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Club Soda helps you live well by being more mindful about drinking. Our podcast brings you news, drinks recommendations, advice and interviews to support your changing drinking habits.Our new series, Beyond Booze, explores the world of alcohol-free drinks.
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Beyond Booze season opener and overview
Beyond Booze is a new podcast series from Club Soda exploring the world's best alcohol-free drinks.
In this week's season opener, host Noah Villeneuve talks to Club Soda co-founder Dru Jaeger about his experience in the drinks industry. And together, they take a look ahead at what's coming up on Beyond Booze. Week by week, you'll learn more about alcohol-free drinks, get recommendations for cocktail serves, and find the best places to drink mindfully around the world.
Subscribe now to get the latest episodes of Beyond Booze each week. Episode 1 is out on 4 April.
Discover more about Beyond Booze.
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Mar 21, 2023
Beyond Booze is coming soon
Beyond Booze is a new podcast series from Club Soda exploring the world's best alcohol-free drinks.
Hosted by Noah Villeneuve, who heads the cocktail programme at our Drury Lane Tasting Room, Beyond Booze introduces the amazing humans behind some of the best alcohol-free drinks on the market today.
Week by week, you'll hear more about how their drinks came to be and get their views on the low and no industry. Noah's guests share the highs and lows of creating alcohol-free brands, recommendations for cocktail serves, and the best places to find alcohol-free drinks around the world.
Catch Noah next week as he previews Beyond Booze with Club Soda co-founder Dru Jaeger. Then dive in for episode 1, launching on 4 April.
Discover more about Beyond Booze.
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Feb 15, 2023
The Club Soda podcast is taking a break, but we'll be back
We're taking a short break from the Club Soda podcast. If you've been a regular listener, thank you so much for your support. This podcast wouldn’t be possible without you.
Lots of exciting things are coming soon, though.
Right now, Noah Villeneuve is working on a new podcast series exploring alcohol-free drinks. He’ll be talking to beer, wine and spirit makers, diving deep into the world of non-alcoholic mood enhancers, and sharing his wisdom about making mindful cocktails.
And Dru Jaeger is putting together new episodes on the basics of how to change your drinking. We’ll take you on a journey considering whether cutting down or quitting is right for you, how to take your first steps and how to keep going for the long term.
Meanwhile, we've got 120 episodes in our back catalogue to explore. Check out our most popular episodes, including interviews with Rapper Dax about his hit Dear Alcohol, author Catherine Gray on sustaining long-term change and academic Dr Emma Davies on what we know about "normal" drinking. There’s so much to explore and lots to enjoy.
And Club Soda isn’t going anywhere. So come and visit our Tasting Room at 39 Drury Lane in London to discover a world of low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks. Connect with us across social @joinclubsoda. And find drinks, articles, courses, events and more at joinclubsoda.com.
You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter, delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning and packed with ways to help you choose better alcohol-free drinks, change your drinking and connect with other people who are drinking less or not at all.
Music by ComaStudio from Pixabay.
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Feb 8, 2023
Mark Wong of Impossibrew on redefining alcohol-free options
On this week's podcast, the wonderful Yasmin Spark interviews Mark Wong, founder of the most relaxing of alcohol-free options, Impossibrew. You'll remember Club Soda friend Yasmin from her takeover of the Club Soda podcast for Black History Month last October. She interviewed so many amazing people that we couldn't fit them all into our schedule, but this one was too good to miss out.
Mark Wong is the founder of Impossibrew, a beer that's sure to make you relax without using alcohol. With active herbs to keep you on track while also giving you that 'aah' feeling, Mark has created a range of alcohol-free options that begin to redefine alcohol-free options as not something less than alcohol, but something better than alcohol.
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Jan 31, 2023
Club Soda Drink Special Podcast: Paul Mathew from Everleaf
Looking for a cocktail conversation that really hits the spot? This week, resident Club Soda mixologist and cocktail expert Noah Villeneuve talks to Paul Mathew from Everleaf in our first-ever Club Soda drink special podcast. Paul is a biologist by background before he got into making delicious AF drinks. He's created this incredible drink Everleaf, of which we stock three tantalising flavours in the Club Soda Tasting Room in Covent Garden which Noah uses to make our signature AF cocktails with. Paul and Noah have this brilliant conversation all about flavor and botany and ingredients and cocktail making, so get ready to nerd out over the delight of Everleaf in alcohol-free drinks.
For more great drinks inspiration, fantastic podcast guests, and tips, tricks, and guidance from our team, visit the Club Soda podcast and listen back to some great episodes! The Club Soda podcast is all the inspiration you need to create and sustain a life that doesn’t centre on drinking. Find the advice and support you need, whether you are cutting down, taking a break or going alcohol-free for the long-term.
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Jan 24, 2023
Lou Lebentz: What's next after you've changed your drinking?
Club Soda co-founder Dru met the fantastic Lou Lebentz at a festival panel last summer and was drawn to her openness and warmth. Lou is a therapist, trauma specialist, and speaker who, due to her own experiences with addiction both professionally and personally, has some great lessons and insights to share.
With 15 years of sobriety under her belt, as well as some fascinating experiences which helped her forge her career, Lou shares how she changed her drinking, and how, in turn, it changed her life. Her lesson was that it's not always the booze that's the problem, but to root out the trauma, you need to stay off the bottle. She talks to Dru about giving yourself over to the process of change, and how that is far more validating than drowning out your life.
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Jan 17, 2023
Callum Hughes on celebrating pub culture alongside sobriety in his new show, Thirst
For actor, writer, and singer Callum Hughes, pub culture has often gone alongside his working and personal life. Having had time to contemplate and write his new show, Thirst, during Covid isolation, Callum realised that he had the opportunity to tell his unique story of addressing his problematic relationship with alcohol while also celebrating the community that pubs provide. Callum jumped at the chance to bridge the gap between changing our drinking and pub culture and broaden the conversation about these two closely linked but rarely discussed topics.
Having posted an advert for his new show on Club Soda's Events page, co-founder Dru couldn't wait to chat with Callum about his motivations for creating this funny, moving, and often musical show, and how drinking might have become a problem for him, but pub culture can still be a positive, nurturing environment, even if you're drinking 0% beer.
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Jan 10, 2023
Gillian Bennett: Sugar cravings when you change your drinking
At Club Soda, we love nothing more than lively discussions in our Facebook group about the stuff that matters most to our community. One topic that we've noticed comes up often is that of sugar cravings, weight loss, and mindful eating alongside mindful drinking.
On this week's podcast, our content writer, Anja Madhvani, had a wonderful conversation with nutritionist and mindset coach Gillian Bennett about how the idea of losing weight gets tied up in the business of changing our drinking and how closely related mindful eating and mindful drinking are as psychological concepts. Gillian and Anja's chat is enlightening in many ways, and we think you'll be reassured and inspired by this fascinating podcast.
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Jan 3, 2023
Cat Sims: Not so smug now about alcohol
When our team heard that Cat Sims of Not So Smug Now Insta fame had given up drinking, it was just another reason to love the blunt, topical, and frankly hilarious influencer. We couldn't wait to have her on our podcast to talk about alcohol, parenting, public personas, and how to have a private life when you're a social media star. Club Soda co-founder Dru has a frank and funny conversation with Cat about using terminology that allows you to live the life that you want to live when you give up drinking.
If you're new to quitting booze this January or you just need a little uplifting, insightful inspiration to get you through the winter months, you'll definitely want to put this podcast at the top of your January to-do list!
Trigger warning: sexual assault is mentioned halfway through this podcast, at around 28 minutes in. If you need to skip over this part of the conversation, please do that.
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Dec 23, 2022
The Club Soda team: planning for Christmas
In our last episode before Christmas, we're excited to introduce you to the newest members of Club Soda, our Tasting Room team. They've joined us recently as we began planning for Christmas in a new retail venue, and this fantastic bunch is helping to run the bar, Tasting Room, and everything else that goes with being in a shop environment.
This time last year we spoke to members of the Club Soda team, about how they were planning for Christmas, what they were drinking, and how they felt about drinking less or not at all over the Christmas holidays. They shared practical tips and skills and all those kinds of things, so go and listen to that episode, if you want to. And we're doing the same thing but with a whole new cast of people this year. We love hearing about what people love (and hate) about Christmas - we hope you enjoy learning more about the Club Soda team.
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Dec 16, 2022
Nicola Price: Remember to breathe this Christmas
We're in the run-up to Christmas with a week and a bit away until Christmas day, and many people are starting to feel stressed about Christmas. This week on the podcast, we're talking to the lovely Nicola Price. Nicola's work is to teach people to breathe and connect with the breath during stressful times. She's been alcohol-free for a long time, and as a breast cancer survivor, she's a fighter and an inspiration, all while helping others to be calm. This podcast is full of useful tips on how to breathe this Christmas - this is an episode that you won't want to miss!
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Dec 9, 2022
Jo Ferbrache: Rising to the challenge of change
As we approach the New Year, some of us might be thinking about challenging ourselves to a month off drinking. Some of us might have been moderating and fancy a change, or maybe January is the excuse we've been looking for to take the plunge. The challenge of taking time out from our problem drinking can be daunting. Today's podcast guest, Jo Ferbrache, rose to the challenge of change, challenging herself to a year without drinking while raising money for charity. The challenge changed her life - listen to learn how.
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Dec 2, 2022
Laura and Dru: How to pick an alcohol-free drink
This week's podcast is a little break from the norm as Club Soda founders Laura and Dru chat about how to pick the perfect alcohol-free drink. Of course, this conversation is really about the fact that we've opened a brand new shop and tasting rooms in the West End, and we want to tell you all about it! So if you're looking for experts to help you choose, taste, and enjoy an alcohol-free drink, then come on down to 39 Drury Lane, London, and we'd be very excited to welcome you.
Find out what motivated our team to open a permanent tasting space, what the plans are for the space, and what alcohol-free drink selection we'll be stocking and serving you when you call in over Christmas and New Year!
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Nov 25, 2022
Jonny Stevens on navigating alcohol-free drinks
This is a special podcast for our podcast listeners in the United States. It's Black Friday in the US, and yesterday was one of the biggest celebrations of the year, Thanksgiving. As we know, wherever you are in the world, big celebrations can also mean being surrounded by alcohol. This can be the start of a tricky time of year for those of us who are changing our drinking. As such, we've invited Jonny Stevens from US alcohol-free marketplace Better Rhodes to talk to us about navigating alcohol-free drinks.
We're happy to be able to bring this podcast to our listeners from our US partner, Better Rhodes. At Club Soda, we're happy to promote and support organisations that offer alcohol-free options to our community, and Better Rhodes is the biggest supplier in North America! Have a listen to this informative podcast and why not order yourselves a new favourite alcohol-free drink this holiday season?
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Nov 18, 2022
Sarah Williamson: From active moderation to alcohol-free
Active moderation is a hotly debated topic within our community: does it work, is it achievable, and how do people sustain moderation as a tool for problem drinking? The journey to changing our drinking can be different for everyone, and at Club Soda, we welcome everyone’s journey and everyone’s approach.
We’re excited to welcome guest podcaster and coach Sarah Williamson to our podcast this week. Sarah hosts her own brilliant podcast, Drink Less; Live Better, where she shares short snippets of wisdom with her listeners. She joins Club Soda co-founder Laura to talk about her own reflective and mindful period of active moderation, and why she ultimately chose sobriety as her personal path away from problem drinking.
Listen to more great content around moderation and sobriety on the Club Soda podcast - find us on all the usual podcast platforms or visit the podcast page on our website.
