Is it possible that drinking isn’t really the problem or at least, not the whole story? In this episode, Anna asks you to rethink your relationship with alcohol by shifting the focus away from simply how much or how often you drink, to what deeper needs might be driving the habit in the first place.

Anna explores why we treat alcohol as the main issue, and how it’s often just the “smoke, not the fire.” Instead of fixating on willpower or self-control, she dives into the real desires beneath drinking: rest, relief, connection, pleasure, escape.

You'll learn how putting alcohol in context, and being gently curious about your own needs rather than harshly judging yourself can open up new possibilities for change.

Here are the Highlights:

00:00 Welcome to The Big Drink Rethink

01:13 What if drinking isn’t actually the issue?

01:41 Drinking is often the visible symptom, not the deeper cause

02:18 Ask: “What am I actually thirsty for?”

02:53 Meeting your real needs weakens drinking’s grip

03:39 Alcohol shows up inside busy, pressured, complex lives

04:03 What role has alcohol been playing for you?

04:15 Reframing drinking as a response, not a moral failing

04:46 Calm, informed choices are possible when alcohol is explained

05:11 A new question: “What would actually support me here?”

06:01 Shifting from control to care, from shame to curiosity

06:38 Change happens gradually, not with a dramatic declaration

06:57 If something feels off, you don’t need to have a plan yet

07:36 Staying curious, not judgmental

08:21 Your feedback drives future episodes!

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 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: thebigdrinkrethink.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey

Instagram:

Have you ever wondered why even after a few alcohol-free weeks, life can feel flat or why it feels so hard to say “enough” in a world of endless overconsumption? In this transformative episode of The Big Drink Rethink, Anna Donaghey sits down with Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist, author of Dopamine Nation, and Stanford Addiction Medicine Director, to explore how alcohol hijacks our reward system and what it really takes to rediscover joy and meaning, beyond the next drink.

Dr. Lembke explains why life can feel “meh” after quitting drinking and how the brain slowly recalibrates, making real satisfaction possible again. This episode is a gentle yet powerful guide for anyone seeking answers about our brain’s quest for ‘more’.

Here are the Highlights:

00:00 Looking at compulsive over consumption in a dopamine loaded world

05:52 ‘The drug of choice’ and dopamine

08:34 Modern life pushes a ‘hijacked brain’ to crave intense stimuli

10:53 Addiction shifts the brain's balance

14:41 After 4 weeks alcohol-free, 80% no longer had major depression.

18:28 Micro stressors like cold exposure boost feel-good neurotransmitters

21:12 Pleasure-pain balance drives homeostasis

25:46 Modern boredom and addiction

29:22 The lizard brain and modern pleasure

31:59 Many people associate alcohol with relaxation and happiness

36:38 Dopamine, exercise and brain ‘tricks’

44:03 True joy comes from connection, curiosity, and enoughness.

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 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: thebigdrinkrethink.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey

Instagram:

Ever caught yourself wondering, “Why is alcohol so hard to control for me?” In this episode Anna Donaghey urges you to challenge the story that the struggle is all your fault. Drawing from her experience as an alcohol mindset coach, author, and strategist, Anna examines why shame and blame are baked into how we talk about drinking and offers a totally different perspective.

Instead of focusing on willpower, Anna explores how social expectations, stress, and our culture’s obsession with alcohol shapes your relationship with drinking. She invites you to shift from self-judgement to compassionate curiosity, uncovering what alcohol actually does for you, and how to move forward with genuine agency (not force).

Listen now for fresh psychological insight, and actionable tools to gently reframe your habits and open new possibilities about rethinking the way you drink.

Here are the Highlights:

00:00 Welcome to The Big Drink Rethink Podcast

00:53 What if you're not the problem?

01:33 Our culture confuses responsibility with blame

02:23 The dominant narrative comes from Alcoholics Anonymous

05:41 Using alcohol to cope, switching off, easing anxiety, marking the end of the day doesn’t make you weak; it makes you human.

06:27 The real question isn’t “what’s wrong with me?” but “why is this the tool I’ve ended up relying on?”

07:01 Curiosity about what alcohol is doing for you shifts the conversation

07:23 The goal isn’t just to become a non-drinker, but someone who listens to themselves and designs a life they don’t want to escape from

08:23 Struggles with drinking aren’t your fault

09:50 Change begins with curiosity, and honesty

10:09 Rethinking drinking is about being awake in your own life.

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 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: thebigdrinkrethink.com

LinkedIn: