One for the Road: The Quit Drinking Podcast

Bianca desperately wanted to quit drinking. But when she tried, the alcohol withdrawal symptoms became so severe that she ended up in hospital.

After surviving cancer and chemotherapy, Bianca never imagined that alcohol dependence would become one of the most frightening experiences of her life.

Growing up surrounded by alcohol, she started drinking at 14 to cope with difficult emotions and feel accepted. Over the years, childhood trauma, an abusive relationship, and isolation contributed to her increasingly unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

Eventually, drinking was no longer about enjoyment. Her body had become physically dependent on it.

In this emotional conversation with Dave, Bianca opens up about her terrifying experience with severe alcohol withdrawal, why she filmed herself during her darkest moments, and what it really took to stop drinking.

Now more than a year sober, she shares how life without alcohol has helped her rediscover herself, rebuild her confidence, and experience genuine happiness.

This episode is a reminder that alcohol addiction is not simply a matter of willpower, and recovery is possible.

Bianca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biancacriaco/

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Jessica Wilde started drinking around the age of 12, growing up in South London surrounded by music, creativity, and a street culture where alcohol and partying became part of life early on.

What began as drinking with friends eventually developed into years of binge drinking, destructive relationships, drug use, and a cycle of self-sabotage that followed her into adulthood.

Even as her music career began taking off and she landed a record deal with Sony, Jessica was struggling behind the scenes. She believed alcohol gave her confidence, especially when performing, but slowly began to realize that the very thing she thought was helping her was holding her back.

In this episode of One For The Road, Jessica joins Sober Dave to talk openly about her experiences with alcohol, addiction, and the long journey toward sobriety.

She shares how an abusive relationship affected her self-worth, why she kept returning to drinking even after long periods without alcohol, and how yoga, Muay Thai, meditation, and reconnecting with herself helped change the direction of her life.

One of the biggest challenges wasn’t simply giving up alcohol. It was wondering who she would be without it.

Would she still be confident? Would she still be creative? Could she still enjoy music, dancing, and going out without drinking?

Now six years sober, Jessica has discovered that the parts of herself she feared losing were never dependent on alcohol in the first place.

Her music has taken on new meaning, her relationships have changed, and she’s found a different kind of freedom in living authentically.

This is a conversation about breaking old patterns, rebuilding self-worth, and discovering that sobriety doesn’t mean losing who you are. Sometimes it’s how you finally find yourself.

Connect with Jessica: https://www.instagram.com/iamjessicawilde/

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For years, Adrian appeared to be holding his life together. He was progressing in his career, running marathons, maintaining relationships and taking on physical challenges. Behind closed doors, alcohol had become something he structured his life around.

Two bottles of wine a night became normal. He hid how much he was drinking, crashed his car after drinking and even called AA the following day to admit that he needed help. But he never went to a meeting.

Then came acute pancreatitis.

Adrian was hospitalized because of his drinking, discharged himself once he began feeling better, and eventually started drinking again. When pancreatitis put him back in the hospital a second time, even that wasn’t the immediate end of his relationship with alcohol.

In this deeply honest conversation with Sober Dave, Adrian looks back at the years he spent trying to change everything around him without addressing what was happening inside. At one point, he becomes emotional reflecting on the younger version of himself: “I want to give that guy a hug… that person was very, very lost.”

Adrian also opens up about later discovering ADHD and autism, the role he believes alcohol played in quieting his mind, the shame and secrecy surrounding his drinking, and why connection with other sober people ultimately became such an important part of his recovery.

Today, Adrian is more than five years sober.

This is a conversation about the warning signs we can ignore, how easy it is to appear functional while struggling privately, and why sometimes even serious consequences aren’t what finally creates change.

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Malin’s alcohol addiction progressed to the point where she was drinking more than 30 beers a day. She stopped eating, gained more than 90kg, vomited blood regularly, and eventually a doctor warned her that if she continued drinking, he didn’t expect to see her the following year.

Then her body shut down.

In early 2020, Malin was hospitalized with multi-organ failure and just 11% lung capacity. She was placed into a medically induced coma and wouldn’t fully wake up for nearly two months. When she did, surviving was only the beginning—she had to begin the long process of rebuilding her body and learning to walk again.

Today, Malin is 6 years sober and works with people struggling with addiction, using her experience to challenge the stigma surrounding alcohol addiction and recovery.

In this episode of the Sober Motivation Podcast, Malin shares the progression of her drinking, the warning signs she ignored, what happened when alcohol nearly took her life, and what she’s learned rebuilding her life in sobriety.

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For years, Kev’s life revolved around drinking, DJing and nightlife. Behind the parties and packed clubs, his relationship with alcohol was becoming harder to control, and the anxiety, shame and mental health struggles that followed were getting harder to ignore.

In this episode of One for the Road, Kev shares how drinking became wrapped up in his identity, why he repeatedly questioned whether he had a problem with alcohol, and what happened when he tried to moderate or take breaks from drinking.

He opens up about the night he broke down crying in the bath and realized, “I can’t keep living like this,” his repeated attempts at sobriety, and the frightening moment in Lisbon that became another wake-up call.

Kev eventually realized he didn’t have an off switch. He shares what finally helped him quit drinking, why this attempt at sobriety was different, and how life without alcohol has changed his mental health, relationships, confidence and sense of self.

