1000 Days Sober Podcast

How to Quieten a Busy Mind Without Alcohol

A Striver asks “How can I quiet the busy mind without alcohol?” In today’s podcast, I reply, “Why would you want to?” The Truth About Alcohol We Are Not Alcoholic, And we Refuse to be Anonymous The Taster & Intensive In two days it will be Christmas Day. If you’re anything like me, you are running around trying to buy gifts at the last minute. On January 1st, millions of people will begin their year with a vow to not drink alcohol. We are here to help those people achieve this goal through our Taster and Intensive Experiences. I know what you’re thinking - what a great gift this would be for someone. Think again. There are wants and needs in this world. We need water, food and a roof over our head. We don’t need to stop drinking alcohol - you have to WANT it so badly that you will do anything to make it happen. So don’t buy them this experience, they won’t be ready. But what about you? The January Taster begins on Tuesday, 1st. If you want to join us and get to feel what it's like to have no alcohol in your system for a month, then here is the link: https://www.thetruthaboutalcohol.co.uk/p/TTAA%20Taster

Social Media: How Safe Are Your Social Media Feeds From Alcoholism?

Clair asks: “Can the numerous memes, photos and posts on social media glorifying alcohol affect us subconsciously even though we are determined not to drink.” The key here is the VOW. If you've taken the VOW to be someone that doesn't drink alcohol, then you seek out a mentor, a community, a philosophy - and you get to work. You uncover the TRUTH about alcohol, you raise AWARENESS of that truth, and then learn how to have FREEDOM from alcohol. If you do this the right way, then it doesn’t matter how many alcohol memes, photos and social media posts come your way because each intrusion creates a feeling of disgust and anger. If you don't take the VOW, don't find a community, don't absorb the philosophy of TRUTH, AWARENESS and FREEDOM- then you are less likely to do the work, and it's more likely that all of these memes, photos and social media posts will create such an internal friction that you will succumb and drink. The pain of doing so is nowhere near as damaging as the pain of not receiving those memes, photos and social media posts because if we get to that space, that means we are alone. I answer this topic in more depth on today’s episode of the Alcohol & Addiction Podcast, which you can access right here. The Truth About Alcohol We Are Not Alcoholics, And We Refuse to be Anonymous The Taster & Intensive In three days it will be Christmas Day. If you’re anything like me, you are running around trying to buy gifts at the last minute. On January 1st, millions of people will begin their year with a vow not to drink alcohol. We are here to help those people achieve this goal through our Taster and Intensive Experiences. I know what you’re thinking - what a great gift this would be for someone. Think again. There are wants and needs in this world. We need water, food and a roof over our head. We don’t need to stop drinking alcohol - you have to WANT it so badly that you will do anything to make it happen. So don’t buy them this experience, they won’t be ready. But what about you? The January Taster begins on Tuesday, 1st. If you want to join us and get to feel what it's like to have no alcohol in your system for a month, then here is the link: www.thetruthaboutalcohol.co.uk/p/TTAA%20Taster

Emotions And Flow: How a State of Flow Helps us Kill Our Desire For Alcohol

Liza is going to buy a scrapbook and fill it with keepsakes and memories of Zia, so she can look at it when she’s older. When Liza shared this with me, a big smile covering her beautiful face, I reacted angrily. Maybe irritably is a better word. Liza’s facial expressions changed. No smiles. Now we had a frown and a defensive posture. I went to bed and began reading Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza and learned how as a boy the thought of lack created the emotion of anger. Then, like slow cancer, this feeling of rage turned into a mood, and later became my personality. Lee Davy = angry person. When Liza shared her scrapbook intention it wasn’t her idea that generated the anger - I am anger. I went downstairs and told her that her idea was beautiful and sweet, and apologised for being a prick. I kissed her, went back upstairs, and meditated on being a more serene, accepting and loving person full of gratitude and enoughness. At that moment, I entered the zone - the Neocortex quietened down the rest of my brain, and I shifted from a Beta brainwave to an Alpha brainwave, opening the gate to my subconscious, allowing my new reality to enter. And this morning I did the same. I will do the same tomorrow. And the next day. And. The. Next. If you want to learn more about emotions and how entering a flow state can help you change them (and ultimately, you), then you're in luck because that's what I talk about in today's podcast. The Truth About Alcohol We Are Not Alcoholics, And We Refuse to be Anonymous The Taster & Intensive In four days it will be Christmas Day. If you’re anything like me, you are running around trying to buy gifts at the last minute. On January 1st, millions of people will begin their year with a vow not to drink alcohol. We are here to help those people achieve this goal through our Taster and Intensive Experiences. I know what you’re thinking - what a great gift this would be for someone. Think again. There are wants and needs in this world. We need water, food and a roof over our head. We don’t need to stop drinking alcohol - you have to WANT it so badly that you will do anything to make it happen. So don’t buy them this experience, they won’t be ready. But what about you? The January Taster begins on Tuesday, 1st. If you want to join us and get to feel what it's like to have no alcohol in your system for a month, then here is the link: www.thetruthaboutalcohol.co.uk/p/TTAA%20Taster

Choose a Corner: Are You For Alcohol or Against It?

I walked into the house and a second had passed after the hug when my brother-in-law asked me if I wanted to watch Creed II. I didn’t fancy it. But. When you have a two-year-old child, the thought of sitting in a movie theatre for two hours seemed like tranquillity. It could have been Dr Doolittle or The Ten Commandments. I didn't care. “Yes.” I loved it; cried like a baby numerous times. The writers did a tremendous job of eking out the vulnerability of all four of the primary characters, and the common theme was fatherhood. - Adonis Creed and his relationship with Apollo Creed and his newborn daughter. - Ivan Drago and his relationship with his son Viktor. - Rocky Balboa and his relationship with his son, Robert. One minute, you're standing in Creed's corner, hoping that he can step out from beneath the considerable shadow of his father, and then you find yourself standing opposite rooting for Drago's son as you see the confusion, anger and lost love funnelled through every punch. It made the movie great, but ultimately, for the script to work, you had to pick a corner and stick with it. It reminded me of our fight with alcohol. We arrive at Strive and begin learning TTAA. We hate alcohol. We despise it. We want to stuff a towel at the foot of our bedroom door to stop the thought of it from seeping into our minds. And then we love it. It was at the centre of all things beautiful. It’s the glue that holds our social structure together. It quietens the mind. It loosens our inhibitions. It gives us a buzz. It’s normal. It’s pleasurable. And then comes the conflict - the cognitive dissonance. The only way to quieten it is to pick a corner and stick with it. What will it be? The Truth About Alcohol We Are Not Alcoholic, And we Refuse to be Anonymous The Taster & Intensive In four days it will be Christmas Day. If you’re anything like me, you are running around trying to buy gifts at the last minute. On January 1st, millions of people will begin their year with a vow to not drink alcohol. We are here to help those people achieve this goal through our Taster and Intensive Experiences. I know what you’re thinking - what a great gift this would be for someone. Think again. There are wants and needs in this world. We need water, food and a roof over our head. We don’t need to stop drinking alcohol - you have to WANT it so badly that you will do anything to make it happen. So don’t buy them this experience, they won’t be ready. But what about you? The January Taster begins on Tuesday, 1st. If you want to join us and get to feel what it's like to have no alcohol in your system for a month, then here is the link: https://www.thetruthaboutalcohol.co.uk/p/TTAA%20Taster

Using the Locus of Creativity to Become Someone That Doesn't Drink Alcohol

Panic. They will be home soon, and I haven't finished. The car horn tells me to stop and help with the groceries. But I'm not finished! I walk downstairs, the car horn ringing in my ears like the sound of the FBI breaking down my door. I kiss Liza, take the groceries, and dump them on the kitchen floor. I scoop up my laptop and try to pick up the pace. Liza comes in, drops Zia onto the floor, asleep in her baby chair. "Where did you go?" I ask politely. Before I know what has happened the composers, have penned a different tune, and I am starring in a new act. I can't remember what happened in the old one, but in this one, Liza is angry at me for not listening to her. I defend myself. “I heard everything you said,” I tell her. {There is a difference between hearing and listening} World War III ensued and had I been someone that drinks alcohol, who knows, maybe I would have fanned the flames by pouring rat poison on them. Here’s the thing: Our energy goes to where our attention is. The Neocortex reacts by turning down the volume in all other areas in the brain enabling you to focus on the task at hand. If you focus on your work, then that's where your energy goes. If you focus on how your wife’s day has been, then ditto. If you focus on the warmth of a glass of mulled wine while marching through the Christmas market? The Truth About Alcohol We Are Not Alcoholic, And we Refuse to be Anonymous The Taster & Intensive In four days it will be Christmas Day. If you’re anything like me, you are running around trying to buy gifts at the last minute. On January 1st, millions of people will begin their year with a vow to not drink alcohol. We are here to help those people achieve this goal through our Taster and Intensive Experiences. I know what you’re thinking - what a great gift this would be for someone. Think again. There are wants and needs in this world. We need water, food and a roof over our head. We don’t need to stop drinking alcohol - you have to WANT it so badly that you will do anything to make it happen. So don’t buy them this experience, they won’t be ready. But what about you? The January Taster begins on Tuesday, 1st. If you want to join us and get to feel what it's like to have no alcohol in your system for a month, then here is the link: https://www.thetruthaboutalcohol.co.uk/p/TTAA%20Taster

A Note To John About The Cave

John, I believe the cave represents our subconscious. It's the place we exist when we are someone that drinks alcohol. It's so dark, when we hold a hand up we can't see it, and thus, over time we cease to exist. There is a way out of the cave, but we need help to find it. We need to find someone who knows every nook and cranny of that thing so we can reach the mouth safely. When at the mouth, the light blinds us. That's our conscious mind. We are so afraid of the light that our first reaction is to run back to the darkness, but the person who is holding our hand came prepared for this. They sit with us until we are ready. Slowly over time, our eyes adjust to the light, and we feel comfortable enough to let go of our guide and run. We run, John. We run as hard as we can. We don't look back. We don't see the stalactites drooping in sorrow. We don't hear the bats call our name. Then we stop. We know we have to go back. Other people need our help. We know at that moment that our very existence depends on it. And so we go back to guide people as someone once guided us. And that's what you do when you show up daily as someone that doesn't drink alcohol. You are a guide, John. You are a guide. If you want to learn more about my note to John about the cave then check out today's podcast episode of the same name. The Truth About Alcohol We Are Not Alcoholics, And We Refuse to be Anonymous January Taster Claes, Rhonda, Mark, Phil and Elsa are on Day 17 of the December Taster, and this is how Rhonda is feeling about her experience. "The Taster makes me feel connected. It’s the piece I was missing in my other attempts to become a person who doesn’t drink alcohol." The January Taster begins on Tuesday, 1st. If you want to join us and get to feel what it's like to have no alcohol in your system for a month, then here is the link: https://www.thetruthaboutalcohol.co.uk/p/TTAA%20Taster

Episode 170: A World Without Wine

By the end of today, I would have written five articles about poker. I wrote my first back in 2009 a few months after becoming someone that doesn't drink alcohol. That first article, about my ex-wife coming home drunk and destroying my poker game, wasn’t of the same quality as the ones I write, today. I am an overall better writer. I understand structure more, I have developed a unique style, and I have a better grasp of the roles that tension, connection and emotion play in my pieces. How did this happen? It happened slowly, over time, drip by drip. I wrote an article and made a few mistakes. I wrote another one and made a few more. Then a few more. Later today, I will make more mistakes, but at the end of it, I would have grown as a writer. How do you deal with stressful situations without wine? The same way. You learn to deal with them, slowly, over time, drip by drip. We cannot grow without pain and suffering. I am a better husband because of my divorce. I am a better father because I shouted at my daughter last night. I am a better writer because of the mistakes I made writing this. If you keep drinking wine as a way of hiding from your stressful situations, then you won't grow, and without this growth, you will never learn to experience stressful situations without wine. If you want to learn more about this topic, then you're in luck, because that's what we talk about in today's episode. Check it out. The Truth About Alcohol We Are Not Alcoholic, And we Refuse to be Anonymous January Taster Claes, Rhonda, Mark, Phil and Elsa are on Day 13 of the December Taster, and this is how Claes is feeling about his enrollment. "I´m very impressed with both the content & exercises and the support within the group this December Taster; I want to thoroughly recommend anyone who wants to be someone who doesn´t drink alcohol, feels the need to educate or simply questions their consumption to take part in this experience!" The January Taster begins on Tuesday, 1st. If you want to join us and get to feel what it's like to have no alcohol in your system for a month, then here is the link: https://www.thetruthaboutalcohol.co.uk/p/TTAA%20Taster

Episode #169: This Is Marketing- A Book Review

In Seth Godin’s brilliant book, This is Marketing there is a musing called The Riff of the Quarter-Inch Drill Bit. “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill bit. They want a quarter-inch hole.” But that doesn’t go nearly far enough. No one wants a hole. What people want is the shelf that will go on the wall once they drill the hole. Actually, what they want is how they’ll feel once they see how uncluttered everything is, when they put their stuff on the shelf that went on the wall, now that there’s a quarter-inch hole. Or perhaps the increase in status they’ll get when their spouse admires the work. Or the peace of mind that comes from knowing that the bedroom isn’t a mess, and that it feels safe and clean. “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill bit. They want to feel safe and respected.” Wine, beer, bourbon - these are our quarter-inch drill bits. Alcohol fills a hole. At TTAA we find you other tools to fill that hole. But as Seth says, this doesn’t go nearly far enough. How do you want to feel? The Truth About Alcohol We Are Not Alcoholic, And we Refuse to be Anonymous If you want to learn more about This is Marketing, and what it teaches us about the reasons we drink alcohol then Lee Davy reviews the book in his latest podcast. The December Taster group are currently on Day 11 of their mission to become someone that doesn’t drink alcohol for a month. Mark is one of them: “The Taster has given me a real insight that there is a community out there that doesn’t drink alcohol.” Is that what you need? Do you want to feel a sense of belonging and understanding? The next experience begins on January 1st, and if you sign up by 16 December, you only pay 50% of the tuition fee: https://www.thetruthaboutalcohol.co.uk/p/TTAA%20Taster

Episode #168: The Family Business

Eartha says: I grew up in a family that makes wine. I grew up drinking. My parents are the founders, my brother and sister both work in the business. It is a central part of the family. How do I approach this as a non-drinker? For the extended version of my answer check out AA Podcast Episode #168 The Family Business. Here's the abridged version. 1# Immediacy If you were a heroin addict, then you wouldn't spend your time with your old buddies as they shot up. If cocaine were your thing, you wouldn't get a job working for Pablo Escobar. Get the hell out of dodge. I don’t know if you live with your family, or are so close that what I am about to say next is unachievable, but if each time you see your family the electrodes land on your head for more brainwashing, then you can’t be there without a… 2# Support System Join Strive. AA. Hello Sunday Morning. Soberistas. This Naked Mind. One Year No Beer. Belle. Someone. Anyone. You need to learn to experience triggers without reacting to them. Speaking with like-minded people is the surest way to do this. Otherwise, your experience will feel like reaching the top of the ski-lift and having to come down on roller skates. #3 Philosophy Apply for a divorce from your current philosophy of alcohol and alcoholism. Adopt the Truth About Alcohol (TTAA) philosophy. AA. This Naked Mind. You get the point. Take our philosophy. If you can learn to believe that alcoholism is not a by-product of someone that drinks too much alcohol, but an invisible, violent and dominant belief system and that alcohol holds NO long term value, then it doesn't matter if you spend every waking moment standing barefoot in a vat of grapes, you will never feel the desire to drink. #4 Make Them Your Allies Read Melanie Joy's Beyond Beliefs. It's a book teaching vegans how to co-exist with meat eaters, but the same concepts apply to drinkers and non-drinkers. The key is to learn the skills to make your family your allies, so they actively support your decision to become someone that doesn't drink alcohol, and if this happens, you will find it easier to navigate your way across what currently looks like a rope ladder of coral snakes. I hope that helps. Lee The Truth About Alcohol We Are Not Alcoholic, And we Refuse to be Anonymous If you’re interested in doing Dry January, then why not do it the Truth About Alcohol way? 27-daily coaching videos and assignments and peer group learning devised to make you feel like you have finally taken control of your life. Click here to enrol in the TTAA January Taster: https://www.thetruthaboutalcohol.co.uk/p/TTAA%20Taster Ruth recently graduated from the TTAA November Taster and this is what she had to say about her experience. “The old operating system of using alcohol was creating glitches and crashes in being able to access the potential in my life. I tried to correct the problem on my own. But I needed some tools and support. I found Lee’s podcasts in the end of October and immediately signed up for the November Taster. It was exactly what I needed. I’ve downloaded so much wonderful new information that is aligned with what I want to do with my life. It was simple to understand and the group support could not have been better. Wow! Love where I am after just 30 days.” If you would like to join Ruth and the other Strivers currently taking the TTAA Intensive (100+ coaching videos, assignments, and group peer learning designed to help you become someone that doesn’t drink alcohol, without craving), then click here: https://www.thetruthaboutalcohol.co.uk/p/TTAAIntensive

Episode #167: What If I Can’t Stay Stopped?

In this AA Podcast episode Lee Davy answers a question from Claes: "What if I Can't Stay Stopped?" The Truth About Alcohol We Are Not Alcoholic, And we Refuse to be Anonymous If you’re interested in doing Dry January, then why not do it the Truth About Alcohol way? 27-daily coaching videos and assignments and peer group learning devised to make you feel like you have finally taken control of your life. Click here to enrol in the TTAA January Taster: https://www.thetruthaboutalcohol.co.uk/p/TTAA%20Taster Ruth recently graduated from the TTAA November Taster and this is what she had to say about her experience. “The old operating system of using alcohol was creating glitches and crashes in being able to access the potential in my life. I tried to correct the problem on my own. But I needed some tools and support. I found Lee’s podcasts in the end of October and immediately signed up for the November Taster. It was exactly what I needed. I’ve downloaded so much wonderful new information that is aligned with what I want to do with my life. It was simple to understand and the group support could not have been better. Wow! Love where I am after just 30 days.” If you would like to join Ruth and the other Strivers currently taking the TTAA Intensive (100+ coaching videos, assignments, and group peer learning designed to help you become someone that doesn’t drink alcohol, without craving), then click here: https://www.thetruthaboutalcohol.co.uk/p/TTAAIntensive