When Alcohol Is The Only Coping Tool You Know

When Alcohol Is The Only Coping Tool You Know

Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 917 What happens when you finally want to stop using alcohol to cope, but the idea of facing everything without it feels almost impossible? In this episode, Kim and Liv bravely step into that very question. They open up about just how easily alcohol became a source of comfort — soothing a nervous system wrecked by family crisis and serving as the one reliable, familiar thing in the uncertainty of life. Astonishingly, what comes next isn’t a battle of willpower. Learning how to cope without alcohol becomes something else entirely - permission to feel, to choose your next step on your own terms, and to discover the strength that's been with you all along.  Kim discusses: Giving alcohol the "job" of soothing her nervous system through trauma and crises Why all-or-nothing thinking and shame from a previous recovery program made it harder to move forward The shift from feeling like she needed to "let it all go" to learning to live with her experiences differently Building real confidence through action — vulnerability, community, and showing up before the confidence was there Liv discusses: Drinking for her entire adult life (30 years) and why "familiar" is the one word she'd use to describe alcohol's role Noticing gradual mind shifts that are both exciting and frightening as the Path material starts to work A pattern of making goals only to rebel against them — and why that rebellion disappears when the choice is truly her own Learning to sit with discomfort for an hour, and replacing white-knuckling with curiosity Hayley Scherders is a certified TNM Coach with training from the Canadian Addiction and Mental Health Association. Drawing from personal experiences, Hayley understands how tough change can be and provides a safe, compassionate, and judgment-free space where her clients can feel supported. She believes that with the right mindset, anyone can change their life at any time. Learn more about Coach Hayley: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/hayley-scherders/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/hayley-scherders/] 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/] Episode links: nakedmindpath.com Related episodes: How To Stop Drinking To Avoid Emotions | Alcohol Freedom Coaching https://thisnakedmind.com/drinking-to-avoid-emotions-afc-e845/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/drinking-to-avoid-emotions-afc-e845/] Alcohol Addiction and Shame | Hayley's Naked Life https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-679-naked-life-story-hayley-s/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-679-naked-life-story-hayley-s/] Trusting Yourself Again | Alcohol Freedom Coaching https://thisnakedmind.com/trusting-yourself-again-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e760/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/trusting-yourself-again-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e760/]  CTA Follow on Apple Podcasts podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-naked-mind-podcast/id1287269357 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-naked-mind-podcast/id1287269357] Follow on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0UB06sNguPjVvgAYFBcR9I?si=b7568f24c21249ff [https://open.spotify.com/show/0UB06sNguPjVvgAYFBcR9I?si=b7568f24c21249ff] Ready to take the next step? Visit 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, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at ⁠betterhelp.com/nakedmind ⁠ [http://betterhelp.com/nakedmind]Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at ⁠greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND ⁠ [http://greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND]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] Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at ⁠zazzle.com⁠ [http://zazzle.com] OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at ⁠OSEAMalibu.com⁠ [http://oseamalibu.com]

How One Mom Stopped Drinking

Sabrina’s Naked Life | EP 916 Trigger Warning: This episode includes mentions of an eating disorder. What does it really take to stop drinking when every warning sign you've been handed just isn't enough? Sabrina grew up watching her father drive drunk, got her own DUI at 17, and spent years treating pregnancy as her only real break from alcohol. It wasn't a rock bottom that finally did it; it was her husband standing at the door with packed bags on Halloween, and four daughters she wasn't willing to lose. Now 18 months alcohol-free, Sabrina is here because she remembers exactly how lonely day one felt, and she wants the next woman to know she doesn't have to feel that way. Sabrina shares what she discovered about how to stop drinking as a mom. Sabrina and Coach Cole discuss: Growing up surrounded by alcohol and no example of what moderate drinking looks like Why DUIs and close calls weren't enough to make her stop Discovering that pregnancy was the only "free pass" she felt she had to be alcohol-free, and how beautiful those windows were Her husband packing his bags on Halloween and why that ultimatum changed everything Finding Annie Grace's podcast on her commute to work and what it finally felt like to understand that it wasn't her fault And more on communication after alcohol, sharing this gift with others and how to stop drinking as a mom Episode links: thisnakedmind.com/podcasts [https://thisnakedmind.com/podcasts] Related 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/] Facing the Dark Side of Alcohol: Shannon's Naked Life — https://thisnakedmind.com/the-dark-side-of-alcohol-shannons-naked-life [https://thisnakedmind.com/the-dark-side-of-alcohol-shannons-naked-life] Quitting Drinking to Be a Better Mother: Alicia's Naked Life — https://thisnakedmind.com/quitting-drinking-to-be-a-better-mother-alicias-naked-life/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/quitting-drinking-to-be-a-better-mother-alicias-naked-life/] CTA Follow on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-naked-mind-podcast/id1287269357 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-naked-mind-podcast/id1287269357] Follow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0UB06sNguPjVvgAYFBcR9I?si=b7568f24c21249ff [https://open.spotify.com/show/0UB06sNguPjVvgAYFBcR9I?si=b7568f24c21249ff] Ready to take the next step? Visit 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, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at ⁠betterhelp.com/nakedmind ⁠ [http://betterhelp.com/nakedmind]Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at ⁠greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND ⁠ [http://greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND]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] Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at ⁠zazzle.com⁠ [http://zazzle.com] OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at ⁠OSEAMalibu.com⁠ [http://oseamalibu.com]

Feeling Raw? That Means It's Working | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 915

Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to suicidal ideation, childhood trauma, family violence, and mental illness.  Laura has been alcohol-free since Christmas and the voice in her head keeps saying: this isn't going to work for you. Patricia is 83 days in, standing outside in minus-17 degrees watching the moon, finally letting herself cry. Feeling raw after quitting alcohol is exactly where both of them are. Coach Hayley and Coach Zoe don't try to fix it or rush past it. They just sit with it. Laura discusses: Feeling happy on the drive home and immediately wondering if she was doing something wrong How stopping drinking opened up body awareness she didn't know she was missing What it felt like when her shoulders released, her jaw unclenched, and she could finally breathe Using a hand-on-heart practice to respond to emotional cravings instead of reaching for a drink Coach Hayley's reframe: "A thought is not an instruction" Why her morning practice made her smile — and how she almost dismissed it as not enough Patricia discusses: How 23 years of teaching children to feel safe revealed tools she already had for herself Staying in her own box, processing old emotions, and building a new life without leaving the one she has Why her long walks across Britain and the Camino were nervous system regulation she never recognized Building a life from her own ingredients, not the fears handed to her by others The difference between loving her adult children and enabling them Why "I'm choosing today" is more sustainable than "I can do this forever" And more topics… Hayley Scherders is a certified TNM Coach with training from the Canadian Addiction and Mental Health Association. Drawing from personal experiences, Hayley understands how tough change can be and provides a safe, compassionate, and judgment-free space where her clients can feel supported. She believes that with the right mindset, anyone can change their life at any time. Learn more about Coach Hayley: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/hayley-scherders/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/hayley-scherders/] 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 To Stop Drinking To Avoid Emotions | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | E845 – https://thisnakedmind.com/drinking-to-avoid-emotions-afc-e845/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/drinking-to-avoid-emotions-afc-e845/]  The Path to Inner Clarity | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | E748 – https://thisnakedmind.com/the-path-to-inner-clarity-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e748/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/the-path-to-inner-clarity-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e748/]  Healing Emotional Pain Without Alcohol | Reader Questions | EP 706 – https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-706-readers-question-healing-emotional-pain-without-alcohol/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-706-readers-question-healing-emotional-pain-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, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at ⁠betterhelp.com/nakedmind ⁠ [http://betterhelp.com/nakedmind]Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at ⁠greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND ⁠ [http://greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND]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] Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at ⁠zazzle.com⁠ [http://zazzle.com] OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at ⁠OSEAMalibu.com⁠ [http://oseamalibu.com]

