The Big Drink Rethink Anna Donaghey

In this episode, Anna has the pleasure of speaking with Helen Jeffery, an incredibly talented writer, performer, director, and creative facilitator who uses the arts to challenge and provoke debate around our relationship with alcohol. 
Helen’s play, ‘Buckled’, explores navigating sobriety in a world that revolves around drinking. The play focuses on three characters with different relationships to alcohol and centres around an impending wedding. It raises questions about why so many social interactions revolve around drinking and challenges the societal norm that not drinking is abnormal. The play is not preachy but aims to spark conversation and make people think. Both the play and Anna & Helen’s conversation, explore the importance of self-compassion and kindness when trying to change drinking habits. It emphasises the need to approach sobriety with a mindset of personal growth and emotional sobriety. 
The discussion also touches on the challenges of navigating social situations without alcohol and the importance of supportive relationships. The play 'Buckled' is highlighted as a powerful medium for raising questions and fostering empathy around alcohol addiction. The next steps for the play include upcoming performances, potential streaming options, and the possibility of a national tour.
Here are the Highlights:
00:00 Introduction and background
06:19 The relevance of ‘Buckled’
07:09 Navigating sobriety in a world of drinking
10:49 Dependency on alcohol affects characters' relationships differently.
14:43 Advising balance and boundaries, addressing generational alcohol issues.
16:35 Genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and social patterns
21:08 Son struggles with his mother's alcoholism and change.
24:14 Children of alcoholics cope with shame and hope.
25:48 Addressing shame and regret
29:09 Addiction is not your fault, but your responsibility
31:35 Advocate for self-forgiveness and personal motivation
36:13 Navigating social situations without alcohol
36:38 Focusing on percentages helps in stopping drinking.
41:21 Navigating social interactions after giving up drinking.
44:04 Personal growth and changing relationships
47:58 Theatre, education, raising questions, more to come.
50:48 The future of 'Buckled'
About the host Anna:
Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.

Connect with Anna:
Website: thebeliefscoach.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey
Facebook: facebook.com/thebeliefscoach
Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

About Helen Jeffery:

Helen is a writer, performer, poet & graduate of the Playwright’s Programme at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre. She has had several plays produced including, ‘The Brink’ and ‘Gun Metal Blue', which won the Blink.Theatre Award for New Writing in 2017. In March 2024, Helen’s latest play, ‘Buckled’ opened...

Welcome to another thought-provoking episode of the Big Drink Rethink. Today we're dialling into one of the difficult aspects of modern parenting: how to talk to your teens about alcohol.
Listen in as host, Anna Donaghey, talks to Anita Cleare, an acclaimed parenting expert. Anita’s insights help us understand the teenage brain and together, they discuss the pros and cons of sharing our drinking experiences with our adolescent children.

As a parent, you may question whether to take a liberal stance or keep a tight rein. With alarming statistics revealing early alcohol experimentation among Europe's youth, Anita's wisdom and our host Anna Donaghey's personal reflections, provide a much-needed perspective on guiding teens through curiosity, peer pressure and their first experiences with alcohol. 

This episode promises to equip you with strategies for open and honest conversations, balancing independence with safety, and fostering trust during these crucial years. So tune in, reflect on your relationship with alcohol, and gain some new tools for navigating the tumultuous teen years. Don't forget to follow and leave your feedback—it's the fuel that keeps our conversations going. Ready for a big drink rethink? Let's dive in.

Here are the highlights:
00:01 Debate on teenage alcohol: limits, guidance, repercussions.
06:36 The teen's emotional and rational brain.
09:43 Parents face challenges as teens seek independence.
12:42 Adolescents feel social pain more intensely.
15:16 Supporting teenagers in making good decisions is crucial.
17:45 Parents' discussions with kids can prevent risky behaviour.
22:02 Be non-judgmental and supportive with teenagers.
27:12 Parent sharing has pros and cons.
29:48 Teenagers must learn from their own experiences.
31:16 Factual approach to teen substance use issues.
34:48 Alcohol linked to risky behaviours in teenagers.
43:55 Parental influence is crucial in shaping teenagers' behaviour.
51:13 Teens need support, not judgement, from parents.

About the host Anna:
Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.


Connect with Anna:
Website: thebeliefscoach.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey
Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk





About Anita Cleare:
Anita Cleare is a parenting speaker, writer and coach who supports working parents to balance successful careers with being a parent. 

