Why Do I Keep Going Back to Drinking? | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 911

Why Do I Keep Going Back to Drinking? | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 911

What if the thing keeping you stuck isn't a lack of willpower, but a lack of understanding what's really driving you back? Linda has nearly 100 days alcohol-free and is starting to wonder if she trusts herself more than she thinks she does. Jane is asking a question she's carried for decades: why do I keep going back to something that gives me nothing anymore? In this episode, Coach Cole and Coach Zoe meet each of them right where they are, with warmth, honesty, and zero judgment. If you've ever felt confused by your own relationship with alcohol, you're going to feel very seen here. Linda discusses: Whether Antabuse has become a crutch, and what she realizes A self-trust check-in that shifts when she remembers an overlooked moment Finding an unopened margarita and pouring it down the drain without a second thought The difference between running from a past she doesn't want and moving toward a future that actually pulls her Building trust through evidence: 99 days, four big holidays, and choices she barely noticed making And more… Jane discusses: Why do I keep going back to drinking — the question she's been carrying her whole life Tracing her drinking from teenage rebellion through to a need to escape discomfort The distinction between habit and addiction, and why it changes everything The hand-on-heart practice Coach Zoe teaches her to become her own parent and witness discomfort instead of numbing it And more topics… Cole Harvey is a Certified Naked Mind Senior Coach. For years, he felt lost and used alcohol to cope, until he decided to go alcohol-free and focus on finding his purpose. Through curiosity, self-compassion, and adventure, he transformed his life. As a habit change and mindset coach, Cole helps young men understand themselves, build better habits, and find meaning.Learn more about Coach Cole: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/] Zoe Ewart is a Certified Naked Mind Senior Coach who brings her experience and understanding to help with the tricky parts of life’s big changes. Her coaching gives you an enjoyable, light-hearted, and safe environment to effortlessly take back control of alcohol so you can feel better physically, mentally, and spiritually. Zoe taught Pilates for 15 years. She has four adult children and more animals than the Ark ever had.Learn more about Coach Zoe: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/zoe-ewart/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/zoe-ewart/] Episode links: nakedmindpath.com [nakedmindpath.com] Related Episodes: Why Do I Keep Going Back to Drinking? | Reader Question | EP 570 – https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-570-readers-questions-why-do-i-keep-going-back-to-drinking/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-570-readers-questions-why-do-i-keep-going-back-to-drinking/] How To Stop Drinking To Avoid Emotions | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 845 – https://thisnakedmind.com/drinking-to-avoid-emotions-afc-e845/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/drinking-to-avoid-emotions-afc-e845/] Trusting Yourself Again | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 760 – https://thisnakedmind.com/trusting-yourself-again-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e760/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/trusting-yourself-again-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e760/] Ready to take the next step on your journey?  Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources [https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources] for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

Breaking the Alcohol Shame Spiral | Krista's Naked Life | EP 910

What does it take to finally break the alcohol shame spiral when it's been running your life for decades? Krista knows the cycle well: a data point, the crushing shame that followed, a vow to do better, and then the slow, sneaky creep back to hiding bottles and pulling over on the side of the road to drink before going home. In this episode, she sits down with Coach Cole Harvey to share the full arc of her journey, from a childhood in the American South to bartending in New York City, to raising two kids in rural Ireland with no family nearby, to the night something finally, irreversibly shifted. A year into her alcohol-free life, Krista is clear: the work was hard, and she has never once looked back. In this episode, Krista and Coach Cole discuss: Growing up with alcohol woven into every family gathering, and starting drinking at 12 or 13 as a way to finally feel like she belonged Bartending in New York City in her twenties, closing bars with no memory of getting home, and knowing even then that something was wrong Moving to Ireland, losing her father while pregnant with her first child, and leaning harder on alcohol to cope with grief and isolation Years of trying — and failing — to moderate, from "only on weekends" to hiding bottles, and the shame spiral that followed every data point The rock bottom moment her husband came home and there was no hiding it anymore, and why that night became the turning point she couldn't explain Returning to counseling, reconnecting with her Path community, and doing the inner work of learning she was worthy of her own care Building a morning practice of meditation, journaling, and yoga, and recognizing that self-care wasn't a luxury but a necessity for her freedom The daffodil metaphor: planting seeds at the beginning of her journey, and finally learning to cut the flowers and bring the beauty inside And more on self-compassion, the stop-start cycle, and what it actually means to believe you are enough… Episode links: nakedmindpath.com [https://nakedmindpath.com] Related Episodes: Stopping The Shame Spiral | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | E883 — https://thisnakedmind.com/stopping-the-shame-spiral-afc-e883/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/stopping-the-shame-spiral-afc-e883/] Overcoming Shame and Embarrassment After Drinking | Reader's Question | EP 722 — https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-722-readers-question-overcoming-shame-and-embarrassment-after-drinking/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-722-readers-question-overcoming-shame-and-embarrassment-after-drinking/] Naked Life Story: Angela | EP 147 — https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-147-naked-life-story-angela/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-147-naked-life-story-angela/] Ready to take the next step on your journey?  Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources [https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources] for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, OSEA, Quince, and Shopify. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind [http://betterhelp.com/nakedmind]  Green Chef: Green Chef is offering 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months at greenchef.com/nakedmind [http://greenchef.com/nakedmind] use code NAKEDMIND. OSEA: Get 10% off of your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com [http://oseamalibu.com] Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/naked [http://quince.com/naked] Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind [http://shopify.com/mind]

