Is your evening drink a true choice or just a well-worn ritual your brain expects at the end of every day?

Your host Anna Donaghey breaks down the hidden psychology behind the “wine o’clock” habit. She explains the science of habit loops, why willpower alone can’t break the cycle, and offers a step-by-step framework for gently rewiring your automatic drinking response. Discover practical, compassionate tools to recognise your real needs and build a life that genuinely satisfies them with no white-knuckling required.

If you feel stuck in the routine of pouring a drink as the sun goes down, this episode shows you how (and why) to change the script.

Here are the Highlights:

00:00 Intro: Why we reach for a drink between 5–7pm

01:24 The “witching hour” and the automatic pull toward alcohol

02:18 What is a habit loop?

04:26 The craving isn’t for alcohol, it’s for relief, calm, and transition

06:14 Understanding neural pathways and why habits feel automatic

08:21 The reward script: why your brain believes drinking is the solution

09:19 Why willpower doesn’t work at “wine o’clock”

21:33 What did you drop when alcohol became the answer?

22:24 A new way through the evening, one day at a time

23:46 Listen to Ep 124 with Beverly Meyer (GABA + the biology of stress)

24:50 Find all the resources on Anna’s website, www.thebigdrinkrethink.com.

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/bigdrinkrethink

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: thebigdrinkrethink.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey

Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk