Episode Details

Alcohol Mindset Coaching | EP 144

Who am I? What do I stand for? What kind of life do I want to live? These aren't questions reserved for lecture halls. If you've ever tried to change your relationship with alcohol, you've already been asking them.

This week, Anna Donaghey is joined by Peg O'Connor, professor of philosophy, author and a woman in long-term recovery, to bring philosophy out of academia and into everyday life. Together they make the case that anyone grappling with change is already a philosopher at heart.

Peg shares her lived experience of addiction and what it taught her about shame, self-belief and the quiet pull of living on autopilot. She and Anna explore why recovery works better as an ongoing experiment than a fixed identity, and how reclaiming genuine agency and a sense of belonging to yourself can change everything.

Whether you're sober, sober curious or simply questioning the role alcohol plays in your life, this conversation will leave you thinking differently about who you are and who you're becoming.

Highlights:

00:00 Meet Peg O'Connor: philosopher, author, and recovering alcoholic

01:16 The big questions addiction and philosophy both ask

03:26 Why everyone in recovery is already a philosopher

04:09 Ancient philosophy: "How do we live and flourish?"

09:10 Knowing you're in trouble, but unsure how to change

12:00 The fatalism and isolation of shame

14:53 39 years sober and still treating every day as a new experiment

18:45 Hitting all of life's benchmarks but still losing yourself

21:31 Alcohol freedom as a gateway not the destination

22:28 Happiness as despair’s hiding place (Kierkegaard)

24:05 Functioning on autopilot; the tyranny of "fine"

26:14 The torment of not feeling fully present

32:09 The transformative question: "What do I deserve?"

33:04 Why philosophy doesn’t judge, but invites exploration

34:19 What philosophers say about will and change

38:40 Painting a vivid picture for your future; setting a new compass

40:12 Embracing agency and accepting responsibility

43:09 Stoic wisdom: controlling what you can, accepting what you can't

47:05 Dialogue is at the heart of philosophy and recovery

47:48 Peg’s new book: “Recovering Character: Overcoming Addiction and Belonging to Yourself”

53:08 Examining life is what makes it worth living.

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/bigdrinkrethink

About the host Anna:

Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This