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Nov 11, 2022
Anit Chatrath: Life beyond dependence on alcohol
When Anit joined Club Soda’s Facebook group in March 2018, he already had 2 years of experience in keeping his dependence on alcohol at bay. But Anit, known in our group as Hove Kal-El, didn’t just get control over his binge drinking issues. In his own words, ‘I'm a firm believer that the party doesn't stop just because you're alcohol-free. It just begins actually’. Anit's chat with Club Soda co-founder Laura about his inspiring journey from dependence on alcohol to finding both sobriety and community is full of positivity and hope. His journey is a shining example of the support we give and receive to each other in our Facebook group and our in-person events, and what makes Club Soda such a special place to be. Make yourself a cup of tea and take a listen to this brilliant episode.
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Nov 4, 2022
Kate and Mandy from Love Sober on their new book 'Love Your Sober Year'
Our podcast guests this week are no strangers to the mindful drinking world. Kate Baily and Mandy Manners, also known as Love Sober, are expert podcasters, alcohol recovery coaches, and well-known social media faces in the sobriety sphere. We're delighted to welcome them back to the podcast to talk about their second book release, 'Love Your Sober Year'. They talk to Club Soda co-founder Dru Jaeger about mummy wine culture, learning how to rest, and what life can look like during each season of a sober year.
Each week, we get to have in-depth discussions with movers and shakers in the Mindful Drinking world. From researchers, coaches, podcasters, social media stars, and celebrities to every day inspiring stories, we feel lucky to be able to share these incredible stories that help to shape our thinking around drinking.
The Club Soda podcast is all the inspiration you need to create and sustain a life that doesn’t centre on drinking. Find the advice and support you need, whether you…
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Oct 28, 2022
Lazarus Letcher on getting sober, making music and reconnecting with community
Lazarus Letcher is a musician, writer and academic who draws on their experiences living as a Black, queer, trans, sober person in America. This conversation with guest podcast host Yasmin Spark explores Laz's experience of getting sober and connecting with their ancestral history. And they discuss the power of music-making without alcohol, from viola players having the best seat in the orchestra to the founding influence of black queer people on dance music.
In this episode, Laz mentions Accountability Mapping for QTBIPOC.
This episode is the last of our special season celebrating Black History Month in the UK and LGBT+ History Month in the US.
Each week, join Club Soda co-founders Laura Willoughby and Dru Jaeger on the Club Soda podcast to dive deeply into the subjects that matter. Join them to discover incredible alcohol-free drinks, find life-changing advice and practical tips, and hear from experts on sober and mindful living.
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Oct 21, 2022
Dina Basharahil and the discourse around Black Muslims during Black History Month
Our fourth of five episodes of the Club Soda podcast for Black History Month centers around Black Muslims, and how they're often left out of the discourse during Black History Month. Black Muslim entrepreneur Dina Basharahil talks to podcast host Yasmin Spark about why that is. This fascinating discussion also touches on being a non-drinker in your workplace, especially in a fast-paced industry such as PR.
Club Soda is a community of people drinking mindfully and living well. And the Club Soda podcast is a great way to discover what we are talking about. Check out the other episodes in our Black History Month 5-part miniseries now!
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Oct 14, 2022
Discovering sober joy with our Black History Month panel
Our Black History Month podcast takeover continues, and guest podcast host Yasmin Spark says that this episode was a joy to record. That's good to hear as our panelists, Bethany Irving, Michael Singh, and Rhondell Stabanna discuss discovering sober joy after changing their problem drinking habits.
This cheerful episode features real-life stories from our panel of sober Instagrammers about their reasons for stopping drinking and the joy that they found in that process.
Listen to the Club Soda podcast to discover amazing alcohol-free drinks, find life-changing advice and practical tips, and hear from experts on sober and mindful living. It's available wherever you subscribe to podcasts. Find your platform here.
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Oct 7, 2022
Staying sober in a world that's burning with Jason-Candid Knusel & Michael Adu
This week we're in the second part of a two-part podcast topic to kick off Black History Month. The subject is staying sober while the world is burning. If you missed last week's amazing interview with Valerie Mason-John, last week, make sure you catch up on the past podcasts and find it.
In this episode, podcast takeover host Yasmin Spark speaks to two prominent voices in hospitality; Michael Adu from The London Stress Centre, and Jason-Candid Knüsel from Healthy Hospo.
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Sep 30, 2022
Staying sober in a world that's burning with Valerie Mason-John
October is Black History Month in the UK. This year, the fantastic Yasmin Spark has taken over our podcast. Over the next month, Yasmin speaks to an incredible array of inspirational guests, featuring stories from the Global majority about people and organizations that help people change their drinking in different ways.
In this week's podcast takeover, Yasmin speaks with the fabulous Dr Valerie Mason-John. Valerie is an author, teacher, and mindfulness practitioner who happens to be both black and queer - a double win for our global community’s history months. These inspirational activists talk about staying sober in a world that's burning, and how we can stay present and focused and our healing journey.
Each week, join Club Soda co-founders Laura Willoughby and Dru Jaeger on the Club Soda podcast to take a deep dive into the subjects that matter. Join them to discover amazing alcohol-free drinks, find life-changing advice and practical tips, and hear from experts on sober and min…
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Sep 23, 2022
Yasmin Spark's podcast takeover for Black History Month
This podcast episode is kicking off a series of 5 episodes to come over the next month focusing on Black History Month. We've invited the wonderful Yasmin Spark to take over our podcast for the month, leading a series of interviews with voices from the Global Majority on changing drinking habits and overcoming problem drinking.
In this introductory podcast, we get to know our Black History Month podcast host. Yaz approached Laura with an idea to create connections for people of colour in the mindful drinking community, and we're honoured to help her make that happen. She's put together an incredible array of stories, perspectives, and topics for the coming weeks.
Stay tuned to the Club Soda podcast over the next 5 weeks to hear interviews from fantastic guests such as Valerie Mason-John, Dina Basharahil, Lazarus Letcher, and many other black and people of color who all have a different experience and individual insights into changing their drinking.
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Sep 16, 2022
Jason-Candid Knüsel: Putting hospitality at the centre of bar culture
When we started putting together this latest podcast, it was scheduled for National Hospitality Day which has now been moved to 30 September due to the period of national mourning. National Hospitality Day is a day to celebrate people who work in the hospitality industry and the amazing spaces that they run. At Club Soda, we are connected to this through our work with The Drinks Trust and supporting people in the hospitality industry to deal with bar culture and alcohol. Discover more about our work to support people in the industry and secure a fully-funded place on one of our in-depth online courses.
In this podcast episode, Club Soda co-founder Dru Jaeger chats with Jason-Candid Knüsel, an award-winning bartender and managing director of not-for-profit organisation Healthy Hospo. Its mission is to create a healthier, happier, more prosperous hospitality industry for workers and customers. Jason-Candid and Dru talk about how to make bar culture more mentally and physically healthy…
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Sep 9, 2022
Lea Watson: Coping with tragedy and going alcohol-free
This week's podcast guest, Lea Watson, is known mostly for her Instagram account @glowsober where she is the queen of alcohol-free drinks and quit-lit reviews. But her reasons for going alcohol-free are much deeper than a healthy lifestyle choice. Lea talks candidly about the tragedy that made her turn to drink and the power she found in taking back control of her alcohol issues, and her life.
'It feels like when I tell my story, it feels like a long line of quite tragic events. And they are. But they're also they are also about the power bit ... because actually, the decision was, I either stop drinking, or I go and actually jump off a bridge because there was no in-between. Alcohol could not make me function in a way that made me have the life that I wanted to live. And it turned out that I wanted to design the life that I wanted. I didn't want it to control me anymore.'
Our podcast is available on all your favourite podcasting platforms, like Apple, Google and Spotify. Subscribe t…
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Aug 26, 2022
Alcohol and sport, stereotypes, and real health
While most social gatherings tend to involve booze, alcohol and sport seem to be inextricably linked. It's a heady mix of celebration drinks, commiseration drinks, and getting together in a passionate environment. Trips away, hosting others, and using the clubhouse for events also lend themselves to a good amount of drinking. So what happens when alcohol and sport become a problem for players and supporters?
The world of sport is not one that most of the team at Club Soda are particularly familiar with, so we invited some of the movers and shakers of the sports world to come and talk to us about the changing face of alcohol and sport. We were excited (and a little nervous) to speak with the founding Trustee of the Women’s Sport Trust, Sue Anstiss MBE, stereotype-smashing Muslim rugby player, Zainab Alema, and sports mental health advocate Mat Mason-Hames of Mindset sport. The panel discussion is chaired by Bruce Aitchison, presenter of rugby-based podcast Happiness Is Egg Shaped.
C…
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Aug 19, 2022
Sober clubbing: Morning Gloryville, House of Happiness & DryWave
While changing our drinking can be challenging, it's important not to lose the things that bring us joy as a counterbalance. Giving up alcohol doesn't have to mean giving up all the other things that booze may have played a part in, and that includes socialising, dancing, and feeling free. Sure, partying our socks off without alcohol to turn the self-conscious switch off can seem daunting. But what if this was a drink-and-drug-free party?
Our podcast guests this week have all changed their drinking and embraced sober clubbing. More than that, these sober party fans have been busy arranging events across the UK so that those of us who love to dance can still come together safely to do what we love: rave!
Our podcast guests include Roxy Deniz Ozalp from the original morning wellness rave, Morning Gloryville, Neil Hudson-Basing from a brand new sober clubbing experience, The House of Happiness, and Ben Riley from DryWave whose Sundown session with legendary N-Trance takes place this Ban…
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Aug 12, 2022
London Wine Fair: alcohol-free wine is getting better
A big topic of constant discussion in our community is alcohol-free wine. People who've been hardcore wine drinkers who have not quit drinking search for alcohol-free alternatives. Often disappointed by the alcohol-free wines that they're finding in their supermarkets, people become really desperate to find something else of a higher quality. When it comes to good alcohol-free alternatives, the wine market has been a little slower than most to catch on with the low and no market. Thankfully, though, things are getting better.
When Laura got the opportunity to revisit London Wine Fair with 17 low and no alcohol wine alternatives, she jumped at the chance to show how this category is on the rise!
This podcast was recorded at London Wine Fair 2022 with wine experts Christine Parkinson and Harry Crowther. Both experts came along to talk about why it's important for venues to stock more low and no options, and why the length of time it takes to make wine means it's at the back of the race…
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Aug 5, 2022
Amy Armstrong on ready-made drinks for a sober picnic
The British summer may well be unpredictable, but we'll always find time to have a long Sunday afternoon lazing on a picnic blanket in the warmth. While this is a rare slice of balmy heaven for many, for some of us this can be a really triggering experience. In social situations like this, usually associated with alcohol, the anxiety around the cans of booze and ready-made cocktails in the picnic bag can ruin a perfectly lovely day.
This podcast conversation with Australian non-alcoholic drink expert Amy Armstrong from Dry But Wet is all about the alcohol-free alternatives for sober picnics. There is now a great range of pre-mixed can options for us non-drinkers for our sober picnics, including:
Everleaf Forest
The Mavrik Cuban Mojito
Chateau del ISH
Nozeco Rose
Drynks Smashed Cider
Big Drop Brewing Co Beer
Amy joins Club Soda founder Laura to taste test the best. This podcast was recorded at Imbibe Live in early July.
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Jul 29, 2022
Rosie Wilby on alcohol and relationships
This week's podcast is a look back at last month's fantastic Mindful Drinking Festival in Brighton. One of our two keynote speakers, comedian and author Rosie Wilby, talked about alcohol and relationships, breakups, and making space for one another. Many of you will know Rosie from her podcast, The Breakup Monologues, which is also the title of her brilliant new book.
