S3 Ep126: Jonny Whitehead: Jonny's Journey
In this episode we chat to Jonny from Halifax, who's recently celebrated his first year alcohol free! When you meet Jonny he's a tall bloke with a big booming voice and a huge amount of energy. In this conversation, you'll hear how vulnerable this bloke is confident enough to be. Jonny talks about why he decided to go alcohol-free whilst on holiday after discovering Annie Grace's podcast and ...
55m Aug 14, 2023
55m
S3 Ep125: Luke Bayliss: ADHD & Addiction
In this episode we chat to Luke Bayliss who joins us on the podcast eight months into his recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. It's been a long journey to sobriety for Luke and please be aware that we cover some triggering topics in the episode including drug abuse, drink driving, relapse and mental health issues. He also discusses the link between understanding the nature of his ADHD dia...
55m Aug 07, 2023
55m
S3 Ep124: Neil Curtis: 2 Years Alcohol Free!
In this episode we chat to the wonderful Neil Curtis, a man who we've got to know incredibly well as he joined our community on the very first day it launched back in July 2021! Neil is now two years alcohol-free, and talks to us about how his second year of sobriety has felt different to the first - and how it has absolutely cemented his decision that living alcohol-free is the right choice f...
55m Jul 31, 2023
55m
S3 Ep123: Stephanie Chivers: Women Who Don't Drink
In this episode we chat to the fantastic Stephanie Chivers, Director of Women Who Don't Drink, a community interest company who are helping women to make alcohol insignificant in their lives. Stephanie candidly shares her fascinating story with us and tells us how her path has led to her helping countless other women through her work as a coach and a trainer. We also discuss how society draws...
54m Jul 24, 2023
54m
S3 Ep122: Frederica: 2 Years Alcohol Free!
In this episode we chat to Frederica, who's celebrating two years alcohol-free! We love chatting to the authors, to the Instagrammers, to the sober celebs... But if we're completely honest, these episodes are our favourite. Frederica is one of our fabulous OTI community members, and we've got to know her incredibly well since she decided to remove alcohol from her life two years ago! Frederic...
58m Jul 18, 2023
58m
S3 Ep121: Dry July with Will Hitchins: Sober on the Gold Coast
In this episode we chat to podcaster and video creator Will Hitchins, who joins us from the Gold Coast in Australia! We came across Will on Instagram where he's building a really good following - and through his podcast The Last Drinks podcast he's also shouting loudly about the benefits of sobriety, whilst not being afraid to have a laugh when looking back (can you see why we wanted him on?) ...
59m Jul 10, 2023
59m
S3 Ep120: Dry July with Drew Schapper: The AF Rock Star
In this episode we chat to one of Sharon's earliest AF friends... Drew Schapper, the fabulous author of "After Party: Finding the Path to Sobriety". Before he was a writer, Drew was a musician. He's incredibly modest (as you'll hear) but we're very keen to call Drew our rock star friend - he was the drummer in a band that toured the world and it was during their final tour that Drew found hims...
1hr Jul 03, 2023
1hr
S3 Ep119: Craig Vickers: The Husband
In this episode we go back to New Hampshire in the States to meet Craig Vickers, husband to Jen who we had on the podcast a few weeks ago! If you haven't listened to Jen's episode yet, we definitely recommend that you go back and have a listen when you can - its so interesting to hear both sides of this story, in which a husband and wife decide to remove alcohol from their lives together. Cra...
57m Jun 26, 2023
57m
S3 Ep118: Paul O'Donoghue: Queer Recovery Support
In this episode we chat to Paul O'Donoghue who set up Queer Recovery Support Belfast after celebrating a year of sobriety! Paul talks about how difficult it can be to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community when deciding to remove alcohol - you've found a community that you feel accepted in, but then go against the grain by choosing sobriety. He also talks to us about how it wasn't just alcohol t...
53m Jun 19, 2023
53m
S3 Ep117: Meg Geisewite: Intoxicating Lies
In this episode we chat to Meg Geisewite who's nearly 3 and a half years alcohol-free and author of the book Intoxicating Lies. We start off by talking about the thing that British people aren't particularly comfortable talking about in public... Luckily, Meg joins us from the States and bowls into the conversation about how going AF affected things in the bedroom! This is the gateway to a mu...
50m Jun 12, 2023
50m
S3 Ep116: Olivia Farrelly: The Grey Area Drinker
In this episode we chat to Olivia Farrelly who's nearly 5 years alcohol-free and known as The Grey Area Drinker (@greyareadrinker on Instagram). Olivia is absolutely brimming with positivity about the huge benefits that removing alcohol can bring, for all types of drinker. She, of course, classed herself as a grey area drinker - and in this episode she explains what she means by that term, how...
