Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol free life!

Samantha Ancy is a coach, writer and wellness educator who helps people break free from diet culture and understand what's really driving their cravings. Her work combines trauma awareness, gut health and nervous system regulation to explain why so many of us find ourselves stuck in unhealthy habits.

What I loved about this conversation is how many parallels there are between food addiction and alcohol addiction. We talk about why willpower isn't enough, how ultra-processed foods hijack our dopamine pathways, why your gut microbiome has such a powerful influence over cravings, and how healing the nervous system can help us make lasting changes.

If you've ever blamed yourself for lacking discipline, or wondered why your cravings seem to have a mind of their own, then this episode will give you a completely different perspective.

Episode Summary
In this episode, Samantha explains why cravings are rarely a sign of weakness and are often driven by biology, trauma and the modern food environment rather than a lack of willpower.

We discuss the remarkable similarities between alcohol addiction and food addiction, exploring how both activate the brain's reward system and why changing our mindset is far more effective than relying on self-control alone.

Samantha shares practical advice on managing sugar cravings after quitting alcohol, explains the importance of gut health and the microbiome, and introduces the concept of interoception—learning to listen to the body's signals rather than reacting automatically to cravings.

We also explore the hidden impact of ultra-processed foods, the role of fibre in balancing blood sugar, and why nourishing ourselves well is one of the foundations of sustainable recovery.

If you're building an alcohol-free lifestyle and want to understand the powerful connection between nutrition, the nervous system and long-term wellbeing, this episode is packed with practical insights that will help you on your journey.

If you'd like to learn more then you can order Sam's book on Amazon - it's called the Bio Hijack

Learn more about Sam by going to https://linktr.ee/SamanthaAncy

If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe to the Tribe Sober podcast, leave us a review and share the episode with someone who might benefit.

As always, if you'd like support with your own alcohol-free journey, visit tribesober.com to find out more about our community, courses and coaching.

Show Notes
The Addiction Nobody Talks About — Our Search for Certainty
Theme: Recovery • Self-Trust • Emotional Freedom

Music: “Remember” by Sutherland 🎵

🌊 Episode Summary
What if one of the deepest addictions we ever recover from isn’t alcohol—but our search for certainty?

In this episode, Lynette explores how our need to know, predict and control can drive not only drinking, but also our endless consumption of books, podcasts, courses and reassurance.

Through personal stories of whale watching off the coast of Mauritius and kayaking through the mangroves, she shares why true freedom isn’t found in certainty, but in learning to trust ourselves amidst life’s uncertainty.

✨ In This Episode
• Why our brains are wired to seek certainty

• How alcohol creates the illusion of safety

• The hidden addiction to information and reassurance

• Why knowledge alone doesn’t create transformation

• Lessons from whales, horizons and learning to trust the unfolding of life

• Why self-trust—not certainty—is the real gift of recovery

💭 Memorable Quote
“The opposite of uncertainty isn’t certainty. It’s self-trust.”

📝 Reflection
Instead of asking:

“What else do I need to know?”

Try asking:

“What do I already know… that I haven’t yet lived?”

🌿 Your Next Step
If you’re still struggling with alcohol, our Breaking Free and Accelerate programmes will help you build a strong alcohol-free foundation with coaching, neuroscience and community.

If you’ve already embraced sobriety and are asking, “What’s next?” then Path to Purpose is where we focus on becoming more—not learning more.

Because transformation happens when knowledge becomes lived experience.

Find out more at:

🌿 www.tribesober.com

🌿 email: lynette@llrcoaching.com

🎧 Credits
Host: Lynette Le Roux

Podcast: Tribe Sober Podcast

Music: “Remember” by Sutherland

Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life!

This weeks podcast guest is the lovely Lori Massicot a midlife sobriety coach.

I discovered Lori when I found her podcast – it’s called “to 50 and beyond” – it’s a podcast aimed at women in mid-life where she highlights the beauty of aging and the freedom that comes along with alcohol free life.

She’s on a mission to raise awareness towards the life changing impact of sobriety as we age.  She interviewed me for her podcast and you can hear that conversation on episode 182 of to 50 and beyond.

It’s called “Getting Sober Over 60” and you can access it here

In this Episode

I’m always fascinated by the way peoples drinking evolves over the years – I’m the first person to admit that drinking can be a lot of fun – until it’s not – until you become dependent - check out our podcast on how we go from "liking to wanting to needing" 

Let’s remember that 20% of social drinkers WILL become dependent over the years – if we are in that 20% then that doesn’t make us bad people – or weak people – or diseased people. It just makes us people who have become addicted to an addictive drug!  People who will have to do a bit of work to change their habits – and that’s where people like myself and Lori come in – we’ve been where you are and we can help you make the change. 

As you heard Lori did the fun bit in her teens and 20’s – partying as a teenager and then working in real estate, earning good money and drinking wine with friends and colleagues.

Then it was the mommyjuice phase – in here 30’s Lori felt depressed, put on weight and found her high pressure job all a bit much. She was using wine at home to cope with her stress and felt trapped in a vicious cycle.

She refers to her early 40’s as the “dark years, she lost her mom and could get through two bottles of wine at a time. She had a wake up call when a family member asked her if she was an alcoholic.  That’s when she realised that alcohol had become the centre of everything in her life.

Of course like many of us she tried “the rules” (drinking only on certain days, drinking red rather than white etc etc) which of course didn’t work.

Of course she also tried to “moderate” but of course that didn’t work either - in fact we agreed that for many of us its only when we try to cut down that we realise the extent of our problem.  We realise that we have crossed a line with our drinking and it’s going to take more than a bit of willpower to make a change.

So if you are busy trying to “moderate” and using rules to control your drinking please save yourself a lot of heartache and take a complete break – no need to use the F (forever word) – just take a break

“Playing the Movie Forward” is a very popular tool in our community.  Lori found herself “playing the movie forward 20 years” and was  horrified at what she saw.  She knew her drinking would escalate over the years and decided that she was done.  She poured her Chardonnay down the sink and got started on her life changing journey to sobriety.

Lori used journaling as her key tool –there is so much evidence of the value of keeping a journal – and it helps us so much when we are on this path. We can use it to process our emotions, note our triggers and track our journey. 

We can read back to the early days and see how much easier its getting and realise how many benefits we are experiencing. And of course the more benefits we do experience the less likely we will be inclined to return to Day 1!

Exercise was another key tool for Lori and she educated herself about the best ways to strengthen her body in midlife.

So journaling, exercise and playing the movie forward are all great tools which will help us to quit drinking. We all need to create a personal toolkit and we help you with that at Tribe Sober workshops.  

Sobriety has given Lori freedom and peace. When she feels anxious she now understands how to self soothe without alcohol.

I loved the way she said that in early sobriety we have to protect ourselves and build ourselves up so that we can learn to cope.

Then we can go on to learn how to actually thrive our alcohol free lives. That’s exactly what we help our members to do at Tribe Sober with program – get more info and sign up here

We agreed that ditching the booze gives us a feeling of power - we are doing something that the majority of the population would not even consider - Sobriety is a Superpower!

Times are changing and the sober curious movement is helping that. People are getting “sober curious” and wondering what their life would look like without it. 

Loris podcast is called "to 50 and beyond" and her website is here: lorimassicot.com. Lori coaches women on health, wellness and sobriety and you can contact her via her website and she’s also on Instagram.

More info

Subscription membership for Tribe Sober join up here

To access our website click HERE

If you would like a free copy of our "Annual Tracker" or our e-book "66 Days to Sobriety" please email janet@tribesober.com

If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community just email janet@tribesober.com

    

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Thank you for listening! 

Till Next Week

Janet x

PS   How to leave an rating/review in Apple Podcasts (on an iOS device)

1. Open the Podcasts app. EASY.

2. Choose "Search" from the bottom row of icons and enter the name of the show (i.e., "Recover Like A Mother") into the search field.

3. Select the show under Shows (not under Episodes).

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The Sobriety Experiment: Stop Looking for the Missing Piece

Episode Summary

Have you ever wondered why, even after months or years of sobriety, a part of you still remembers alcohol fondly?

Does that mean you’re destined to drink again?

Or could it simply be that your brain is doing exactly what it was designed to do?

In this episode, Lynette explores a thoughtful question from a Tribe Sober listener who has spent years learning about recovery, trying different approaches, and wondering whether there is still a “deep-rooted belief” keeping her stuck.

Together we’ll explore a different perspective.

Rather than endlessly searching for the missing piece, perhaps recovery invites us into something much more exciting: becoming curious enough to discover who we are without alcohol.

Drawing on neuroscience, Brooke Castillo’s teaching on the Scientific Method, and Lynette’s own experience of leaving South Africa to build a new life in Mauritius, this episode is an invitation to stop waiting for certainty and begin experimenting with the life you truly want to create.

In this episode we explore:

Why your brain continues to predict alcohol long after you’ve stopped drinking.

