In this episode we chat to Daniel from Lancashire, who's been an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous for nearly 17 years. Daniel talks to us about his journey to AA, and how a conversation with a tourist when he was working abroad completely changed his life. He also talks about how he didn't know what to expect when he attended his first AA meeting, but even all these years later he remembers how warm the welcome was and how the things discussed changed his perspective. Daniel is an active member of AA in the sense that he participates, but he also gives a lot back to the organisation - he spoke to us the night before flying to Italy to take part in an AA conference for young people, of which he's been part of the organisational team. He talks about the importance of giving back, and how it benefits him as much as it benefits those he's helping. Of course, Daniel doesn't reveal his surname on the podcast because of the rules within AA about keeping your identity anonymous when speaking in the media - but he talks to us about how in his everyday life he's an open book when it comes to his journey with alcohol. After all, you never know how an honest chat could change someone's life... --- Get In Touch: Of course, you can always get in touch with us (publicly or privately) on our socials - @alcoholfreepod on Instagram, or search for "Over The Influence" on Facebook. We'd love to hear your story - please get in touch with us directly at otihq@overtheinfluence.co.uk or go to our website, www.overtheinfluence.co.uk --- The Premium Podcast: If you love OTI and you'd like to hear behind the curtain, subscribe to the OTI Premium Podcast now! Released every Monday and exclusive to subscribers and OTI Community members, the Premium Pod is Sharon and Ben talking through even more topics surrounding alcohol-free life, from how to not just survive but enjoy AF holidays to alcohol free dating! Subscribe now! Released every Monday, cancel any time - just £5 per month. --- Links: Over The Influence is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel. Sound Rebel works with businesses, brands, charities & other organisations across the UK - go to soundrebel.co.uk now to find out how podcasts could help you to tell your story to the world. If you feel as if connection with likeminded people would help as you try life without alcohol, join the Over The Influence Community now - and we can't wait to meet you! For links to alcohol-related support services, please visit our website. --- Helpful Hashtags: We found hashtags and sober social media accounts really helpful in our early days alcohol free, as following them can help to reinforce that you are not alone! These are some of the hashtags we've followed: #alcoholfree #stopdrinking #healthandwellnessjourney #zeroalcohol #idontdrink #sobercurious #healthydrinking #alcoholfreelife #soberaf #alcoholfreeliving #sobermotivation #podcast #healthpodcast #noalcohol #nobooze #sober #sobercurious #soberlofe #soberliving #sobercommunity #afcommunity #soberwomen #sobermom #sobermomtribe #sobersisters #sobriety #soberuk #soberjourney #sobrietyrocks #overtheinfluence #oti
In this episode Shaz puts Ben in the hot seat as a guest, as he's celebrating being two years alcohol free! Ben started producing this podcast when he was a drinker - and he never expected that he'd end up giving up alcohol himself! After a brief flutter with moderation, Ben decided to take the plunge and go fully alcohol free in July 2020 after lockdown threw his initial plans out of the window... He intended to do three months and then go back to drinking, and was almost annoyed when the benefits of alcohol free life started to happen pretty much straight away. Ben truly believes that you don't have to have a rock bottom to rethink your drinking, and that anyone can feel the benefits of giving up alcohol, no matter where they sit on the drinking scale. If you've only just found the podcast, go back and listen from the very beginning - you can hear Ben's journey unfold in real time and so many people have told us that his story has been a huge inspiration to them. --- Get In Touch: Of course, you can always get in touch with us (publicly or privately) on our socials - @alcoholfreepod on Instagram, or search for "Over The Influence" on Facebook. We'd love to hear your story - please get in touch with us directly at otihq@overtheinfluence.co.uk or go to our website, www.overtheinfluence.co.uk --- The Premium Podcast: If you love OTI and you'd like to hear behind the curtain, subscribe to the OTI Premium Podcast now! Released every Monday and exclusive to subscribers and OTI Community members, the Premium Pod is Sharon and Ben talking through even more topics surrounding alcohol-free life, from how to not just survive but enjoy AF holidays to alcohol free dating! Subscribe now! Released every Monday, cancel any time - just £5 per month. --- Links: Over The Influence is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel. Sound Rebel works with businesses, brands, charities & other organisations across the UK - go to soundrebel.co.uk now to find out how podcasts could help you to tell your story to the world. If you feel as if connection with likeminded people would help as you try life without alcohol, join the Over The Influence Community now - and we can't wait to meet you! For links to alcohol-related support services, please visit our website. --- Helpful Hashtags: We found hashtags and sober social media accounts really helpful in our early days alcohol free, as following them can help to reinforce that you are not alone! These are some of the hashtags we've followed: #alcoholfree #stopdrinking #healthandwellnessjourney #zeroalcohol #idontdrink #sobercurious #healthydrinking #alcoholfreelife #soberaf #alcoholfreeliving #sobermotivation #podcast #healthpodcast #noalcohol #nobooze #sober #sobercurious #soberlofe #soberliving #sobercommunity #afcommunity #soberwomen #sobermom #sobermomtribe #sobersisters #sobriety #soberuk #soberjourney #sobrietyrocks #overtheinfluence #oti
In this episode we link up with Hollywood as actor Shaun Weiss joins us from Los Angeles! Shaun rose to fame in the 90s as a child actor when he had a starring role in The Mighty Ducks movies as Greg Goldberg, the team's tough but loveable goalkeeper. He'd acted before this but it was these movies that cemented his love for the profession, and he made friends for life who still play a big part in his story to this day. Shaun's addictions started in his early 30s after his mother died, something that absolutely devastated him. He talks to us about the day he knew that he was in for a long journey as he walked to the liquor store and heard that little voice in the back of his head - the accessibility of alcohol meant that this was the first thing he turned to, but it soon led to an addiction to other substances too. Shaun hit rock bottom, and was sitting in a jail cell when one of the deputies came in with a picture of him on his phone as one of the Mighty Ducks - and a few days later...
