The Hidden Struggle of the High Functioning Drinker - with James Swanwick

About this episode

Vic chats with James Swanwick about the struggles of high-functioning drinkers and the movement towards an alcohol-free lifestyle.

This week on Sober Awkward, Vic chats to James Swanwick about high-functioning drinking, success, pressure and the growing movement of people choosing to live alcohol free — not because they’ve completely fallen apart, but because they simply feel better without it. James is an Australian stop drinking expert, author, investor, entrepreneur and former SportsCenter anchor on ESPN. He is the creator of stop drinking organisation, Alcohol Free Lifestyle, which helps business owners and executives finally break free from alcohol without AA, rehab or willpower. Together, Vic and James unpack the myth that alcohol problems only affect people at “rock bottom” and explore why high achievers often struggle silently for years. They chat about identity, pride, social pressure, parenting, masculinity, success and why being outwardly functional can actually make it harder to admit something isn’t working. They also explore a really interesting question: Can giving up alcohol sometimes be less about “having a problem”… and more about choosing a different lifestyle entirely? Plus there’s chat about celebrity alcohol brands, the rise of the alcohol-free movement, Gen Z turning away from booze…

People in this episode

Host: Vic

Guest: James Swanwick

Topics covered

• high-functioning drinking
• alcohol-free lifestyle
• social pressure
• success
• identity
• parenting
• masculinity

Keywords

• high-functioning drinker
• alcohol-free
• success
• social pressure
• parenting
• masculinity
• alcohol brands
• Gen Z
• lifestyle change

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Alcohol Free Lifestyle, ESPN

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