Pausing, Not Pouring explores how mindfulness can become one of the most powerful tools in alcohol recovery. In this episode, we look at how learning to pause before reacting can help reduce cravings, manage stress, break automatic drinking habits, and build a calmer, stronger relationship with yourself.

You’ll discover how mindfulness helps create space between urge and action, why cravings come in waves, and how simple practices like breathing, body awareness, and urge surfing can support lasting sobriety.

Whether you’re sober curious, newly alcohol-free, or rebuilding after relapse, this episode offers practical encouragement and real-world strategies for recovery—one moment at a time.

Inspired by the audiobook Mindfulness for Alcohol Recovery by Lewis David and Antonia Ryan.

🎧 Listen on Audible: Click here.

In this episode:

• How mindfulness weakens cravings
• Why pausing changes everything
• The urge surfing technique
• Managing triggers without alcohol
• Healing shame through self-compassion
• Creating peace in recovery

If today’s episode helps you, share it with someone who may need support. Recovery begins with one pause.

In this episode of The Alcohol Recovery Show, we explore one of the most powerful and overlooked tools for staying sober: self-acceptance.

So many people try to stop drinking while still battling a harsh inner critic, carrying shame, or feeling like they need to become someone else to feel “enough.” In this warm, honest, and relatable episode, we unpack how that internal pressure fuels cravings—and how learning to stand on your own side can take that pressure away.

With real-life insights, simple mindset shifts, and a few light-hearted analogies along the way, this episode shows how becoming your own number one fan can:

• reduce anxiety and emotional triggers
• ease shame and self-criticism
• strengthen resilience in recovery
• and make sobriety feel more natural and sustainable

If you’ve ever felt like you’re fighting yourself while trying to stay alcohol-free, this episode will feel like a breath of fresh air.

✨ Want to go deeper?

The Alcohol-Free Woman is available on Amazon:

Click here to order from Amazon.

You can find out more about the range of books, audiobooks and free resources on our website at: https://winspress.com/

Start building a recovery that feels supportive, empowering, and truly your own.

For too long, Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) has been misunderstood as a failure of willpower—but science tells a different story. In this episode, we dive into the neurological basis of addiction, exploring how AUD rewires the brain and why overcoming it requires more than sheer determination. We’ll debunk myths, highlight the role of medical and psychological support, and offer insight into what real recovery looks like. If you’ve ever wondered why quitting alcohol feels impossible for some, this episode is for you.

Find out about the free resources and all our books available at winspress.com.

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References for today's episode:

Koob, G. F., & Volkow, N. D. (2016). Neurobiology of addiction: A neurocircuitry analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(8), 760-773. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(16)00104-

Volkow, N. D., Koob, G. F., & McLellan, A. T. (2016). Neurobiologic advances from the brain disease model of addiction. New England Journal of Medicine, 374(4), 363-371. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra151148

Goldstein, R. Z., & Volkow, N. D. (2011). Dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex in addiction: Neuroimaging findings and clinical implications. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 12(11), 652-669. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn311

Bechara, A. (2005). Decision making, impulse control and loss of willpower to resist drugs: A neurocognitive perspective. Nature Neuroscience, 8(11), 1458-1463. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn158

McLellan, A. T., Lewis, D. C., O'Brien, C. P., & Kleber, H. D. (2000). Drug dependence, a chronic medical illness: Implications for treatment, insurance, and outcomes evaluation. JAMA, 284(13), 1689-1695. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.284.13.168.

Marlatt, G. A., & Donovan, D. M. (2005). Relapse Prevention: Maintenance Strategies in the Treatment of Addictive Behaviors. Guilford Press.