The Big Drink Rethink

What if that evening glass of wine isn't just a habit, but your body reaching for balance it's missing elsewhere?Anna Donaghey is joined by certified clinical nutritionist Beverly Meyer to decode the neuroscience behind our relationship with alcohol, specifically GABA, the nervous system's key calming neurotransmitter, and why modern life is quietly depleting it. Beverly shares practical, food-first strategies to genuinely restore GABA levels and explains why your body is always trying to help you, never sabotage you.If you've ever wondered, "Why can't I just say no to that drink?", this episode is for you.Here are the Highlights: 00:00 Intro: Alcohol and why nervous system regulation matters01:06 Meet Beverly Meyer: clinical nutrition and the missing GABA link05:14 GABA 101: The neurotransmitter explained in plain English10:05 Does alcohol “pretend” to be GABA?12:22 Are you GABA deficient before you ever pick up a drink?16:24 When alcohol “parks” on GABA receptors and why that matters 18:13 Alcohol as a solution, not the problem- the real story about depletion20:00 Changing the drinking conversation21:09 Why food matters most25:00 Paleo eating and asking “What did humans evolve to eat?”28:18 Why Beverly ditched Wi-Fi and breakfast cereal40:09 Herbal strategies for sleep and stress45:27 Your body is on your side, learn to listen and support it47:15 Where to find out more.Anna’s book "What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want", is now out in the world for you to buy!Order your copy, access her free tools and explore her coaching programmes at: https://thebigdrinkrethink.com/The Thirsty For More Mindset Lab is Anna’s ‘inner circle’ - a calm, thoughtful space where conversations continue, patterns are explored, and things begin to make sense. Find out more at: https://thirstyformore.substack.com/If you appreciate the podcast and would like to show a bit of love, you can donate the cost of a coffee here. It helps support the time and care that goes into making the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethinkAbout 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: thebigdrinkrethink.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonagheyInstagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethinkProduced by winteraudio.co.ukAbout Beverly Meyer:Beverly Meyer is a Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CCN) who has been in practice since 1985. Her journey into functional health began in the 1970s when, facing a debilitating virus that traditional medicine couldn't resolve, she sought out alternative practitioners - and never looked back. Hospitalised twice with Epstein-Barr Virus and living with chronic pain, hormonal issues, severe anxiety and poor sleep, she didn't just study these conditions. She lived them.In 2016, told to put her affairs in order after a mysterious health crisis, Beverly did what she has always done - researched her way to an answer, identifying a rare genetic disorder herself and finding the treatment she needed.Today she shares her knowledge through her website, consultations, and her long-running podcast Primal Diet - Modern Health, and is particularly known for her work on sleep, anxiety and the adrenals.Beverly’s website contains hundreds of articles, a free eBook, a newsletter and an online store that offers supplements to support a huge range of health needsFind out more: https://www.ondietandhealth.com/

What if alcohol isn’t just a habit, but quietly shrinking the size of your world, dulling joy, and making ordinary pleasures feel like “not enough”? In this solo episode, Anna Donaghey shares honest insights from her own journey, exploring how drinking can subtly narrow both what you do and how much you feel.She unpacks the concept of the “hedonic threshold,” showing why your favourite activities may start feeling flat, and how even small milestones (like a child’s birthday) come to feel incomplete without a drink. Anna also gets real about what happens when you start to cut down: why everything can feel dull at first, why that’s normal, and how given time, colour and excitement quietly returns to the things you love.This episode is for anyone curious about changing the way they think about alcohol.Here are the Highlights: 00:00 Intro: When the world starts to shrink 01:19 The subtle ways alcohol “shrinks” your world 04:44 When joy becomes muted and life feels flat 06:14 The hedonic threshold: Why dopamine matters 07:55 Why ordinary pleasures start feeling not enough 09:53 The key questions to ask yourself 10:15 How activities drop away when drinking more 11:46 When drinking becomes the point 12:35 A sharp illustration: Prosecco at a one-year-old’s birthday 16:27 Why giving up alcohol feels flat at first 17:59 How your world starts to expand again 19:32 A gentle prompt: Is your world quietly contracting? 20:03 How to connect, find resources, and support.Anna’s book "What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want", is now out in the world for you to buy!Order your copy, access her free tools and explore her coaching programmes at: https://thebigdrinkrethink.com/The Thirsty For More Mindset Lab is Anna’s ‘inner circle’ - a calm, thoughtful space where conversations continue, patterns are explored, and things begin to make sense. Find out more at: https://thirstyformore.substack.com/If you appreciate the podcast and would like to show a bit of love, you can donate the cost of a coffee here. It helps support the time and care that goes into making the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethinkAbout 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: thebigdrinkrethink.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonagheyInstagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethinkProduced by winteraudio.co.uk

What if rethinking your drinking didn’t start with “giving up” alcohol, but instead you created the kind of life you don’t want to escape from? In this episode, Anna Donaghey sits down with adventurer and educator Belinda Coker to explore how rediscovering adventure, nature, and forgotten passions can quietly make alcohol fade into the background, no willpower or rock bottoms required.They talk honestly about growing up with normalised drinking, the “aha” moment that prompted Belinda to get hiking boots back on, and now teaching others how action, not theory, builds real confidence. She shares practical advice from her own journey, how immersing herself in adventure, house-sitting, and creativity helped her let go of drinking, and how to navigate tricky emotions (and triggers) in sobriety.Whether you’re just curious, stuck in a rut, or ready for a big change, this story has uplifting lessons for anyone wanting a richer, more expansive life with or without alcohol.Here are the Highlights:00:00 Meet Belinda Coker: Rethinking drinking isn’t always about alcohol01:25 Belinda’s story: adventure, midlife, and rediscovering passions02:58 Realising I had a drinking problem, only in hindsight05:19 Divorce, difficult periods, and drinking to cope07:00 Hiking becomes the new reward10:22 What adventure offers that alcohol can’t11:27 How new routines slowly nudged out drinking13:43 Returning to what you loved before alcohol14:41 When Friday nights become about flow, not wine18:12 Simple living, big happiness (and saving money)20:47 Why Belinda finally chose to stop drinking alcohol for good21:30 Recognising emotional triggers for drinking23:31 How she handles hard days now28:00 Why being honest about difficulties matters29:55 The “hike your own hike” philosophy for sobriety36:19 Out in the wild: zero desire for a drink41:29 How to get unstuck42:26 Where to find Belinda Coker and her work.Anna’s book "What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want" is now out in the world for you to buy!Order your copy, access her free tools and explore her coaching programmes at: https://thebigdrinkrethink.com/The Thirsty For More Mindset Lab is Anna’s ‘inner circle’ - a calm, thoughtful space where conversations continue, patterns are explored, and things begin to make sense. Find out more at: https://thirstyformore.substack.com/If you appreciate the podcast and would like to show a bit of love, you can donate the cost of a coffee here. It helps support the time and care that goes into making the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethinkAbout 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: thebigdrinkrethink.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonagheyInstagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethinkProduced by winteraudio.co.ukAbout Belinda Coker:Belinda Coker is an Australian hiker, writer, and educator who helps women rebuild confidence through practical adventure and responsible travel. She has completed solo hikes from Australia’s Red Centre to crossing Greenland’s Arctic Circle, experiences that shaped her belief that confidence grows through action, not theory. Through her platforms, Soul Treader and The House Sitting Collective, she teaches how structure, trust, and responsibility create genuine freedom and stability in life.Connect with Belinda:Website: https://soultreader.com/

Parties are supposed to be fun. So why does going alcohol-free feel so hard in a room full of drinkers? In this solo episode, Anna Donaghey draws on years of experience as an alcohol mindset coach and as someone who still actually goes to parties, to give you the toolkit she wishes she'd had.This one is practical from start to finish. Anna walks you through how to prepare before you arrive, what to bring, how to handle the "just have one!" brigade, and how to manage that rising self-consciousness when the energy in the room starts to shift. She also talks honestly about the drunk gap, why it exists, why it's not your fault, and how to stop letting it ruin your night.You'll leave with real scripts for declining drinks, strategies for those tricky social moments, and a reminder that waking up clear-headed the morning after a party is actually kind of wonderful.Whether you're newly alcohol-free, sober-curious, or just exploring what a night out could look like without drinking, this episode has you covered.Here are the Highlights: 00:00 Intro: Why parties without alcohol feel daunting 01:24 “But what do I actually do?” Why practical tools matter 02:13 The importance of a “before” plan – know your WHY for the night 05:44 Arrive calm, don’t underestimate your pre-party state 06:16 Why you need a drink in your hand within 30 seconds 07:01 Always have an exit plan (and travel independently) 07:57 No more “performative suffering” - enjoy your alcohol-free drink 09:55 You don’t owe anyone an explanation (scripts for awkward questions) 12:21 Seek out “real” conversations (and the power of good questions) 16:40 When others act weird about your not drinking16:25 Understanding the party “arc” when the “drunk gap” opens 18:12 Missing out, or a sign it’s time to go? The case for an early exit 21:20 Why caring what others think fades over time 24:02 The underrated joy of a hangover-free morning after 25:10 The essential party toolkit 27:08 How sober socialising becomes second nature Anna’s book "What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want", is now out in the world for you to buy!Order your copy, access her free tools and explore her coaching programmes at: https://thebigdrinkrethink.com/The Thirsty For More Mindset Lab is Anna’s ‘inner circle’ - a calm, thoughtful space where conversations continue, patterns are explored, and things begin to make sense. Find out more at: https://thirstyformore.substack.com/If you appreciate the podcast and would like to show a bit of love, you can donate the cost of a coffee here. It helps support the time and care that goes into making the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethinkAbout 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: thebigdrinkrethink.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonagheyInstagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethinkProduced by winteraudio.co.uk

Why does alcohol feel essential to parties, celebrations, and big social events? And what’s really at stake when you rethink your drinking in those spaces? Anna Donaghey is joined by Evan Cudworth, a self-described “party coach,” who shares his personal journey through alcohol-fueled confidence, alter egos, and radical new rituals.Together, they explore why we outsource energy and confidence to booze, how nostalgia can keep us stuck, and why the real “party” has to start within. Evan Cudworth breaks down his unique framework for building confidence and joy without alcohol and offers stories from both wild raves and deep silence at Burning Man.Whether you’re worried you can’t party sober (or just curious how presence can replace performance), this episode shares new possibilities.Here are the Highlights: 00:00 Intro: The myth that drinking is the party01:16 Why parties without alcohol feel unimaginable07:21 Creating alter egos: who are we trying to access?09:31 The “alcohol is a credit card” analogy11:42 How social norms & culture shape drinking14:44 Parties as rituals: St. Patrick’s Day and celebration engines20:30 The act of doing shots and what it really signifies24:42 Sober rituals and the power of intention29:56 The party within: reclaiming confidence and aliveness33:59 Building new evidence: is partying sober actually crap?34:44 The 7-stage “Party Within” framework44:41 Stop chasing nostalgia, what if you created joy instead?48:22 “Live more, numb less”, a new party philosophy51:05 The ultimate invitation: be the energy you want to see52:03 When it’s not about you: making others feel they belongAnna’s book "What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want", is now out in the world for you to buy!Order your copy, access her free tools and explore her coaching programmes at: https://thebigdrinkrethink.com/The Thirsty For More Mindset Lab is Anna’s ‘inner circle’ - a calm, thoughtful space where conversations continue, patterns are explored, and things begin to make sense. Find out more at: https://thirstyformore.substack.com/If you appreciate the podcast and would like to show a bit of love, you can donate the cost of a coffee here. It helps support the time and care that goes into making the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethinkAbout 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: thebigdrinkrethink.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonagheyInstagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethinkProduced by winteraudio.co.ukAbout Evan Cudworth:Evan Cudworth is, as far as anyone can tell, the world's first & only party coach - and he believes partying will save humanity. A nerdy UChicago graduate who came up in the underground rave & music scenes. Alongside his own struggles with validation, alcohol, & substances, in the post-pandemic chaos he created The Party Within, a 7 step framework for high-achieving adults who've been sold the lie that optimisation and fun are opposites.His argument is simple and a little heretical: the wellness industrial complex has made us more isolated, more rigid, and worse at being in a room together -and the cure is learning to actually party in our modern world.He's inspired thousands to libertate their social lives from anxiety, scrolling, & substances, and his work has appeared in GQ, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and Teen Vogue.He's here to make the case that partying might be the thing that saves us.Connect with Evan:Website: https://partycoach.me/