When Grief and Drinking Go Hand in Hand | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 909

Trigger Warning: This episode includes conversations about grief, loss of loved ones, family estrangement, trauma, and depression. Have you ever been in so much pain that reaching for a drink just felt like the most human thing to do? That is exactly where today's two guests have been, and this episode will meet you right there. First up is Cathy, 87 days alcohol-free, who joins Coach Cole to work through something she has been quietly carrying for years: a sibling estrangement that started when her family fell apart after her mom passed. She reached out. They pulled away. The hurt stuck around. Then there is Mike, 65 days alcohol-free, who opens up to Coach Zoe about a grief timeline that unfolded faster than he could process: his mom, his estranged brother, a DNR call made from behind the wheel of his car. Drinking to deal with loss became the only language he had for a while, and the depression that came with it crept in so quietly he did not even see it happening. What both of them found inside The Path is what this whole community is built on: a place where someone finally asks the real question, and you finally get to answer it. In Cathy’s Session: The sibling estrangement that started with her mom's estate and the grief that stayed long after Why the hurt lingered even when she thought she had mostly moved on The realization that joy and grief can exist at the same time without canceling each other out Coach Cole's reframe: releasing expectations of others is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself How approaching old pain with curiosity and playfulness changes what feels possible In Mike’s Session: Losing his mom to brain cancer, then his brother, and carrying all of it without telling a soul A DNR decision made alone over the phone and the guilt that moved in quietly afterward Drinking to deal with loss when there was no framework for grief and no space to speak it out loud The coaching reframe that shifted his guilt into something that actually felt like grace What 65 days alcohol-free looks like in the body: sleep, mornings, energy, and presence The "forever" moment at a family party, said out loud for the very first time And more on grief, identity, repair, and what it looks like to actually come back to yourself... Cole Harvey is a certified Naked Mind Senior Coach. For years, he felt lost and used alcohol as a way to cope, until he decided to go alcohol-free and focus on finding his purpose. Through curiosity, self-compassion, and adventure, he transformed his life. As a habit change and mindset coach, Cole helps young men understand themselves, build better habits, and find meaning. Learn more about Coach Cole: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/] Zoe Ewart is a Certified Naked Mind Senior Coach who brings her experience and understanding to help with the tricky parts of life’s big changes. Her coaching gives you an enjoyable, light-hearted, and safe environment to effortlessly take back control of alcohol so you can feel better physically, mentally, and spiritually. Zoe taught Pilates for 15 years. She has four adult children and more animals than the Ark ever had. Learn more about Coach Zoe: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/zoe-ewart/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/zoe-ewart/] Episode links: nakedmindpath.com [https://nakedmindpath.com] Related Episodes: How do I deal with death and grief without alcohol? | Reader Question | EP 262 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-262-reader-question-grief-without-alcohol/  [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-262-reader-question-grief-without-alcohol/%C2%A0] Alcohol and Grief with Pam McRae | Coaching Questions | EP 382 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-382-coaching-questions-with-scott-pinyard/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-382-coaching-questions-with-scott-pinyard/] How do you deal with stress without alcohol? | Reader Question | EP 158 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-158-how-do-you-deal-with-stress-without-alcohol/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-158-how-do-you-deal-with-stress-without-alcohol/] Ready to take the next step on your journey?  Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources [https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources] for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, OSEA, Quince, and Shopify. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind [http://betterhelp.com/nakedmind]  Green Chef: Green Chef is offering 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months at greenchef.com/nakedmind [http://greenchef.com/nakedmind] use code NAKEDMIND. OSEA: Get 10% off of your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com [http://oseamalibu.com] Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/naked [http://quince.com/naked] Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind [http://shopify.com/mind]

