Episode Details

Alcohol Mindset Coaching | EP 146

Why does asking for help feel so impossible, especially when you're a mum, and everyone else seems to be coping just fine? In this episode, Anna Donaghey is joined by Vic Vanstone, author and host of Sober Awkward to talk honestly about early motherhood, the loss of self, and the drinking that came along for the ride.

Vic shares how she went from backpacking party girl to new mum in Australia, and why alcohol became her way of finding "the old me" again. Anna reflects on swapping a career built on planning and control, for the chaos of a newborn, and the performance of being the perfectly put-together mum. Together they explore why the people closest to us are often the hardest to tell, the shame that keeps us stuck, and the moments that finally made them reach out.

Highlights:

00:00 Intro: Surprised by how hard motherhood really is

00:57 Meet Vic Vanstone, host of Sober Awkward and author

03:26 The shock of trying to merge a “party self” with new mum life

07:50 Using alcohol to reclaim the “old me”

13:22 The pressure to perform motherhood for others

17:10 Alcohol as the only tool for managing big emotions

22:26 The shame and stigma that make it hard to ask for help

28:30 How rock-bottom moments with partners force a rethink

34:36 The power of saying, “I think I have a problem with alcohol”

36:33 The “merry-go-round” therapy epiphany: you get to step off 42:09 Anna's route in: This Naked Mind and getting curious

43:07 Why reaching out for help doesn’t have to be dramatic

47:31 “Find your people” - how to keep seeking support until it fits

48:38 Breaking the booze cycle for the next generation

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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 and explore her coaching programmes at: https://thebigdrinkrethink.com/

For free tools and to receive Anna’s newsletter, The Rethink Edit, visit: https://www.thebigdrinkrethink.com/resources

Join the The Thirsty For More Mindset Lab, Anna’s ‘inner circle’ on Substack, find out more at: https://thirstyformore.substack.com/

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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:

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