The difference between memory, prediction and genuine desire.

Why enjoying memories of alcohol doesn’t mean you should return to it.

Brooke Castillo’s Scientific Method as a framework for lasting recovery.

The importance of making your own “best guess” rather than waiting for the perfect answer.

How curiosity creates lasting change.

Why sobriety is about building a life that becomes bigger than alcohol.

What Lynette’s move from South Africa to Mauritius taught her about leaving something you love in order to step into something even more aligned.

Key Takeaways

Your brain predicts your past—it doesn’t determine your future.

Research and education are important, but transformation happens when you begin experimenting with your own life.

You don’t have to hate alcohol to decide you’re finished with it.

Sometimes we leave something we love because we’re saying yes to something we love even more.

Sobriety isn’t about certainty.

It’s about curiosity.

Reflection Questions

What if there isn’t another hidden belief to uncover?

What if you’ve already gathered enough information?

What experiment could you try this week?

What kind of life are you creating that is so meaningful, so expansive and so deeply yours that alcohol gradually becomes less interesting?

If you stopped asking, “Why am I like this?” what new possibilities might open up when you ask, “Who am I becoming?”

Resources Mentioned

Recovery Rewired Podcast Series

Path to Purpose Membership

Positive Intelligence® (PQ)

Brooke Castillo’s teaching on the Scientific Method

Neuroscience of prediction and habit formation

Ready for the Next Step?

If this episode resonated with you, and you’d like support creating a life where alcohol is no longer at the centre, Lynette would love to work with you.

Whether through one-to-one coaching or the monthly Path to Purpose membership, you’ll explore your brain, your nervous system, your identity and the practical tools that help you create lasting freedom.

Connect with Lynette by emailing her lynette@llrcoaching.com

 

If you enjoyed this episode…

Please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who may need to hear this message today.

Every review helps us reach more people looking for freedom from alcohol.

 

Music

Intro and outro music kindly supplied by Sutherland.

Thank you for listening, and remember:

Sobriety isn’t about becoming certain you’ve left the right thing behind; it’s about becoming curious enough to discover the life waiting in front of you.

This week Janet talks to Tribe Sober member Lynn Griffith from Durango, Colorado, who shares her powerful journey from decades of drinking to discovering the freedom of an alcohol-free life.

Lynn first began worrying about her drinking back in 1999, yet it took many years, several attempts at sobriety, and countless moderation strategies before she finally found lasting freedom. In this honest conversation, she reflects on the exhaustion of trying to control alcohol, the impact on her health, confidence and creativity, and why mindset change has been the key to making sobriety stick.

The episode concludes with Lynn reading her beautifully written "Goodbye Alcohol" letter—a heartfelt farewell to a substance that stole decades of precious time and energy.

In this episode:

Why Lynn knew she had a drinking problem as far back as 1999

The moderation tricks that never worked

How a health scare became a turning point

The books and podcasts that helped shift her thinking

Why community support is essential for lasting sobriety

The surprising role of alcohol-free drinks in her recovery

The connection between drinking, depression and cognitive decline

How alcohol robbed her of confidence, creativity and vitality

Why it's never too late to reclaim your health and happiness

The importance of taking recovery one day at a time

Finding your tribe and building meaningful sober connections

Memorable Quotes

"I know how I felt drinking and I know how I feel not drinking, and there's just no comparison."

"I wish someone had told me that it's so much easier just to quit than spend a lifetime trying to moderate."

"I don't want to be an old lady drunk."

"The poisonous effects of every previous night confiscated my brain cells, robbed me of my confidence, tamped down my spirit and crushed my creativity."

Lynn's Top Tip
"Just don't drink."

It sounds simple, but as Lynn explains, recovery begins one day at a time. Focus on the one thing that matters most in early sobriety and allow everything else to follow.

About Tribe Sober
At Tribe Sober we help people discover that an alcohol-free life doesn't have to be boring, lonely or difficult. Through community, connection, coaching and education, we support our members to create a life they no longer want to escape from.

Interested in taking a break from alcohol?
Join our next 3-Day Reset taking place 1–3 July.

During the Reset you'll discover:

Why alcohol affects us differently as we get older

The neuroscience behind cravings

How to navigate social situations alcohol-free

Practical tools to make sobriety stick

How to create an alcohol-free lifestyle you genuinely enjoy

Find out more at:

Tribe Sober

Subscribe & Review
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone who might benefit from hearing Lynn's inspiring story. Every conversation helps break the stigma around alcohol and shows others that change is possible at any age.