The Big Drink Rethink

What if summer didn't have to be scripted by booze? In this solo episode, Anna Donaghey answers a listener's question: "What does it actually mean to get curious about my drinking this summer?"Anna dismantles "summer scripts", the invisible associations between alcohol and fun, relaxation, or connection. Instead of forcing abstinence or restriction, she offers a gentle, practical process: What are you really looking forward to at each event? What job are you asking alcohol to do? What meaningful moments might you notice if you step out of autopilot?Whether you want to quit, cut back, or just understand your habits, this is about empowered choice, not deprivation. Expect relatable validation, zero judgment, and practical reflection tools you can use straight away.Here are the Highlights: 00:00 Intro: Anna welcomes listeners to a summer Q&A episode 01:30 Listener question: “What does being curious mean?” 02:20 How curiosity became Anna’s most powerful tool 03:54 How watching, noticing, and observing can make occasions richer 05:25 The energy drain of strict “quitting” vs. the freedom of curiosity 06:29 How the drinks industry scripts our summer 09:06 What are your “summer scripts”? 10:53 Why simply SEEING the script changes everything 12:17 Practical reflection: Questions to ask before, during, and after events 15:26 What job are you giving alcohol? Stress relief, connection, or ritual? 18:11 Experimenting with non-drinking, not as a rule, but as a test 19:28 What do you remember about these events? 20:41 Setting a feeling-based intention for your summer 22:12 Tiny experiments that help you learn what you really want 24:06 Pick one event this summer to do differently 26:23 How one curious occasion can change your entire perspective Anna’s book "What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want", is now out in the world for you to buy!Order your copy, access her free tools and explore her coaching programmes at: https://thebigdrinkrethink.com/The Thirsty For More Mindset Lab is Anna’s ‘inner circle’ - a calm, thoughtful space where conversations continue, patterns are explored, and things begin to make sense. Find out more at: https://thirstyformore.substack.com/If you appreciate the podcast and would like to show a bit of love, you can donate the cost of a coffee here. It helps support the time and care that goes into making the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethinkAbout 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: thebigdrinkrethink.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonagheyInstagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethinkProduced by winteraudio.co.ukMentioned in this episode:Anna and fellow coach Tabbin Almond are excited to announce they’re hosting a free webinar on Thursday 9th July to share what they’ve learnt about what women actually need when they want to change their relationship with alcohol. You can save your spot here: https://www.thebigdrinkrethink.com/webinar

What if the limits we feel around age, change, and possibility aren’t real but simply old, worn-out stories we’ve inherited? In this energising episode, Anna Donaghey is joined by Allison Davis, traditional naturopath and author of ‘Sixty is a Good Start: A Powerful Body, a Purposeful Life, and a Plan to Make it Happen’, to bust wide open the myth that it’s ever “too late” to rethink your life or your drinking.Together, Anna and Allison explore the deep-seated cultural scripts that tell us when we should want less, slow down, or shrink our dreams. Allison shares her own journey: becoming a new mom at fifty, reclaiming her health in her mid-fifties, writing a book at sixty, and refusing to let a single decade define what’s possible. You’ll hear how small, sustainable routines, what Allison calls the “self-perpetuating circle of purpose” can help us create vibrant lives at any age.Here are the Highlights:00:00 Rethinking the script on age and alcohol00:41 The “too late” myth and culturally inherited limitations02:15 Allison’s story: parenting, fitness, writing, and starting new chapters08:30 How the narratives about age take root and how to question them13:02 Introducing the “circle of purpose”15:02 Why real longevity is about energy, not just living longer16:00 Learning to listen to your body (instead of just managing it)19:13 Alcohol, numbing, and re-awakening to what you really need25:00 The role of the inner critic32:40 The power of “threshold moments”34:02 Rethinking “world work”: purpose, connection, and creating a life worth living39:06 Loneliness and the vital importance of connection as we age42:08 Introducing the Sixty-Day Dare: baby steps toward a bigger, richer life43:00 Why sustainable change is always made up of doable, micro-shifts46:46 Simple places to begin: water, movement, and intentional choices48:13 “Is this enough?” The question that can start everything over, at any age.Anna’s book "What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want", is now out in the world for you to buy!Order your copy, access her free tools and explore her coaching programmes at: https://thebigdrinkrethink.com/The Thirsty For More Mindset Lab is Anna’s ‘inner circle’ - a calm, thoughtful space where conversations continue, patterns are explored, and things begin to make sense. Find out more at: https://thirstyformore.substack.com/If you appreciate the podcast and would like to show a bit of love, you can donate the cost of a coffee here. It helps support the time and care that goes into making the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethinkAbout 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: thebigdrinkrethink.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonagheyInstagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethinkProduced by winteraudio.co.ukAbout Allison Davis:Allison Davis is an author, Traditional Naturopath and mum of five, who has pursued entrepreneurial business in the world of natural health for the last fourteen years while raising her family.With her new book, Sixty Is a Good Start: A Powerful Body, a Purposeful Life, and a Plan to Make it Happen, she advocates for reimagining life after sixty and inspires women to embrace aging as a time of opportunity, vitality, and purpose.Connect with Allison:All of Allison’s links can be found here – including a link to buy her book:https://allisonmccunedavis.com/linksMentioned in this episode:Anna and fellow coach Tabbin Almond are excited to announce they’re hosting a free webinar on Thursday 9th July to share what they’ve learnt about what women actually need when they want to change their relationship with alcohol. You can save your spot here: https://www.thebigdrinkrethink.com/webinar