As Rosie explains, the title of her book is a bit misleading. Rosie talks to Dru about relationships of all kinds; romantic relationships, friendships, and the spectrum of interpersonal connections that can affect how we change and evolve when they end. If you're cutting down or cutting out alcohol and relationships begin to change, it can be hard to reconcile who you once were to each other.
Please note that this podcast was recorded as a live panel in front of an audience at our Mindful Drinking Festival. Some background noise appears in this recording at times.
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Jul 1, 2022
Fantastic Mindful Drinking Festival speakers for Brighton 2022
This week, Club Soda co-founder Dru is joined by founder Laura and events organiser Josh to talk about the exciting festival speakers and events that will be happening during the Mindful Drinking Festival. If you don't already know, this year's festival, the tenth one we've run, will be held at the beautiful Brighton Open Markets on July 9 & 10, and there's so much to see and do that we've had to split it into two podcasts!
Alongside the myriad of colourful stalls at the festival where you can try a great range of low and no alcohol drinks, we've got a wonderful list of festival speakers to inspire and motivate you to drink mindfully and live well.
Take a look at our events page to make sure you don't miss talks that you'd enjoy, and grab your free festival ticket here!
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Jun 24, 2022
Mindful Drinking Festival preview: alcohol-free drinks
With only a fortnight to go until our Mindful Drinking Festival in Brighton, we thought that the team at Club Soda could give you a little festival preview so that you know what to expect to find. We're super excited to be meeting you all in person again at the beautiful Brighton Open Markets, and we're bringing a whole host of brilliant alcohol-free brands with us!
This week's podcast is a discussion between the Club Soda team about the range of alcohol-free drinks available at the festival and why we think you should come and try them. With the weather set to be fine, why not listen in to our festival preview and then join us by the seaside for the real thing?
If you're not in the UK but you've been inspired to try some new alcohol-free drinks where you are, check out vendors in your country here with our list of online alcohol-free drinks providers around the world.
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Jun 17, 2022
B Corp: alcohol-free drinks as a force for good
We're really excited to announce that Club Soda has finally become a certified B Corp organisation. It's been a long time in the making and we're really proud that our social impact business is now recognised as being socially, economically, and environmentally responsible.
But we're not the only ones in the alcohol-free sector who have received this accolade. We know that living well is so much more than being responsible for our alcohol intake and it's up to businesses to be ethically responsible across the board.
Our podcast guests this week, all B Corp certified distributors, brands, and influencers in the low and no sector, join us in celebrating alcohol-free drinks as a force for good.
Find the advice and support you need on our weekly podcast, whether you are cutting down, taking a break, or going alcohol-free for the long term. The Club Soda podcast is available wherever you subscribe to podcasts. Find your platform here.
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Jun 10, 2022
Robin Lomax on celebrating alcohol-free beer for Beer Day Britain
Alcohol-free beer is the healthiest thing you could be drinking in the pub after water and we think that it's worth celebrating the growing prominence of this fantastic, fast-expanding market. We're particularly pleased that alcohol-free beer is starting to get the recognition it deserves as brands and drinks reach their own milestones.
Ahead of Beer Day Britain, which is celebrated on the 15th of June this year, Laura speaks to Robin Lomax of AF Beer Club about how alcohol-free beer deserves its place in our hearts and fridges.
Robin has worked hard to be an ambassador of alcohol-free beer and has teamed up with Wise Bartender to curate beer subscription boxes - get yours here.
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Jun 3, 2022
Changing drinking for busy parents
When you're a busy parent who's trying to accelerate your career whilst making sure your kids are having plenty of your time and are still getting to football/piano lessons/birthday parties on time, changing drinking habits can be really low down on your packed to-do list. That limited time to decompress at the end of the day might have involved a few wind-down drinks. Changing drinking when you're snowed under with being a busy, working parent juggling all of these things can be extra challenging.
In this episode of the Club Soda podcast, co-founder Laura Willoughby talks to Casey McGuire Davidson, a coach for busy Mums who are thinking of changing drinking while parenting. This podcast is particularly valuable if you're a busy parent who's reevaluating your relationship with alcohol.
Our podcast is available on all your favourite podcasting platforms, like Apple, Google and Spotify. Subscribe today and get all our latest news, interviews and drinks reviews.
The Club Soda podcast i…
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May 27, 2022
Bartender 2.0
At Club Soda, we're proud to support everyone involved in the alcohol industry. Whether you're a problem drinker, a venue who wants to stock alcohol-free products, or a bartender looking to up their game with knowledge of low and no alcohol drinks, we're here for it. In this week's podcast episode, we revisit a conversation between a long-time friend of Club Soda, Camille Vidal of La Maison Wellness. She talks to three bartender guests about how we can build a more sustainable hospitality industry. If we all work together, we can help more of us to drink more mindfully.
Thanks for joining us on the Club Soda podcast. To find more about Club Soda, follow us across social media by following @joinclubsoda. Please like and subscribe wherever you get podcasts and why not share this podcast with a friend?
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May 20, 2022
Eat, drink, laugh, dance, repeat.
It's not unusual, in the early days of changing our drinking, to worry that we won't be able to do the things that we enjoyed before if we don't drink. For most of us, socialising is so intertwined with drinking that we can't see how our social situations - parties, weddings, Saturday nights, friendship groups - will be ok without alcohol playing such a prominent part. It's true that a lot of things change when we cut down or quit booze, but it doesn't mean that we can't still eat, drink, laugh, dance, and repeat, all the things we social beings love to do.
This podcast conversation was recorded during last year's Global Mindful Drinking Festival, which was held online due to the pandemic. It features experts in the field of food and drink, mindfulness, movement, sober raving, and much more about how you approach life with less alcohol in it. It's possible to still have a great time without alcohol - our expert panel has some tips on how to navigate potentially boozy situations withou…
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May 13, 2022
Club Soda founder Laura Willoughby on being 10 years AF
You'll all know Club Soda's founder, Laura Willoughby, but what you might not have known is that this super inspirational woman celebrated 10 years alcohol-free this week. To celebrate, Laura joined co-founder Dru and a host of guests on Zoom to discuss what Laura has learned from 10 years sober.
'It's a very good opportunity for me to share my story and some of the things I've learned and to let you know what 10 years might feel like for those of you who are still on the way and on that journey yourself and to maybe know that the sky doesn't fall in.' - Laura Willoughby.
Laura's journey sees her going from a heavy drinker to one of the top 100 influential people in drinks. This lifelong passionate activist also started a mindful drinking movement along the way! In fact, Laura's journey over the last 10 years is also a part of your story - without her, we wouldn't all be here, as a mindful community, listening to this podcast.
So pour yourself your favourite AF drink (or a cup of te…
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May 6, 2022
How can I navigate a boozy work culture?
If you've ever worked in a boozy workplace, you know how difficult it can be if you're cutting down or giving up. Outside of standing around the water cooler, post-work drinks are a typical way of getting to know your colleagues. Business lunches often involve lunchtime drinks, and if, like Laura, you're in a career that sees you at public events, drinking can even start in the morning! Boozy work culture can be really tricky to navigate if you're changing your drinking, but not impossible.
This week's podcast is a throwback to our Global Mindful Drinking Festival in October, where Alex Walker from Bee Sober hosts a panel of experts to discuss boozy work culture and how to navigate it with your goals and intentions intact.
Club Soda is a community of people drinking mindfully and living well. And the Club Soda podcast is a great way to discover what we are talking about. The Club Soda podcast is available wherever you subscribe to podcasts. Find your platform here.
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Apr 29, 2022
Millie Gooch on making friends when you're sober
When you're drinking, surrounded by your drinking buddies, and having a good time, it's hard to imagine what life would be like when you're sober. Would those drinking buddies understand that the good time can quickly escalate into chaos? Would they still want to hang out if you took a break from drinking? If you're newly sober, will you be able to make new friends who understand your life choices?
These are all questions we've all asked ourselves if we've tackled problem drinking. Even those in long-term sobriety, like our founder Laura and friend of Club Soda, Millie Gooch from Sober Girl Society, have had to face up to the anxiety of change within their social setting. This week's podcast episode is a throwback to our Q&A with Millie from last year's Mindful Drinking Festival where our resident extrovert Laura and a formerly anxious Millenial Millie discuss making friends when you're sober.
Our podcast is available on all your favourite podcasting platforms, like Apple, Google, an…
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Apr 22, 2022
Taking time for tea with Michelle and Rob of Comins Tea
Giving up alcohol often leaves space for other things to become more prominent in your life. You might find you have more time for hobbies, have deeper relationships with friends and family, and learn to love other drinks other than alcohol. In Club Soda founder Laura's case, she accidentally walked into a fine tea shop one day, and so began her love affair with tea. Making time for tea is a simple way of including mindfulness in your everyday.
Laura and Club Soda director Nic Rattle went to talk to their favourite tea dealer, Comins Tea. Michelle and Rob Comins are so passionate about creating space and time for tea that they have devoted an entire Georgian house to the practice. They talk about leaves, infusions, and how taking time for tea is more than just a quick brew - it's an easily accessible, meditative practice that can change your day.
Each week, join Club Soda co-founders Laura Willoughby and Dru Jaeger on the Club Soda podcast. Deep dive into the subjects that really mat…
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Apr 15, 2022
Talk Club & Bristol Beer Factory on men's mental health
When having work done on their house, Club Soda co-founder Dru Jaeger found themselves hotdesking in a cafe, ordering an alcohol-free beer. On the back of a bottle of their Clear Head 0.5% IPA was an advert from Talk Club, a talking and listening movement for men. Talk Club has collaborated with Bristol Beer Factory by providing space for meetings, collaborating together making beer, helping to raise awareness, and providing much-needed income for the charity to further its mental health awareness goals. Of course, Dru pinged them an email right away, and this conversation is the result of that serendipitous afternoon.
Club Soda is a community of people drinking mindfully and living well. And the Club Soda podcast is a great way to discover what we are talking about. Our podcast is available on all your favourite podcasting platforms, like Apple, Google, and Spotify. Subscribe today and get all our latest news, interviews, and drinks reviews.
The Club Soda podcast is available wherev…
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Apr 8, 2022
Rapper Dax on his hit 'Dear Alcohol'
For Canadian rap artist Dax, his latest hit 'Dear Alcohol' started as a poem. It reflected his drinking habits once he moved to LA to become a full time music artist. With three or four boozy music events every night, the booze also became a full time habit. Using alcohol as a confidence tool on his first tour, the alcohol started to consume Dax's life.
'I just found myself being more social, and more confident. So then it became a thing where it was almost like I wish I could be this super confident all the time. So I just felt like I was chasing him and trying to like bridge the gap between this super confident person when he's drunk and my normal...shy self.'
And then the pandemic hits. Alone at home, Dax has time to reflect on his drinking habits. And 'Dear Alcohol' was born. To listen to Dax's self-aware song about moderation, click the link here.
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Apr 1, 2022
Why doesn't willpower work for me?
In this week's podcast episode, we are recapping a conversation that we had at our Global Mindful Drinking Festival in October last year about willpower. The topic of willpower is one that's brought up often in the Club Soda community, usually when people are in the early days of changing their drinking and wonder 'why doesn't willpower work for me?'.
Club Soda founder, Laura Willoughby, invited a panel of mindful drinking experts to explore the topic of willpower, and how to rely less and less on it in order to create lasting change. The panel guests for this podcast are Amanda Kuda, Don Shenker, and Frazer McGlinchey.
Each week, join Club Soda co-founders Laura Willoughby and Dru Jaeger to take a deep dive into the subjects that matter. The Club Soda podcast is all the inspiration you need to create and sustain a life that doesn’t centre on drinking. The Club Soda podcast is available wherever you subscribe to podcasts. Find your platform here.