High-Functioning Doesn't Mean Fine | Tim’s Naked Life | EP 914

Is your life mostly intact — job fine, marriage okay, responsibilities covered — and yet you're drinking every single night and can't quite picture stopping? That's exactly where Tim Knapp was for years, and he was also, at the same time, one of the people other people called in a crisis. He spent over a decade working inside addiction recovery programs, walking men out of homelessness and incarceration, understanding the neuroscience of dependency from the inside out. High-functioning doesn't mean fine, and Tim's story is one of the most honest, clear-eyed accounts of what it actually looks like when the two things are true at once.  Tim and Coach Cole discuss: * Growing up in small-town Oklahoma and discovering the buzz at age 12 — including a homemade raisin wine operation that launched a decade-long love affair with the altered state * Why Tim loved the buzz itself more than the taste, and how that distinction became the key to his freedom * Working at the Bowery Mission in New York City while his own drinking quietly escalated in the background * The painful intersection of conscious and subconscious mind: knowing something is hurting you and still wanting it anyway * How reading This Naked Mind led to an afternoon of rereading, a conversation at the kitchen bar, and the first honest talk he'd ever had with his wife about his drinking * Why you don't have to lose everything before you're allowed to ask for help — and why high-functioning drinkers are often the least likely to reach out * The photo of his childhood self on the fridge, and what it means to welcome that person back * Tim's coaching style: asking questions that get to the why, not just the what, and his conviction that you already have everything you need to change Episode links: https://thisnakedmind.com/book [https://thisnakedmind.com/book]https://www.timknappcoaching.com/ [https://www.timknappcoaching.com/] Related Episodes: Healing Through Self-Love: Cole's Naked Life | EP 737 — https://thisnakedmind.com/healing-through-self-love-coles-naked-life-e737/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/healing-through-self-love-coles-naked-life-e737/]  Find the Courage to Choose Yourself: Patrick's Naked Life | EP 735 — https://thisnakedmind.com/find-the-courage-to-choose-yourself-patricks-naked-life-e735/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/find-the-courage-to-choose-yourself-patricks-naked-life-e735/] EP 20: Reader Question – What do You do about Missing the “High” from Drinking? -  https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-20-reader-question-what-do-you-do-about-missing-the-high-from-drinking/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-20-reader-question-what-do-you-do-about-missing-the-high-from-drinking/] 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, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at ⁠betterhelp.com/nakedmind ⁠ [http://betterhelp.com/nakedmind]Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at ⁠greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND ⁠ [http://greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND]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] Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at ⁠zazzle.com⁠ [http://zazzle.com] OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at ⁠OSEAMalibu.com⁠ [http://oseamalibu.com]

Breaking the Drinking Cycle, Finding Yourself | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 913

Have you ever gotten exactly what you wanted, only to wait for something to go wrong? That's where Brenda is in today's episode — alcohol-free, feeling like herself again, and quietly afraid to believe it will last. In the second session, Emma has spent five years in a cycle she can't seem to break, and she finally gets a look at what's really underneath it. Two coaches, two guests, two conversations that go to some genuinely surprising places.  Brenda discusses: * Why her alcohol freedom has felt "too easy" — and what that fear is really about * How knowledge and science shifted her desire, not just her behavior * The one-year and five-year visualization exercise that changed everything * Reframing past "failures" as data points that guided her to exactly where she is * Building self-trust day by day through The Path community * And more… Emma discusses: * Her five-year cycle of months alcohol-free followed by weeks drinking again * Why alcohol gave her permission to feel emotions she couldn't access otherwise * Connecting with an emotional armor that formed in childhood to protect her * An IFS-style coaching exercise to meet the "bouncer at the gate" with curiosity * The moment her armor responded: "I've been so lonely" * And more… Hayley Scherders is a certified TNM Coach with training from the Canadian Addiction and Mental Health Association. Drawing from personal experiences, Hayley understands how tough change can be and provides a safe, compassionate, and judgment-free space where her clients can feel supported. She believes that with the right mindset, anyone can change their life at any time. Learn more about Coach Hayley: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/hayley-scherders/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/hayley-scherders/] 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/] Episode links: nakedmindpath.com [http://nakedmindpath.com] Related Episodes: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/]  Reclaiming Your True Self: Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 770 - https://thisnakedmind.com/reclaiming-your-true-self-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e770/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/reclaiming-your-true-self-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e770/]  Is the Drunk You the Real You? | Reader’s Question | EP 696 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-696-readers-question-is-the-drunk-you-the-real-you/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-696-readers-question-is-the-drunk-you-the-real-you/] 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, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at ⁠betterhelp.com/nakedmind ⁠ [http://betterhelp.com/nakedmind]Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at ⁠greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND ⁠ [http://greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND]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] Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at ⁠zazzle.com⁠ [http://zazzle.com] OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at ⁠OSEAMalibu.com⁠ [http://oseamalibu.com]