On the last Monday of every month, Over The Influence is being taken over by Joey Duckworth and Charlie Martina, two people in their 20s who've decided to ditch booze and live life alcohol-free. In this episode, Charlie is dialling in from Spain as she's been away for a couple of weeks - and, of course, she's done it all alcohol-free! She talks about her experience in Morocco, where it's very rare to see people drinking alcohol - and how that made her reflect on our culture. Charlie and Joey also give some great tips for those who are AF but have a holiday coming up that they may be worried about - and of course, as always, its full of inspiration for people who are young and sober. Safe travels home Charlie! --- Get In Touch: Of course, you can always get in touch with us (publicly or privately) on our socials - @alcoholfreepod on Instagram, or search for "Over The Influence" on Facebook. We'd love to hear your story - please get in touch with us directly at otihq@overtheinfluence....
In this episode we chat to FOUR of our OTI Community members who took part in our Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge: Danny, Kerry, Neil and Sara! This challenge was the start of many more events to come from OTI, and it was a magical day of friendship, conversation and connection. Members came from all over the world to take part, with one member even travelling from BRISBANE to Yorkshire to meet up with her fellow OTI Community members for a 25 mile hike through the Yorkshire Dales. When you give up alcohol, your world gets bigger - and you do things you'd never expect that you'd either want or be able to do! The Yorkshire Three Peaks isn't a walk in the park, but every member completed it with a smile on their faces - we absolutely got each other through in the same supportive way we approach going alcohol free every day as part of the online community. If you think that connection is the missing piece of the puzzle for you, then we'd love for you to join us! You can find the info b...
In this episode we catch up with Ian Thurlbeck, an OTI Community member who's now over two years alcohol free! The last time Ian was on the podcast he talked about his first year of sobriety, as we spoke to him on the day of his 365 days milestone - in this conversation we talk about how things continued to change for him since, and how his second year of sobriety has given him so much more than he ever could have expected. For the vast majority of us, the first year AF is spent focussed on not drinking - it's ticking off the first wedding, the first birthday, the first sober Christmas - and that's absolutely the right thing to do. However, if you carry on past the year mark, that's when the really exciting stuff can start to happen... When the rewards for your efforts really start to come in. Ian talks about the rewards he's found in his second year of sobriety, and very honestly reflects back on how far he has come. Ian is an incredible role model for men, because he isn't afraid ...
In this episode we chat to Andy Garwood, who's over 4 years alcohol free and someone who Shazza has known since the very start of her own AF journey! Andy was a daily drinker and gave up alcohol because he had some very strong reasons why - he wanted to be the best man he could be for his young children. One day he was showing them how to do burpees when he snapped his ankle - he was overweight, and knew that things needed to change. Andy's social circle were all drinkers, and he had some challenging moments in the early days of his sobriety - but he knew that he wanted to give alcohol free like a go so stuck to his guns. Interestingly, he talks to us about how the change he has made has impacted on some of his friends - he's no longer the only one who's changing the way he drinks. Andy has achieved some incredible things since going alcohol free, from taking part in ultra marathons to climbing Kilimanjaro. Not only that, but his ultra marathons inspired two very important people in...
On the last Monday of every month, Over The Influence is being taken over by Joey Duckworth and Charlie Martina, two people in their 20s who've decided to ditch booze and live life alcohol-free. In this episode, Charlie and Joey talk about the triggers that could catch young people off guard when they decide to go sober, and some of the tools that have helped them in their sobriety. When you're young, and especially in an environment like university where you're constantly surrounded by other people, your social circle is hugely important - and it can be harder to keep yourself to yourself. There are always nights out, drinks planned with your course mates, drinks planned with your society friends... It can feel like your sobriety is constantly being tested. In this episode Charlie and Joey talk about things like breathing, taking yourself off for a quiet few minutes, and even a sober pre-drinks routine that Charlie does which she finds really helpful when it comes to getting hersel...
In this episode we chat to Jane Mackenzie, a mother who lost her daughter Amy to alcohol. Amy struggled with alcohol dependence for her whole adult life, and watching her going slowly downhill - and being powerless to stop the progression of this dreadful disease - was a very painful experience for Jane, their family and Amy's friends. Jane talks to us about Share Shrewsbury, the charity she has set up to support people affected by alcohol in her local community. Tragically, Amy died just as the charity was in its very early days, and Jane talks to us about how she found the strength to carry on with this hugely important work whilst grieving for her daughter. She also talks to us about the virtual conference she recently put on, called Alcohol: Sharing The Truth. Jane has been working tirelessly to bring together some of the world's leading experts on alcohol research and the treatment of alcohol dependence to highlight just how dangerous alcohol can be and also how drastically und...
In this episode we chat to Fraser Franks, a former professional footballer who started to struggle with alcohol after a medical diagnosis put a stop to his career overnight. We're Sharon and Ben, two normal people who decided to give up alcohol to see how our lives would change. We're not medical experts but we are expert ex-drinkers, and our podcast brings people together who are on their own alcohol-free journeys by celebrating just how wonderful life without booze can be! Fraser got in touch with us through Instagram because he listened to the podcast and wanted to share his story. He's particularly passionate about sharing his story with young men who have felt some of the same pressures that he has felt, especially men who have grown up in masculine environments. Fraser abstained from alcohol for a lot of his life due to his professional commitments - if he did have a drink it was never much, because his dream as a child was to be a professional footballer and he wanted to do i...