Is it possible that drinking isn’t really the problem or at least, not the whole story? In this episode, Anna asks you to rethink your relationship with alcohol by shifting the focus away from simply how much or how often you drink, to what deeper needs might be driving the habit in the first place.Anna explores why we treat alcohol as the main issue, and how it’s often just the “smoke, not the fire.” Instead of fixating on willpower or self-control, she dives into the real desires beneath drinking: rest, relief, connection, pleasure, escape.You'll learn how putting alcohol in context, and being gently curious about your own needs rather than harshly judging yourself can open up new possibilities for change.Here are the Highlights:00:00 Welcome to The Big Drink Rethink01:13 What if drinking isn’t actually the issue?01:41 Drinking is often the visible symptom, not the deeper cause02:18 Ask: “What am I actually thirsty for?”02:53 Meeting your real needs weakens drinking’s grip03:39 Alcohol shows up inside busy, pressured, complex lives04:03 What role has alcohol been playing for you?04:15 Reframing drinking as a response, not a moral failing04:46 Calm, informed choices are possible when alcohol is explained05:11 A new question: “What would actually support me here?”06:01 Shifting from control to care, from shame to curiosity06:38 Change happens gradually, not with a dramatic declaration06:57 If something feels off, you don’t need to have a plan yet07:36 Staying curious, not judgmental08:21 Your feedback drives future episodes!Anna’s book "What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want", is now out in the world for you to buy!Order your copy, access her free tools and explore her coaching programmes at: https://thebigdrinkrethink.com/The Thirsty For More Mindset Lab is Anna’s ‘inner circle’ - a calm, thoughtful space where conversations continue, patterns are explored, and things begin to make sense. Find out more at: https://thirstyformore.substack.com/If you appreciate the podcast and would like to show a bit of love, you can donate the cost of a coffee here. It helps support the time and care that goes into making the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethinkAbout 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: thebigdrinkrethink.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonagheyInstagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethinkProduced by winteraudio.co.ukMentioned in this episode:Anna and fellow coach Tabbin Almond are excited to announce they’re hosting a free webinar on Thursday 9th July to share what they’ve learnt about what women actually need when they want to change their relationship with alcohol. You can save your spot here: https://www.thebigdrinkrethink.com/webinar

Ever caught yourself wondering, “Why is alcohol so hard to control for me?” In this episode Anna Donaghey urges you to challenge the story that the struggle is all your fault. Drawing from her experience as an alcohol mindset coach, author, and strategist, Anna examines why shame and blame are baked into how we talk about drinking and offers a totally different perspective.Instead of focusing on willpower, Anna explores how social expectations, stress, and our culture’s obsession with alcohol shapes your relationship with drinking. She invites you to shift from self-judgement to compassionate curiosity, uncovering what alcohol actually does for you, and how to move forward with genuine agency (not force).Listen now for fresh psychological insight, and actionable tools to gently reframe your habits and open new possibilities about rethinking the way you drink.Here are the Highlights:00:00 Welcome to The Big Drink Rethink Podcast00:53 What if you're not the problem?01:33 Our culture confuses responsibility with blame02:23 The dominant narrative comes from Alcoholics Anonymous05:41 Using alcohol to cope, switching off, easing anxiety, marking the end of the day doesn’t make you weak; it makes you human.06:27 The real question isn’t “what’s wrong with me?” but “why is this the tool I’ve ended up relying on?”07:01 Curiosity about what alcohol is doing for you shifts the conversation07:23 The goal isn’t just to become a non-drinker, but someone who listens to themselves and designs a life they don’t want to escape from08:23 Struggles with drinking aren’t your fault09:50 Change begins with curiosity, and honesty10:09 Rethinking drinking is about being awake in your own life.Anna’s book "What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want", is now out in the world for you to buy!Order your copy, access her free tools and explore her coaching programmes at: https://thebigdrinkrethink.com/The Thirsty For More Mindset Lab is Anna’s ‘inner circle’ - a calm, thoughtful space where conversations continue, patterns are explored, and things begin to make sense. Find out more at: https://thirstyformore.substack.com/If you appreciate the podcast and would like to show a bit of love, you can donate the cost of a coffee here. It helps support the time and care that goes into making the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethinkAbout 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: thebigdrinkrethink.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonagheyInstagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethinkProduced by winteraudio.co.ukMentioned in this episode:Anna and fellow coach Tabbin Almond are excited to announce they’re hosting a free webinar on Thursday 9th July to share what they’ve learnt about what women actually need when they want to change their relationship with alcohol. You can save your spot here: https://www.thebigdrinkrethink.com/webinar