Trigger Warning: This episode discusses suicide, grief, loss, and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know needs immediate support, please contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) in the US or visit your local emergency room. Listen with care.

What if the very thing you swore you'd never do became your biggest crutch? Gavin spent his childhood hating alcohol, watching it tear his family apart and promising he'd never touch it. But by his teens, he was drinking until sunrise, following the exact patterns he'd despised. Years later, married and successful, Gavin realized his wife deserved better—not because she complained, but because he knew deep down he wasn't showing up as his best self. When he began questioning how quitting drinking can improve a relationship, everything shifted. Through This Naked Mind, Gavin discovered he'd built an entire personality around alcohol, hiding his true introverted nature behind the need to be the "life of the party." In this episode, Gavin joins Annie to share how breaking generational drinking patterns allowed him to become the husband he always wanted to be.

In this episode, Coach Cole and Gavin discuss:

Growing up in a family where generational drinking was normalized

Hating alcohol as a child but following the same patterns as a teen

Building a people-pleasing personality that only existed with alcohol

Discovering he was actually an introvert hiding behind drinking

The moment he asked himself if he was being the best husband he could be

How quitting drinking can improve a relationship and marriage

Using 75 Hard as motivation to try sobriety

How This Naked Mind equipped him with knowledge, not just conviction

Wrestling with the question "What place does alcohol have in my life?"

Learning that alcohol was contributing nothing positive

The difference between feeling convicted and feeling equipped to change

How supportive spouses can help without criticism or nagging

Breaking family patterns to show up authentically in marriage

And other topics…

Episode links:Related Episodes:

Breaking Family Alcohol Patterns - Janine’s Naked Life - E 701 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-701-naked-life-story-janine-m/

Quitting Alcohol with 75 Hard- Michelle’s Naked Life - E 671 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-671-naked-life-story-michelle-s/

Alcohol’s Impact on Relationships- Coaching Questions - E 775 - https://thisnakedmind.com/the-missing-piece-with-paul-stacey-martino-e775/

Ready to take the next step on your journey? 

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

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