The Alcohol ReThink Podcast with Patrick Fox

After nearly eight years sober, would Patrick ever drink alcohol again?
It’s a question a friend asked him while they were away on holiday, and his answer was immediate.
In this episode, Patrick reflects on being surrounded by “holiday mode,” watching his daughter drink after turning 18, and the recent coverage of Brad Pitt returning to alcohol after seven years of sobriety.
He explores how stories like Brad Pitt’s can quietly cause someone to question their own sobriety. The mind can easily begin thinking: “If he can drink again, perhaps I can too.”
That’s why protecting your sobriety matters. Not because you need to fear alcohol, but because it’s important to remember what drinking was costing you and what your life has gained since removing it.
Patrick also discusses why the reasons behind your drinking can have such a significant influence on how you drink and the difference between consciously choosing alcohol and using it to escape difficult emotions.
This episode invites you to consider what alcohol would genuinely add to your life, and what you believe you would be going back for.
Cool topics covered:
Would Patrick ever drink again?
Brad Pitt’s return to drinking
Protecting your sobriety from outside influences
Alcohol and 'holiday mode'
Turning 18 and the expectations around drinking
Why comparing yourself with other drinkers can be misleading
Drinking to escape difficult emotions
Why your reasons for drinking matter
The difference between fear and freedom in sobriety

Content advisory: This episode briefly references suicidal thoughts discussed during Brad Pitt’s recent interview. Please take care while listening. If you’re struggling or feel at risk, contact Samaritans free on 116 123 in the UK and Ireland, or seek urgent local support.

⬇️ Resources ⬇️

Download ⁠The 5pm Booze Free Habit Builder⁠

🔥 Sign up to The 30-Day Method to Break the Cycle of Drinking Without Relying on Willpower
If YOU feel successful in many areas of life but still find yourself pulled back into the same drinking patterns…
Then you’re probably MISSING the awareness and tools I’ll be REVEALING inside this FREE 30-Day Training for Men Ready to Take Back Control...
➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get Started Right Away by clicking HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Work with Patrick:
Discover how coaching can support your goals in rethinking alcohol.
👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Connect with Patrick:
Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠patrickjfox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thealcoholrethinkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Support the Podcast
If you love the podcast and want to show your support in helping it continue, you can buy Patrick a coffee here:
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/patrickfox⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What happens when the very thing that nearly destroys your life becomes the catalyst for your life's work?
This week I'm joined by Shane Gregory, an addiction specialist, Chinese medicine practitioner, and someone whose own story is unlike anything we've shared on the podcast before.
Shane was introduced to drugs at just fourteen years old. What followed was years of chasing that first high, battling psychosis, hearing voices, experiencing profound mental health struggles, and ultimately finding himself searching for a completely different way to understand addiction and recovery.
Rather than viewing addiction through willpower alone, Shane explains how rebuilding the body, regulating the nervous system, reconnecting with nature, and restoring balance became the foundation of his recovery.
Together we explore why so many people feel lost after removing alcohol, the relationship between the body and the mind, why chasing dopamine can become another addiction, and how practices like breathwork, movement, creativity, and rhythm can help people rediscover themselves.
This is a fascinating conversation that blends lived experience with a completely different perspective on healing.
If you've ever wondered why sobriety can sometimes feel emotionally difficult, or why simply removing alcohol doesn't always feel like enough, you'll find plenty to think about in this episode.
Shane's introduction to drugs at just fourteen years old.
The years spent chasing the feeling of that first high.
Living with psychosis and hearing voices.
Why heroin unexpectedly became a turning point.
Discovering Chinese medicine and a new understanding of addiction.
Why recovery is about rebuilding the body, not just changing your thinking.
The connection between dopamine, the nervous system, and long-term healing.
Why creativity, movement, and nature play such an important role in recovery.
What it really means to become 'radically human.'

Cool quotes
"It's not the drugs. It's us. We're the drugs."
"The chase is what addiction is all about."
"You can't take away your experiences, but you can rebuild the body."
"The world has become disconnected from nature, and addiction is one symptom of that."
"To be radically human is to be radically messy."
Content Advisory: This episode contains discussion of drug addiction, psychosis, suicidal thoughts, mental health, and recovery. Some listeners may find these topics distressing. Please listen with care and seek support if needed.
Connect with Shane
@NotAnotherRehab
@Supreme_Ultimate_Shan

When did you actually learn to want alcohol?
Most of us assume our relationship with alcohol began the first time we had a drink. But what if it started years before that?
In episode 254 of The Alcohol ReThink Podcast, Patrick explores how advertising, culture and everyday life quietly shape our expectations around alcohol long before we ever take our first sip.
From the Budweiser frogs and iconic Guinness adverts to birthdays, weddings and Friday night pints, he asks whether the desire to drink is always our own, or whether we've simply been following a script we never realised we'd learnt.
Inspired by his daughter turning eighteen and wanting to celebrate with her first legal cocktail, Patrick reflects on why alcohol has become so closely linked with celebration, reward and belonging, and why questioning those assumptions can be far more powerful than relying on willpower alone.
This isn't an episode about judging alcohol or telling you to stop drinking.
It's an invitation to pause, get curious, and ask yourself one simple question:
"Where did I learn that alcohol belongs here?"
Because sometimes, a single question is enough to change the conversation you have with yourself.
⬇️ Resources ⬇️

Download The 5pm Booze Free Habit Builder

🔥 Sign up to The 30-Day Method to Break the Cycle of Drinking Without Relying on Willpower
If YOU feel successful in many areas of life but still find yourself pulled back into the same drinking patterns…
Then you’re probably MISSING the awareness and tools I’ll be REVEALING inside this FREE 30-Day Training for Men Ready to Take Back Control...
➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get Started Right Away by clicking HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠

Work with Patrick:
Discover how coaching can support your goals in rethinking alcohol.
👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Connect with Patrick:
Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠patrickjfox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thealcoholrethinkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Support the Podcast
If you love the podcast and want to show your support in helping it continue, you can buy Patrick a coffee here:
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/patrickfox⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What role does alcohol really play in your life?
To mark Alcohol Awareness Week (6th- 12th July), Patrick is joined by Adam from Alcohol Change UK for an honest conversation about the theme Alcohol & Me and why taking a closer look at our relationship with alcohol could be one of the most important things we ever do.
Get ready to hear how they explore:
Why alcohol has become part of almost every celebration, sporting event and social occasion.
How marketing has convinced us that alcohol makes life's best moments even better.
The hidden ways alcohol affects sleep, anxiety, stress, relationships and energy.
Why so many men use alcohol as their "off switch" at the end of a busy day.
The power of community when you're trying to change your relationship with alcohol.
How a simple moment of reflection can become the beginning of lasting change.

Adam also shares his own personal experience of alcohol-related harm, the work Alcohol Change UK are doing to reduce alcohol harm across the UK, and why Alcohol Awareness Week is about curiosity, not judgement.
If you've ever wondered whether alcohol is giving you more than it's taking away, this conversation is a great place to start.
Useful links:
• Take Alcohol Change UK's free "Check Your Drinking" quiz.
• Learn more about Alcohol Awareness Week.
• Find out how to become an Alcohol Change UK Community Champion or support their work.
If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the podcast, leave a review and share it with someone who might need to hear this conversation today.

Sign up to The 30-Day Method to Break the Cycle of Drinking Without Relying on Willpower
If YOU feel successful in many areas of life but still find yourself pulled back into the same drinking patterns…
Then you’re probably MISSING the awareness and tools I’ll be REVEALING inside this FREE 30-Day Training for Men Ready to Take Back Control...
➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get Started Right Away by clicking HERE⁠⁠⁠

Work with Patrick:
Discover how coaching can support your goals in rethinking alcohol.
👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Connect with Patrick:
Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠patrickjfox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thealcoholrethinkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Support the Podcast
If you love the podcast and want to show your support in helping it continue, you can buy Patrick a coffee here:
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/patrickfox⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The sun comes out, the temperature rises, and suddenly your brain starts telling you that a cold beer would be nice.
Sound familiar?
For many men rethinking alcohol, sunny weather can feel like a trigger. But is it really the sunshine that's creating the urge to drink, or is something else going on?
In this episode, Patrick explores a simple coaching question that has the power to completely change how you think about triggers:
"It's sunny... so what?"
Together, we'll unpack the beliefs, meanings and associations that often sit beneath the desire to drink when the weather is nice. You'll discover why the sunshine itself isn't the problem, how your brain learns to connect alcohol with certain experiences, and why many of the things we believe about alcohol are actually stories we've stopped questioning.
Patrick also explores:
Why sunny weather feels like a trigger for so many people
The difference between a fact and a learned belief
How alcohol becomes associated with holidays, barbecues, pub gardens and summer memories
Why a thought about drinking doesn't mean you're going to drink
How fear, panic and FOMO can strengthen old patterns
The importance of creating new evidence and new associations
If you've ever worried that wanting a drink means you're back at square one, this episode will help you see those thoughts in a completely different light.
Because sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is get curious and ask:
It's sunny... so what?