On this weeks episode of One For The Road i am joined by Phil Briggs who is a 54 year old make-up artist living in London who stopped drinking alcohol in April 2024. Phil was born and raised in Liverpool during the 70s and 80s and moved to live amongst the bright lights of London when he was 21 years old. Phil, like many, discovered alcohol at a young age of 15 and it soon became part of all social life both in Liverpool and following the move to London. He remembers being frequently drunk from the age of 16 when he left school and began working for a large bank. Socialising with the Liverpool banking colleagues whilst at the same time regularly having nights out on Liverpool’s gay scene, alcohol featured heavily several times per week. This continued following the move to London with new banking colleagues and a busy London gay nightlife. Social drinking continued for many years and in his 30s, Phil found drinking wine with meals indoors became an additional regular time to imbibe. In 2012, Phil was hit with a series of life-changing events including job loss, divorce, financial difficulties and bereavement. While not directly responsible for these incidents, alcohol, which had previously been reserved for socialising and enjoying with a meal, became the go to coping mechanism for difficult life events. By the time the pandemic hit in 2020, Phil was already drinking every night in increasing amounts and being alone during the pandemic it escalated to whole new levels of drinking. When a very close friend of 30 years died of Covid, Phil found dealing with the grief without being able to see anyone else, cemented very heavy, nightly drinking in place. Phil knew something had to change and after months of procrastination decided on a three month break from alcohol which turned into a realisation that the only option for him was to stop completely. It hasn’t been a simple path, with extra health problems coming to the surface and dealing with living alone where most of the heavy drinking had taken place. But research on the subject and connection with others going through the same has enabled Phil to remain alcohol free. Phil now uses his make-up skills to help those with skin conditions which cause them a loss of confidence, to use specialist skin creams to cover the conditions. Now, more than six months alcohol free, he is beginning to notice subtle but vital changes in his life and for the first time in many years is very excited about the future and finding out what he is capable of.

Phil’s websites:

www.camouflageconsultations.com

www.philbriggsmakeup.com

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/

Show producer- Daniella Attanasio-Martinez

Instagram - @TheDaniellaMartinez

https://www.instagram.com/thedaniellamartinez/

www.instagram.com/grownuphustle

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this weeks episode of One For The Road i am joined by Carrie Ann Stevens who lost her mum to alcohol addiction at the age of 19 when her mum was 47, Being a COA ( Child of an alcoholic ) shaped her as a person but she didn't realise it until adult life and only explored it after her dad died , that was when she found and became a volunteer speaker for Nacoa. Losing her mum to Alcohol addiction put her on the path of helping others in recovery through exercise and wellness, she now runs sessions in boxing fitness and meditation to compliment the more traditional therapies, she also works with children providing fitness and other activities to support their wellbeing and with the Physio Teams on the severe mental health wards for the NHS. This year she is opening a purpose built hub for those in the community in recovery or with mental health issues to access varying fitness and wellness activities alongside talking therapies for a full holistic approach.

https://www.instagram.com/carrie_annstevens/

https://www.instagram.com/mindbodybalanceacademy/

https://mbbhub.co.uk

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/

Show producer- Daniella Attanasio-Martinez

Instagram - @TheDaniellaMartinez

https://www.instagram.com/thedaniellamartinez/

www.instagram.com/grownuphustle

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on One For The Road I am joined by Anna Donaghey who is an Alcohol Mindset Coach, Speaker and host of The Big Drink Rethink podcast.

With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experience of alcohol addiction, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do. Through The Big Drink Rethink podcast, Anna is on a mission to get the nation drinking more mindfully and in ways that align with personal peace and happiness. Celebrating that our alcohol-soaked culture is already beginning to shift in the right direction, The Big Drink Rethink is a call to action for everyone to break from our societal defaults and make their own independent, positive and healthy life choices.

As a Coach trained by Annie Grace, of this Naked Mind, Anna helps others explore and control their drinking; to navigate a world where alcohol is everywhere and the pressures to consume it are huge. Having now created a booze-free life in which she loves being fully present, she is passionate about helping others take control and engage with alcohol on their terms.

You can listen to The Big Drink Rethink podcast on all podcast platforms – or through this link: The Big Drink Rethink

And you can connect with Anna via:

Website: thebeliefscoach.com

Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink

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/

Show producer- Daniella Attanasio-Martinez

Instagram - @TheDaniellaMartinez

https://www.instagram.com/thedaniellamartinez/

www.instagram.com/grownuphustle

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.