In this episode we chat to Jane Mackenzie, a mother who lost her daughter Amy to alcohol.

Amy struggled with alcohol dependence for her whole adult life, and  watching her going slowly downhill - and being powerless to stop the progression of this dreadful disease - was a very painful experience for Jane, their family and Amy's friends.

Jane talks to us about Share Shrewsbury, the charity she has set up to support people affected by alcohol in her local community. Tragically, Amy died just as the charity was in its very early days, and Jane talks to us about how she found the strength to carry on with this hugely important work whilst grieving for her daughter.

She also talks to us about the virtual conference she recently put on, called Alcohol: Sharing The Truth. Jane has been working tirelessly to bring together some of the world's leading experts on alcohol research and the treatment of alcohol dependence to highlight just how dangerous alcohol can be and also how drastically underfunded this area is.

If you would like to watch any of the talks back, we'd urge you to email Jane to request the link - email [email protected]

Jane spoke to us on the eve of the conference, and we'd like to thank her so much for giving us an hour of her valuable time. Jane is an incredible woman, and we are proud to be able to use our platform to help her spread her message.

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Of course, you can always get in touch with us (publicly or privately) on our socials - @alcoholfreepod on Instagram, or search for "Over The Influence" on Facebook.

We'd love to hear your story - please get in touch with us directly at [email protected] or go to our website, www.overtheinfluence.co.uk

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If you love OTI and you'd like to hear behind the curtain, subscribe to the OTI Premium Podcast now!

Released every Monday and exclusive to subscribers and OTI Community members, the Premium Pod is Sharon and Ben talking through even more topics surrounding alcohol-free life, from how to not just survive but enjoy AF holidays to alcohol free dating!

Subscribe now! Released every Monday, cancel any time - just £5 per month.

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Over The Influence is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel.

Sound Rebel works with businesses, brands, charities & other organisations across the UK - go to soundrebel.co.uk now to find out how podcasts could help you to tell your story to the world.

If you feel as if connection with likeminded people would help as you try life without alcohol, join the Over The Influence Community now - and we can't wait to meet you!

For links to alcohol-related support services, please visit our website.

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All views expressed in this podcast are of the participants themselves, and not necessarily those of Over The Influence (OTI) Ltd. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. We are not medical professionals but normal people giving their own experiences of removing alcohol from their lives, and as such this podcast should not be considered professional advice. If you are dependent on alcohol, or think you may be, we strongly recommend that you seek professional medical advice.

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We found hashtags and sober social media accounts really helpful in our early days alcohol free, as following them can help to reinforce that you are not alone! 

These are some of the hashtags we've followed:

#alcoholfree #stopdrinking #healthandwellnessjourney #zeroalcohol #idontdrink #sobercurious #healthydrinking #alcoholfreelife #soberaf #alcoholfreeliving #sobermotivation #podcast #healthpodcast #noalcohol #nobooze #sober #sobercurious #soberlofe #soberliving #sobercommunity #afcommunity #soberwomen #sobermom #sobermomtribe #sobersisters #sobriety #soberuk #soberjourney #sobrietyrocks #overtheinfluence #oti