Signs You're Drinking Alcohol Not Because You Like It, BUT Because You're Suffering | Andy Ramage

Over the past five years, it’s been incredible to see how the alcohol-free landscape has changed. Pubs, restaurants and supermarkets boast a range of appealing 0% options. We’re seeing a rise in AF communities, influencers, bars and events. There has been a marked cultural shift towards acceptance of not drinking – and that’s in no small part down to today’s guest.

Andy Ramage is one of the world’s leading alcohol-free performance coaches. Since his first appearance on this podcast, in 2019, countless listeners have got in touch to share how they’ve transformed their lives by giving up alcohol.

Andy co-founded the One Year No Beer movement and recently co-created the Dryy app and AF community. Collectively, these innovations have helped hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of what he calls ‘middle lane’ moderate drinkers transform their health and happiness.

He is also the author of two best-selling books - The 28 Day Alcohol Free Challenge and Let’s Do This, and is one of only a few coaches to hold a Masters degree in coaching psychology and positive psychology.

Many of us discover alcohol as a teenager. We start to believe we can’t socialise, dance or talk to strangers without it – and we carry these myths with us long into adulthood. We think others will find us boring if we don’t drink. Hangovers become a celebrated end to a ‘great night out’. And we play down negative effects such as risky behaviour, poor sleep, low mood or junk food cravings.

Andy is passionate about reversing all these beliefs and behaviours. He explains his ‘ambivalence seesaw’ – a framework you can use to work out your current relationship with alcohol and start to shift it. We discuss why moderation isn’t a good tactic, why Dry January often fails, and why slip-ups are part of the learning process. And he shares some valuable advice on coping with social pressure to drink, and cultivating a kinder self-talk.
I’ve not drunk alcohol myself for four or five years now and I can honestly say there’s not a moment when I miss it. But like Andy, I’m not here to judge anyone else, simply to encourage you to try out the benefits we’ve both felt.

Andy is motivated, passionate and full of positivity, and someone who describes a life without alcohol, as a gift to yourself. He has managed to transform his own health, happiness and relationships and wants to inspire you to do the same.

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[DrChatterjeeRangan]

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[Custardpie]

95 days sober was out of control....no sleep...don't know how I did it....we all deserve better....

[michaeldalton]

I quit 10 years ago as I just got bored. Nothing positive from drinking only positives from not drinking. No brainer. No such thing as a healthy relationship, all it does is self medicate.

[KsazDFW]

I drank 1 or 2 drinks per night 4 nights a week. Maybe one of those nights I’d have 3 glasses…. Never more. But I found I was drinking out of boredom and to escape. It didn’t do anything positive for me, so I’d decided to stop. It’s been 60 days now.

[littlebearsparty]

i managed my own fast-food take-way business in the UK for 19 years and could write a book on the horrific drunken violence that i witnessed. For the whole of 'British Isles', from Dublin to Belfast, from Aberdeen to Cornwall, society is blighted by this damaging drug. The health benefits, both physical and mental of quitting are enormous. My hat comes off for everyone on here that has escaped from the addiction.
Two legends having a great chat on a subject that affects everyone of us, a superb episode.

[sliphere]

I'll go months not drinking. Then I'll go out to catch up with some friends and have a few drinks. People who think they recover after 24 hours don't realize it has an affect for like a week. Mood not the same. Get tired randomly. Really throws your body off.

[KrisG]

Andy, I saw you on Rich Roll 5 years ago and it took 5 years but I finally got sober. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you do!

[nextlevelsuki]

I am currently on Day 87 alcohol-free after 27 years of moderate to heavy drinking! Mannn to know better is to do better and I've come to the realization that it doesn't align with my journey to become the highest version of myself! I refuse to be an active participant in my demise!

[schanychamemphis]

I am 66 years old and have never been much of a drinker. I am single and it seems like everything revolves around drinking. Then you never really know anyone because they were talking to you when they were drinking and do not even remember what you talked about. I am currently looking for folks who want to hang out without the alcohol and all the BS and nastiness that comes with it.

[midi]

I turn 65 in a few months. My main sport is backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. I go out most weeks during the 6 - 7 months of winter we have. In the summer I rock climb, hike, and do general mountaineering. Most of the guys I go out with are 30 years younger than me and they have a hard time keeping up. I've drank alcohol off and on most of my life, sometimes heavily. A few years ago, I gave it up for good. I just can't do the things I like to do at the level I like to do them and drink alcohol. Plus, I'm dedicated to maximizing my conscious experience of life and alcohol makes one less conscious.

[misslemu]

I’m on day 45 and this interview, along with the book This Naked Brain, have inspired me to kick alcohol to the curb once and for all. Alcohol free AF from now on my friends 😊

[josephhevey]

88 days in. I had a tumour removed and had radiotherapy that finished back in November 22. I wasn’t drinking much at all but just decided to stop for January and kept going . I did this as my general health still felt bad so I thought why am I hindering my recovery by having a few drinks now and then. To be honest I still feel bad but I know I would feel worse if I was taking the odd drink. I have other reasons that affect my health so it’s not all down to drink. For now I don’t drink. Your health is your wealth.

[l.stevens]

I'm on 5 months, and while I felt isolated and "bored" for a few months, now I do not see where I would have the time to waste sitting around and dulling myself for hours. Life is so much fuller without alcohol! And I will add that periodically listening to these wonderful podcasts keeps me steadily on the path. Thank you, Rangan and Andy!

[seattlegrrlie]

It's true that it took years to get here. My goal was to drink less, exercise more. I'd gotten down to about 1 drink a week and realized my heart rate and exercise intensity was worse for 2-3 days after one drink. Messed up my sleep. I'm done, seven months sober and in the best shape of 25yrs

[pauljones]

I'm middle lane. Occasionally I overtake in the fast lane at 90! 🙂

[DavidMichaelBurnett]

I'm a 30 year old male from the Newcastle area in the UK and the "going out-out" culture here is massive. I find it very difficult to avoid going out and drinking and when I do it's excessively.

I can go weeks/about a month without touching alcohol however when I do it's heavy binge drinking due to things like football matchdays and it's whenever I see friends it it isn't for a hike or something.

It's largely my social life as I have a season ticket at Newcastle United.

It's blowing up my mental health for about 5 days afterwards. I'm physically destroyed for about 3-4 days. i can barely function the day after. It's causing havoc with my mood and performance at work and I feel it's largely (not fully) to blame for my progress in life. I feel so behind in life for my age.

I can easily not drink, but socially I find it extremely difficult to avoid it. I struggle to drink in moderation when seeing friends and it's really effecting me negatively and I want to do something about it. But I feel like I'm stuck in a cycle as I'll end up feeling a buzz about wanting to go out and drink with friends and afterwards feel the exact same effects above.

Is anyone else in the same boat or has experienced at least similar?

[BT-berh]

Approaching 11 months off after 40 years of drinking, feel great, don’t see myself going back!!

[anomalyraven]

I decided to go a year without alcohol before I turn 30 this year, because last year I just had the thought: I haven't tried abstaining from it for a longer period ever since I began drinking. So I wanted to try it out during the last year in my 20's – it's been a little over 6 months since I last had a drink now and it's honestly been great.

Something I noticed recently when I was under a lot of stress, was that I had a real urge to drink. But the thought of the anxiety, hangover and spending the rest of the weekend recuperating was so off-putting, that staying in the moment was worth more than the brief release I'd get if I had gotten myself a drink.

[kpt]

I am Finnish and as a teenager I drank a lot for fun with my friends (also underage without our parents knowing). It was really typical behavior among the teenagers in 1990's Finland. Around my 20's I had lost all the interest in being drunk and since I don't even like the taste of any alcohol, I stopped drinking complitely. Between the ages 20 and 24 I did not drink at all and then around my 24th birthday I drank with an old friend few times - kind of like for the old time's sake - and then that was it. I have not touched alcohol since. I did not decide to be an absolutist, I just do not find myself benefiting of drinking in any ways. So this spring it will be 25 years since I drank alcohol last time and I have never felt that I would have missed anything and not once have I even thought of wanting to crab a drink. Green tea and sparkling mineral water do the trick for me. And I am very happy this way. (Never taken any drugs either. Just not my thing at all..)

[LornaDonaldson-tvid]

Relate 100%- said perfectly, thank you Andy!
I've been alcohol free for 15 and a half years, best step I ever took! ❤