From Survival Mode to Thriving: My Alcohol-Free Life Transformation | Valerie's Naked Life | EP 896

From Survival Mode to Thriving: My Alcohol-Free Life Transformation | Valerie's Naked Life | EP 896

From This Naked Mind Podcast by Annie Grace

April 11, 2026 · 53 min · Episode 896

About this episode

Valerie shares her journey from an abusive relationship and alcohol dependency to a thriving, alcohol-free life.

Trigger warning: This episode contains references to domestic violence, sexual assault, self-harm, disordered eating, substance use, and mental health crises. What does an alcohol-free life transformation actually look like from the inside? For Valerie, it looks like CrossFit at 4:30 AM, a flourishing marriage, a challenging career, and a self she genuinely loves for the first time at 36. But getting here meant surviving an abusive relationship, years of drinking as a survival tool, and a long search for belonging that took her to martial arts competitions in Korea, AA meetings, and finally a bookstore where Annie Grace's book changed everything. This is her story. Valerie and Coach Cole discuss: Growing up without consistent support and turning to alcohol as a survival tool from age 18 How a deeply abusive relationship pushed her drinking to its darkest point and left her searching for a way out The moment she put down her last drink without a plan and never looked back Why AA gave her community but not the alcohol-free life transformation she was truly looking for How Annie Grace's book found her in a bookstore and rewired the way she understood herself and alcohol Building her…

People in this episode

Host: Annie Grace

Guest: Valerie

Topics covered

  • alcohol-free life transformation
  • domestic violence
  • self-harm
  • mental health
  • community support
  • personal growth

Keywords

  • alcohol-free
  • transformation
  • CrossFit
  • abusive relationship
  • community
  • self-love
  • mental health

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: AA

Books & works: Annie Grace's book

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