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Mar 25, 2022
Annemarie McAllister on the temperance movement
A few weeks back, Dru Jaeger caught up with Dr Annemarie McAllister, a cultural historian and leading researcher into the history and effects of the temperance movement. Annemarie is a senior research fellow in History at the University of Central Lancaster, and a nationally renowned expert on the history of temperance.
Dru's conversation with Annemarie has been particularly interesting to us at Club Soda. Having had a lot of press coverage for our alcohol-free off-licence, where people have been intrigued by the idea of a shop selling only low and no alcohol products, it's interesting to remember that there was a time when there were thousands of temperance movement bars across the UK.
The fascinating chat between a researcher of a historic temperance movement and the instigator of a modern mindful drinking movement teaches us that the idea of moderation and abstinence, and the problems and challenges around both, are not new. But the same question arises now as did then - how can w…
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Mar 18, 2022
Victoria Volk on grief and alcohol
This week's podcast is a collaborative effort between Dru Jaeger of Club Soda and Victoria Volk of Grieving Voices podcast.
Victoria is a grief recovery specialist and hosts Grieving Voices. If you subscribe to her podcast as well, you'll get to hear this again.
In this conversation, Dru and Victoria talk really frankly about their experiences of childhood bereavement and the ways in which they've lived with grief and how alcohol has played a role in that life.
You might find some of this conversation upsetting. If you need support, it's okay to hit the pause button, reach out to the Club Soda community or your friends around you. And remember to take very good care of yourself.
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Mar 11, 2022
Chelsey Flood on alcohol and neurodiversity
It's true to say that alcohol and neurodiversity are not indivisible. Alcohol is often used as a coping mechanism in social situations. If you have autism, socialising can be extra daunting, and your intake of 'Dutch courage' can become excessive.
In this week's podcast, Meet the Scholar host Claire Davey talks to our guest, author and speaker Chelsey Flood about alcohol and neurodiversity, and how a late diagnosis of autism affected her in changing her drinking.
'Looking back, I can see that autism was probably paying playing quite a big part in the way that I drank. I used to drink a lot just to be around people. And it would just have to be a little bit just to be around people. So it was very much like medicine...I worked out that one bottle of lager made me feel normal and confident and have a conversation with people. But without the bottle of lager, I just couldn't do it.'
The Club Soda podcast is a great way to discover what our community of people drinking mindfully and liv…
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Mar 4, 2022
Madeleine Shaw on sobriety and social change
In this week's podcast episode, Club Soda founder Laura Willoughby, herself an advocate of social change, talks to Madeleine Shaw, a social entrepreneur from Vancouver, Canada.
Madeleine talks candidly about how being a strong advocate for social change can also mean coming from an anti-authoritarian background. Being rebellious at a young age linked Madeleine with alcohol - "drinking was kind of a bad-ass thing that was bound up with rebellion". But as both Laura and Madeleine agree, when you become an advocate for social change, the rebellious act of harmful drinking can morph into something that looks sophisticated and quasi-cultural but is just as problematic.
This discord between behaviour and values, about how we present ourselves versus how we actually feel, caused both women to impact community and social sectors in ways they never thought imaginable.
Our podcast is available on all your favourite podcasting platforms, like Apple, Google and Spotify. Subscribe today and get…
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Feb 25, 2022
Lu Blue on sober yoga and the importance of movement
Often when we think about change, it's very head-based. We think very hard about things. We forget that both our use of substances and some of the reasons that lead us to alcohol actually rooted in our bodies. So getting better acquainted with how we feel, can be a really important part of us changing.
This week's podcast guest, Lu Blue, runs the yoga movement Sober Yoga. They are queer, non-binary, and in recovery. Lu's fascinated with how the body is such an integral part of healing and recovery. They talk to Dru Jaeger about the importance of not relying solely on the mind to make real behavioural changes - it's about movement, too.
Our podcast is available on all your favourite podcasting platforms, like Apple, Google and Spotify. Subscribe today and get all our latest news, interviews and drinks reviews.
The Club Soda podcast is available wherever you subscribe to podcasts. Find your platform here.
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Feb 18, 2022
Monty Moncrieff on London Friend's 50th anniversary
Monty Moncrieff is chief executive of London Friend, an organisation that's been supporting the capital's LGBTQ+ community for the past fifty years.
In this latest episode of the Club Soda podcast to celebrate the organisation's 50th anniversary, Monty chats to Dru Jaeger about his work, the organisation's history and what the future holds for queer people in London and beyond. They dive deep into the subject of LGBTQ+ identity formation, coming out and the sometimes damaging role that alcohol can play in queer lives.
The Club Soda podcast is a weekly exploration of topics around changing your drinking. Discover more about Club Soda and support the show.
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Feb 11, 2022
Valerie Mason-John on mindfulness for LGBT History Month
February is LGBT History Month in the UK. It is also Black History Month in the US - we swap over in October. As it happens, we are featuring stories from the queer community about people and organizations that help people change their drinking in different ways. We are featuring a conversation that Club Soda co-founder Dru had back in October's Mindful Drinking Festival with the fabulous Dr Valerie Mason John. Valerie is an author, teacher, and mindfulness practitioner who happens to be both black and queer. So, you know, that's a double win for our global community's history months. Their conversation about mindfulness as a tool for changing problem drinking is enlightening.
Want to listen to more Club Soda podcasts? All 3 series of our podcast is available wherever you get your podcast.
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Feb 4, 2022
Can you be queer and sober?
Can you be queer and sober? The answer, of course, is yes. You can be absolutely anything that you want to be. Perhaps a better question is: can you easily be queer and sober? As we learn from our panel discussion which was recorded during our Mindful Drinking Festival in October 2021, being queer and being a drinker can be inextricably linked. Linking our drinking to such a crucial part of our identity can cause problems when we feel ready to ditch the booze.
A really important branch of what we do at Club Soda is Queers without Beers. It's a charity that we set up in around 2016 which hosts a series of alcohol-free LGBTQI+ social events and an online community. Being as February is LGBT+ History Month in the UK, we wanted to revisit this important conversation, which is chaired by Queers without Beers' trustee Scott Pearson, also known on Instagram as @proudandsober.
Our podcast is available on all your favourite podcasting platforms, like Apple, Google and Spotify. Subscribe toda…
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Jan 28, 2022
Matt Steinberg on arts-focused addiction support with Outside Edge Theatre Company
At Club Soda, we encourage a variety of tools and resources that helps people on their personal drinking journeys. Whether that's reading Quit Lit, listening to podcasts, taking courses, or joining sober communities online or in real life. But there are many ways of participating in addiction support services that can also help you to gain confidence, meet like-minded people, and gain a new sense of self beyond alcohol.
Outside Edge Theatre Company is the UK's only participatory arts charity that is focused solely on addiction support. Founded in 1999 by actor, writer, and theatre director Phil Fox, Outside Edge was created so that he could support his own recovery from alcohol and heroin addiction. Now, actor and creative director Matt Steinberg is at the helm. He talks to our own founder, Laura, about how creativity, immersion in the arts, newfound confidence, and a sense of belonging are at the core of helping people to change their drinking.
Our podcast is available on all your f…
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Jan 21, 2022
Jamie Klingler on claiming your sobriety and Reclaim These Streets
The act of making a change to our drinking habits can help us to reconnect with the things that are important to us.
This week's podcast guest, the inspirational Jamie Klingler, started with addressing her discomfort with playing the party girl role. In actively avoiding numbing herself, Jamie found a clear head, an articulate voice, and a reignited passion to engage with her values and an ability to tackle issues that mean a lot to her. What resulted is Reclaim These Streets, a movement that started with a vigil for London murder victim Sarah Everard and now campaigns against and educates about violence against women. Jamie is proving that you gain much more than you lose when you make positive decisions for yourself. And those changes don't just affect you; those ripples can change communities for the better.
Our podcast is available on all your favourite podcasting platforms, like Apple, Google and Spotify. Subscribe today and get all our latest news, interviews and drinks reviews…
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Jan 14, 2022
Mel Pegley on mindfulness, meditation, and support to change your drinking
It's the middle of January, and you may be feeling a bit flat after the exciting start of your month of change. If willpower and motivation are ebbing, then leaning into mindfulness can be the new tool that helps you to build the life that you want to live.
There is good research and evidence out there that practising mindfulness can actually help us create and sustain change. Whether that's a formal practice, like sitting and meditating, or informal practice, like mindful walking, journaling, or even a mindful colouring book. Mindfulness can mean different things to different people. It is always, though, the business of paying attention to our thoughts and feelings, not being judgmental of ourselves, treating ourselves kindly, learning to notice, slow down, and act with intention. There are all really useful life skills when it comes to negotiating the business of change.
This week's guest speaker is holistic recovery coach Mel Pegley. Mel specialises in mindfulness-based addiction…
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Jan 7, 2022
More tips for a month off booze
Following on from last week's podcast which gave some expert advice on preparing to take a month off drinking, this podcast is all about giving you some valuable tools that you might need to sustain your month off booze. Now that we've reached the second week of January, it's easy to take a successful first week and tell ourselves it's all about willpower, or luck. But as Laura says,
'You don't need luck to change your drinking, as that implies that willpower and wishful thinking are enough. What you really need is to plan, to learn, to surround yourself with people who are doing something similar. You need to immerse yourself in your intentions.'
The key learning here is that everything you learn as you move through your drinking journey, whether it's linear, sporadic, monthly, or several attempts later, improves your self-efficacy and your ability to get back on the horse.
This conversation was recorded back in October 2021 as part of our Global Mindful Drinking Festival, and feat…
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Dec 31, 2021
Advice for taking a month off drinking this January
Tomorrow is 1 January, a time when we all start thinking about New Years' Resolutions. These might be smaller steps such as getting more fresh air or drinking more water. Your goals for 2022 might be focused on addressing bigger issues such as problem drinking. This is the time of year when people think about taking a month off drinking. And if you're thinking that this might be the plan for you, then at Club Soda, we're here for it.
In the last podcast of 2021, Club Soda co-founders Laura and Dru discuss stepping forward into 2022 with a clear plan to take a month off drinking and kick-starting some positive change. This discussion also features bounce-backs to great coping mechanisms shared by guest speakers at our Global Mindful Drinking Festival in October. Club Soda friends Scott Pinyard of This Naked Mind, Rhian Joy of In my Sober Skin, Lindsey Beveridge from Recovery Nutrition, Ruairi Fairburn from One Year No Beer, and Chris Marshall from Sans Bar in Austin, Texas.
Our podcas…
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Dec 24, 2021
Christmas with the Club Soda team
There's a whole team of people behind Club Soda, and in this Christmas Eve podcast episode, we're giving you a peek behind the curtain to introduce you to team members Ali, Nia, and Anja. All three Club Soda Elves have personal experiences with either sober Christmases or moderation during what is usually a booze-soaked time of year.
This is a chance to get to know the Club Soda team and learn their tactics to navigate a successful hangover-free Christmas. If this is your first sober or mindful drinking Christmas, then this is a valuable listen. The Club Soda team discuss distractions, planning, how to find joy in other ways, favourite alcohol-free festive drinks, and whether or not sprouts really ruin a Christmas dinner or not...
Our podcast is available on all your favourite podcasting platforms, like Apple, Google and Spotify. Subscribe today and get all our latest news, interviews and drinks reviews. The Club Soda podcast is available wherever you subscribe to podcasts. Find your…
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Dec 17, 2021
Club Soda opens London's first alcohol-free off-licence
When Club Soda founder Laura gets an idea in her head, it usually turns into something pretty wonderful. We know this because as this podcast goes live, London's first-ever alcohol-free off-licence will have been open for a week!