How I Stopped Drinking After Trying To Moderate | Michele’s Naked Life | EP 908

Wondering how I stopped drinking after trying to moderate for years? "Have I got a story for you!" says Michele. She ran a business, raised her daughter, kept things moving — and drank every night in a relationship where no one questioned it. Then the pandemic stripped away her structure, her purpose, and everything that had kept things manageable. She tried cutting back. She tried understanding it. Nothing stuck — until This Naked Mind gave her something willpower alone never could: a real understanding of what alcohol was doing to her, and the freedom to simply stop wanting it. Michele and Coach Cole discuss: How a functional habit quietly grew through a painful breakup, pandemic isolation, and lost purpose Why Michele spent her first year using This Naked Mind while still trying to moderate — and what finally changed The hospitalization that became her line in the sand How This Naked Mind helped her understand what alcohol was actually doing to her body and brain How shame became the thing that made drinking impossible to continue Reframing her hardest moments as the reason her daughter now has a fully present mom ADHD, generational patterns, and why "why can I stop sometimes but not others?" finally has an answer And more on identity, community, and what it means to find your own path to alcohol freedom… Episode links: nakedmindpath.com [http://nakedmindpath.com] Related Episodes: Is Drinking In Moderation Possible? | Reader Question | EP 08 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-08-reader-question-moderation-possible/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-08-reader-question-moderation-possible/] Using Alcohol To Treat Adult ADHD | Amy’s Naked Life | EP800 - https://thisnakedmind.com/using-alcohol-to-treat-adult-adhd-amys-naked-life-e800/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/using-alcohol-to-treat-adult-adhd-amys-naked-life-e800/] I use alcohol to be a better wife and mother | Reader Question | EP 238 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-238-reader-question-i-use-alcohol-to-be-a-better-wife-and-mother/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-238-reader-question-i-use-alcohol-to-be-a-better-wife-and-mother/] Ready to take the next step on your journey?  Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources [https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources] for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, OSEA, Quince, and Shopify. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind [http://betterhelp.com/nakedmind]  Green Chef: Green Chef is offering 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months at greenchef.com/nakedmind [http://greenchef.com/nakedmind] use code NAKEDMIND. OSEA: Get 10% off of your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com [http://oseamalibu.com] Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/naked [http://quince.com/naked] Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind [http://shopify.com/mind]

How to Rebuild Self-Worth After Drinking | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 907

Trigger warning: This episode contains references to domestic violence, suicidal ideation, & self-harm ideation. If you've been wondering how to rebuild self-worth after drinking, this episode will meet you right where you are. Coach Zoe coaches Katia through the power of her "alive goal" — learning to love the girl in the mirror after years of not being able to look at her own reflection. Then Coach Cole walks Tracey through meeting her inner critic with curiosity rather than shame. These coaching sessions are raw, real, and deeply human. Learning to trust yourself sober starts with understanding where that harsh inner voice came from — and realizing you don't have to keep carrying what was never yours to begin with. Katia discusses: * What an "alive goal" is and why it changes everything * Years of avoiding mirrors and not recognizing herself * A violent relationship, emotional eating, and the weight of survival * Drawing a picture of herself — and seeing who she really is inside * Giving herself permission to heal (and why that's harder than it sounds) * Choosing The Path after years of trying to figure it out alone * And more… Tracey discusses: * The self-compassion struggle when criticism is all you've ever known * Meeting the inner critic — and finding out it's just scared * Why binge drinking and shame create a cycle that's hard to break * Tracing perfectionism back to a critical parent * How to rebuild self-worth after drinking by separating your voice from someone else's * Learning to trust yourself sober one small, honest moment at a time * And more topics… Zoe Ewart is a Certified Naked Mind Senior Coach who brings experience and understanding to help with the tricky parts of life’s big changes. Her coaching gives you an enjoyable, light-hearted, and safe environment to effortlessly take back control of alcohol so you can feel better physically, mentally, and spiritually. Zoe taught Pilates for 15 years. She has four adult children and more animals than the Ark ever had. Learn more about Coach Zoe: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/zoe-ewart/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/zoe-ewart/] Cole Harvey is a Certified Naked Mind Senior Coach. For years, he felt lost and used alcohol to cope, until he decided to go alcohol-free and focus on finding his purpose. Through curiosity, self-compassion, and adventure, he transformed his life. As a habit change and mindset coach, Cole helps young men understand themselves, build better habits, and find meaning. Learn more about Coach Cole: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/] Episode links: nakedmindpath.comRelated Episodes: Healing Through Self-Love | Cole’s Naked Life | E737 - https://thisnakedmind.com/healing-through-self-love-coles-naked-life-e737/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/healing-through-self-love-coles-naked-life-e737/]  Learning To Love Yourself Unconditionally | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | E875 - https://thisnakedmind.com/learning-to-love-yourself-unconditionally-afc-e875/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/learning-to-love-yourself-unconditionally-afc-e875/] Love Yourself Sober - Naked Life Story – Kate & Mandy - EP 363 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-363-naked-life-story-mandy-kate/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-363-naked-life-story-mandy-kate/] Ready to take the next step on your journey?  Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources [https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources] for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, OSEA, Quince, and Shopify. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind [http://betterhelp.com/nakedmind]  Green Chef: Green Chef is offering 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months at greenchef.com/nakedmind [http://greenchef.com/nakedmind] use code NAKEDMIND. OSEA: Get 10% off of your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com [http://oseamalibu.com] Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/naked [http://quince.com/naked] Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind [http://shopify.com/mind]