
Ep 79: Toolkit ‘101’: Alcohol & Summer - 5 Ways to Stay in Control
About this episode
Do sunny holidays, BBQs, and lazy afternoons have you reaching for another drink almost on autopilot? Summer can bring all sorts of triggers for drinking, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
In this practical, supportive episode, Anna Donaghey shares five brilliant, totally free tools to help you stay in control of your drinking this summer whether you’re sober-curious, moderating, or just want to be more intentional.
This episode will help you to enjoy the long summer days without ‘beer fear’ and all the other feelings of self-regret and recrimination that can follow after drinking too much.
Here are the highlights:
00:00 Introduction: Why summer stirs up drinking scripts
03:05 Tool 1: The SUN Framework: Spot, Update & Nourish your summer stories
08:39 Tool 2: Visualisation – Design summer events in your mind to feel confident and in control
16:42 Tool 3: Moderation strategies: Hydration, skipping fizz, alternating drinks (“zebra striping”), and making mornings matter
24:36 Tool 4: Quick reset exercises: Breathing, mindfulness, emotional check-ins, and changing your physical state
29:39 Tool 5: Journaling: Capture your progress, reflect on your wins, and anchor your new summer story
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🔗 Get the free SUN Framework toolkit and all our resources from: Toolkit Optin
If you’re a mum wanting to explore your relationship with alcohol, 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, breaking 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 POD99 to purchase for just £99 as a podcast listener
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: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink
Produced by winteraudio.co.uk
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