What if your drinking isn’t the real issue but just a signal pointing toward something deeper? Host Anna Donaghey returns for a refreshed season of The Big Drink Rethink, inviting listeners to widen the lens on alcohol, identity, and what we truly crave beyond the glass. Anna shares her own recalibration after a break, offering a new perspective on presence, self-compassion, and how pressing pause can change everything.

With honesty and warmth, Anna explores why we reach for alcohol (hint: it’s not about the booze), how presence and alignment unlock bigger possibilities, and why the “messy middle” is where so many find themselves stuck. She teases the upcoming shift for the podcast: expect deeper dives, new guest experts, more practical tools, and room for the big, human questions that drinking sometimes masks.

Highlights from the episode:

00:00 Introduction

03:17 Recognise alcohol's role in emotions and seek awareness to live consciously and joyfully, not on autopilot.

07:07 Most drinkers are in the 'messy middle,' struggling internally without external signs of distress. 

11:50 Embrace self-awareness and compassion; you're not alone in your struggles.

15:40 Alcohol issues stem from deeper problems like fatigue, loneliness, and societal stories, not the substance itself.

18:08 Please review and rate the podcast to help it grow and reach more people.

Anna’s group coaching community ‘Unstuck!’ helps identify your alcohol ‘stories’ and beliefs, breaking the cycle of alcohol and all the shame that goes with it. For more information and to find out how to join, please follow this link: https://www.winetowatercoaching.com/unstuck-1 

To further explore your relationship with alcohol, check out Anna’s self-guided programme, The Big Drink Rethink Experiment:  https://www.thebeliefscoach.com/the-big-drink-rethink-experiment

And apply the code POD99 to purchase for just £99 as a podcast listener.

If you’re loving the podcast and would like to give Anna a warm, fuzzy feeling of appreciation, then you can buy her a coffee: 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: thebeliefscoach.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey

Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

Mentioned in this episode:

To pre-order my book, What Are You Thirsty For on Amazon select here: https://amzn.eu/d/3v3T6Mq