Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol free life!

South Africa‘s troubled relationship with alcohol - Professor Charles Parry

Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life!
This week my guest is Researcher and Activist Professor Charles Parry, who works tirelessly to bring about social change in South Africa.  He is the Head of the Alcohol and Drug Unit at the SAHMRC, an organisation which reports directly in to the Department of Health and has the overall goal to improve the health of the nation
In this Episode
Although many people in South Africa don’t drink the ones who do are drinking excessively
A whole industry exists which makes a profit from these heavy drinkers – profits which are demanded by their shareholders
Charles talked about the tricky role which alcohol has played in the history of this country – as a tool of oppression – during apartheid miners who lived far from home and had nothing else to do at night apart from drink in beer halls which of course provided more profits for liquor suppliers
And of course the dop system where farm workers received part of their wages in alcohol –creating a generation of dependent drinkers – and also playing into the fact that SA has incredibly high levels of Foetal Alcohol syndrome
The dop system is now of course prohibited but alcohol remains a major source of harm – 170 people a day die of alcohol related causes and the burden on the health care system is tremendous
Of course poverty and the unemployment rates play a big role in the binge drinking culture – lack of alternative recreational activities and the feeling of lack of a future, as well as peer pressure all have an influence
Young people are also convinced by the marketing industry that successful people drink – usually expensive brands of whisky or brandy!
Charles has been very involved in the fall out from the pandemic over the last 18 months – he talked to us about the 4 alcohol bans and the fact that every time alcohol was banned the admission to hospital trauma units fell by a staggering 60% - releasing space for Covid patients
It’s been like a massive social experiment - like turning a tap on and off!
Medical staff talked of the changing nature of their work - trauma units no longer smelt of blood and alcohol during alcohol bans
We discussed how alcohol weakens the immune system making us more susceptible to disease, including Covid
Covid patients who were heavy drinkers had poorer chances of surviving than non drinkers
The liquor industry of course pushed back against the alcohol bans and lamented their reduced profits but this was a false rhetoric because in fact their profit increased due to people stocking up before the bans!
Obviously banning alcohol for ever is not a possibility but the bans have proved to Charles that government IS PREPARED to take drastic action when required
It proves that something CAN be done and government needs to implement a plan of measures that will address this problem
Charles shared some of his ideas – some of which he has already presented to government –Covid has actually strengthened his case with the stark reminder of the harm that alcohol is doing to south African society
Charles posts daily on his TW account – some really great links and comments on there so please follow him if you can – we need to support the great work he is doing!
His TW handle is @profparry
We start our annual 66 day challenge on 27 September - Sober Spring here in South Africa but can be a Sober Autumn as well!
Membership also allows you to find your people as we welcome you into our supportive community - and this month new members will get a complimentary Sober Spring Challenge
Just go to tribesober.com and hit the "join our tribe" button to read more about the benefits of membershipMore info
Subscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERE
To access our website click HERE
If you would like a free copy of our "Annual Tracker" or our e-book "66 Days to Sobriety" please email janet@tribesober.com
If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community just email janet@tribesober.com
Episode Sponsor
          This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then  sign up today          Read more about our 7-step program and subscribe HERE
          Book a Discovery Call with me to find out if our membership would help you 
        
 Help us to spread the word!
We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share.
If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave us a 5 star review on Apple podcasts, take a screenshot of your review and DM it to Tribe Sober’s Instagram page - we'll send you something special to say thank you!
We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning.
You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram 
You can catch our FB live on Saturday mornings (11am SAST) and you can join our private Facebook group HERE
Thank you for listening! 
Till Next Week
Janet x

My Journey to Sobriety - with Clive Vanderwagen

Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life!
This week my guest is tribe member Clive Vanderwagen.  Clive is a business and leadership coach who is also a wine expert!  
In this Episode
Clive’s father offered him a taste of wine at quite an early age in an effort to make it “less exciting” but looking back Clive feels this was a bit naïve and if he was ever a parent he would probably share with his kids that he had struggled with alcohol himself and that it should be treated with caution.
Educating our kids about alcohol is SO tricky but one thing is for sure – it’s easier to do it if we don’t drink – it’s no good saying one thing and then modelling another as we open our nightly bottle of wine!
Like many of us Clive felt invincible when he was younger and the fact that he became dependent on alcohol took him by surpise. Alcohol dependency tends to sneak up on us over the years and its only when we try to cut down or give up that we realise we have a problem!
That’s why regular breaks are so important – if you want to try 66 alcohol free days with online, community and audio support then just sign up for our Sober Spring Challenge
I could really identify with Clive when he said he went to AA to see everyone chain smoking and talking about their rock bottoms and just didn’t feel he fitted in! He just didn’t feel like an alcoholic because he wasn’t drinking in the morning, crashing cars, losing jobs etc
The thing is we don’t have to wait until we hit “rock bottom” before we make a change:-
          If we worry about our drinking or if we drink more than the low risk limits then we should make some changes – at the very least              take a break just to test your dependency,
Like most of us Clive tried “moderation” and we agreed that our “drinking neural pathway” will always be there so once you’ve crossed a line with your drinking moderation is no longer an option.
Clive talked about being triggered by a sunny day and the thought of drinking rose – he has a sensible approach to his triggers – he just recognizes them, gets a bit curious about them and then lets them pass without acting on them
One way of dealing with those triggers is to create another ritual to replace it – for example if Clive started enjoying a glass on AF bubbly everytime he sat drinking in the sunshine then his subconscious would gradually create a new and less harmful trigger.
Clive’s Madonna Story was a classic example of how we expect alcohol to enhance our experiences – in Clive’s case he ended up almost blacking out and missing most of a concert he’d been looking forward to for months!
Clive has made the joyful discovery that “Clive doesn’t need alcohol to be Clive” – he can still be the life and soul of the party when stone cold sober!
11 months into his sobriety Clive feels he's regained control of his life and reduced his anxiety -he feels strong and is proud to be alcohol
Clive ended our interview by reading his stunning Goodbye to Alcohol letter which he found a powerful and cathartic experience – his letter is very moving and if you would like to read it along with some others just hit this link.
We start our annual 66 day challenge in September - called Sober Spring here in South Africa but can be Sober Autumn as well
Membership also allows you to find your people as we welcome you into our supportive community - and this month new members will get a complimentary Sober Spring Challenge
Just go to tribesober.com and hit the "join our tribe" button to read more about the benefits of membershipMore infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERE
To access our website click HERE
If you would like a free copy of our "Annual Tracker" or our e-book "66 Days to Sobriety" please email janet@tribesober.com
If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community just email janet@tribesober.com
Episode Sponsor
          This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then                 sign up today          Read more about our 7-step program and subscribe HERE
          Book a Discovery Call with me to find out if our membership would help you 
        
 Help us to spread the word!
We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share.
If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave us a 5 star review on Apple podcasts, take a screenshot of your review and DM it to Tribe Sober’s Instagram page - we'll send you something special to say thank you!
We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning.
You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join our Tribe Sober Club on Clubhouse - we are on Clubhouse every Sunday afternoon at 5pm SA time so come join the conversation.
You can catch our FB live on Saturday mornings (11am SAST) and you can join our private Facebook group HERE
Thank you for listening! 
Till Next Week
Janet x

Use your Lizard Brain to get Sober - with Neuroscientist Staci Danfield

Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life!
This week my guest is Staci Danfield.  Staci is a neuroscientist who loves working with the sober community.  In this episode she shares some really practical and useful information about our brain.
In this Episode
Staci’s husband walked out on her just before her 50th birthday – she was devastated at the time but now the years have passed she is able to look back and see that event as a catalyst for change… a real Wake Up Call
Realising that she must take responsibility for her own happiness she went to grad school to study neuroscience
Staci has no issues with alcohol but her father was an alcoholic – the whole family had tried to convince him to stop for years but only when he decided to stop himself did it work..
We talked about rehab and Staci explained that the success rate is a shockingly low 13.8%
She explained that our brain tricks us into thinking that alcohol is making us happy but in fact it is a depressant – if you’ve been drinking for years then the alcohol will have altered the balance of your brain which is why you become increasingly dependent.
When we understand how our brains work we can work with it – and that’s when the magic will happen – a great analogy is to think of how we use our computers – we work with programs that are installed in our computers – not against them!
Understanding our brains means that we can understand ourselves better and see what we are gaining by ditching the drink – we need to create a “pattern interruptor”
We mustn’t try to alter multiple habits at the same time – far better to focus on just the one
Here at Tribe Sober we say “Just chase one rabbit at a time – if you chase several the chances are that they will all escape!”
Staci advises that we focus on our successes “today I resisted a drink” and don’t look too far into the future (or avoid the F word as we say at Tribe Sober!)
If you listened to Tribe Sober podcast episode 55 which was called “The Happy Brain” with Loretta Breuning, you may remember that she recommended setting an overall goal and dividing it up into smaller goals – this will keep our happy chemicals flowing as just aiming for a mini goal will trigger dopamine and of course we’ll feel good when we reach it.
Staci is in agreement with Loretta and used the marathon analogy – if we sign up for a marathon we don’t immediately go out and try to run 26 miles – we design a training program and divide it into daily sessions – running a bit further every day..
You can find a great example of this on Episode 15 of the Tribe Sober podcast with one of our Sober Springers Kai – he did SS, achieved 66 AF days, then aimed for 100days, then 6 months, then a year – and now 3 years later he still hasn’t had a drink – but still doesn’t say its forever!
Staci explained how our primitive lizard brain will go on autopilot unless we intervene – she calls her Lizard Brain Earl and calls him out if he tries to hijack her behaviour!
She confirmed that our 66 day Sober Spring Challenge is long enough to create a new neural pathway to change our drinking patterns
She also said that the “secret sauce” of Sober Spring was the community support
We discussed the fact that our “drinking neural pathway will always be with us (if we’ve been drinking for years) – and that its easy to reactivate if we start trying to “moderate” after a period of sobriety. Staci loves our Goodbye to Alcohol letters and suggests reading them regularly to remind ourselves how bad the drinking got!
She came up with a list of quick tips to boost our happy chemicals
We start our annual 66 day challenge in September - called Sober Spring here in South Africa but can be Sober Autumn as well
Membership also allows you to find your people as we welcome you into our supportive community - and this month new members will get a complimentary Sober Spring Challenge
Just go to tribesober.com and hit the "join our tribe" button to read more about the benefits of membershipMore infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERE
To access our website click HERE
If you would like a free copy of our "Annual Tracker" or our e-book "66 Days to Sobriety" please email janet@tribesober.com
If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community just email janet@tribesober.com
Episode Sponsor
          This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you
want to change your relationship with alcohol then           sign up today          Read more about our 7-step program and subscribe HERE
          Book a Discovery Call with me to find out if our membership would help you 
        
 Help us to spread the word!
We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share.
If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave us a 5 star review on Apple podcasts, take a screenshot of your review and DM it to Tribe Sober’s Instagram page - we'll send you something special to say thank you!
We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning.
You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join our Tribe Sober Club on Clubhouse - we are on Clubhouse every Sunday afternoon at 5pm SA time so come join the conversation.
You can catch our FB live on Saturday mornings (11am SAST) and you can join our private Facebook group HERE
Thank you for listening! 
Till Next Week
Janet x

Brits Drinking in France - with Mandy Manners

Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life!
This week my guest is Mandy Manners.  Mandy has her own recovery story to tell.  Alcohol free for more than 4 years she is now a recovery coach and author.
In this Episode
Mandy and I are both Brits married to Frenchmen, so were able to discuss and contrast the very different attitudes to drinking in Uk & France.
Mandy's French husband was able to cut down easily when they became parents but for her it was not quite so easy..
She believes that in France you are either seen as an "alcoholic" or someone who can have just one glass.
When she first moved to France she had two young children and felt isolated which meant that her drinking got worse.
Mandy had a touch of sober curiosity when she met her sister in law who didn't drink yet she seemed to be happy!
After stopping and starting for years she reached out to Soberistas for help and found the community a great help
We both agreed that "finding your people" was an essential first stop - find a community that suits you 
She had been a binge drinker during her teenage years and also took recreational drugs. 
Mandy highlighted the fact that hard drugs are demonised whereas alcohol is encouraged.
Like many of us Mandy tried to moderate for years - setting (and breaking) many of her own rules about when she should drink.
Due to a trauma in her teenage years Mandy had underlying issues which meant she needed to work with a therapist 
Mandy said that many people feel that once they've sorted the rest of their life out then they will address their drinking - however it should be the other way round - stop drinking and you will be able to sort your other issues
Mandy is now 4 years sober and thriving in her alcohol free life - she has a better relationship with her husband and kids - she sleeps so much better
She is now a recovery coach and has written a book called "Love Yourself Sober" -  she has a podcast called "Love Sober" and her website is mandymanners.com
Joining Tribe Sober is a great way to start your Sober Curious journey - find out more on tribesober.com
We start our annual 66 day challenge in September - called Sober Spring here in South Africa but can be Sober Autumn as well
Membership also allows you to find your people as we welcome you into our supportive community - and this month new members will get a complimentary Sober Spring Challenge
Just go to tribesober.com and hit the "join our tribe" button to read more about the benefits of membershipMore infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERE
To access our website click HERE
If you would like a free copy of our "Annual Tracker" or our e-book "66 Days to Sobriety" please email janet@tribesober.com
If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community just email janet@tribesober.com
Episode Sponsor
          This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you
want to change your relationship with alcohol then           sign up today          Read more about our 7-step program and subscribe HERE
          Book a Discovery Call with me to find out if our membership would help you 
        
 Help us to spread the word!
We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share.
If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave us a 5 star review on Apple podcasts, take a screenshot of your review and DM it to Tribe Sober’s Instagram page - we'll send you something special to say thank you!
We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning.
You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join our Tribe Sober Club on Clubhouse - we are on Clubhouse every Sunday afternoon at 5pm SA time so come join the conversation.
You can catch our FB live on Saturday mornings (11am SAST) and you can join our private Facebook group HERE
Thank you for listening! 
Till Next Week
Janet x

How to be Sober...and Happy - with Loretta Breuning PhD

Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life!
This week my guest is Dr Loretta Breuning.  Loretta is the author of an excellent book called the "Habits of a Happy Brain" and she shared many fascinating insights with me.
In this Episode
The world of neuroplasticity is an exciting one - no longer do we have to believe that our brain shrinks and loses its capacity as we age - if we keep exercising and keep learning we can keep our brains healthy and active for longer
Although most of our neural patterns are set in early life we can build new neural pathways as we get older - if just takes a bit more effort and a lot of repetition. 
Thats why our 66 day challenge can help you to build a new neural pathway and change your drinking habits for good.
Loretta explained that we need to develop many different coping mechanisms to deal with life's ups and downs - we become dependent on alcohol when we have been using it as our only coping mechanism. 
That's why it makes sense to build a "distraction list" of all the things that we could to do - instead of drinking.
We need to discover what gives us a "natural high" rather than the chemical high which alcohol has been giving us
She explained that the Sober members of our community provided powerful inspiration because of the effect of  "mirror neurons"
My discussion with Loretta led me to a personal lightbulb moment which will change the advice we give to our community
A few months into sobriety I suffered from a long period of anhedonia - my mood plummeted and I felt miserable
However I kept going and after a couple of months my mood finally lifted - I thought this was because my brain had been relying on alcohol to make me feel good for so long that my natural "happy chemicals" were taking time to return
Loretta helped me to understand that the reason my low mood had finally lifted was because I had set a new goal
Getting sober had been my goal for the first few months of sobriety but then I needed another one
Setting and achieving goals trigger the happy chemicals and keep them flowing 
So if you are suffering from the blues in early sobriety set a goal and start working towards it
If you can't think of a goal then book a coaching session to explore possibilities
New tribe sober members are entitled to a complimentary coaching session as well as many other benefits
Joining Tribe Sober is a great way to start your Sober Curious journey - find out more on tribesober.com
We'll put you on a 30 day alcohol free challenge so you can test your dependency
Membership also allows you to find your people as we welcome you into our supportive community
Just go to tribesober.com and hit the "join our tribe" button to read more about the benefits of membershipMore infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERE
To access our website click HERE
If you would like a free copy of our "Annual Tracker" or our e-book "66 Days to Sobriety" please email janet@tribesober.com
If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community just email janet@tribesober.com
Episode Sponsor
          This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then sign up today          Read more about our 7-step program and subscribe HERE
          Book a Discovery Call with me to find out if our membership would help you 
        
 Help us to spread the word!
We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share.
If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave us a 5 star review on Apple podcasts, take a screenshot of your review and DM it to Tribe Sober’s Instagram page - we'll send you something special to say thank you!
We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning.
You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join our Tribe Sober Club on Clubhouse - we are on Clubhouse every Sunday afternoon at 5pm SA time so come join the conversation.
You can catch our FB live on Saturday mornings (11am SAST) and you can join our private Facebook group HERE
Thank you for listening! 
Till Next Week
Janet x

My Basket of Sobriety Tools - with Robyn Denny

Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life!
This week my guest is someone I've known for more than a decade.  When I first met her and discovered she was "sober" I was intrigued.  How could you be "sober" but still be happy and having a lot of fun - was it really possible?  When I finally ditched the drink Robyn became my role model - she is still my inspiration and has gone on to inspire many of our Tribe Sober members.
In this Episode
Robyn has been in a relationship with alcohol since before she was born – the Durban moms used to sometimes drink alcohol when they were pregnant as the dangers of foetal alcohol syndrome had not been highlighted back then.
Her mother and her grandfather had a problematic relationship with alcohol and Robyn found it heartbreaking to see her mother who was a highly accomplished person grow more and more dependent on alcohol.
Between the ages of 17 and 27 Robyn developed her serious wine habit. Like many of us she began setting rules such as 2 glasses only but then she just bought bigger glasses ;-)
She could sometimes keep to her rules but sometimes she didn’t. It was a constant push and pull and she spoke of it being such a relief that alcohol is no longer even on her radar.
Her turning point came when a friend of her moms came to visit her in London and noticed that Robyn was drinking a bottle of wine in less than an hour (which she did every night) - she advised Robyn to try a trick that she had done to give up smoking.  Write a lipstick mark for every alcohol free day – these visual reminders are so powerful and we use annual trackers here at Tribe Sober.  If you would like one just email a request to janet@tribesober.com
Robyn had a rock bottom at the age of 33 when she had to be carried off a plane at Dubai airport. This was during one of those periods when she had decided that she could "moderate" yet one glass of champagne had led her to drink so much that she passed out. On her return to SA she checked herself into rehab.
She now believes that the world is divided into two types of people.- those who can drink a couple of glasses of wine to soften the edges- and people like us, who need to ditch the drink and create a basket of tools other than alcohol to take the edge off
When we ditch the drink we have to replace it with something else – we need to create a personal basket of tools
Robyn shared some of her tools with us:-- a hot bath at wine time - 6pm
yoga and meditation – body and breathwork
nature – she’ll walk barefoot in the forest
feel the sun on your face
listening/watching/reading – get out of your own story by listening to someone else’slisten to podcasts, read a book, watch a movie
community – reach out to a friend/Tribe Sober
sweets – not ideal but better than wine!
After 14 years of sobriety the last thing the Robyn would reach for in her basket of tools would be a bottle of wine         
We talked about the “mommy juice” syndrome – although Robyn was already sober when she became a mom she understands why many moms reach for the wine at the end of the day
We talked about how difficult socializing was in the early days and how we need to take it gradually – as Robyn said the last thing we should do is subject ourselves to a 3 hour party in early sobriety – just don’t go!
We agreed that socialising will eventually become easier and be able to hold a non alcoholic drink definitely helps.
Robyn finds “breathing exercises” an essential tool to change her nervous system and took us through two breathing exercises.
Robyn mentioned The Shala which is a wonderful yoga studio here in Cape Town. Tribe Sober members can book discounted online yoga sessions with the Shala so yet another reason to go to tribesober.com and hit that “join our tribe” button
To find out more about Robyn and check out some of her awesome paintings just go to her IG page RobynDennyArt and her website is robyndennyart.com
Joining Tribe Sober is a great way to start your Sober Curious journey - find out more on tribesober.com
We'll put you on a 30 day alcohol free challenge so you can test your dependency
Membership also allows you to find your people as we welcome you into our supportive community
Just go to tribesober.com and hit the "join our tribe" button to read more about the benefits of membershipMore infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERE
To access our website click HERE
If you would like a free copy of our "Annual Tracker" or our e-book "66 Days to Sobriety" please email janet@tribesober.com
If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community just email janet@tribesober.com
Episode Sponsor
          This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then sign up today          Read more about our 7-step program and subscribe HERE
          Book a Discovery Call with me to find out if our membership would help you 
        
 Help us to spread the word!
We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share.
If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave us a 5 star review on Apple podcasts, take a screenshot of your review and DM it to Tribe Sober’s Instagram page - we'll send you something special to say thank you!
We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning.
You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join our Tribe Sober Club on Clubhouse - we are on Clubhouse every Sunday afternoon at 5pm SA time so come join the conversation.
You can catch our FB live on Saturday mornings (11am SAST) and you can join our private Facebook group HERE
Thank you for listening! 
Till Next Week
Janet x

The Magic of Meditation - with Lane Kennedy

Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life!
This week my guest is Lane Kennedy.  A mother in long term recovery she is a podcaster who has used meditation as a vital tool in her recovery journey.  She now helps others to learn how to meditate.
Lane quit drinking in 1996 so is 25 years in recovery.
In this Episode
Lane describes her drinking life as glamorous and great fun - until it wasn't
Her drinking was inconsistent - she would sometimes only have two glasses - on other days she would drink to blackout
She did notice that she drank differently from her friends
Although she lived in a big house in Hollywood Hills and had lots of "stuff" but she wasn't happy - drank to figure out why
She didn't have a specific "rock bottom" but knew her whole life was falling apart
Some well meaning friends tricked her attending an AA meeting, where she heard the message of recovery for the first time
It took her a year to get sober - up to 90 days it was really difficult and she missed alcohol which was her coping mechanism
9/11 changed her life - she left the US and joined a Buddhist retreat in Thailand - looking for safety
She realised that in fact the only safety any of us will find is deep within ourselves - and meditation enables us to reach that place
Meditation got her to the place she was looking for when she was drinking - a place of peace
Lane now believes that meditation and mindfulness are keys to handling addiction
She has a podcast called "Recover like a Mother" which includes episodes devoted to meditations
We discussed the "mommyjuice" syndrome - and how motherhood is glamorised via social media 
We talked about the importance of sober influencers - Lane's podcast provides a platform for sober moms to spread the word
Lane has a podcast and a website - recoverlikeamother.com
Lane is thrilled about the rise of the Sober Curious movement which enables more people to find the space to try sobriety
Joining Tribe Sober is a great way to start your Sober Curious journey - find out more on tribesober.com
We'll put you on a 30 day alcohol free challenge so you can test your dependency
Membership also allows you to find your people as we welcome you into our supportive community
Just go to tribesober.com and hit the "join our tribe" button to read more about the benefits of membershipMore infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERE
To access our website click HERE
If you would like a free copy of our "Annual Tracker" or our e-book "66 Days to Sobriety" please email janet@tribesober.com
If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community just email janet@tribesober.com
Episode Sponsor
          This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then           sign up today          Read more about our 7-step program and subscribe HERE
          Book a Discovery Call with me to find out if our membership would help you 
        
 Help us to spread the word!
We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share.
If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave us a 5 star review on Apple podcasts, take a screenshot of your review and DM it to Tribe Sober’s Instagram page - we'll send you something special to say thank you!
We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning.
You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join our Tribe Sober Club on Clubhouse - we are on Clubhouse every Sunday afternoon at 5pm SA time so come join the conversation.
You can catch our FB live on Saturday mornings (11am SAST) and you can join our private Facebook group HERE
Thank you for listening! 
Till Next Week
Janet x

Sobriety and the Domino Effect - with Will Black

Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life!
This week my guest is Will Black.  He is a Life Mastery Coach and a registered Yoga teacher.
He was clever enough to realise that alcohol was not serving him at an early age and these days his life and work is guided by the ethos of finding balance.
Will’s mission is to help people to overcome their limiting beliefs and behaviors so they can live balanced intentional lives.
In this Episode
From almost the first time Will drank it was apparent that he was going to develop a problem – he had blackouts, guilt and remorse   
He was sensible enough to realise that he had to quit but had no idea how he was going to make a change
Like many of us he put the moderation “rules” in place – and like many of us proceeded to break those rules!
Will raised the interesting point that for many of us we use booze because we want to “break free”
One or two glasses of wine won’t get us to that place so that’s why end up breaking the moderation rules.
We agreed that when we get to the stage of wondering if we have a problem with alcohol the answer is Yes!  
Of course Will was worried about life without booze would be a kind of “half life” – no friends, no fun no relationship! 
The foundation to Will's sobriety was fitness and meditation - he watched videos, listened to podcasts - did it alone
He now realizes that it would have been easier if he had found a community and connected with others who had done this
His first year was difficult and he felt awkward and weird at social events but he persevered and it got easier
He explained how meditation helps in early sobriety as we learn to become an observer of our thoughts  
Will raised the interesting point that when we drink we are trying to calm our mind – meditation does that, but in a healthy way
Yoga, meditation and physical activities are ideal as they will reduce the dopamine deficit which hits us in early sobriety.
He talked about the Domino Effect – quit drinking and you will start looking at other parts of your life 
You can find Will on IG – The Balanced Self and his website is WillOwenBlack.com – he teaches yoga and is a coach
Although Will got sober alone it was an uphill battle – with hindsight he recommends that people connect with a group
Tribe sober is one of those groups and we’ve been changing lives for five years now.  Why not check us out on tribesober.com
Joining Tribe Sober is a great way to start your Sober Curious journey
We'll put you on a 30 day alcohol free challenge so you can test your dependency
Membership also allows you to find your people as we welcome you into our supportive community
Just go to tribesober.com and hit the "join our tribe" button to read more about the benefits of membershipMore infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERE
To access our website click HERE
If you would like a free copy of our "Annual Tracker" or our e-book "66 Days to Sobriety" please email janet@tribesober.com
If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community just email janet@tribesober.com
Episode Sponsor
          This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then sign up today          Read more about our 7-step program and subscribe HERE
          Book a Discovery Call with me to find out if our membership would help you 
        
 Help us to spread the word!
We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share.
If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave us a 5 star review on Apple podcasts, take a screenshot of your review and DM it to Tribe Sober’s Instagram page - we'll send you something special to say thank you!
We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning.
You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join our Tribe Sober Club on Clubhouse - we are on Clubhouse every Sunday afternoon at 5pm SA time so come join the conversation.
You can catch our FB live on Saturday mornings (11am SAST) and you can join our private Facebook group HERE
Thank you for listening! 
Till Next Week
Janet x

How a Sober Buddy can Help - Lynne Brown, Sober Buddy Mentor

Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life!
My guest this week is Lynne Brown - our very own Sober Buddy Mentor!  A Brit like me Lynne came to South Africa 20 years ago and fell in love with this beautiful country!  She is also a volunteer Alcohol Counsellor in the UK.
In this Episode
Lynne never had a “rock bottom” – she just became more aware that she always felt a bit “below par”
She was aware that giving up alcohol would improve her health - and indeed it has
She was drawn to learning more about addiction and she realized she could help others who were struggling
Lynne has experienced considerable benefits since she went alcohol free – she sleeps much better and can eat more!
We talked about the massive increase in alcohol problems in the UK during the pandemic - and the difficulty of making a change
We have to reconfigure our lives when we stop drinking – especially if our lives have revolved around alcohol related activities.
This has been really hard during lockdown of course –  fewer opportunities to meet new people or develop new interests
We talked about Tribe Sober’s Sober Buddy program – it all began because some people who got sober wanted to stick around
Our "graduates" wanted the personal connection but also to help new people or people who were struggling 
The Sober Buddy program was informal at first but then Lynne came along and put some order in the system!
We now have pictures and bios of all our Sober Buddies on the website - together with guidelines 
As a qualified counsellor Lynne has been able to offer support and advice to our Sober Buddies
Joining Tribe Sober is a great way to start your Sober Curious journey
We'll put you on a 30 day alcohol free challenge so you can test your dependency
Membership also allows you to find your people as we welcome you into our supportive community
Just go to tribesober.com and hit the "join our tribe" button to read more about the benefits of membershipMore infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERE
To access our website click HERE
If you would like a free copy of our "Annual Tracker" or our e-book "66 Days to Sobriety" please email janet@tribesober.com
If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community just email janet@tribesober.com
Episode Sponsor
          This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then           sign up today          Read more about our 7-step program and subscribe HERE
          Book a Discovery Call with me to find out if our membership would help you 
        