Putting a little alcohol-free fun into the London Christmas shopping scene this December, Laura's big idea has caused quite a splash. Listen to Laura talk to Dru live from the shop and discuss the fantastic brands and excellent masterclasses that you can expect to find in the UK's first every alcohol-free off-licence!
Our podcast is available on all your favourite podcasting platforms, like Apple, Google and Spotify. Subscribe today and get all our latest news, interviews and drinks reviews.
The Club Soda podcast is available wherever you subscribe to podcasts. Find your platform here.
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Dec 10, 2021
Who am I if I'm not a drinker?
Whether we like it or not, if we've been drinking quite a lot for a long period of time, it's likely that drinking has become a part of who we are. But if we're not a drinker anymore, then who are we? That uncertainty regarding our identity without booze is a question many people who choose to go alcohol-free ask themselves.
In this week's podcast, the discussion is chaired by Claire Davy, a PhD student at Canterbury Christ Church University. Claire's guests are researcher and lecturer Dr Emily Nicholls, Head of Student Engagement David Gilani, drinking coach Sarah Connolly, Mikey Moss from Recovery Festival Bristol, and Hakeem Allen, founder of the Anti Racist Social Club.
This conversation was recorded in October 2021 as part of Club Soda's Global Mindful Drinking Festival.
Our podcast is available on all your favourite podcasting platforms, like Apple, Google and Spotify. Subscribe today and get all our latest news, interviews and drinks reviews. The Club Soda podcast is availabl…
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Dec 3, 2021
The alcohol-free version isn't a non-drinker's only option
The low and no alcohol market has blossomed over the last few years, much to the delight of those of us who choose to cut down or quit the hard stuff. But the alcohol-free version of alcoholic drinks isn't for everyone. For some, the taste of the drinks they used to love is a real trigger and the sensory anxiety caused might be turning some non-drinkers off.
The soft drinks industry has responded with a plethora of tongue-tingling beverages to entice those who aren't so keen on the alcohol-free versions of alcoholic drinks. Laura talks to some of the best soft drinks producers on the market, including Frobishers, Karma Drinks, Nonsuch Shrubs, and Square Root.
This podcast is sponsored by the British Soft Drinks Association.
Our podcast is available on all your favourite podcasting platforms, like Apple, Google and Spotify. Subscribe today and get all our latest news, interviews and drinks reviews.
The Club Soda podcast is available wherever you subscribe to podcasts. Find your platf…
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Nov 26, 2021
How to stop drinking at home
We're in the run-up to Christmas. As we all get warm and cosy in our houses, then alcohol can become really very present either in our thinking or just in our kitchens and our drinks cabinets in a way that can really trip us up. For some of us, the pandemic has meant that we've started drinking at home in the same way as we drank when we were out with friends. For those of us who were home drinkers, the anxieties around the pandemic might have caused our home comfort drinking to spiral out of control.
So, now that the world has changed, how do we stop drinking at home? What can we do to keep ourselves safe from temptation in our own homes? And how do we overcome boredom, social anxiety, and habit in a familiar environment?
This discussion was recorded at the Global mindful drinking festival in October 2021. It's led by Richard Piper, Chief Executive of Alcohol Change, and he's joined by community activist Laura Jerram, psychotherapist Emma Gilmore, Lateef Joseph-Maynard, founder of O…
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Nov 19, 2021
Discover great alcohol-free drinks with Tom from WiseBartender
We've chosen to kick off Season 3 of the podcast with one of our favourite festival conversations with the brilliant Tom from Wise Bartender. He chats with our founder Laura about how far the low alcohol and alcohol-free drinks industry has come over the last decade, and give tips and advice on their favourite wines, beers, botanicals, kombucha, and more!
As you know, we took a break during October to run our Global Mindful Drinking Festival. We had lots of great conversations with some fascinating, inspirational, and enthusiastic people, and you can still access over 30 hours of video content to download right here.
Our podcast is available on all your favourite podcasting platforms, like Apple, Google and Spotify. Subscribe today and get all our latest news, interviews and drinks reviews.
The Club Soda podcast is available wherever you subscribe to podcasts. Find your platform here.
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Sep 29, 2021
What's on during our Global Mindful Drinking Festival October 2021
We're taking a little hiatus from our podcast during October. But we're not just taking a break. We're thrilled to be running the Global Mindful Drinking Festival during the whole of October. Here are Club Soda co-founders Laura and Dru discussing what's on and why you should sign up to take part now!
*What is the Global Mindful Drinking Festival?*
The Global Mindful Drinking Festival is a busy month of live drinks tastings, discussion panels, expert Q&A and webinars. Discover delicious alcohol-free drinks. Troubleshoot your challenges with changing your drinking. And connect with others in the Club Soda community worldwide. Our October Global Mindful Drinking Festival is a month-long online and real-world celebration of all things mindful and alcohol-free.
This is actually going to be our ninth festival, but only the second one that we've done virtually. So we've done seven Mindful Drinking Festivals in London and Glasgow, where we've got everyone to try lovely alcohol-free drinks,…
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Sep 22, 2021
Get involved with Sober Student Societies with Club Soda & #BeRebelAF
A big part of University life is about getting drunk and skipping a load of lectures, right? Well, we don't think so. And neither do sober student societies across the UK who, alongside our student-focused initiative, #BeRebelAF, support and empower students who want to take control of their alcohol intake. Who said sober was boring? With #BeRebelAF, you can take advantage of all the fun of Freshers Week and beyond, just without the hangover!
If you're heading off to Uni with no intention of drinking then you're not alone! With one in four students choosing not to drink at all, sober societies allow students to make new sober friends right from the very first week of Uni. In this podcast, we speak to three student societies from the University of York, the University of Lancaster, and the Queen Mary University of London, and learn how they cater for sober and sober curious students.
*Welcoming our three Sober Student Societies*
With plenty of experience in student activities, in-hou…
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Sep 15, 2021
How to drink sustainably with Binary Botanical
Our podcast this week is all about how to drink sustainably and how to make positive choices in what you drink when you go alcohol-free. Who better to guest edit this edition of our Sustainable September podcast than Danielle from Binary Botanical? Binary Botanical uses a waste ingredient - the hop leaf - to make their unique, tangy and herbal wine lover's beer. Try it for yourselves today with 20% off with code Club20.
Danielle teams up with Jo from Giki Zero, an app that enables us to monitor and amend our carbon footprint and live a more sustainable lifestyle. This includes how we consume products like non-alcoholic drinks ethically, and how we can change our drinking habits as well as our environmental habits so that we drink sustainably.
Later in the podcast, Dru speaks to Danielle from Binary Botanical, Christine from HOLOS Kombucha, and Claire from Allotment Drinks about how their brands are doing their bit for sustainability.
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Sep 9, 2021
Sugar, sweeteners, diabetes and an amazing mojito with Urban Cordial
This week's podcast is sponsored and edited by our friend Natasha Steele from Urban Cordial. Unhappy with the sickly, sweet non-alcoholic drink offerings on the market, Natasha created Urban Cordial. This helped her, and ultimately others, to tackle both their alcohol and sugar consumption and. Because we don't just do one thing at a time, right? In this podcast, Natasha talks to dietician and all-around sugar expert, Laura Tilt about overhauling our drinks. Natasha also shares how to use Urban Cordial to create the most amazing alcohol-free mojito.
*Who is Urban Cordial?*
At Club Soda, we believe that being part of a community is the superfood of behaviour change. That's why we're thrilled to team up with Natasha from Urban Cordial. This fantastic range of low sugar cordials came about after Natasha became fed up with watching her colleagues getting smashed while she sipped on something syrupy sweet, full of sugar, and pretending to taste like fruit. It was just disgusting. So I was…
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Sep 1, 2021
What is normal drinking? With Dr. Emma Davies
When we're changing our drinking, we often talk about problem drinking versus normal drinking. But what does normal drinking actually mean? How do we include alcohol in our lives in an unproblematic way? Our podcast this week is a really fascinating discussion with Dr Emma Davies, senior lecturer in Psychology at Oxford Brookes University, who has researched drinking behaviour for over 10 years.
*Who is Dr Emma Davies?*
As well as being the Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Oxford Brookes, Dr Emma Davies joined the Global Drug Surveyas the Alcohol Lead. She's been directing and shaping alcohol questions and health messaging as part of the survey. Emma has also been conducting her own alcohol research for about 10 years. Her focus has been on our behavioural approach to alcohol consumption. That means what we intend to do versus what we actually do, and where these intentions begin to change. With very little previous research around the idea of normal drinking, Emma and her colleagues…
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Aug 25, 2021
Sober clubbing with Dr Avi from Move4Love
Changing our drinking habits doesn't have to mean changing the things that give us joy. This includes the sociable elements of going out, such as music and dancing. Sure, we may be a bit nervous of raving away without alcohol turning off the self-counscious switch. In our interview with practicing doctor and mindful DJ Dr Avi, founder of Australian movement Move4Love, we learn how popular and fun sober clubbing really is!
*What is Move4Love?*
Move4Love is a global movement started by Dr Avi in 2017 which centres around movement and wellbeing. The movement aims to create safe and supportive spaces for people to express themselves via music and dance. Move4Love is an inclusive sober clubbing experience for people of all ages, fitness levels, cultures, and backgrounds. This alcohol and drug-free experience is run by international DJs and aims to prescribe a large dose of fun and physical movement to those who are embracing a sober lifestyle.Use music as a tool...to help you de stress, b…
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Aug 17, 2021
Alcohol and trauma with Mark and Victoria Escott
We don't normally put trigger warnings on our blogs and podcasts at Club Soda. If ever there was a subject that needed it, though, it's alcohol and trauma. Trauma is a very personal experience. For those of us who've combined alcohol and trauma as a means to cope, this conversation is challenging. For this reason, we urge you to decide for yourselves if you're in the right headspace to hear it.
Our discussion today is with trauma specialists Mark, founder of School for Inspiring Talents and Life Chance Education, and his wife Victoria, a therapist specialising in trauma and addiction.
*Alcohol and trauma specialists Mark and Victoria*
Husband and wife super team Mark and Victoria Escott connected through their own recovery journeys from drugs, alcohol and trauma. Now, they help others who have had traumatic experiences. Trauma could be from a car accident, divorce, or childhood abuse. Their career paths are different but their work centres around the same goal: to help those in need…
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Aug 9, 2021
Sober Empowerment with Harriet Waley-Cohen, Janey Lee Grace, and Ian Young
This week's podcast features guest host, women's leadership and empowerment coach, and long-time friend of Club Soda, Harriet Waley-Cohen. Harriet is joined by author and podcaster Janey Lee Grace and addiction consultant Ian Young. This inspirational trio discusses how sobriety has helped them and their clients to become more empowered.
*Meet your Empowering Hosts*
*Harriet Waley-Cohen*
Harriet has been on her own sobriety journey for the last 18 years. Since she gave up drinking in 2002, she has been helping people realise personal empowerment and true potential in sobriety. Harriet comes at coaching from a very real place - she herself has had many life experiences, having recently survived breast cancer, all whilst being sober. You can find out more about Harriet's public speaking and coaching workshops on her website, or join her free Facebook page, Harriet's Inner Circle.
*Janey Lee Grace*
You may know Janey as being co-presenter on the UK’s biggest radio show, BBC Radio 2…
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Aug 5, 2021
Meet the makers of the best non-alcoholic beer of 2021
Following on from this week's Ask Dru which discusses whether or not beer is good for you, we thought you might want to know which are the best non-alcoholic beer options available. And, as it happens, we had exclusive chats with the industry's best beer brewers during the brand new Low 2 No Bev Show, which took place in June at Truman Brewery, London.
Take a listen as we discuss what makes the best non-alcoholic beer with market leaders Small Beer, Drynks, UNLTD, Jump Ship Brewing, Fungtn, Lucky Saint, and Binary Botanical.
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Jul 28, 2021
Authentic Relating with Drew Larson, Chris Gray, and Dr Margo Greenwood
Often, when we turn to alcohol, it is because we're missing a connection; to ourselves, to others, to meaningful communication, and to freedom of self-expression. In this podcast, we hear Drew, Chris, and Dr. Margo, all course leaders in the ART of Recovery, discussing the transformative authentic relating training and the impact it had on their, and others', problem drinking.
*What is Authentic Relating?*
The opposite of addiction is connection, and the practice of Authentic Relating aims to re-connect you to yourself - your goals, dreams, and truths - as well as with others and the world around you. Coaches like Drew, Chris, and Margo teach us the skills and tools to come back to our true connection. By using Authentic Relating as a tool for seeking freedom from addiction to substances and compulsive behaviors, we can learn to be with ourselves in any situation. For example, Margo feels she can now be in a drinking situation without being overwhelmed:If I'm in a pub, right in the m…
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Jul 22, 2021
Dry July Down Under With Australian Experts Andy Moore and Shanna Whan
This week, for Dry July, we delve into last year's Mindful Drinking Festival archives to hear the fantastic conversation between Australian charity CEOs and sobriety experts Andy Moore and Shanna Whan as they discuss the problems Australians face when thinking about changing their drinking. From having personal experiences with alcohol that changed their lives to Andy becoming the CEO of Hello Sunday Morning and Shanna setting up Sober in the Country, their frank, informal discussion covers the rural and urban challenges both organisations help to address when helping people to change their drinking.
*Who is Shanna Whan?
*Shanna is the founder and CEO of Sober in the Country, a registered charity encouraging Australians to open up and talk about drinking culture and addiction recovery, especially in rural areas. Shanna describes herself as a recovered alcoholic, recognising her journey is still ongoing but she no longer needs alcohol in her life.
'I have a story of addiction', says…
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Jul 14, 2021
Black and white thinking is a barrier to moderation - Stephanie Chivers
In this week's podcast, habit and addiction coach and long-time friend of Club Soda, Stephanie Chivers, addresses a long-burning issue within our community; why some people need to be abstinent and why some people are more suited to moderation. This issue often bubbles up within our Club Soda Facebook group, causing some division. But, as Stephanie explains in her conversation with Club Soda's Dru below, black and white thinking - one approach is good and the other is bad - is exactly what hinders success for both abstinent and moderate drinkers.
*
Who is Stephanie Chivers?
*Stephanie is is a qualified Coach and Master Practitioner of NLP. Stephanie specialises in behaviour change and addiction as a 1-1 practitioner and in group work and has facilitated change for many people in many different addictive scenarios. She addressed her own addictive behaviours in her 30s and, as a result of her personal and professional insight, now gets a buzz from guiding others to lead healthy and ful…
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Jul 8, 2021
Sunshine Warm Sober: Catherine Gray on sustaining long-term change
Sunshine Warm Sober is the latest book from acclaimed author Catherine Gray. Catherine's first book The Unexpected Joy Of Being Sober was a roaring success, and we know you're going to love reading her new one.
Catherine Gray is an award-winning writer and editor. She has worked for magazines such as Cosmopolitan, GLAMOUR and Fabulous, for nearly a decade. Catherine loves writing about psychology, travel, social trends and fascinating people. Assignments have included interviewing the people behind-the-cameras on Planet Earth II, running a B&B for 24 hours, anonymously reviewing European hotels, and talking 35 men into posing naked for a testicular cancer charity. She’s a contributing editor at TLL magazine and has organised and interviewed covers such as Joe Wicks, Binky Felstead and Holly Willoughby. Her first book The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober was published in December 2017. It combines memoir details of how Catherine quit alcohol in 2013, along with listicles, illuminating i…
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Jul 1, 2021
Clare Pooley on finding your passion through sobriety
Clare Pooley joins Club Soda's Dru Jaeger to talk all things journalling. Clare decided to change her drinking when she noticed how much her wine habit was affecting her life. She worked in advertising, and her job required a lot of socialising and wining and dining with clients. Drinking was affecting her as a parent, she was gaining weight, and she was struggling with insomnia. She knew that moderation wasn't going to work for her, and so decided to stop drinking. Writing about her experiences was an intrinsic part of her changing her habits. This was done via an anonymous blog for some time.
*
Who is Clare Pooley?
*Clare Pooley graduated from Newnham College, Cambridge and spent twenty years working in advertising before becoming a full-time mum. Realising that her ‘wine o’clock’ habit was out of hand, Clare started writing a blog, Mummy was a Secret Drinker, which has had nearly three million hits. Her memoir, The Sober Diaries was published in 2017 to critical acclaim. Cla…
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Jun 23, 2021
What is the relationship between alcohol and creativity?
There is a commonly accepted idea that alcohol and creativity come hand in hand. When we look at many creatives who have been in the spotlight over the decades, it isn't uncommon to see problematic drinking habits linked to prolific creative output. In this conversation, creatives share how they changed their drinking, and the things they learned along the way. They all share their fears, and the sense of freedom to create that sobriety brought. We also discussed this recently with Kyle Ambition, a musician who took a break from alcohol and now moderates his consumption.
Liz Horsman is a songwriter, producer, blogger and sometimes videographer. Her songwriting and production work feature on albums by artists such as Gabrielle Aplin, Rudimental, Emeli Sande, Rizzle Kicks, JP Cooper and Tom Walker. She hosts this discussion on alcohol and creativity.
Sharon Walters is a London-based artist who creates hand-assembled collages celebrating Black women. The series, entitled 'Seeing Ourselv…
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Jun 16, 2021
Ex Korn guitarist Wes Geer on music and sobriety
Wes Geer has had a star studded music career, touring all over the world performing to huge crowds. We see the lifestyle of a touring musician depicted in films and shows, and alcohol and drug abuse often have a starring role in those stories. In this weeks podcast, Lauren Burnison interviews Wes Geer about his experiences, how he found sobriety, and what it's like to wear this new identity in an industry that often centres itself around partying.
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Who is Wes Geer?
*Wes Geer (Wesley) has been a professional musician for over 20 years. He first found success as the founding member of Jive Records artist Hed P.E. as guitarist, songwriter and producer. After touring the world for eight years, Wes left the band for a lifestyle change and ultimately landed in rehab. In 2010, at almost three years sober, he was approached to play with the legendary band Korn. He joined Korn and worked with them as their touring guitarist for the next several years, traveling to 42 countries, headlining sh…
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Jun 9, 2021
In Conversation with Adrian Chiles
This week we have a fantastic conversation between Geoff Jein and Adrian Chiles about cutting down our alcohol intake.
In Club Soda, when it comes to changing your drinking, three things are important to us:
* First, we don’t tell people how to change - if you want to cut down, take a break or stop drinking, we’ll support you all the way
* Second, we think how much you drink is relatively unimportant - what matters to us is how drinking makes you feel and the impact it has on your life
* And third, we encourage you to measure success on your own terms - we know that change isn’t straightforward and it can take time, and all your steps forward, however small, are worth celebrating
We say all of that because in this week’s podcast, radio and TV presenter Adrian Chiles talks frankly about the challenges and pitfalls of moderating his drinking. We got to know Adrian while he was making his 2018 documentary Drinkers Like Me. By his own admission, Adrian used to be a big dri…
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Jun 3, 2021
Drinking in Moderation: Sip Less, Enjoy More
Here at Club Soda, we support all drinking goals. Whether you want to wait, take a break, or find ways to enjoy drinking in moderation, we're here to help. In this episode, Chase Lee, Caitlin Padgett, and Sam Thonis share their experiences of moderating.
*
Who are Chase, Caitlin, and Sam?
*Chase Lee is the founder of podcast Stone Cold Moderation, which offers practical advice to help you foster a healthier relationship with alcohol. Caitlin Padgett is a transformational coach and the author of Drink Less Be More. And Sam Thonis is the founder of The Get Away Bar.
Our guests talking about how they found their feet with drinking in moderation. They share tips and ideas for finding your own framework. Of course, moderation isn't for everyone, but it does work well for some. The main thing is to make sure that you create your own set of rules, and figure out what's right for you.
*
Top tips for drinking in moderation
*Caitlin suggests starting with a break, but going deeper and reall…
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May 27, 2021
In conversation with J.F. Benoist, author of Addicted To The Monkey Mind
The way we think and respond to things has a huge impact on how we create change in our lives, and Jean-Francois Benoist is an expert on shifting thought patterns to overcome addiction. In this episode, we talk about mindset, and the four keys to thinking well about yourself. Benoist tells us how we can move away from using shame to motivate, and move toward a positive and empowered mindset.
Jean-Francois (J.F.) Benoist is an author and councillor specialising in addiction and relationship issues. We get stuck into some of the theories behind his book Addicted To The Monkey Mind, and find out how he helps people to rewire their behaviours and overcome addition.
He and his wife co-founded a Rehab Centre, a holistic approach skill-based programme in Hawaii, called The Exclusive Hawaii. He has also written a book called Addicted To The Monkey Mind, change the programming that sabotages your life. It's based on real life experiences of severe addiction, and takes learnings from everythin…
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May 19, 2021
Harriet Waley-Cohen, Ian Young, and Drew Lawson on connection with self
This week our podcast centres on our connection with self, our friend Harriet Waley-Cohen interviews Ian Young and Drew Lawson. We'd like to thank Harriet for guest-hosting the podcast, we're always grateful for her contributions toward Club Soda.
Ian Young runs a recovery centre on the island of Koh Phanang, and Drew is a Holistic Therapist. In this interview, they get stuck into how they've found a deeper connection to self, as well as to those around them through sobriety. They discuss the physical expectations we place on ourselves to appear and appeal in certain ways, and delve into spiritual practices that they have found helpful in their journey through sobriety.
Ian has a sober community around him and they enjoy dancing at the various parties on the island. At the peak of his pre-sobriety partying, Ian was using drink and drugs. He wasn't nourishing his body with food, and was hooked on sweet drinks like Malibu and Baileys. When he got sober, he worked in chocolate, and in t…
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May 13, 2021
Luke Worsfold on addiction, anger, and emotional disconnect.
Losing a parent at a young age can leave us with challenging emotions, and anger is a common one. If we aren't given the space to process, we can form dangerous habits that grow over time. How can we start to break away from this and reconnect with buried emotions? In this weeks podcast, Luke shares with us his own experience of loss, the anger and emotional shutdown that followed, and how he used therapy and mindfulness to overcome addiction and become the architect of the future he knew he deserved.
Luke is a therapist - or as he calls it, an Emotional Bank Manager. He runs a company called Lisa Inside Addiction, which helps people affected by addiction to discover healthier ways to manage their emotions. He do this through a podcast where I interviews world renowned experts on addiction and people directly affected by it. He also provides therapy in London and Southend, as well as a number of programs to help his clients break through the glass ceilings of their mental health.
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May 6, 2021
Kris from the Burnt Chef Project on drinking and hospitality
The hospitality industry can be a tough place to work. Hours are often long, breaks between shifts often short, and pay is often less than it should be. These are also high pressure environments, the pressure to deliver a great experience for your customers on a busy shift can cause a great deal of stress. When you work in this industry, you are usually in close proximity to alcohol, and it is often offered at a discounted price or for free, as a perk of the job. But what happens when you lose your balance with that? When stress and other mental health issues come into play, it can be all to easy to lean on alcohol and other substances to bring you down, help you sleep, or to put an intense shift behind you. In this weeks podcast, we speak to Kris Hall, founder of The Burnt Chef Project, who is doing some fantastic work to tackle poor mental health in the hospitality industry.
