loves Platinum Awards to recognise the best in natural and organic products and services. After ditching the booze in January 2018 Janey has launched a podcast ‘Alcohol Free Life’ and runs The Sober Club focusing on sober self-care. www.thesoberclub.com In today’s bonus episode we talk about how to remain calm and resilient in the panic and techniques to use to maintain and protect your sobriety. A few useful tools mentioned in the podcast: Janey’s TEDx Talk Sobriety Rocks – Who Knew! https://youtu.be/NktRXVUmQC8 Janey’s free meditation, it’s super short and simple https://www.thesoberclub.com/change-the-frequency-meditation/ A useful blog post too https://www.thesoberclub.com/create-your-corona-virus-toolkit/ For extra support and to find out more about Janey’s work, visit www.thesoberclub.com and check out Janey’s group for additional support! Click on the following link to find out more of what we are up to, you can sign up to our newsletter, join our Facebook group and subscribe to our YouTube channel - linktr.ee/soberexperiment

Alex and Lisa talk about Lisa's journey to recovery and about her book "Girl Walks Out of a Bar". Lisa discusses her darkest times of waking up and drinking to stop the shaking and counteracting this by her use of cocaine in order to disguise her addiction from those closest to her. Now a huge influential speaker in the world of law, Lisa describes her journey to sobriety. Click on the following link to find out more of what we are up to, you can sign up to our newsletter, join our Facebook group and subscribe to our YouTube channel - linktr.ee/soberexperiment

Today we talk to Laura Willoughby MBE, who is co-founder of Club Soda, the Mindful Drinking Movement. Their aim is to create a world where nobody feels out of place not drinking. Club Soda has individuals, drinks brands, and social spaces in its membership. The inspiration for Club Soda comes Laura’s experience of giving up drinking seven years ago. A campaigner at heart with a background in movement building and politics, she realised that one of the big sticking points was a way to support people to take a self-guided journey to change their drinking. Club Soda has over 50,000 individual members, have built a venue listing guide for mindful drinkers (clubsodaguide.com) and they run the UK’s only Mindful Drinking Festival which is now in it’s 7th edition. She is author of How to Be a Mindful Drinker, a new book for 2020 published by DK books. Laura is chair of Imbibe’s No & Low Taste Awards judging panel for 2020. Click on the following link to find out more of what we are up to, you can sign up to our newsletter, join our Facebook group and subscribe to our YouTube channel - linktr.ee/soberexperiment

Alex and Lisa talk to Jane about her life in Japan as a sober person. Jane tells her story about how she journeyed from blackout drinking to a life of sobriety and the trials and tribulations of living overseas in sobriety. Click on the following link to find out more of what we are up to, you can sign up to our newsletter, join our Facebook group and subscribe to our YouTube channel - linktr.ee/soberexperiment