About this episode

This episode explores the underlying reasons for alcohol use as a coping mechanism through the stories of Will and Kathleen, guided by Coaches Cole and Zoe.

⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode contains references to psychological and emotional abuse in a marriage. The answer to "why I use alcohol to cope" is rarely what you expect. For Will, it’s buried in a need for control he's carried since a chaotic childhood. For Kathleen, it comes from decades of being the one everyone else leans on. Coaches Cole and Zoe help Will and Kathleen take steps towards freeing themselves from that weight. Will discusses: Decades of using alcohol to quiet a busy brain, and what happens after the first beer Why knowing the pattern isn’t enough The childhood fear of instability that shows up as a desperate need for answers and control Coach Cole’s reframe: curious versus combat, connect versus control A body scan moment where he notices tension in real time and releases it The video game map metaphor — taking the next step without needing to see the whole path Kathleen discusses: Being introduced to alcohol at 16 as a social crutch when she moved to a new town What her mother modeled, and how she replicated it without realizing it for decades The hero child dynamic — being her father’s favorite and her mother’s confidant, and what that cost her A 28-year…

People in this episode

Host: Annie Grace

Guests: Will, Kathleen

Topics covered

• alcohol coping mechanisms
• emotional abuse
• childhood trauma
• self-discovery
• mental health
• control issues

Keywords

• alcohol
• emotional abuse
• childhood trauma
• self-improvement
• mental health
• coping strategies
• control
• numbing agent

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• Summer of Love · July 4, 2026 · 58 min
• Why You Keep Going Back To Alcohol · June 30, 2026 · 1h 9m

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