Kris is the founder of nonprofit social enterprise The Burnt Chef Project, which is a clothing and merchandis…
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Apr 27, 2021
Jill Stark and Millie Gooch on booze-free bliss.
When it comes to enjoying life without the booze, Millie Gooch and Jill Stark have got it locked down. In this weeks podcast, they share how they changed their drinking, from tricky conversations with friends, to sitting with difficult emotions, and finding new ways to unwind. Our podcasts this month are sponsored by the wonderful folk over at Lindeman’s Wine.
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Apr 21, 2021
Everything you wanted to know about alcohol-free wine.
We get loads of questions about alcohol-free wine. Why you can’t find an alcohol-free wine you like, what does it taste like, where should you buy it, are there alternatives to it? In this week’s podcast we put all of your questions to four experts in the field. We speak to:
* Tom Ward from online drink shop Wise Bartender
* Guy Roughly, from TWE Wines, who look after Lindeman’s alcohol-free wines that you can find in many UK supermarkets
* Christine Parkinson from Brimful Drinks
* Sarah Connolly from Sober Sommelier in Australia.
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Apr 14, 2021
Jenn Linck on booze culture in the military.
Military personnel work in tough environments, and we hear from lots of folk who find the drinking culture challenging. It’s easy to fall into that work-hard play-hard mentality, especially when you have enforced dry spells during active service. Binge drinking can seem harmless, particularly when you’re physically very fit. In this weeks podcast we are joined by Jenn, who lifts the veil on military drinking culture in the States. This podcast episode is sponsored by the wonderful folk over at Lindeman’s Wine.
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Apr 8, 2021
Sober milestone: Butch's story
One of the things we love to see in the Club Soda community is the way that everyone celebrates every milestone with each other. The community works so well because everyone is so giving of their time, whether that’s encouraging someone who feels that they’re stuck on day one, or answering questions from sober curious newcomers. If you’ve been in the group even a few days you’ll no doubt be familiar with Butch Cherry. He is one of our longest standing members and a volunteer admin in our Facebook community. He has just hit an incredible milestone, four years alcohol-free. He’s joined us on the podcast to share his story. This podcast has been sponsored by the good folk at Lindeman’s Wine.
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Apr 1, 2021
Neurodiversity and Alcohol
We are seeing more and more discussion around neurodiversity and alcohol in the Club Soda community. We’re not just talking about adults who are neurodivergent, we are hearing that alcohol is sometimes used as a coping mechanism by parents of neurodivergent children. On today’s podcast Mandy and Kate from Love Sober share their personal experiences, and talk about what they hear about from the mums they support at Love Sober. We’re hoping this conversation will be a starting point, and that in future we will explore this further, and hear about more neurodivergent people’s experiences.
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Mar 25, 2021
Kyle Ambition on Moderation and Creativity
It's easy to fall into the trap of believing that our ability to think with creativity is heightened by alcohol. We often associate troubled drinking habits with creative genius, the film industry tells stories of countless writers, musicians, actors, and artists whose creativity is seemingly intrinsically linked to alcohol. But surely to give credit for our creativity to alcohol detracts from our achievements as artists? While drinking may make us feel a little more confident or allow us to lower our inhibitions, it does not make us different people. We are who we are, and no matter what your relationship with alcohol, your creativity is yours to own. In this weeks podcast, we get chatting to Kyle Ambition, a musician who has spent four and a half years living a sober lifestyle, and recently began moderating his drinking.
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Mar 18, 2021
Finn Prevett, the Co-Founder of Positive Planners on the Power of Journaling.
Putting pen to paper can be intimidating, especially if you don't feel you have a flare for writing, and that's exactly how Finn, founder of Positive Planners used to feel. But journaling can be a powerful tool when it comes to processing your thoughts and feelings. Even just taking the time to acknowledge them and release them onto the page can help. In this week's podcast, Dru gets chatting to Finn Prevett about how she started Positive Planners, and how journalling became an essential tool in monitoring her mental health.
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Mar 11, 2021
Being a mum that no longer leans on drinking.
Becoming a mum completely transforms your identity, but we don’t often talk about what that means for your relationship with alcohol. In this weeks podcast, four mums get stuck into what changing their drinking looked like for them. Between them, these mums have about 20 years of sobriety, and nine children ranging from naughty toddlers to grumpy teams. Wherever you are on your motherhood and drinking journey, strap yourself in, grab a cup of peppermint tea, and get ready for some drinking stories. This one is for sober and sober curious mums on a mission.
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Mar 4, 2021
How we stopped getting drunk: Annie Grace & Ella St. John McGrand
In this weeks podcast Annie Grace and Ella St. John McGrande get stuck into conversation about how they stopped getting drunk. They share experiences from their drinking histories, and their individual journeys to finding peace in sobriety.
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Feb 25, 2021
Fitness and changing your drinking.
February’s podcasts are in partnership with Fluère, an alcohol-free spirit from the Netherlands made for mixing. It comes in four editions. Original, Amber, Pink and Agave. Something for every taste; floral, spiced, raspberry or smoked. They are offering 15% off with the code ‘lovefluere’ on their shop website. Follow them on social media for cocktail tricks & tips!
Many folk join Club Soda to change their drinking as part of an ambition to improve their fitness. If you become active or are trying to lose some weight, it can quickly become apparent that your drinking habits may need to change in order to facilitate this active version of yourself. In this week’s podcast, our founder Laura is in conversation with our Content Editor Anja, and Fiona bugler who’s a journalist. Fiona has written extensively about health and fitness extensively. In this episode we explore how the two intertwine, and the parallels we can find between training our bodies for fitness, and changing o…
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Feb 18, 2021
Sober sex with Sober Sex
February’s podcasts are in partnership with Fluère, an alcohol-free spirit from the Netherlands made for mixing. It comes in four editions. Original, Amber, Pink and Agave. Something for every taste; floral, spiced, raspberry or smoked. They are offering 15% off with the code ‘lovefluere’ on their shop website. Follow them on social media for cocktail tricks & tips!
For this week’s podcast, we were joined by our friends at the Sober Sex podcast to talk about all things sober sex and relationships! Laura spoke to DJ Louisahh and Rosie Romain about their sobriety journeys and how alcohol can play a role in relationships and intimacy. Full of advice on how to navigate relationships while sober, both romantically and with friends!
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Feb 14, 2021
How to use Lent to change your drinking
Many people know Lent as the thing that happens between Pancake Day and Easter where you’re supposed to give something up. But Lent can serve a much deeper purpose if you explore it a little further. We thought it would be good to find out what Lent is all about, so we invited our good friend Richard Washington to join us for a chat.
Richard is training to be a vicar in the Church of England. This year he should be ordained as a deacon and then a priest. He is studying theology, as well as mission and evangelism, which how we tell the story of the church and Jesus Christ. Even if you’re not religious, or if you follow a religion that doesn’t mark Lent in the calendar, this can still be a really great period of time for changing your drinking. Here’s what he had to say.
Our February podcasts are in partnership with *@fluere_drinks*! Their alcohol-free spirit comes in four editions, original, amber, pink, and agave - made for mixing! They are offering our listeners 15% with the…
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Feb 10, 2021
Alcohol and relationships: from dating sober to forging friendships.
*Let the love flow
*50 ml FLUÈRE Raspberry
25 ml quality apple juice
15 ml fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons strawberry jam
85 ml soda water
Shake everything except the soda water hard over ice. Strain into a wine glass, there should be a bit of foam, and add ice. Top with soda water, stir gently, and garnish with half a strawberry on the rim.
*
Finding confidence in dating sober and socialising with friends
*Building relationships with people when changing our drinking can be tricky, whether that’s dating sober or thinking about how we socialise with our friends. It often becomes apparent that alcohol was playing a central role in a lot of our relationships, and that can be a daunting realisation. But worry not, because we’ve gathered some great tips from some of the wonderful folk in the sober community. Check out the full episode to find out more about finding confidence in your relationships when you’re changing your drinking.
*
Dating sober
*
Sex gets better the more you comm…
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Jan 30, 2021
Parenting Under Pressure
February’s podcasts are in partnership with Fluère, an alcohol-free spirit from the Netherlands made for mixing. It comes in four editions. Original, Amber, Pink and Agave. Something for every taste; floral, spiced, raspberry or smoked. They are offering 15% off with the code ‘lovefluere’ on their shop website. Follow them on social media for cocktail tricks & tips!
This week we get stuck into parenting, family pressures, and coping with stress while restricted by the Covid 19 pandemic. Clare Pooley is the New York Times best selling author of The Authenticity Project her debut novel, which came out in 2020. She also wrote The Sober Diaries, and she started sharing her experiences of changing her drinking back in 2015 on her blog, mommy was a secret drinker. Marvyn Harrison (Marv) is the founder of Dope Black Dads, which grew out of a whatsapp group that he started in 2018. The group brings together a global community to have positive and constructive conversations about Black…
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Jan 28, 2021
Improving workplace culture by managing stress and encouraging mindful drinking
How do you create a workplace culture with a mindful attitude to drink? How do you support a team you rarely see face to face? How do you know if they are coping with the pressures of homeschooling or pandemic uncertainty?
In this podcast episode, we explore how to lead your team to drinking more mindfully as a way to reduce stress and improve mental health. We touch on how to speak to your boss about your drinking and how to create a workplace culture that supports people to drink less.
The discussion is hosted by *Tara Kent* from Champs, a Global Wellbeing Consultancy and partner with Club Soda. They support our Mindful Drinking Festival. And we hear from *Sara Gaughan *from Finlay James, a technology recruitment agency based in Manchester and the US. *Ross Carter* from The Drinks Trust – providing support, care and assistance to the drinks industry workforce since 1886. They offer a range of support to people in the food and drinks sector including a FREE Mindful Drinking Progra…
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Jan 19, 2021
7 tips on nutrition, weight loss, and changing your drinking
Rob Hobson is a registered nutritionist. He’s written two books, The Detox Kitchen Bible and The Art Of Sleeping. He contributes messaging about nutrition on TV and radio, and has done lots of work in public health as well.
Buy The Detox Kitchen Bible from Amazon UK // Amazon US // Amazon AUS
Buy The Art Of Sleeping from Amazon UK // Amazon US // Amazon AUS
Janey Lee Grace is a presenter and an author of several books on holistic living. Her latest, Happy Healthy Sober, has just been published. She ditched the booze two and a half years ago, and we are delighted that she did this interview Rob as part of the summer Mindful Drinking Festival.
This podcast is sponsored by our friends at Lucky Saint – the 0.5% Superior Unfiltered Lager. Lucky Saint are giving all our listeners £5 off their next order. Just enter the code *CLUBSODAFIVE* when checking out at www.luckysaint.co
There’s a lot more to losing weight than simply ditching the booze. The listicle below is full of tips w…
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Jan 14, 2021
Shahroo Izadi, The Kindness Method and The Last Diet
Shahroo Izadi is a psychologist, speaker, coach and author of The Kindness Method. Her latest book, The Last Diet, builds on her work specialising in addiction to help people change their habits for good. “What you want is the next choice you make to be a kind one,” she says. In this episode, Shahroo talks about the power of kindness with Club Soda’s Laura and Dru.
*Is changing your drinking so wildly different from any other type of change?
*
I think one thing which is definitely worth saying is that alcohol does lower your resolve. When I help people to change their habits, invariably you’ll be following some sort of plan. And alcohol, as a drug, is very good at making you not care about plans, compared to helping someone to reduce their sugar intake. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not underestimating the impact that sugar can have on you physiologically. But in terms of the impact it has on how much you care about following through the plan…Even if you don’t find yourself…
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Jan 7, 2021
Sabrina Pace-Humphreys on making friends through running
In this podcast episode we caught up with Sabrina Pace-Humphreys to find out more about making friends and building community as a sober ultra runner.