Information on Coaching with Dave: https://www.soberdave.co.uk/

Connect with Kev: https://www.instagram.com/shiftwithswindells/

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Why can alcohol make you feel relaxed in the moment — but anxious, overwhelmed and full of regret the next day?

Millie Gooch, founder of Sober Girl Society and author of Hangxiety, joins Dave for a fascinating conversation about what alcohol actually does to the brain and why drinking can make many of the things we use it to escape even worse.

Millie shares her own journey from heavy binge drinking and blackouts to more than eight years alcohol-free, and explains the science behind the anxiety that can follow a night of drinking — often called “hangxiety.”

They explore how alcohol affects GABA and glutamate in the brain, why it can temporarily quiet a busy mind, and why anxiety can come roaring back as alcohol wears off.

Millie and Dave also discuss ADHD, autism and neurodivergence; blackouts and overthinking; genetics and addiction; shame and self-compassion; emotional sobriety; and why stopping drinking doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll immediately feel amazing.

They also explore an important question: What if the thing you’re using alcohol to fix is actually the thing alcohol is making worse?

Whether you’re sober, sober curious, questioning your drinking or simply interested in the relationship between alcohol and mental health, this conversation offers a science-backed look at why we drink, what alcohol does to the brain, and what can change when we remove it.

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Carmela grew up seeing firsthand what alcohol addiction could do to a family and was determined she would never follow the same path.

But what started as social drinking eventually became drinking at home, blackouts, anxiety and years of questioning whether she had a problem with alcohol.

There was no dramatic rock bottom. Carmela simply reached a point where she knew she was done.

Now more than six years sober, she joins Dave to share how she quit drinking, what finally made sobriety stick, and why removing alcohol was only the beginning of rebuilding her life.

If you’ve ever questioned your drinking, tried to moderate, or wondered whether you need to hit rock bottom to get sober, this episode is for you.

Carmela on IG: https://www.instagram.com/womanonasobermission/

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When does drinking cross the line from having fun to something you can no longer control?

Alex Clapp shares his journey from teenage drinking and blackouts to alcohol dependency, three trips to rehab, drinking three bottles of wine a night and eventually starting his mornings with vodka.

After years of using alcohol to numb fear and difficult emotions, a conversation with his 17-year-old son became a turning point.

Alex and Sober Dave talk honestly about alcohol addiction, rehab, getting sober, cravings, vulnerability and what it takes to build a life in recovery.

Alex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clariteegroup

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Have you ever wondered whether your drinking is still “normal,” or whether alcohol is taking up more space in your life than you’d like to admit?

In this episode of One for the Road, Sober Dave is joined by bestselling author and grey area drinking expert Sarah Rusbatch for an honest conversation about women’s relationship with alcohol, mummy wine culture, moderation and the subtle ways drinking can become something we rely on.

Sarah shares how she appeared happy and successful on the outside while, internally, her anxiety was getting worse and alcohol was taking up more and more headspace. What began as a way to socialise and have fun gradually became wine at home, a reward at the end of the day and a way to switch off.

They explore why so many women don’t identify with traditional ideas of alcohol addiction, how one glass can quietly become two or three, the shame of repeatedly promising yourself you’ll drink less, and why grey area drinking can be so difficult to recognise.

Sarah also opens up about trying to moderate her drinking for years before eventually accepting two things that changed her life: she couldn’t moderate, and everything in her life was better when she didn’t drink.

Dave and Sarah also discuss mummy wine culture, alcohol marketing towards women, the 5 p.m. drinking trigger, alcohol and anxiety, sober friendships, relationships after quitting drinking, finding healthier ways to regulate stress, and learning to build a life where alcohol is no longer needed as the reward.

If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t have a drinking problem, but I know I want to drink less,” this episode is for you.

Sarah Rusbatch is the bestselling author of Beyond Booze and host of the Stronger, Bolder, Wiser podcast.

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*Trigger warning-This show has discussions around suicide*

How do you know when drinking has crossed the line from “I drink a lot” to “I have a problem”?

In this episode of One For The Road, Sober Dave is joined by Emma Walsh, who shares how her relationship with alcohol slowly progressed from social drinking to drinking two, sometimes nearly three bottles of wine a night.

From the outside, Emma had built a successful life — a career, a marriage and two young children. But underneath it all, she was struggling with anxiety, depression, imposter syndrome and a deep sense of not knowing who she really was.

As drinking became her way of coping with difficult emotions, the consequences began to grow. Blackouts, risky decisions, overwhelming hangovers and constant negotiations with herself about how much she would drink became part of everyday life. Yet for a long time, Emma still didn’t believe she had a problem with alcohol.

Everything began to change when a friend told Emma she had stopped drinking and encouraged her to educate herself about alcohol. Emma started listening to recovery podcasts and, for the first time, began recognising herself in the stories she was hearing.

The realization finally hit her: “I just thought I was drinking a lot. But I never realized I had a problem.”

If you want to connect with me via Instagram, you can find me on the instahandle @Soberdave https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/

or via my website https://davidwilsoncoaching.com/

Provided below are links for services offering additional help and advice.

www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-services

https://nacoa.org.uk/

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soberdaveonefortheroad

More information about Sober Dave's 1:1 Coaching: https://www.soberdave.co.uk/

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