This episode features Ruby in conversation with mindset coach and pleasure revolutionary Africa Brooke, about the role of alcohol in our relationships to sex and pleasure. Africa has been sober almost 3 years, having been a "blackout" drunk since she started drinking in her teens—and in this interview she shares how using booze to facilitate casual sex was a way to cancel her internalized shame and guilt about her sexual desires.

She believes this taps into a wider issue about our cultural conditioning around "pleasure," and what it means to be a modern, emancipated woman. In this interview, Ruby and Africa also discuss:

-The appeal of the "party girl" persona as a way to get external validation

-Alcohol abuse as a form of self-sabotage

-Why AA didn't work for her, and the turning point in her getting sober

-The importance—and loneliness—of embracing your individuality

-Why the best relationships are based on honesty and authenticity

-New research about women who drink being perceived as being more sexually available

To learn more about Africa and her coaching work visit Discoverydive.net, join her mission to make shameless pleasure a priority at Thecherryrevolution.com, and follow her on Instagram @africabrooke

Sex, Drugs, and the Pleasure Deficit with Africa Brooke