This post is sponsored by Lucky Saint 0.5% Lager
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Running and getting sober
*I’m a 42-year-old mum of four, grandmother of two. My professional life has changed quite a lot over the last couple of years, I previously ran a PR agency for 14 years. Now I work as a coach, personal trainer, and motivational speaker. Running is in my bag of tools that I use to manage my mental health and I want to do it for as long as I can. I suffer with depression and anxiety, and I suffered a hell of a lot more with that when I was drinking. Often I’ll do a long run with a friend and it’s like free therapy for both of you. It helps with a lot of stuff.*
*
I look back now and I think ‘how could I have thought that I was being a responsible parent when I was at that party with the kids and I was behaving in that way?’.
I got sober six years ago…
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Jan 1, 2021
Dry January podcast special: How to change your drinking
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Dec 25, 2020
How to make New Year's drinking resolutions that stick
If like me, you might have drinking less or going alcohol-free as your New Year’s resolution. I think it was probably on my list for at least 10 years, before something finally happened. We thought it’d be a really good idea to bring some people to you today to talk about how you set those intentions for the New Year. Even if it’s not about drinking, Taking on new challenges at the turn of the year can always be difficult, it’s the coldest time of year, and we’re probably feeling a little bit poorer and this year, we’re feeling like we’ve been starved of human connection as well. So it is that a weird time of year to set so many resolutions around renewal and newness. So here is advice from some of the people I have met over the last year to give you some tips on moving forward.
*Dru Jaeger*, programme director at Club Soda. He has written our courses on How to Drinking Mindfully and How to Quit Drinking and hosts our weekly Breathing Space session for members on our pro…
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Dec 13, 2020
An introduction to low and no alcohol drinks
This week’s Club Soda podcast episode is from a live webinar we did back in November with the wonderful Tom from Wise Bartender. Laura and Tom take you through an introduction to low and no alcohol drinks, ranging from alcohol-free beers and wines to non-alcoholic spirits, and share much useful information on the way.
It is best to listen so you can get the full benefit of the advice, though we have written a few key notes below. If you have further questions here are some answers to questions about alcohol-free drinks.
*Low and no alcohol drinks are not soft drinks
*Low and no alcohol drinks aren’t just soft drinks. They have been made for an adult palate. They’ve often been made in order to go with food, or for a particular occasion where you would have normally drunk alcohol. And they certainly are far more complex, with layering of flavours that you would not find in a soft drink. Many of the low and no drinks are completely sugar-free or low in calories. This isn’t like…
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Dec 10, 2020
Mindful Drinking and Sober Christmas Tips
Laura and Dru present Christmas tips from a cast of diverse voices from the mindful drinking and sober world to support you this holiday season. Covid has made an already challenging time of the year a little bit more complex practically, emotionally, and socially. So how do you keep off the sauce during the holidays?
*CHRISTMAS TIPS*
*Beth Kempton* is author of Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year. Given everything that has happened, instead of overspending, over-preparing and overdoing just about everything in an attempt to create the ‘perfect Christmas’ this year, what if we just relaxed, and focused on what really matters? Buy Beth’s book from Amazon UK // Amazon US //Amazon AUS.
*Simon Chapple*. How to Quit Alcohol in 50 Days is Simon Chapple’s second book. Buy it from Amazon UK // Amazon US // Amazon AUS.
*Ben Keene* (aka @tribebuilder) from Rebel Book Club. We love their style. Never Stop Learning. Monthly: non-fiction books, meets & community. Accelerate your reading…
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Nov 30, 2020
Tasting & food pairing alcohol-free beer
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Nov 23, 2020
In conversation with Marcus Barnes - Men, Alcohol and Mental Health
I’ve been a journalist for 17 years now. All of the different areas of journalism that I’ve worked in have allowed me access to parties, social events, events that have free drink etc. I started off in men’s interests, lads mags. Then I went into tabloid journalism, and now I cover music, mostly club music, raves, festivals and clubs. I’ve been doing that for the last 10 years and one of the things that I started to realise a few years ago was that alcohol had become quite a bit of a social crutch for me.
I started stepping into a more of a mindful, perhaps slightly spiritual way of being, my lifestyle choices started to change. I became more aware of my habits and decided to take a real hard look at what I was doing in terms of drinking. I decided to go sober two years ago. I had already done it once for 18 months. Prior to that, I was doing annual sober months in November, that gave me a little bit of a taster. But in December 2018 I went sober. I haven’t looked back since…
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Nov 19, 2020
How to talk to a loved one about their drinking
this episode of the Club Soda podcast, we talk to Jo Huey. She is a daughter of an alcoholic father, and through sharing her story she has discovered that there is a need to not only create the advice that people are looking for – how to talk to a friend or loved one about alcohol – but also that those whose lives have been affected by an alcoholic parent need support too. A space to share and confide. She has a great podcast and blog.
We spoke to her about how to raise the subject, talk to a loved one about drinking, and support them through change. The below is an edited transcript from out podcast episode with Jo.
HOW DID YOU START SUPPORTING FAMILY MEMBERS AFFECTED BY ALCOHOL?
My dad was the alcoholic in my life growing up. I didn’t get too involved in alcohol misuse until about four and a half years ago when I had a conversation with a friend and she said, ‘you know, you’ve got a story to tell, you should tell it’.
I was very passionate at that time about alcohol m…
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Nov 12, 2020
Rok Soba brings alcohol-free lifestyle to BTC Racing
Whether you want to cut down or stop drinking, make better alcohol-free drinks choices, or connect with other people, we are really glad you found Club Soda. We have been going for six or seven years now, and there are some people we got to know early on who’ve gone on to lead some pretty amazing lives.
Brothers Shaun and Lee Fennings were among our first members and having sorted out their own relationships with alcohol, they’ve gone on to build Rok Soba. Rok Soba is a lifestyle brand that inspires and motivates people to live a good life without booze; mindful, spirited, and defiant. These guys live by their mantra: “Face Everything And Rise“.
This week they achieve an amazing first – their logo will be on a car at the final of the BTC Racing Final at Brands Hatch.
Earlier this week, I spent some time hanging out with Sean and Lee and some of their mates, Mike Blomfield who runs Harley Davidson Newmarket. Richie Finney from men’s grooming brand Captain Fawcett, and Ber…
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Nov 5, 2020
Men Drinking Mindfully - Season 2 Episode 1
One of the things we find fascinating is that in this space, unlike so many others in society, it's the voices of women that you're most likely to hear.
Whether you read quit lit, listen to podcasts or join online communities like club soda. You'll find women taking the lead building happy and healthy lives and putting alcohol in its place. But the truth is, change is for everyone, men included. So in this episode of the Club Soda Podcast, we wanted to amplify the voices of some men who've changed their drinking back at this summer's global mindful drinking festival.
We got together two panels, one in the UK and the other in Australia to talk about men drinking mindfully, both discussions opened with a chance for these guys to share their stories about how they've changed their drinking, whether they'd quit or cut down and whether they were new beers are old hands. We think there's something to learn from all of them.
*Men Drinking Mindfully Aussie Edition*
Hosted by Jason Quin fro…
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Sep 7, 2020
Lucy Spraggan, Love Sober, Getting Started, Nona, Journalling, alcohol and menopause - Podcast Episode 11
We start September with hope and optimism. After some uncertain months things are beginning to get back to normal. Here at Club Soda we have a general feeling of renewal and focusing on the type of movement we want to grow to be.
Part of this has come out of the Mindful Drinking Festival we did at the end of July and start of August. Hopes of our three real-world festivals may have disappeared, but creating and hosting a virtual Mindful Drinking Festival created an amazing sense of global community. Bringing together people committed to helping you change your drinking from across the world really makes us happy.
This podcast episode shares some of the highlights from the Festival, as well as a new book, a new drink and some new advice…
Lauren Burnison, Founder Of We Love Lucid, Chats To British Singer-songwriter Lucy Spraggan
Love Sober’s New Book: Love Yourself Sober
Getting Started - Maz led a panel of amazing people during the festival - With drinking embedded into Aussie…
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Jul 5, 2020
Stone Cold Moderation and Spencer Matthews’ Clean Liquor – Podcast Episode 10
In this podcast episode we talk to Spencer Matthews about getting sober and his Clean Liquor alcohol-free spirit, and Chase from Stone Cold Moderation blog.
The post Stone Cold Moderation and Spencer Matthews’ Clean Liquor – Podcast Episode 10 appeared first on Club Soda.
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Jun 1, 2020
Sober Lushes, Self-esteem and Children – Podcast Episode 9
In this Podcast episode we hear from Sober Lushes, talk about self-esteem, as well as children and alcohol-free parenting.
The post Sober Lushes, Self-esteem and Children – Podcast Episode 9 appeared first on Club Soda.
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May 4, 2020
How not to drink during isolation. Advice from the best Part 2 – Podcast Episode 8
New podcast episode - some more super-duper advice from the best minds in the world of sobriety and mindful drinking on how not to drink during lockdown.
The post How not to drink during isolation. Advice from the best Part 2 – Podcast Episode 8 appeared first on Club Soda.
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Apr 14, 2020
How not to drink during isolation. Advice from the best Part 1 – Podcast Episode 7
Things are a bit tough right now, the lockdown and isolation creates all sorts of challenges when it comes to alcohol. We have advice from the brightest and the best in this week's podcast episode.
The post How not to drink during isolation. Advice from the best Part 1 – Podcast Episode 7 appeared first on Club Soda.
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Mar 30, 2020
Dealing with uncertainty, meditation, drinking & coping with kids! Podcast Episode 6
In Club Soda podcast episode 6 we talk dealing with uncertainty, meditation, drinking & coping with kids, online courses & great alcohol-free drinks to try.
The post Dealing with uncertainty, meditation, drinking & coping with kids! Podcast Episode 6 appeared first on Club Soda.
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Mar 5, 2020
Ruby Warrington, Wise Bartender, sober playbooks, better pubs, is AF beer healthy? Podcast Episode 5
In Club Soda podcast Episode 5 we talk to Ruby Warrington and Wise Bartender, discuss health benefits of alcohol-free beer, and learn about sober playbooks.
The post Ruby Warrington, Wise Bartender, sober playbooks, better pubs, is AF beer healthy? Podcast Episode 5 appeared first on Club Soda.
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Jan 29, 2020
Holidays, #febfast, Caleno, Blossom Rebels all in Podcast Episode 4
On this month’s Club Soda podcast we interview some great people about their ventures: Lauren […]
The post Holidays, #febfast, Caleno, Blossom Rebels all in Podcast Episode 4 appeared first on Club Soda.
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Jan 5, 2020
Where to drink this January + real stories – Podcast Episode 3
Here's episode 3 of the Club Soda podcast where we talk all things dry January including personal stories from members and our guide to where to socialise this month.
The post Where to drink this January + real stories – Podcast Episode 3 appeared first on Club Soda.
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Dec 9, 2019
Going AF before Xmas & top tips for New Year – Podcast episode 2!
Club Soda podcast episode 2 is full of great things to get you through a cold, dark winter as a mindful drinker: drink ideas, stories, expert interviews.
The post Going AF before Xmas & top tips for New Year – Podcast episode 2! appeared first on Club Soda.
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Nov 19, 2019
Our Podcast has Launched – listen to episode 1 now!
We are proud to announce the launch of the long-awaited Club Soda Podcast! Every month we will bring you an amazing programme full of interviews, drink reviews, behind the scenes info, top tips and more.
The post Our Podcast has Launched – listen to episode 1 now! appeared first on Club Soda.
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