 Help us to spread the word!
We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share.
If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave us a 5 star review on Apple podcasts, take a screenshot of your review and DM it to Tribe Sober’s Instagram page - we'll send you something special to say thank you!
We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning.
You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join our Tribe Sober Club on Clubhouse - we are on Clubhouse every Sunday afternoon at 5pm SA time so come join the conversation.
You can catch our FB live on Saturday mornings (11am SAST) and you can join our private Facebook group HERE
Thank you for listening! 
Till Next Week
Janet x

Why we get Hangxiety - William Porter explains

Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life!
My guest this week is William  Porter - a lawyer with a passionate interest in the science behind alcohol dependency.  He has written two books on the subject - Alcohol Explained and Alcohol Explained 2.
In this Episode
William started drinking and smoking at the tender age of 14!
He managed to give up smoking by reading the book by Alan Carr - he was impressed by the methodology in that book
He managed to quit drinking after delving into the science of dependency - and discovering just how harmful alcohol is
We talked about "hangxiety" and how it's caused by chemical changes in our brain - when it becomes over-sensitised
If you drink a bottle of wine every night then your brain will take the first glass as a signal that the rest of the bottle is coming!
That's why moderation is so difficult - and it's exhausting as we are thinking about it all the time
Cravings happen when we have a thought about drinking and then we start fantasising about that drink
The joy of giving up altogether is that we don't entertain the idea of a drink so the cravings fade away
Dependency happens once we learn (consciously or subsconsciously) that another drink will quell the anxiety caused by the first
William explained FAB - Fading Affect Bias - when we think back fondly about our drinking days - and forget how bad we were
FAB is responsible for many people falling off the wagon as they think they can now have "just one" - which is not sustainable
Rather than worrying that we are an "alcoholic" William suggests we consider whether alcohol is taking away more than it gives us
We both agreed that "sober socialising" is tough but that the best way to cope is to "feel the awkward and do it anyway"
He explained why it's a complete myth that alcohol helps you sleep - the truth is that it ruins our sleep!
His advice to people who want to stop is to write down all the reasons they want to drink - and realise they are all false beliefs
You can purchase Williams books from his website - alcoholexplained.com - download first five chapters for free
Joining Tribe Sober is also a great way to start your Sober Curious journey
We'll put you on a 30 day alcohol free challenge so you can test your dependency
Membership also allows you to find your people as we welcome you into our supportive community
Just go to tribesober.com and hit the "join our tribe" button to read more about the benefits of membershipMore infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERE
To access our website click HERE
If you would like a free copy of our "Annual Tracker" or our e-book "66 Days to Sobriety" please email janet@tribesober.com
If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community just email janet@tribesober.comEpisode Sponsor
          This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then           sign up today          Read more about our 7-step program and subscribe HERE
          Book a Discovery Call with me to find out if our membership would help you 
        
 Help us to spread the word!
We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share.
We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning.
You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join our Tribe Sober Club on Clubhouse - we are on Clubhouse every Sunday afternoon at 5pm SA time so come join the conversation.
You can catch our FB live on Saturday mornings (11am SAST) and you can join our private Facebook group HERE
Thank you for listening! 
Till Next Week
Janet x