S3 Ep31: Stuart Cook: Sober and F-ing Enlightened!

In this episode we chat to the fabulous Stuart Cook who runs the Instagram page, Sober and Fucking Enlightened! We're Sharon, Freddie and Ben, three normal people who decided to give up alcohol to see how our lives would change. We're not medical experts but we are expert ex-drinkers, and our podcast brings people together who are on their own alcohol-free journeys by celebrating just how wonderful life without booze can be! Stuart started drinking at a very young age, and almost straight away had a negative relationship with alcohol. As a teenager he was living in a homeless shelter, and he'd alienated many of the people around him. He got sober and got married, but as he says, at this point in his life he didn't do any work on himself. On his fifth anniversary of sobriety he started drinking again, and within six months he'd lost everything. He's now been sober again since the beginning of the pandemic, and talks to us really openly about how therapy has been the thing that has turned his life around. Being able to talk honestly and without judgement to someone that he trusts has helped him to understand who he is, and now he's doing the work, life has never been better. We thank Stuart so much for sharing his story with us, and we wish him every success with his continued development. We're also absolutely chuffed that he's found someone to share his life with, and as you'll hear in this episode, she's someone we'd love to speak to ourselves in the near future! --- 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 [email protected] or go to our website, www.overtheinfluence.co.uk --- The Premium Podcast: If you love OTI and you'd like to hear behind the curtain, subscribe to the OTI Premium Podcast now! Released every Monday and exclusive to subscribers and OTI Community members, the Premium Pod is Sharon and Ben talking through even more topics surrounding alcohol-free life, from how to not just survive but enjoy AF holidays to alcohol free dating! Subscribe now! Released every Monday, cancel any time - just £5 per month. --- Links: Over The Influence is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel. Sound Rebel works with businesses, brands, charities & other organisations across the UK - go to soundrebel.co.uk now to find out how podcasts could help you to tell your story to the world. If you feel as if connection with likeminded people would help as you try life without alcohol, join the Over The Influence Community now - and we can't wait to meet you! For links to alcohol-related support services, please visit our website. --- Disclaimer: All views expressed in this podcast are of the participants themselves, and not necessarily those of Over The Influence (OTI) Ltd. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. We are not medical professionals but normal people giving their own experiences of removing alcohol from their lives, and as such this podcast should not be considered professional advice. If you are dependent on alcohol, or think you may be, we strongly recommend that you seek professional medical advice. --- Helpful Hashtags: We found hashtags and sober social media accounts really helpful in our early days alcohol free, as following them can help to reinforce that you are not alone!  These are some of the hashtags we've followed: #alcoholfree #stopdrinking #healthandwellnessjourney #zeroalcohol #idontdrink #sobercurious #healthydrinking #alcoholfreelife #soberaf #alcoholfreeliving #sobermotivation #podcast #healthpodcast #noalcohol #nobooze #sober #sobercurious #soberlofe #soberliving #sobercommunity #afcommunity #soberwomen #sobermom #sobermomtribe #sobersisters #sobriety #soberuk #soberjourney #sobrietyrocks #overtheinfluence #oti