The Alcohol ReThink Podcast with Patrick Fox

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 ⬇️

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If you love the podcast and want to show your support in helping it continue, you can buy Patrick a coffee here:
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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:
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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:
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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?

When life feels hard, it's easy to believe something has gone wrong.
Maybe you're frustrated with your drinking.
Maybe you've been trying to make changes, but keep finding yourself back in the same patterns.
Maybe you're carrying the weight of work, business, relationships, finances, parenting, or simply trying to hold everything together.
In episode 251 of The Alcohol ReThink Podcast, Patrick Fox explores why life and sobriety can feel difficult at times, and why that doesn't mean you're failing.
Drawing on six years of coaching men to rethink alcohol, Patrick shares the common struggles he sees in good men who want to do better, yet find themselves caught between who they are and who they want to become.
You'll learn why alcohol often becomes both a reward and an escape, how stress and self-judgement can keep people stuck, why difficult emotions aren't a sign that something is wrong, and the simple mindset shift that can help when life feels overwhelming.
This episode is a reminder that struggling doesn't mean you're broken. It means you're human.
Why good men often feel stuck in behaviours they no longer want
The hidden pressures many men carry every day
Why alcohol becomes a release valve for stress and responsibility
The difference between temporary relief and lasting change
Why sobriety can feel harder before it feels easier
The connection between emotions, thoughts, and self-judgement
A personal story about asking for support when life felt overwhelming
The powerful lesson from a coaching client who realised how far he'd already come
How to create a "bare minimum protocol" for difficult days
Why staying in the arena matters more than being perfect
Whether you're searching for help with drinking, men's mental health, stress, burnout, motivation, self-confidence, emotional wellbeing, or simply trying to figure out why life feels so hard right now, this episode offers practical insights and a powerful reminder that struggling doesn't mean you're failing.

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
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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:
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