In this special Q&A episode, Anna tackles a powerful listener question about what happens after the buzz fades from going alcohol-free. You've made it past those first few transformative months, and maybe you don't miss drinking, but the excitement has levelled out, and you're wondering how to stay motivated for the long haul.

Anna explores the “middle” of the alcohol-free journey when things become routine and life feels a little flat, but also wide open with new possibilities. She reframes this phase not as the end of the road, but as the beginning of something deeper: a time to discover what you want your new energy, presence, and clarity to create in your life.

Here are the highlights:

00:00 Introduction

00:55 Life is feeling flat - I don’t need alcohol but I’m not excited anymore

05:56 Removing alcohol is the main event; the challenge becomes deciding what to build or plant next.

11:50 Discover what your fully energised self desires beyond chasing milestones

17:06 Reflect on progress, list and revisit simple joys for fulfillment

28:34 Embrace emotional sobriety with self-compassion

29:53 Pause and reconnect with your why

If you’re feeling stretched thin, tired, and in search of support, you’re not alone. This episode - and the ‘Mummy Doesn’t Need Wine’ group - are for you.

Join ‘Mummy Doesn’t Need Wine’ here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mummydoesntneedwine

Anna’s group coaching community ‘Unstuck!’ helps identify your alcohol ‘stories’ and beliefs, break the cycle of alcohol and all the shame that goes with it. For more information and to find out how to join, please follow this link: Unstuck! community information

To further explore your relationship with alcohol, check out Anna’s self-guided programme, The Big Drink Rethink Experiment: https://www.thebeliefscoach.com/the-big-drink-rethink-experiment

And apply the code POD 99 to purchase for just £99 as a podcast listener

For the free resources accompanying this series, please head to https://www.thebeliefscoach.com/registration

If you’re loving the podcast and would like to give Anna a warm, fuzzy feeling of appreciation, then you can buy her a coffee:

https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethink

About the host Anna:

Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.

Connect with Anna:

Website: thebeliefscoach.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey

Instagram:

Are functional drinks the future of socialising, or just another wellness fad? On this episode of The Big Drink Rethink, host Anna Donaghey sits down with Zoey Henderson, an entrepreneur, mindful drinking consultant, and early functional drinks pioneer, to unravel the hype, science, and shifting culture around functional drinks. With drinking habits changing across the UK and a booming market for mushroom-powered beers and botanical blends, they explore whether these innovative drinks can deliver real benefits, challenge traditions, and truly change how and why we drink. This episode offers plenty of practical tips to help you rethink what you’re pouring into your glass.

Here are the highlights:

00:00 Introduction

05:13 Functional ingredients are being integrated into various beverage categories

11:50 Functional drinks in the non-alcoholic space offer benefits like relaxation or invigoration

17:20 Brands must ensure transparency and provide evidence

21:18 Mainstream adoption of using adaptogens in drinks

25:05 Undoing long-standing alcohol marketing is challenging

41:01 Understand consumer needs respectfully

44:54 Lion's mane mushroom can enhance cognitive health over time

47:19 Using fungi and plants for health is regaining popularity

50:38 Research product ingredients independently.

If you’re feeling stretched thin, tired, and in search of support, you’re not alone. This episode - and the ‘Mummy Doesn’t Need Wine’ group - are for you.

Join ‘Mummy Doesn’t Need Wine’ here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mummydoesntneedwine

Anna’s group coaching community ‘Unstuck!’ helps identify your alcohol ‘stories’ and beliefs, break the cycle of alcohol and all the shame that goes with it. For more information and to find out how to join, please follow this link: Unstuck! community information

To further explore your relationship with alcohol, check out Anna’s self-guided programme, The Big Drink Rethink Experiment: https://www.thebeliefscoach.com/the-big-drink-rethink-experiment

And apply the code POD 99 to purchase for just £99 as a podcast listener

For the free resources accompanying this series, please head to https://www.thebeliefscoach.com/registration

If you’re loving the podcast and would like to give Anna a warm, fuzzy feeling of appreciation, then you can buy her a coffee:

https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethink

About the host Anna:

Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.

Connect with Anna:

Website: thebeliefscoach.com

LinkedIn:

So many mums reach for a glass of wine at the end of a long day. How else can we cope with the chaos of motherhood? How else can we navigate this emotional tsunami for which we receive no training?

In this deeply personal episode of The Big Drink Rethink, host Anna Donaghey opens up about her own journey through early motherhood, where drinking evolved from a social habit into an emotional crutch.

Drawing from the candid messages she's received from listeners, Anna spotlights the realities facing mums of young children and the quiet pressures that can so often lead to pouring that evening glass.

She also introduces the new Facebook community that she has created to unite and support young mums - The Big Drink Rethink: Mummy Doesn’t Need Wine. A space for honest conversations, genuine support, daily posts and a host of other free resources.

If you’re feeling stretched thin, tired, and in search of support, you’re not alone. This episode - and the’ Mummy Doesn’t Need Wine’ group - are for you.

Join ‘Mummy Doesn’t Need Wine’ here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mummydoesntneedwine

Here are the highlights:

00:00 Introduction

03:25 Creating a Facebook community for mums to cope with life's pressures without relying on wine.

08:26 Struggling with the transition to motherhood, using alcohol as a coping mechanism

11:35 Sleep deprivation and emotional exhaustion led to alcohol dependency

15:09 Mummy wine culture normalises heavy drinking among mums

18:29 Struggled as a new parent

24:10 Join the brand new Facebook group: The Big Drink Rethink: Mummy Doesn’t Need Wine.

Anna’s group coaching community ‘Unstuck!’ helps identify your alcohol ‘stories’ and beliefs, break the cycle of alcohol and all the shame that goes with it. For more information and to find out how to join, please follow this link: Unstuck! community information

To further explore your relationship with alcohol, check out Anna’s self-guided programme, The Big Drink Rethink Experiment: https://www.thebeliefscoach.com/the-big-drink-rethink-experiment

And apply the code POD 99 to purchase for just £99 as a podcast listener

For the free resources accompanying this series, please head to https://www.thebeliefscoach.com/registration

If you’re loving the podcast and would like to give Anna a warm, fuzzy feeling of appreciation, then you can buy her a coffee:

https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethink

About the host Anna:

Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.

Connect with Anna:

Website: thebeliefscoach.com

LinkedIn: