This week we have a fascinating chat with jazz drummer Jack Cotterill! Jack is six years alcohol free after deciding to quit drinking at just 25 years old. Since then, sobriety has helped him build his confidence both on and off stage. He's a fantastically positive guy, and speaks about the deliberate decision he made to become the feel good person…

This week we have one of our fantastic community members Niall Davison joining us on Over The Influence! Niall is nearly at the 500 day milestone with his sobriety and is absolutely smashing sobriety. In this episode we chat about how bad habits all feed each other and the final piece in the puzzle for Niall was ditching alcohol. He's a wonderful a…

This week we have not one but two guests joining us on Over The Influence! They are Tammy and Brennan, a mother and daughter from San Diego in California. When Tammy gave up drinking three years ago, little did she know that her own daughter Brennan was also about to change her own relationship with alcohol too. Brennan saw the positive effect that…

This week we have one of our wonderful community members Stuart Reeves joining us on Over The Influence! Stuart decided that it was time for a change in an MRI machine of all places, as he typed out an encouraging message to a colleague who had decided that they would like to be alcohol free. Since then, he has joined our community and is truly emb…

This week we have the wonderful Emma Cleal joining us on Over The Influence! Emma has been sober now for a year (congrats!) and while she is here to talk about that, she is mainly here to share the story of her son Frank who tragically passed away aged just thirteen years old. Following this, Emma felt the conventional wisdom she was getting was to…

We’re delighted to finally say that in this episode we welcome the wonderful Millie Gooch on to the podcast! Millie is based in Kent and quit drinking in her 20s following her first few years working as a journalist. She dived headfirst into drinking when she first arrived at university and found it difficult to slow the pace after graduating. One …

In this episode we welcome the fantastic Kate Nichols on to the podcast! Kate, originally from near Derby in the UK but now based over the Atlantic in Canada decided to quit drinking when the strain was becoming too much on her family relationships. Now that she has quit, it has altered the course of all of their lives and her own life has improved…

In this episode we welcome the wonderful Holly Walsh on to the podcast! Holly quit drinking in January 2023 and since then has gone on to become a Positive Psychology and Alcohol Free coach. Following her decision to give up alcohol, Holly was determined to bring positivity into her thinking and in this episode she talks about the moment that she m…

In this episode we welcome the fantastic Barbara Williams on to the podcast! Barbara is using her sobriety to try and encourage more women of colour to make the choice to quit alcohol through her online profile @sober_in_colour. Barbara has been sober now for a few years and noticed while attending sober events that there were not very many ethnica…

In this episode we have one of our wonderful community members Melodie on the pod! At the time of recording, Melodie is one year, one month and one day sober. She admits herself that it has been a really tough task to achieve that streak, but when she’s struggling she remembers why she’s doing it: to give her kids the best life she possibly can. We…

In this episode we welcome back the founder of The Sober Summit, Maggie Klaassens, who is also one of our fantastic community members! The Sober Summit is taking place this week from 25th September through until 27th September. There’s a free option, or if you want to get all of the brilliant content on offer you can upgrade to the all access pass.…

In this episode we welcome back Andy Delderfield, the founder of Alcohol Free Runners and a member of our AF community. Andy is completing his hat-trick of Over The Influence appearances today, joining us for the third time to share his message that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Speaking of extraordinary things, Andy came onto the po…

We've gone worldwide again this week as we are joined by the wonderful Hayden Syers on Over The Influence! Hayden is one of our fantastic community members who is now sixteen months alcohol free. He's here to talk particularly about the societal pressure men have to drink excessively in social situations and how it's about time that the culture cha…

This week we are joined by one of our fantastic community members Rafael Briceño on Over The Influence! Rafael is here with a simple question: if today was your final day, would you want to spend it drunk? There's a good chance that the answer to that question is a firm no. If quitting drinking is what it takes to start living, then make it happen.…

This week we are joined by the fantastic Ali Press on Over The Influence! Ali is a counsellor and coach from London who has a passion for helping people who in some way feel different. Whether that difference comes in the form of neurodivergence, gender, sexual orientation or anything else, Ali is spreading the message that understanding yourself i…

This episode contains references to abuse which some listeners may find distressing. This week we are joined by the wonderful Seana Smith on Over The Influence! Seana is an author who is originally from Scotland and is now based in Sydney, Australia. We are also delighted to say that Seana is one of our own, not only a Brit but part of the OTI crew…

This episode contains references to suicide which some listeners may find distressing. This week we are joined by the fantastic Michael Sargood on Over The Influence! You might have seen Michael on his social media page happywithoutthehooch, generally being hilarious and honest about his experiences in sobriety. The loss of a loved one and a bad re…

This week's episode comes from base camp following a challenging (yet rewarding) hike up Ben Nevis with the wonderful OTI community members! We have some of those wonderful members chatting with Ben and Shaz to discuss the hike and their experience of OTI. If you think this sounds like a laugh and would like to get involved, go to overtheinfluence.…

In this episode we are delighted to welcome Caroline Evers-Endacott to Over The Influence! In 2018, the loss of a loved one led Caro to rethink the way she was living her life. She left her fast-paced city career behind, and started developing a new lifestyle for herself. Caro started her training in therapy and today, she is an integrative therapi…

It's one of our faves, the wonderful John Whaite is back on the pod! Since we last spoke to John on the pod, he has been diagnosed with ADHD. He talks to us about how he thinks his drinking and ADHD were related to one another, and how life is so much more manageable now that he has both under control. We're so grateful to John for coming on to the…

This week we welcome the wonderful Pippa Morris onto the podcast! Pippa gave up drinking around the same time as our Ben after the first lockdown in 2020. She tried out moderation too and then decided that after successfully completing her first year with no alcohol, that the sober life looked good on her. It's an open and honest conversation about…

We don't have a guest this week because blimey have we got some big news for you! --- Get In Touch: Of course, you can always get in touch with us (publicly or privately) on our socials - @alcoholfreepod on Instagram, or search for "Over The Influence" on Facebook. We'd love to hear your story - please get in touch with us directly at otihq@overthe…

This week we welcome the fantastic Sarah O'Mara onto the podcast! Sarah is the Drug and Alcohol Lead for Lancashire (our Shaz's neck of the woods!) and in her role with Red Rose Recovery she and the rest of the organisation provide a support platform to individuals from vulnerable groups to reduce their dependency on drugs and/or alcohol so that th…

This week we welcome the wonderful Ellie Webb to the podcast! Ellie is the founder of one of our favourite AF drink brands, Caleño. While taking a break from alcohol in 2017, Ellie was shocked at how limited the drinks options were for people who didn't drink. We've all had the conversation with the bar person where they've looked back at us blankl…

Our community member Ian Thurlbeck is back for his third round in the OTI ring! We spoke to Ian after one year, then two years and so now we're catching up with him again after four years to find out what alcohol free life is like for him further down the road. We chat about the new habits he has formed as a result of ditching alcohol and how the i…

This week Shaz and Ben are joined by Alex Clapp, a sober events organiser with his company Claritee based in the North West of England. Alex chats everything from pickles to pandas on this episode (it'll make sense) and shares his story of how sobriety has opened a whole new world to him that he didn't know could exist on the other side of ditching…

We're delighted to have a member of our OTI Community on the pod again this week, and it's the wonderful Annie Knowles! Annie is a NHS Healthcare worker and IPHM Sobriety Coach who, just like us, is singing about the joys of sobriety. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, the stress of working in hospitals led to Annie drinking more. The realisation that h…

Sharon is back recording pods following her surgery so her and Ben are catching up to see what she's missed. Welcome back Shaz! --- Get In Touch: Of course, you can always get in touch with us (publicly or privately) on our socials - @alcoholfreepod on Instagram, or search for "Over The Influence" on Facebook. We'd love to hear your story - please …

This week on the pod we have the wonderful Dana White-Guerrie joining us all the way from Colorado, USA! Dana battled with a variety of addictions for decades, having a devastating effect on her mental health. Now, she's living clean and loving every moment. You'll be sure to find Dana a breath of fresh air and if you would like to find out more ab…

We're delighted to welcome back author Sarah Turner, who's also known as The Unmumsy Mum! We catch up on how Sarah is getting on with alcohol free life with some honest chat about how once you come down from the initial high of going alcohol free, there's a settling in period as you get comfortable with the new you. If you'd like to find out more a…

In this episode we welcome the fantastic Gary Mairs onto Over The Influence! Gary is ten years (yes a whole decade!) alcohol free and is smashing life. Following a challenging first year of sobriety, Gary ditched the alcoholic label and decided to leave that life behind him completely. Recently, since the birth of his lovely daughter, he decided th…

This week, our Shaz is the one doing all the talking (even more so than usual). You may or may not already know that she's about to take some time off so we thought it best that we let you know why. Of course, she's a trooper and when Shaz is back she will be back better than ever but it never hurts to have a few words of support so feel free to dr…

In this episode we welcome our lovely community member and jet setter Sue to the podcast! Sue is just about to hit her two year alcohol free milestone, an amazing achievement and we're so proud to have been a part of her AF journey. We talk all about why Sue felt it was time to knock drinking on the head for good and how joining our Over The Influe…

In this episode we welcome Kelly from Scotland onto Over The Influence! Kelly has just celebrated a whole year alcohol free - although she has been part of our OTI Community for a little longer than that. Kelly's story is about the importance of keeping on - and even though it has been far from easy, she talks about why being AF is so important to …

In this episode we welcome Scott Woolley onto Over The Influence! Scott is a FDAP Substance Misuse Professional and the founder of Arclett, which is a community brand devoted to removing the stigma attached to sober living. Scott quit alcohol at 26 to spend less time hungover and spend more time exploring his passions, the culmination of which is h…

This week we welcome the fantastic Venessa McPhie onto the podcast! Venessa is a listener to the pod and was keen to share her story with all you other sober curious folks out there. Following a traumatic experience caused by alcohol, Vanessa decided it was time to rid herself of alcohol once and for all. She now runs the Facebook page The Sober Bu…

This week we have one of our own on the pod, Big Dan from Essex! Dan has successfully smashed his one year milestone and now in his year two, he’s looking to spread the sober message. He’s an absolute breath of fresh air and we know you’re going to love hearing what he has to say. Thank you again to Dan for coming on the show and sharing your thoug…

This week we are joined on the podcast by the fantastic author Justin B. Long! Justin takes us through the reasons why his drinking got out of control, stemming from his difficult childhood. If you'd have told him fifteen years ago that he is where he is today, he wouldn't have believed you. His books include his inspirational memoir The Righteous …

This week we welcome the fantastic Luke Colson onto the podcast all the way from sunny California! Luke is a fellow sobriety advocate and has come along to tell us about some of the lows he reached as a drinker, but more importantly the glorious highs that he's now enjoying as a non-drinker. Luke is a fascinating person to listen to, we could have …

In this episode we welcome back the lovely Chris to the pod! Chris is a big part of our OTI Community, joining us all the way from New York (the state, not the top of the Empire State Building like Shaz seems to think) in the US of A. We've heard from Chris before when he came on with his AF BFF Aran but now he's back to tell his sobriety story and…

He's a man that goes by many names in our community. Some call him 'The Porky Prince', others 'The Prince of Pastry'. It's even been claimed that he is 'The Sausage King of the North West'. We simply know him... as Danny Bangers. Danny is a much loved and very active member of our community. He's found a home here with us at OTI and as you'll hear …

Shaz and Ben recently received the best e-mail ever to the OTI inbox. It's author was the guest on this episode, the fantastic Grace Cowley. Grace is a dedicated listener to Over The Influence and she got in touch to let us know how listening to the pod had changed her life forever. When the e-mail arrived, Shaz immediately called Ben to say that G…

This week we welcome the fantastic Todd Kinney on to the podcast all the way from Omaha, Nebraska in the US of A! Todd is an attorney by trade but since going AF has become a QuitLit author too with his book that may be already familiar to you, 'I Didn't Believe It Either'. For those of you who have come through Dry Jan and you're thinking "is that…

In this episode we welcome our OTI Community's very own medical professional to the podcast, the fantastic Dr Helen! Now a decade into her sobriety, Helen is an AF veteran and is absolutely smashing life without alcohol. She joined the OTI Community in our earliest days as she says she finally found a group of people that didn't look at quitting al…

In this episode we welcome back the wonderful Aran to the pod! Aran is one of our lovely OTI Community members and he joined us just over a year ago when he went AF last Dry January. Since then, it's safe to say he has bedded himself into the community and has got everything he can out of alcohol free life. If you think you might benefit from joini…

To those of you doing Dry January, we salute you! Keep up the great work. We are delighted to be joined this week by Professor David Nutt (Imperial College London), a Psychiatrist who researches the affects of drugs on the brain. The drug in question this week is of course alcohol. David has spent much of his career researching how alcohol impacts …

Our old mate Craig Beck is back on the pod! He's back this Dry January to discuss with us why we shouldn't put a time frame on sobriety and if you're enjoying it, push on and enjoy each sober moment as it comes! Craig's book "Alcohol Lied To Me" and it's sequel "Alcohol Lied To Me... Again!", are essential quit lit reading. A lot of you out there w…

In this episode we catch up with friend of the podcast William Porter, the author of Alcohol Explained! William talks us through what happens to your body and brain when you decide to remove alcohol... And the reasons why it doesn't feel very good at first. He talks us through the science (both physiological and psychological) to give us an underst…

Happy New Year! It's the most wonderful time of the year - Dry Jan! To celebrate, we've invited on some members from our community here at Over The Influence to share their alcohol free tales after getting started on their journeys during January. Sobriety isn't a pipe dream - it's an achievable life choice and this lovely lot, are the proof in the…

Ho-ho-ho, Merry Christmas!! As an extra special gift for you lovely lot today, we've got the one and only Ruth Jones on the podcast! She's a much-loved actress, writer, producer, novelist and you guessed it - she's one of the alcohol free gang. We're delighted that Ruth has joined us on the pod to spread some AF festive cheer and appreciate her tak…