With an academic background in developmental psychology, Anita has a talent for helping parents to step back and reflect on parent-child dynamics and implement small changes that make a huge difference. She founded the Positive Parenting Project in 2012 with the aim of helping parents cut through the fads and fashions of parenting advice and focus on evidence-based approaches that work.

Anita’s award-nominated parenting blog ‘a...

In a culture where drinking is nearly synonymous with socialising, standing up to peer pressure is a skill - a skill that's essential for those of us reevaluating our relationship with alcohol. This episode is packed with insights and practical tools to help you navigate social expectations, understand self-imposed pressures, and stay steadfast in your choices.
Anna shares personal experiences from her decision to stop drinking and how it affected her relationships. She’ll also discuss strategies, such as visualisation, to mentally prepare for real-life scenarios where you might face pressure.
You're not alone in this journey, and by the end of this episode, you'll be equipped with not just strategies, but also the courage to be the change in your drinking culture.

Here are the highlights:

00:01 Anna draws common themes from the last two episodes.
05:17 Navigating social pressure and feelings of exclusion.
07:35 Society pressures us to drink alcohol.
12:42 Peer pressure comes from a place of fear. Show compassion.
14:50 Rethink program helps prevent overthinking.
19:59 Envision the pride, satisfaction, and empowerment.
21:59 Fear of judgement affects our need to belong.
26:21 Assumed response is always worse than reality.Overestimating friends' reactions. 
29:38 Realisations I was following the crowd and conforming. Far from the rebel I liked to think I was.
About the host Anna:
Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.


Connect with Anna:

Anna’s 6 week personal RETHINK programme: https://www.thebeliefscoach.com/registration Register your email to be sent the discount code.

Website: thebeliefscoach.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey
Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

Anna Donaghey, sits down with the indomitable Laura Willoughby, campaigner, and founder of Club Soda.
Laura shares her insightful journey from founding Club Soda in 2014 to spearheading the mindful drinking movement. Through her mission to educate and guide, Laura explores the evolution of the non-alcoholic drinks industry, challenges mainstream drinking habits, and nudges the hospitality scene towards inclusivity and choice.
This episode is packed with thought-provoking discussion about alcohol and its wider impact on society and how it is evolving. Laura and Anna dive deep into the need for changing drinking culture, examining the impact of current regulations on innovation, and the significance of education about alcohol content. Laura’s message is clear: it's not just about reducing or giving up alcohol. It's about adding variety, quality, and joy to our lives. Whether you’re moderating, abstaining, or just sober-curious, listen to the episode to learn more.

Here are the highlights:

00:01 Laura's journey, from drinking problems to sobriety.

08:26 Cultural shift towards alcohol moderation and acceptance.

11:48 Overcoming drinking reconnected me with my values.

16:16 Promote alcohol-free options for social events.

17:57 Hospitality should focus on experiences, inclusivity.

21:54 Government needs to revise alcohol-free drink definitions.


30:26 Moderation, education, and lower alcohol options recommended.

34:54 Government policies should recognise alcohol-free drinks' value.

47:40 Increase availability of non-alcoholic drinks in shops.



About Laura Willoughby MBE:

Laura Willoughby MBE is the founder of the world’s largest mindful drinking movement, Club Soda. She is the UK’s foremost expert in low and no alcoholic drinks and through Club Soda, runs the Low & No Tasting Rooms in Covent Garden. 

Laura was named number 16 in 2023’s Drinks Retailing’s latest Top 100 Most Influential People in Drink, one of the 100 most influential women in hospitality by CODE, and is a Trustee for The Drinks Trust. The Club Soda Tasting Room was Drink Retailing’s Independent Retailer of the year 2023. She is a trustee for the Drinks Trust, Imbibe Ambassador and judge for WAFA, IWSC and Publican of the Year.

Receiving an MBE for services to the community in 2004, Laura’s devotion to Club Soda means hundreds of thousands of people are supported in their journey to live well by being more mindful about drinking alcohol. Laura’s part in the transformation of the non-alcoholic drinks sector in the UK from niche into the mainstream cannot be underestimated. In addition to organising 10 editions of the Mindful Drinking Festival nationwide, her work also includes developing education courses, conducting research and generating guides to Low & No alcoholic drinks.


Connect with Laura:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurawilloughby/

Visit us at the Club Soda Tasting Room & Bar in Covent Garden. The Tasting Rooms are a space for consumers to try and buy low and no alcohol drinks - with private tastings and cocktail classes.  
You can find Club Soda at joinclubsoda.com on social @joinclubsoda and at The Club Soda Tasting Rooms, 39 Drury Lane, London, WC2B...

Your host, Anna Donaghey, looks at the way in which businesses often fail to ‘do right’ by their employees - on the one hand encouraging a drinking culture, but failing to educate and provide adequate support when it is needed. She examines the threads that tie alcohol culture to the workplace, with this week’s guest, Tabbin Almond, a fellow coach in the process of writing her book ‘Bottling Up Trouble: How Alcohol is Holding Your Business Back and What to Do About It’. Together they discuss how alcohol remains absent from the vast majority of Wellness agendas, despite a clear commercial and logical argument for its inclusion.
This episode is more than just a conversation; it's a call to action for leaders, managers, and the workforce to foster a healthier, more supportive work environment for all. Take a listen to see how we can make talking about alcohol in the workplace less of a taboo.
Here are the highlights:
04:20 Encouraging conversation, breaking down workplace taboos.
07:10 Companies need to support employees more openly.
14:34 Leaders leading with a commitment to change alcohol myths.
18:36 Presenteeism: employees present but unproductive due to issues.
20:51 Alcohol's impact on productivity and relationships.
23:59 Pressure on fitting in and socialising at work.
28:25 Hope for the future, tolerance and self-respect are emphasised.
34:50 Shifting drinking culture to promote informed choices.
36:48 Encourage responsible partying for better relationships.
40:43 HR professionals promoting non-alcoholic workplace events and education.
48:38 Opening up workplace conversation about forward-thinking choices.

About Tabbin Almond

Tabbin had a long and reasonably successful career in advertising (where she used her ‘proper’ name of Katherine, rather than her nickname of Tabbin). She grew up in a family where alcohol was an intrinsic part of daily life, which turned out to be excellent preparation for a career in advertising. On joining a big London Agency in the mid-eighties, she took the long boozy lunches in her stride. And would then go on to the pub after work. And that was just during the week. Weekends were when the serious partying would happen. But over the years, her social / work drinking morphed into more hidden, solitary drinking. Not enough for anyone else to realise that she had a problem but certainly enough for her to feel that her relationship with alcohol was becoming increasingly unhealthy, affecting her work and her relationships and making her unhappy.

She tried various ways of giving up, including AA (short-lived) and hypnotherapy (much longer). But it wasn’t until she came across This Naked Mind that she found a method that really made sense her – she stopped thinking in terms of ‘giving up’ and focussed instead on the freedom she could now enjoy. 

Tabbin’s niche is helping people working in careers like advertising, media and law, where alcohol still plays a big role, whether it is in the form of client entertaining or after-work drinks. Alcohol is an addictive substance, so it is inevitable that its prevalence in our professional lives will lead to some people becoming addicted.  She has written a book called Bottling Up Trouble – how alcohol is harming your business and what you can do about it, which will be published in September 2024. She looks forward to the day when professional people do not have to make an excuse for not drinking! And when the shame and stigma around Alcohol Use Disorder is a thing of the past, so that people feel safe asking for the help that they need.

She is a breast cancer survivor (thank you NHS), and now lives in beautiful Devon where she is able to enjoy long walks on Dartmoor with family and friends. Her passions range from the zen (practicing

Have you ever found yourself reaching for that habitual alcoholic evening drink and wondering if there's another way to unwind? In this episode your host Anna will unpack a treasure chest of alternatives, strategies, and heart-to-heart advice to support you in addressing habitual evening drinking.
Anna also dives into the reality behind our 'enjoyment' of alcohol, challenges the status quo with alcohol-free alternatives, and shares some useful journaling prompts to help listeners unwind for a better night’s sleep.
Tune in to get some great advice and tips on how to establish a healthier evening routine without alcohol.
Here are the highlights:
04:06 Alcohol-free drinks - use for behaviour change.
11:28 Humans lie to themselves, and embrace new habits.
14:11 Alcohol impairs productivity, resilience, and well-being.
17:29 Limit evening drinking to achieve a focused mindset.
23:27 Combat drinking habits by shaking up dinner routines.
26:53 Brain needs time to wind down naturally.
29:35 Reflecting on thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
32:42 Identify worries, offer advice, and let go.
About the host Anna:
Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.


Connect with Anna:
Website: thebeliefscoach.com
Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink
Produced by winteraudio.co.uk