One of the big problems with alcohol is that it seems so normal, acceptable, and even expected for you to drink in certain situations that it can become a routine part of your everyday life without you really realizing the importance that it’s come to have for you. When this happens, it can be easy to lose control over your relationship with alcohol, and end up with the alcohol controlling you. 

Alcohol is not the only thing that can wind up assuming this place of power in your life gradually over time. If you’re alcohol-free but still feel like your time is not your own, it may be time to consider another relationship in your life – your relationship with your smartphone, your email inbox, or your computer. In today’s episode, I talk to Laura Willis, Founder of Shine Offline, about how technology can end up running your life if you let it, and how being more mindful of the way you use technology can help you take back control of your life. 

“By making some small behavioral changes you can make sure that you’re in control, rather than feeling like this technology’s controlling you.” 

Laura talks about how she became interested in the subject of how technology can begin to have too much of a hold over your life. She talks about her own experiences with habitually checking the phone and watching others use apps mindlessly, without really thinking about it. She points out that while we know a lot about the negative effects of alcohol and the dangers of alcohol addiction, less is known about the possible dangers of overusing technology and the negative effects of smartphone or internet addiction. There’s more to learn about the possible long-term effects of the way we are currently using technology. 

Laura explains that Shine Offline isn’t about giving up your smartphone or other technology, just about being more mindful with it. Much like One Year No Beer is about changing your relationship with alcohol, not necessarily giving it up entirely, Shine Offline is about changing your relationship with technology. She also notes that while connectivity is necessary in business and can be useful in education, business leaders and teachers should give some thought to the way that they expect their employees or students to use technology, and ensure that those practices are more helpful than harmful. Laura believes that technology overuse can contribute to burnout at work, and that guiding teenagers toward using devices for schoolwork can lead to them in the direction of spending too much time on less productive and more addictive digital pursuits. Listen to the episodes to hear more of what Laura has to say about smartphones, technology, and mindfulness. 

LINKS & RESOURCES: 

OYNB Website: https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/

OYNB Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Oneyearnobeer/

OYNB Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199505820380513/

OYNB Twitter: https://twitter.com/oynbuk/

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OYNB’s Upcoming LIVE Event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/oynb-ultimate-power-up-connect-collaborate-and-inspire-tickets-43896742338

LAURA WILLIS’S LINKS:

Laura Willis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurawillisshine/

Shine Offline: https://shineoffline.com/

Many people don’t dive right into binge drinking. It can start out as infrequent or moderate social drinking before eventually becoming heavier and heavier, and before you know it, your drinking can slip out of your control. What happens when you start to take back that control? That’s what One Year No Beer helps people do. Today’s guest is here to talk about the process of taking back control and how that feels. 

Tom Kiely, of Western Australia, is a One Year No Beer member who has recently finished his 90-day challenge. In our conversation today, Tom explains some of the drinking culture in Australia. The legal drinking age is 18, and there is a heavy drinking culture where binge drinking and clubbing is common. Tom started drinking when he was 16, but got into it more heavily when he was 18 and at university, where weekend clubbing is more common. Eventually, he found that it had become more than just a social thing, and that he was drinking too much and sometimes even alone. 

Tom describes feeling that he wanted to take back control over his relationship with alcohol. He discovered One Year No Beer through another podcast, and spent a lot of time looking over the website and considering whether or not he could commit to it. He describes worrying that if he wasn’t drinking, he wouldn’t be as social and would be thought of as boring. Eventually, he decided to take the plunge. 

“I think the biggest thing early for me was just persistence.” 

Tom describes the challenges and experiences that he had when first abstaining from alcohol. He says that he read books and articles to build confidence and willpower, and also that he found a lot of help and support on the One Year No Beer Facebook group and forums. He also explains that it wasn’t just getting help and advice from other members that motivated him. Realizing that he could contribute to the group as well by sharing his own experiences and advice was also helpful for him. 

Tom talks about the way that giving up drinking made him feel. He says that he felt less anxious and more mentally healthy, and just happier overall. Tom works at the Department of Health by day, but is also part of a band, and he’s done at least 3 gigs during his 90-day challenge. Despite the fact that these gigs take place in environments where alcohol consumption is common, Tom says that abstaining, if anything, improved the experience, and his band released a CD during this period. 

Having finished his challenge, Tom says he intends to continue abstaining for now. He says that he would like to pursue a Mastermind course and continue spending time in the ONYB forums contributing to the group. Listen to the episode to hear Tom’s full story. 

LINKS & RESOURCES: 

OYNB Website: https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/ 

OYNB Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Oneyearnobeer/ 

OYNB Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199505820380513/ 

OYNB Twitter: https://twitter.com/oynbuk/ 

OYNB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneyearnobeer/

TOM KIELY’S LINKS: 

Tom’s Band, Patient Sixty-Seven: https://patientsixtyseven.bandcamp.com/ 

Patient Sixty-Seven’s Album, Four Walls:

https://patientsixtyseven.bandcamp.com/album/four-walls

Giving up alcohol can feel like an isolating proposition, especially if most activities with your friend group revolve around drinking and you don’t know anyone else who is trying to abstain. Groups like One Year No Beer help by providing a community where people who are trying to change their relationships with alcohol can find others who are in the same place that they are, and be inspired by others who have been where they are. Today’s guest is one of those group members. 

Lucinda Carney has been a member of One Year No Beer for 112 days. And while she’s the first to admit that those 112 days haven’t been perfect, she has managed to significantly change her own relationship with alcohol in that time. In today’s interview, Lucinda explains her background and her previous history with alcohol. She describes herself as someone who’d been a big drinker since her late teens or early 20s, and says that she was also part of a group of friends who drank heavily at social events. She also says that the stress of building a business contributed to her drinking. 

“I certainly didn’t realize that alcohol was making me anxious until I stopped.” 

Lucinda talks about her decision to join One Year No Beer and how she found help and support on the One Year No Beer Facebook forums. She describes learning about the triggers that made her want to drink, and the substitutes that she found helpful, like drinking kombucha tea or diet Coke out of a wine glass. She also talks about how her husband is now drinking less as well, and how her kids are happier with her thanks to her new approach to drinking. Lucinda points out that she hasn’t abstained completely for the entire 112 days that she’s been a member of One Year No Beer, but that she’s certainly been drinking far less than she would have without One Year No Beer. 

Lucinda talks about the importance of not putting too much pressure on yourself, and setting yourself up to succeed instead of fail. She talks about surrounding herself with people who won’t put her in situations where the question of drinking will come up, and how to put alcohol in its place. Lucinda also gives some important tips for getting through the early days of an alcohol-free challenge, like setting small goals and giving alcohol-free alternatives a shot. She describes how her quality of life has changed since she began changing her relationship with drinking. Tune into the episode to hear more of Lucinda’s story. 

LINKS & RESOURCES: 

OYNB Website: https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/ 

OYNB Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Oneyearnobeer/ 

OYNB Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199505820380513/ 

OYNB Twitter: https://twitter.com/oynbuk/ 

OYNB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneyearnobeer/

People who are struggling with drinking often feel the need to hide not just their drinking, but also the things that they do when they’re drinking. This can lead to lying or omitting facts, and trying to keep the story straight can end up feeling like carrying around a heavy weight. Today’s guest knows what that weight feels like, and how freeing it can be to set that weight down and let out the real story. 

Catherine Gray is the author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober. The book details not only Catherine’s experiences with drinking, but also her experiences with life after drinking – what it feels like to live life sober and how it can lead to happiness in unexpected ways. In today’s episode, Catherine talks about her writing process, tips and tricks for people in the process of giving up alcohol, and Sober Spring. 

“When I did start telling the truth about everything that actually happened, it felt like such a relief.” 

Catherine explains that while she didn’t keep a journal while she was drinking, some moments stood out clearly in her mind – particularly those moments when she felt disappointed in herself. When she stopped drinking, she started writing and found that the words came pouring out. Catherine says that writing was cathartic, and that it’s ironic that her first book ended up being about something that she tried so hard to keep secret while it was happening. 

Catherine also talks about some of the strategies people can use when they’re in the process of giving up drinking. For example, you can discourage people from pushing drinks on you at a party by keeping a glass of some non-alcoholic drink in your hand. Alternatively, it can help to practice some answers you can give for when people ask why you’re not drinking. Catherine also says that challenge programs like One Year No Beer, or her program, Sober Spring, which is 93 days of not drinking, can give people a reason to avoid drinking. 

LINKS & RESOURCES:

OYNB Website: https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/

OYNB Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Oneyearnobeer/

OYNB Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199505820380513/

OYNB Twitter: https://twitter.com/oynbuk/

OYNB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneyearnobeer/

CATHERINE GRAY’S RESOURCES:

Catherine on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unexpectedjoyof/?hl=en

Catherine on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cathgraywrites?lang=en

Catherine’s Website: http://unexpectedjoy.co.uk/

When tragedy strikes, it can be easy to retreat into anything that looks like it could be a form of escape, whether that’s a bottle of alcohol or some other destructive substance or behavior. On the other hand, surviving tragedy can also put you on a path of self-discovery, learning how to face inner demons and change your way of life entirely. Today’s guest knows something about both the challenges and triumphs of facing tragedy. 

Justin Caffrey is a successful serial entrepreneur who after several major life experiences started to question everything in his life. This lead to Justin going alcohol-free, eating a plant-based diet and using meditation as a way to cope. Justin now aims to help people overcome adversity and struggle via meditation and healthy living through his wonderful Instagram posts on meditate_not_medicate. 

Justin experienced a life-changing loss when his son died at only 11 months old. At the time, he tried to cope by throwing himself into his work. This led to a decline in his personal health and wellness. Justin became depressed and anxious, experienced panic attacks, and tried to cope by self-medicating with alcohol. Eventually he found himself struggling with suicidal thoughts. He knew he needed to make a change, so he sought out a psychiatrist who introduced him to cognitive therapy and meditation. 

“Most of the things I’m searching for were already inside me.” 

With the help of cognitive therapy and meditation, Justin turned his life around. In the episode, he explains why he calls himself “Justin 2.0”. He talks about the link between exercise and nutrition and mood, and the importance of meditating in the morning. He explains that meditation is a huge part of his life now, and he’s working to get the word out to others that meditation is a healthier alternative to self-medicating with alcohol or drugs, as well as a way to bring some spiritualism and meaning into your life. 

LINKS & RESOURCES: 

OYNB Website: https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/ 

OYNB Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Oneyearnobeer/ 

OYNB Facebook Group: ttps://www.facebook.com/groups/199505820380513/ 

OYNB Twitter: https://twitter.com/oynbuk/ 

OYNB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneyearnobeer/

JUSTIN CAFFREY’S RESOURCES: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meditate_not_medicate/ 

Website: https://www.justincaffrey.com/

When you want to make changes in your life or challenge yourself in some way, it’s not enough just to wait for it to happen. You have to make it happen by taking action, and in order to take meaningful action, you have to have a plan and a process for making things happen. That’s true whether your goal is to give up alcohol or travel around the world. Today’s guest is an expert in the ways that planning intentional actions can lead you to amazing places. 

Chris Guillebeau is an author, blogger, and speaker. He also has a podcast, Side Hustle School, and runs the annual World Domination Summit. Chris is also known for having visited every country in the world. He made it to all 193 countries before the age of 35. 

In today’s episode, Chris talks about how making changes in your life can lead to more changes, and how experiences contribute to self-awareness and the ability to make wiser decisions. He talks about how important planning was in his quest to visit every country in the world. He also explains how he grew into that goal, starting with a smaller goal of visiting 100 countries, and only expanding the goal to include all the countries as he grew close to meeting the original challenge. 

“In the world we live in, having more than one source of income can give you disproportionate security.” 

Chris also discusses his podcast, and why he is interested in the concept of the side hustle. Chris felt that people who already have full-time jobs and can’t or don’t want to quit were being left out of the conversation about entrepreneurship. 

Chris feels that it’s important for everyone to have more than one source of income, and that people who already have jobs should be empowered to create additional income streams for themselves. He believes that people can identify something they’re good at and figure out how to turn that into an additional income. Tune in to hear more of the conversation with Chris. 

LINKS & RESOURCES: 

OYNB Website: https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/ 

OYNB Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Oneyearnobeer/ 

OYNB Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199505820380513/ 

OYNB Twitter: https://twitter.com/oynbuk/ 

OYNB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneyearnobeer/

CHRIS GUILLEBEAU’S RESOURCES: 

Side Hustle School: https://sidehustleschool.com/ 

The Art of Non-Conformity: https://chrisguillebeau.com/

Today’s podcast was recorded on World Book Day, and we want to take a moment to remind listeners about our book, The 28 Day Alcohol-Free Challenge, which you can find on bookstore shelves and online. The book is one way that we’re helping others change their relationship with alcohol. And we’re not the only ones working to help offer options to people who want to go alcohol-free or change the way we use alcohol. Today’s guest, Lee Davy, is the founder of the site The Truth About Alcohol and the host of the Alcohol and Addiction podcast. 

Lee quit drinking in an effort to save a struggling marriage. He says that in his case, alcohol was masking deeper problems in the marriage, and the marriage ended anyway. After that, Lee decided to make massive changes in his life. He changed his career, got out of debt, traveled the world, got remarried, and transformed his whole life, right down to cutting off contact with old friends and giving away possessions. Lee realized that what he wanted to do with his life was to help people quit alcohol. That’s what led to the creation of his website. 

“It’s like your entire life has been down to a set of decisions you made when you really didn’t have a clue what you were doing.” 

Lee says that he felt that he was tricked into believing that alcohol had value, and he felt compelled to save others from experiencing the same things that he did. He compares alcohol use to a prison with the doors open – he could walk in and out, but others believed that the door was closed and wouldn’t try to leave. 

Lee decided to become a professional poker player. He set a goal to earn a certain amount of money, and if he hit the goal, he would quit his job and use the money to help other people quit alcohol. This led to writing gigs about his experience. He created The Truth About Alcohol as a side gig while becoming one of the top poker writers in the world. Tune in to the episode to hear more about Lee’s story and how changing your relationship with alcohol can have unexpected positive impacts on your life. 

LINKS & RESOURCES: 

OYNB Website: https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/ 

OYNB Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Oneyearnobeer/ 

OYNB Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199505820380513/ 

OYNB Twitter: https://twitter.com/oynbuk/ 

OYNB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneyearnobeer/ 

LEE DAVY’S RESOURCES: 

The Truth About Alcohol: https://www.thetruthaboutalcohol.co.uk/

Lee’s Email: [email protected] 

The Truth About Alcohol Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetruthaboutalcohol/

‘What to drink when you’re not drinking’

Ben has had a lengthy and successful career in branding, having worked in some of the world’s biggest drinks companies and luxury brands. Being the natural visionary that he is, he then set his sights on creating an innovation that could bring everything he loved and has known about into one place that could have a real reason to exist in people’s lives. And he was hell-bent on solving the dilemma of ‘what to drink when you’re not drinking.’ Enter Seedlip.

Listen as Ben talks about how his 300-year-old farming heritage, love for food and cooking, a book written in the 18th century called The Art of Distillation, and his extensive experience in branding came all together to create the world’s first non-alcoholic spirit.

It’s all in your mind

When we decide to start our journey to become alcohol free, one of the realities that we always have to face and overcome is societal pressure. Among other things, we have this fear of being singled out for not drinking. What we must also realize is that so much of drinking is psychology – routines and behavior we’ve been conditioned into believing. With this in mind, Seedlip offers a no-compromise solution. Ben expertly captures this in this interview:

“If you walk up to the bar and (someone else) orders a gin and tonic and (another) orders a whisky and coke, then I can order a Seedlip and tonic, and the bartender’s gonna do exactly the same thing in front of all of us . . . we all get the same experience, we all feel ‘part-of.’“

An adult drink with adult flavors

Ben also relates here in detail how Seedlip is made. He explains how each raw, natural ingredient is steeped at extended periods of time and carefully distilled to get the best flavor and highest quality aromas. This is not your ordinary fruit juice or ‘sugary, fizzy drinks.’

Currently, Seedlip has two varieties on offer: Seedlip Spice 94, an aromatic and complex blend of individual copper-pot distillates including Oak, Allspice Berries and Grapefruit peel; and Seedlip Garden 108, a green and floral blend of individual copper-pot distillates including handpicked peas and hay, and traditional herbs including spearmint, rosemary and thyme.

Seedlip is available in some of UK’s finest Michelin Star restaurants, hotels and retailers including The Ledbury, The Savoy and Selfridges. Accordingly, they’ll be launching their third product this year. And they’re planning to expand and conquer the world – well bars, restaurants, hotels and retailers mostly – starting with some key cities in the US and Western Europe soon.

Ben quips, “If you can go to a bar and choose between 10 amazing alcoholic cocktails, and 10 amazing non-alcoholic cocktails, that’s a fantastic state to play for the world to be in, is that choice.”

LINKS & RESOURCES

OYNB Website: https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/

OYNB Faceboook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Oneyearnobeer/

OYNB Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199505820380513/

OYNB Twitter: https://twitter.com/oynbuk/

OYNB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneyearnobeer/

BEN BRANSON’S LINKS

Seedlip Website: https://www.seedlipdrinks.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/seedlipdrinks/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seedlip_ben/

Head to oneyearnobeer.com to find out more!