Dr Giles P Croft is back to chat with Rachel about his experiences of an unplanned (but surprisingly great) year of sobriety following a revolutionary read he was recommended. You might remember Giles from episode 46, where he talked about how as humans, we naturally default to happiness.

Well, one of our other defaults can lead us to distractions when our thinking is crowded or overwhelming, and yes - you guessed it, alcohol is one of the biggest tools people in high stress jobs use to self soothe and take our thinking offline.

We’ve been raised with images and impressions that alcohol is a cure-all - bad day? Alcohol! Something to celebrate? Alcohol! End of the day? Alcohol! 

No wonder we don’t always pay conscious attention to alcohol’s impact on our lives.

The book that created such huge paradigm shifts around alcohol for first Giles and then Rachel is This Naked Mind by Annie Grace. A myth busting, non-judgmental (and sometimes humorous) look at alcohol in modern life.

Giles explores some of the ways we can learn to listen to ourselves when we might normally and instinctively turn to alcohol. Switching off our thinking isn’t something we’re used to doing, but reaching for a drink as a tool to switch it off is much more ingrained in us. 

Discovering the power and capability you have within yourself when you learn this art can be an enlightening experience - as Giles testifies!

If you feel that alcohol is causing problems in your life, then please get help. There are services listed in the resources below.

Useful Tools and Resources:

Sign up here to receive a link to the CPD form downloads for each podcast which you can use for reflection and to submit for your appraisal.

You can also join the Shapes Collective Facebook group where we chat about the hot topics and regularly post interesting articles 

24 hour support for NHS staff: Call 0300 131 7000 between 7am and 11pm or text FRONTLINE to 85258 24/7.

BMA Wellbeing Service 

The NHS Practitioner Health Programme 

Podcast Links:

Contact Rachel 

LinkedIn @Dr-Rachel-lMorris 

Twitter @DrRachelMorris

[email protected]

www.shapestoolkit.com

Follow Giles on twitter @gilespcroft

Contact him here https://gilespcroft.com/

Check out Giles’s YouTube Channel

Connect with Giles on Facebook.

Connect with Giles on LinkedIn.

For more information and sources of support for alcohol addiction please visit the NHS live well website here 

Mentioned in this episode:

Work Well Programme for Healthcare Teams
Help all the staff in your organisation thrive under pressure with a programme of wellbeing resources, team activities, monthly webinars, and additional support.

FrogFest Virtual – This Time it’s Awkward
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