The Sober Connection

What do you do when you’re worried about a loved one's drinking?
In the final episode of Season 3 of The Sober Connection, I’m joined by New Zealand journalist and broadcaster Corin Dann for a conversation from a perspective we don’t hear from nearly as often – the person standing alongside someone whose relationship with alcohol is becoming a concern.
Corin’s wife, Lotta Dann (a guest in Season 1), has just celebrated 15 years of sobriety. Corin shares what her drinking looked like from his side, what changed when she stopped, and what it has been like watching her life – and their family life – evolve over the years since she chose a sober life. 
We also talk about Corin’s friendship with Paddy Gower and the conversation Paddy has credited with helping change his life (Season 3/Episode 2). Corin takes us back to what he was noticing, why he became worried, and what happened when an on-camera conversation between two mates suddenly became very real. 
We talk about how difficult it can be to tell someone you’re worried about them, why appearing “high functioning” doesn’t mean alcohol isn’t causing harm, the importance of making space for people who don’t drink, and how to approach these conversations from a place of care rather than judgement.  
A really thoughtful conversation about friendship, family, drinking culture – and sometimes having the courage to say something.
Get in touch:

Abi

30 Days to Freedom - A Gentle Reset

Available here - www.levelupsobrietycoaching.com/30-days-to-freedom-reset/

Instagram @levelup.withabi

Email hello@levelupsobrietycoaching.co.nz

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When you first stop drinking, sobriety can feel like the entire project.
You count the days. You plan for weekends. You think about triggers, cravings, social events and what you’ll say when someone offers you a drink.
But eventually, something can shift.
Alcohol gets quieter. Not drinking becomes less something you’re actively doing and more simply part of who you are. And that leaves space for a much bigger question: If staying sober isn’t the goal anymore… what is?
In this episode, I’m talking about what happens when sobriety moves from the centre of your life into the background, and you start thinking less about how to stay alcohol-free and more about the life being alcohol-free allows you to build.
Because sobriety didn’t magically give me a perfect life. It made my life available.
And maybe sobriety was never meant to be the finish line. Maybe it’s the foundation that allows you to start building everything that comes next.
Get in touch:
Abi
30 Days to Freedom - A Gentle Reset
Available here - www.levelupsobrietycoaching.com/30-days-to-freedom-reset/
Instagram @levelup.withabi
Email hello@levelupsobrietycoaching.co.nz
Affiliate links: 
Terps & Co. www.drinkterps.co.nz - enter code ABI20 for 20% off storewide
I use Riverside.fm for my podcast editing software. Click the link below to find out more!
https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=abi
My podcast episodes are hosted and distributed by Buzzsprout. Click the link below for a $20 Refer a Friend voucher (T&Cs apply)
https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=2404910
Music from #Uppbeat
https://uppbeat.io/t/tatami/in-motion
License code: N5GLWPT8QQSRU7D2

Sam Phillips is just days away from celebrating five years sober, but his journey to get here was anything but straightforward.
Sam started drinking at just 13, discovering very quickly that alcohol could quiet the health anxiety and intrusive thoughts he’d been struggling with for years. What began as weekend drinking eventually progressed to daily alcohol use, cocaine and a cycle of addiction, sobriety and relapses that lasted for years.
In this episode, Sam shares incredibly openly about his final relapse, the moment he realised he was giving up on his life, and the friend who quite literally waited for him outside a shop and asked: “Do you want some help now?”
We also talk about the slightly bonkers challenge that became Dare to Dip - getting into the North Sea every single day for a year to raise awareness for mental health - and how cold water, honesty and connection became a huge part of Sam’s recovery.
Nearly five years on, we talk about what long-term sobriety actually looks like: dealing with life without numbing it, finding healthier ways to cope, becoming a present dad, and learning that there is no single “right” way to recover.
This is a conversation about addiction, mental health, relapse, connection and second chances, and what can happen when you decide to get back up one more time.
Get in touch:

Sam

Instagram @dare_to_dip

Abi

30 Days to Freedom - A Gentle Reset

Available here - www.levelupsobrietycoaching.com/30-days-to-freedom-reset/

Instagram @levelup.withabi

Email hello@levelupsobrietycoaching.co.nz

Affiliate links: 

Terps & Co. www.drinkterps.co.nz - enter code ABI20 for 20% off storewide

I use Riverside.fm for my podcast editing software. Click the link below to find out more!

https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=abi

My podcast episodes are hosted and distributed by Buzzsprout. Click the link below for a $20 Refer a Friend voucher (T&Cs apply)

https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=2404910

Music from #Uppbeat
https://uppbeat.io/t/tatami/in-motion
License code: N5GLWPT8QQSRU7D2

You decided you weren’t going to drink. You were doing well. And then… you drank again.
So now what?
In this episode of The Sober Connection, I’m talking about what happens after a slip, and why the story you tell yourself afterwards can matter just as much as the drink itself.
We’ll talk about the all-or-nothing thinking that can turn one night into a weekend, a month or longer; how to look at what happened with curiosity rather than shame; and why the alcohol-free days that came before it still count.
Because yes, your consecutive day count might go back to one. But you don’t go back to square one.
You know more now. You’ve learned what works, what doesn’t, what your triggers might be and where you may need more support.
You’re not starting again from scratch. You’re starting again from experience.
Get in touch:
Abi
30 Days to Freedom - A Gentle Reset
Available here - www.levelupsobrietycoaching.com/30-days-to-freedom-reset/
Instagram @levelup.withabi
Email hello@levelupsobrietycoaching.co.nz
Affiliate links: 
Terps & Co. www.drinkterps.co.nz - enter code ABI20 for 20% off storewide
I use Riverside.fm for my podcast editing software. Click the link below to find out more!
https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=abi
My podcast episodes are hosted and distributed by Buzzsprout. Click the link below for a $20 Refer a Friend voucher (T&Cs apply)
https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=2404910
Music from #Uppbeat
https://uppbeat.io/t/tatami/in-motion
License code: N5GLWPT8QQSRU7D2

What if alcohol wasn't just something you drank – but something you'd unknowingly been using to regulate your brain?
In this episode, I'm joined by Nic from Nourish Not Numb for a raw and fascinating conversation about neurodivergence, addiction and recovery.
Nicola is autistic and has ADHD, but didn't receive her diagnosis until after she got sober. Looking back, she can now see how alcohol, drugs and prescription medication became ways of quietening an incredibly busy brain, coping with overwhelm, masking and functioning in a world that often felt too much.
We talk about Nic's progression from teenage drinking and drug use to severe alcohol dependence, the experience that eventually led her into rehab, and why traditional approaches to recovery didn't always make sense to her neurodivergent brain.
We also explore what happened when she removed alcohol and her neurodivergent traits became even more apparent, the relief – and grief – that came with finally receiving a diagnosis, raising neurodivergent children, learning new ways to regulate, and why recovery for Nicola has ultimately meant simplifying her life rather than constantly trying to cope with one that doesn't suit her.
Neither Nic nor I are trained professionals in neurodivergence or addiction, and this conversation isn't intended as medical advice or diagnosis. It's simply two women sharing lived experience and asking an important question: when alcohol has become your way of switching off, what might be underneath the need to switch off in the first place?
Get in touch:

Nic

Instagram @nourishnotnumb

Abi

30 Days to Freedom - A Gentle Reset

Available here - www.levelupsobrietycoaching.com/30-days-to-freedom-reset/

Instagram @levelup.withabi

Email hello@levelupsobrietycoaching.co.nz

Affiliate links: 

Terps & Co. www.drinkterps.co.nz - enter code ABI20 for 20% off storewide

I use Riverside.fm for my podcast editing software. Click the link below to find out more!

https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=abi

My podcast episodes are hosted and distributed by Buzzsprout. Click the link below for a $20 Refer a Friend voucher (T&Cs apply)

https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=2404910

Music from #Uppbeat
https://uppbeat.io/t/tatami/in-motion
License code: N5GLWPT8QQSRU7D2