Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol free life!
How do I stop drinking? How do I cut down? Am I drinking too much? I’m sober but why aren’t I happy? Why do people stop drinking? If you ask yourself these kind of questions then this podcast is for you. This show is for people who want to learn how to stop drinking and learn to thrive in their alcohol free lives. If you have given up drinking, would like to give up drinking or are just plain sober curious this weekly podcast is for you. We have recovery stories to inspire you, experts to inform you and QuitLit authors to entertain you. After struggling with alcohol dependency for years Janet Gourand finally ditched the booze in 2015. She founded tribesober.com in 2015 and has helped hundreds of people to ditch the booze and thrive in their sobriety since then. Tribe Sober offer a membership, workshops, challenges and recovery coaching. For more info go to tribesober.com or email janet@tribesober.com
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Episodes
Saturday Jan 09, 2021
Saturday Jan 09, 2021
Tribe Sober - Your guide to alcohol-free living!
After running Tribe Sober for 10 years and helping thousands of people to ditch the drink and embrace alcohol-free living I've learned a thing or two. My biggest insight has been that sharing our stories around alcohol is the most powerful way we can help others - that's why the heart of this podcast is recovery stories.
This week I'm chatting to an inspirational woman Mary Ann Shearer who is a best selling author and a motivational speaker.
In this Episode
Mary Ann is a woman before her time and was advocating veganism thirty years ago!
Her first book "The Natural Way" was written more than 20 years ago
She explained that if you give your children lots of sweet things it sets them up for alcohol dependency later in life
Mary Ann had alcoholic parents and as a result she craves order and control and has never drunk alcohol
We agreed that children of alcoholic parents tend to be like her - or they tend to follow the pattern of their parents
She advised people who have stopped drinking to satisfy their cravings by eating fresh fruit not chocolates or sweets
Our bodies need glucose and eating fresh fruit satisfies the craving for alcohol
Mary Ann feels that alcoholics are clever people who need a creative outlet - sobriety will give them the time and space to find one
She explained the damage that alcohol does to our endocrine system - and how it makes menopause much worse
To find out more about Mary Ann go to her website www.mary-anns.net - her book is called "The Natural Way"
More infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERETo access our website click HERETo join our January Challenge click HERE - a small donation to a good cause will provide you with community and online support during January
If you want to go it alone and would still like one of our trackers then email us at 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 8-step program and subscribe HERE.
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.
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
Saturday Jan 02, 2021
Saturday Jan 02, 2021
After running Tribe Sober for 5 years and helping hundreds of people to ditch the drink and embrace alcohol-free living I've learned a thing or two. My biggest insight has been that sharing our stories around alcohol is the most powerful way we can help others - that's why the heart of this podcast is recovery stories.
This week I'm doing a solo episode - 10 reasons to do an alcohol free January - and 14 tips to get you through.
In This Episode
REASONS TO DO AN ALCOHOL FREE JANUARY
Here in South Africa alcohol has been banned for a few weeks - so we can't buy any!
A dry month is a great way to test your dependency - if you can't get through a month without booze then you need to make some changes
Alcohol is so toxic that just taking a month off will have significant health benefits
Alcohol is linked to liver disease and 7 different types of cancer - 1 glass of wine will raise your risk of breast cancer by 15%
Alcohol will weaken our immune systems - and put us more at risk of becoming infected with Covid
20% of regular drinkers will become dependent over the years - drinking more than a bottle and a half of wine a week may damage your health
A month off alcohol will reduce your anxiety, freshen up your looks, help you lose weight and enable you to get some good quality sleep
Making a donation to our January fundraiser will give you a dopamine hit (giving makes you feel good) and enable you to receive online and community support for 31 days - you can sign up here
SOME TIPS TO GET YOU THROUGH
Shake up your daily routine and exercise every day
Be ready to cope with your emotions - if you've been numbing your feelings with alcohol they will come to the surface
Use a journal to track your progress, note your triggers and process your emotions
Listen to music, make a soundtrack for your January Challenge - a real mood changer
Have your go-to drinks -drinknil.co.za are offering 10% discount on all their alcohol free drinks for people doing our Challenge
Find your tribe - its hard to do this alone - check out our membership program here
Please donate to our Earthchild Fundraiser - and get 30 days of community and online support - sign up link is here
MORE INFO
To access our website click HERE
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 8 step program and subscribe HERE.
Please subscribe and share this podcast so we can reach more people who need our help.
Thank you
Saturday Dec 26, 2020
Saturday Dec 26, 2020
Tribe Sober - Your guide to alcohol-free living!
After running Tribe Sober for 5 years and helping hundreds of people to ditch the drink and embrace alcohol-free living I've learned a thing or two. My biggest insight has been that sharing our stories around alcohol is the most powerful way we can help others - that's why the heart of this podcast is recovery stories.
This week I'm chatting to broadcaster, political analyst and author Eusebius McKaiser. Eusebius hosted a daily radio show in South Africa and often invited me as his guest to discuss all things alcohol related. Many of our community found their way to Tribe Sober via his show so I am truly grateful for his ongoing support and friendship.
In this Episode
For those of us missing his radio show Eusebius reminded us of all the other ways he engages..
He writes regularly for the Mail & Guardian - read one of his thought provoking articles here
Eusebius is of course the author of three books - Run Racist Run, A Bantu in My Bathroom and Could I Vote DA - link to all 3 books is HERE
His latest project is a book show called Cover to Cover - three episodes already in the can - here is Episode 1
We talked about his relationship with alcohol - he began drinking at college and then binge drank during his 20's and 30's
Always competitive academically he still passed all his degrees and build a successful career
Eusebius signed up for Dry January a couple of years ago and to his surprise maintained his alcohol free period for six months
He then signed up for the next Dry January and apart from one glass of wine has not had a drink for a year
He thinks his alcohol free lifestyle may be permanent this time and we discuss the benefits that he is experiencing
He explained how he has substituted different kinds of music for alcohol - to stimulate the right mood when he is writing
We agreed that as we get older we tend to start "self medicating" with alcohol - convincing ourselves that it's "fun"
Eusebius wrote a blog for our website called "Sober Diary Reflections" - you can read it here
He mentioned my Goodbye to Alcohol letter which you can hear me reading out on his show here
Eusebius feels strongly that it's not our job to justify the fact that we are not drinking and that the onus should be on those challenging us
We talked about Earthchild and how the children on the Cape Flats rarely get to experience quiet and a feeling of peace
The yoga classes provided by Earthchild can bring those children some relief from their difficult environment
So please donate to our Earthchild Fundraiser - and get 30 days of community and online support - the link is HERE
More infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERETo access our website click HERETo join our Dry January Annual Fundraiser click HERE - a small donation will provide you with community and online support during January
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 8-step program and subscribe HERE.
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.
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
Saturday Dec 19, 2020
Saturday Dec 19, 2020
Tribe Sober - Your guide to alcohol-free living!
After running Tribe Sober for 5 years and helping hundreds of people to ditch the drink and embrace alcohol-free living I've learned a thing or two. My biggest insight has been that sharing our stories around alcohol is the most powerful way we can help others - that's why the heart of this podcast is recovery stories.
This week I'm chatting to a truly inspirational woman - Janna Kretzmar - Founder of the Earthchild Project
In this Episode
2020 will be the sixth year that Tribe Sober has collaborated with the Earthchild Project for the Dry January Challenge
Over the years we have raised more than R220,000 so in this episode we discover how that money has helped 880 children
Janna tells us how she came up with the idea to start the project in 2007 - and why she thinks it's been such a successful project
She worked on an eco project in Brazil and read a book by a yogi about a project in schools in India - these were her influences
She realised that it was important to partner with the schools/teachers for the long term - not just come in for short term projects
Earthchild Clothing paid the salary of their first facilitator so that's how they got their name
We talked about the power of positive role models in communities and how she is developing young leaders
Earthchild provides yoga classes, gardening lessons, eco clubs, hiking clubs - connecting the children with their bodies and the environment
The children come from communities with high levels of gang violence and unemployment - yoga provides a tool to help them cope with stress
Some of the children who started yoga classes when they were 6 years old are now young leaders working in the Earthchild Project
More infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERETo access our website click HERETo join our Dry January Annual Fundraiser click HERE - a small donation will provide you with community and online support during January
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 8-step program and subscribe HERE.
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.
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
Saturday Dec 12, 2020
Saturday Dec 12, 2020
Tribe Sober - Your guide to alcohol-free living!
After running Tribe Sober for 5 years and helping hundreds of people to ditch the drink and embrace alcohol-free living I've learned a thing or two. My biggest insight has been that sharing our stories around alcohol is the most powerful way we can help others - that's why the heart of this podcast is recovery stories.
This week I'm chatting to Michael Gallagher - an author, a speaker and a coach.
In this Episode
Michael talks about his hectic childhood - with a mother who was a Jehovah's Witness and a father who was a career criminal
Looking back on his years as an addict Michael realises he "mistook pleasure for happiness"
He built a successful career in sales but was still drinking heavily - mostly vodka
During his last stay in rehab he attempted suicide and cried out for help - and something shifted for him
We talked about the importance of living in line with your values - creativity and loyalty are important values for Michael
We need to know what's driving us so that we can stop drinking and change our lives
We talked about how corporates promote the "work hard, play hard" culture - and that the "play hard" always involves alcohol
Michael is trying to change this by promoting mindfulness and meditation programs within companies
Michael has written a book called "Waking Up - A Guide for Transformation - available on Kindle and at Amazon
For more information on Michael and his work check out his website:- https://michaelgallagherspeaks.com/
More infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERETo access our website click HERETo join our Dry January Annual Fundraiser click HERE - a small donation will provide you with community and online support during January
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 8-step program and subscribe HERE.
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.
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
Saturday Dec 05, 2020
Saturday Dec 05, 2020
Tribe Sober - Your guide to alcohol-free living!
After running Tribe Sober for 5 years and helping hundreds of people to ditch the drink and embrace alcohol-free living I've learned a thing or two. My biggest insight has been that sharing our stories around alcohol is the most powerful way we can help others - that's why the heart of this podcast is recovery stories.
This week I'm chatting to Carlen - who works in the wine industry!
In this Episode
Carlen had been a bit worried about her drinking for a long time and knew she needed to make a change
She did a private workshop more than 6 months ago and found it quite easy to stop drinking
She was really clear about WHY she wanted to make a change - no more fights with husband, no more health worries
She requested a Sober Buddy who helped her enormously - a bit of extra support and accountability
We both agreed that it's so important to know WHY a change is needed - reasons which will keep you on track over the months
Four years ago Carlen had a hypertension episode - in ICU - has regular check ups - since she gave up drinking it has improved dramatically
She is finding her running is so much better now that she's stopped drinking - it's on a different level
The cognitive dissonance has gone - no more voices in her head saying how, why, what did I say etc
No more waking up at 2am feeling full of regrets and shame - sleep has improved - plenty of energy
Carlen is in the wine industry and is still enchanted by the process - but she can taste - but doesn't see herself as a drinker any more
She keeps a tracker and ticks off her alcohol free day in the morning - she doesn't want to have to correct it later!
Carlen has been in advertising and is in the wine industry so the marketing doesn't get to her..
The fact that there are so many AF products on the market has made it SO much easier to give up drinking
She loves seeing new people joining - and how the others in the community help them get through
Carlen has started a blog about her journey which is called wynvlieg.com
More infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERETo access our website click HERE
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 8-step program and subscribe HERE.
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.
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
Saturday Nov 28, 2020
Saturday Nov 28, 2020
Tribe Sober - Your guide to alcohol-free living!
After running Tribe Sober for 6 years and helping hundreds of people to ditch the drink and embrace alcohol-free living I've learned a thing or two. My biggest insight has been that sharing our stories around alcohol is the most powerful way we can help others - that's why the heart of this podcast is recovery stories.
This week we're chatting to Fiona and Caroline - who have just launched South Africa's first online store for Alcohol Free drinks - Drink Nil
In this Episode
I have witnessed a revolution in the AF drinks market since I stopped drinking 6 years ago
The choices available have gone from zero to more than one hundred!
Duchess was the first, then AF beers and now AF wines plus many more
Caroline, who comes from the wine industry, was planning to create an AF drink of her own but cashflow was an issue
So she decided to create an online platform specialising in AF drinks - and drinknil.co.za was born - in October 2020
We discuss how the demand for AF drinks is coming from different groups - moms, millennials, the health conscious - and people who just need to drink less - or not at all!
We talked about the irony of eating healthy, exercising daily, doing yoga - and then drinking a bottle of wine a day!
We discussed the fact that our community often bemoans the fact that alcohol free wines just "don't taste the same"
Caroline made the excellent point that perhaps the manufacturers shouldn't be raising our expectations by packaging the AF wines exactly like alcoholic wine - we agreed the AF choices should be seen in a category all of their own
Fiona took us through the difference between alcohol free, non alcoholic and de-alcoholised categories
More infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERETo access our website click HERE
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 8-step program and subscribe HERE.
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.
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
Saturday Nov 21, 2020
Saturday Nov 21, 2020
Tribe Sober - Your guide to alcohol-free living!
After running Tribe Sober for 5 years and helping hundreds of people to ditch the drink and embrace alcohol-free living I've learned a thing or two. My biggest insight has been that sharing our stories around alcohol is the most powerful way we can help others - that's why the heart of this podcast is recovery stories.
This week we're chatting to Jo who achieved 2 years of sobriety but then relapsed. Have a listen and find out how she bravely got back on track and tried again..
In this Episode
Jo started blogging the day she gave up drinking - her blog was called "Coins in a Jar"
She put a coin in a glass jar to represent each alcohol free day - see them pile up kept her motivated
She did well and achieved almost 2 years of sobriety - however when she moved to a new city things started to change
Jo had become a bit complacent and started to take a few sips of her husbands beers from time to time
Before she knew what had happened she was buying wine and back into the old routines
After a few months she knew she had to get back on track but this time round she tried a different approach
She decided to tackle her underlying issues - she's always suffered from depression to went to see a psychiatrist
Jo took some meds, got some therapy - and stopped drinking - and began to feel much much better
She is now a few months in and feels stronger this time around
We agreed that the danger of relapse can higher for people who don't take the time to deal with their underlying issues
You can catch up with Jo's new blog on Facebook - this time she's called it "Coins in a Cracked Jar"
More infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERETo access our website click HERE
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 8-step program and subscribe HERE.
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.
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
Saturday Nov 14, 2020
Saturday Nov 14, 2020
Tribe Sober - Your guide to alcohol-free living!
After running Tribe Sober for 5 years and helping hundreds of people to ditch the drink and embrace alcohol-free living I've learned a thing or two. My biggest insight has been that sharing our stories around alcohol is the most powerful way we can help others - that's why the heart of this podcast is recovery stories.
However in this brand new series we are also interviewing some experts - we've got a doctor, a psychiatrist, a professor, a journalist - and this week we get to meet author and sobriety advocate Ken Middleton
In this Episode
Ken explains that when he became an entrepreneur he decided to "give it his all" by ditching the drink and putting in 100% effort
His thinking behind this decision was that alcohol wasn't ruining his life, but it WAS preventing him from developing his potential
He was planning to take a break from alcohol but once he started experiencing the benefits he decided to continue
We talked about the "work hard, play hard culture" that prevails in many corporates - and how will catch up with you eventually
The science tells us that after a couple of decades of heavy drinking many of us will become dependent
We agreed we should never wait until he hit "rock bottom" - it makes far more sense to step off the slippery slope while you can
Ken explained how his travel routine changed when he stopped drinking - rather than staying in a bar he actually explored the city!
He wants others to discover how to thrive in alcohol free life and writes regularly for Medium
He has his own newsletter and is writing a book
You can read his article about the science of why you should quit drinking HERE
You can subscribe to his newsletter - Alcohol is Not Your Friend HERE
More infoSubscription membership for Tribe Sober you can join up HERETo access our website click HERE
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 8-step program and subscribe HERE.
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.
You can join our private Facebook group HERE
Thank you for listening!
Till Next Week
Janet x
Saturday Nov 07, 2020
Saturday Nov 07, 2020
Tribe Sober - Your guide to alcohol-free living!
After running Tribe Sober for 5 years and helping hundreds of people to ditch the drink and embrace alcohol-free living I've learned a thing or two. My biggest insight has been that sharing our stories around alcohol is the most powerful way we can help others - that's why the heart of this podcast is recovery stories.
However in this brand new series we are also interviewing some experts - we've got a doctor, a psychiatrist, a professor, a journalist - and this week we kick off the series by interviewing Mauritian scientist Jean Deenmamode about the CDT test.
In this Episode
Jean takes us through his career development and explains how he first came across CDT testing back in 2008.
He explained how the traditional "liver function" that many of us rely on is just not a reliable indicator of whether or not alcohol is harming our health.
Alcohol harms many other parts of our bodies so there is no reason to focus only on the liver - for example it is linked to 7 different types of cancer
The CDT test is a simple blood test that will show elevated markers if a person has been regularly drinking half a bottle of wine or more
These elevated markers are a clear indication that alcohol is taking its toll on the body and that a change needs to be made
It's not a test that puts people in a box and calls them an "alcoholic - it's a lifestyle assessment that can prompt them to change their drinking habits
Seeing the results in black and white (as a number) can make all the difference - and often shocks people into taking action
If people do a CDT test they get an early warning and may be able to adjust their consumption, rather than having to stop drinking completely.
If you drink within the low risk limits of one and a half of bottles a week you are unlikely to be harming your health.
When a patient presents with anxiety/depression a doctor can do a CDT test to open the conversation about the patients drinking habits
Alcohol increases anxiety and when people give up drinking their anxiety will often lift
The test is inexpensive (30 Euros, R600) and can be arranged by your Doctor
Tribe Sober members can contact Dr Judy who will arrange for the test
If you are unable to source the test then you can contact Jean Deenmamode directly on +44(0)7917026152 or j.deenmamode@btinternet.com
More infoSubscription membership a month - you can join up HERETo access our website click HERE
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 8-step program and subscribe HERE.
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.
You can join our private Facebook group HERE
Thank you for listening!
Till Next Week
Janet x