Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

The Surprising Truth About Alcohol with Andy Ramage #438

38 snips

Mar 27, 2024

Andy Ramage, a leading alcohol-free performance coach and co-founder of the One Year No Beer movement, discusses the cultural shift towards sobriety. He highlights the growth of the alcohol-free community and the empowerment found in taking a break from drinking. Listeners learn about the benefits of sobriety for mental clarity and social interactions. Andy also shares personal anecdotes about navigating social pressure and embracing authenticity, encouraging a reevaluation of one's relationship with alcohol.

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ADVICE

90-Day Alcohol Break

Consider a 90-day break from alcohol to assess your relationship with it.
Fear or resistance to this idea suggests a stronger grip than realized.

INSIGHT

Benefits of Longer Breaks

A 28-day break might be insufficient for truly understanding alcohol's role.
Longer breaks reveal surprising benefits like improved mental and physical health.

INSIGHT

Alcohol's Impact on Performance

Alcohol, a drug, can hinder optimal performance.
Prolonged breaks from alcohol reveal a "superpower" by removing this performance blocker.

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Let's Do This!

Andy Ramage

In 'Let's Do This!', Andy Ramage provides a comprehensive guide to using motivational psychology for personal change. The book offers a 28-day masterclass to help readers tap into the 'Six Streams of Positivity' and maintain motivation for lasting change. It covers various types of motivation and tools needed to overcome obstacles in achieving goals such as losing weight or advancing in a career.

Dopamine Nation

Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

Anna Lembke, MD

In 'Dopamine Nation,' Dr. Anna Lembke delves into the scientific discoveries that explain why overindulgence in high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli leads to pain. The book combines personal narratives from her clinical practice with the latest psychology research to illustrate how to find contentment and connectedness by keeping dopamine in check. Lembke discusses the impact of modern addictions, such as those related to smartphones, food, and other behaviors, and provides strategies for managing consumption and transforming lives. The book emphasizes the importance of balancing the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery[1][3][5].

The 28 Day Alcohol-Free Challenge

Sleep Better, Lose Weight, Boost Energy, Beat Anxiety

Andy Ramage

Ruari Fairbairns

The 28 Day Alcohol-Free Challenge offers a practical and inspiring guide for those looking to take a break from alcohol. Drawing from their own experiences and the collective insights of thousands they've helped, Andy Ramage and Ruari Fairbairns provide tips on managing social pressures and maximizing health benefits. The book is ideal for anyone seeking to improve their well-being by cutting back on alcohol.

Awaken the Giant Within

Tony Robbins

In 'Awaken the Giant Within,' Tony Robbins offers a comprehensive program for self-mastery, helping readers to discover their true purpose, take control of their lives, and harness the forces that shape their destiny. The book emphasizes the importance of understanding and changing one's belief system, values, and daily habits. It introduces concepts such as Neuro Associative Conditioning (NAC) and the three decisions that control one's destiny: what to focus on, what things mean, and what actions to take. Robbins provides step-by-step exercises and a seven-day challenge to reshape various aspects of life, including emotional, physical, relationship, and financial destinies. The book stresses that everything we do is driven by the need to avoid pain or gain pleasure and teaches how to use these forces to achieve personal goals and transform one's life.

Addiction and virtue

Beyond the Models of Disease and Choice

Kent Dunnington

In this book, Kent Dunnington argues that addiction is neither a disease nor a choice, but rather a habit. Drawing from philosophical and theological perspectives, particularly the works of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas, Dunnington suggests that addiction is a pursuit of moral and intellectual goods that are not easily accessible in modern life. He distinguishes addiction from intemperance, noting that while intemperance involves sensory pleasures, addiction seeks deeper goods such as communication, self-ease, and community. The book critiques the dominant disease and choice models of addiction, offering a more nuanced understanding through the concept of habit and its implications for character development and moral training.

Over the past five years, it’s been incredible to see how the alcohol-free landscape has changed. Pubs, restaurants and supermarkets boast a range of appealing 0% options. We’re seeing a rise in AF communities, influencers, bars and events. There has been a marked cultural shift towards acceptance of not drinking – and that’s in no small part down to today’s guest.

Andy Ramage is one of the world’s leading alcohol-free performance coaches. Since his first appearance on this podcast, in 2019, countless listeners have got in touch to share how they’ve transformed their lives by giving up alcohol.

Andy co-founded the One Year No Beer movement and recently co-created the Dryy app and AF community. Collectively, these innovations have helped hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of what he calls ‘middle lane’ moderate drinkers transform their health and happiness.

He is also the author of two best-selling books - The 28 Day Alcohol Free Challenge and Let’s Do This, and is one of only a few coaches to hold a Masters degree in coaching psychology and positive psychology.

Many of us discover alcohol as a teenager. We start to believe we can’t socialise, dance or talk to strangers without it – and we carry these myths with us long into adulthood. We think others will find us boring if we don’t drink. Hangovers become a celebrated end to a ‘great night out’. And we play down negative effects such as risky behaviour, poor sleep, low mood or junk food cravings.

Andy is passionate about reversing all these beliefs and behaviours. He explains his ‘ambivalence seesaw’ – a framework you can use to work out your current relationship with alcohol and start to shift it. We discuss why moderation isn’t a good tactic, why Dry January often fails, and why slip-ups are part of the learning process. And he shares some valuable advice on coping with social pressure to drink, and cultivating a kinder self-talk.

I’ve not drunk alcohol myself for four or five years now and I can honestly say there’s not a moment when I miss it. But like Andy, I’m not here to judge anyone else, simply to encourage you to try out the benefits we’ve both felt.

Andy is motivated, passionate and full of positivity, and someone who describes a life without alcohol, as a gift to yourself. He has managed to transform his own health, happiness and relationships and wants to inspire you to do the same.

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Show notes https://drchatterjee.com/438

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