50m Jun 05, 2023
50m
S3 Ep115: Dapper Laughs: Menace To Sobriety
In this episode we chat to Dan O'Reilly, widely known as Dapper Laughs. Dan is recently alcohol-free, and talks to us really honestly about how alcohol had started to damage his mental health and his relationships before he decided to remove it seven months ago. He also talks to us about how going sober has led to him have to confront some uncomfortable truths about his past: he reflects on h...
57m May 29, 2023
57m
S3 Ep114: Sarah Chamberlain: Training The Coaches
In this episode we chat to Sarah Chamberlain, the Global Head of Arete Coach which is the coaching course that Ben recently completed and that Shaz has just started! Sarah talks to us about her journey with alcohol and how it all started in the 90s with ladette culture - drinking like the lads can drink, drinking the same drinks that the lads were drinking, keeping up with the lads on a night ...
55m May 22, 2023
55m
S3 Ep113: Jenn Vickers: The Preschool Teacher
In this episode we chat to Jenn Vickers, a preschool teacher in New Hampshire USA who's over 18 months alcohol-free! Jenn talks to us about how her drinking crept up when she became a Mum - her husband Craig was at work and she had three children under 5 years old at home, and the time she started drinking started to move earlier and earlier - a story we've heard a fair few times. Jenn also t...
50m May 15, 2023
50m
S3 Ep112: John Whaite: The Superstar Listener
In this episode we chat to the wonderful John Whaite! John talks to us about the reasons why he decided to remove alcohol from his life, and some of the incredible changes he's seen since. He's cool, he's calm and he's collected - which is more than can be said for us! We couldn't believe it when John dropped in to our DMs to say that he listens to the podcast and that it's been a big part of...
50m May 08, 2023
50m
S3 Ep111: Sam Roome: The Daughter & The Parent
In this episode we speak to Sam Roome who gave up alcohol in the summer of 2020. She didn't have a major rock bottom moment with alcohol, but decided to remove it so that she could be the best parent she could be for her young family. We've called this episode The Daughter & The Parent because Sam talks to us about what it was like growing up with two alcoholic parents, and how this impacted o...
49m May 01, 2023
49m
S3 Ep110: Sarah Turner: The Unmumsy Mum
In this episode we speak to author Sarah Turner, who's also known as The Unmumsy Mum! We've been following Sarah for a while - not because she was sober, but just because we were fans! Then we spotted on her socials that she'd started listening to a new podcast... And it just happened to be Over The Influence! We were delighted to hear that Sarah was rethinking her drinking and talking about i...
49m Apr 24, 2023
49m
S3 Ep109: Susan Laurie & Sober Dave: Sober Code
In this episode we speak to Susan Laurie and Sober Dave about Sober Code, which launches today! Susan approached us with the idea of Sober Code a few months ago and we immediately said we'd jump on board to help her however we could. The idea of Sober Code is simple: to help protect vulnerable people who may be physically dependent on alcohol. It does this by providing a code of ethics for sob...
49m Apr 17, 2023
49m
S3 Ep108: Maggie Klaassens: The Sober Summit
In this episode we chat to the brilliant Maggie Klaassens who's nearly a year alcohol-free after deciding to completely remove alcohol from her life last Easter. Maggie is an OTI Community member who lives in Virginia USA, and last year she approached us with an idea - we politely declined and threw the ball back in to her court, and now she's here on the podcast to talk all about The Sober Su...
1hr 3m Apr 10, 2023
1hr 3m
S3 Ep107: Kate Beavis: Fearless at 50!
In this episode we chat to Kate Beavis, a menopause awareness campaigner who describes herself as someone who's "refusing to age appropriately"! Kate talks to us about her alcohol-free story, but we also spend a lot of time in this episode discussing the menopause and the role that alcohol can play in it. Not only can alcohol mask the symptoms of menopause or perimenopause, it can also hugely ...
51m Apr 03, 2023
51m
S3 Ep106: Casey Davidson: Hello Someday
In this episode we meet Casey Davidson, host of the Hello Someday podcast! Casey talks to us about how giving up alcohol gave her the confidence to completely change her career. After successfully climbing the corporate ladder, Casey's life looked pretty good from the outside - but inside, it didn't feel quite as good as it looked. She worked long hours (even setting her alarm every night for...
59m Mar 27, 2023
59m
S3 Ep105: Nigel Jones: Reroot Yourself
In this episode we catch up with Nigel Jones, author and nature lover who believes that his daily 9km by 9am walks were the key to becoming happily and confidently alcohol-free. Nigel joins us to talk about the new course he's created and which he's delivering for the first time for OTI called "Reroot Yourself: Discover The Healing Power of Nature". In this conversation he runs us through some...
58m Mar 20, 2023
58m
S3 Ep104: Dan Parkin: Fancy A Walk Mate?
In this episode we chat to Dan Parkin from #FancyAWalkMate about his journey to sobriety. Dan knew that his drinking was getting out of hand - but it was only after a doctor asked him to keep a drink diary for a week that he realised just how much alcohol he was drinking. We talk about how his job allowed him to ramp up his drinking, and also other warning signs that led him to go and chat to ...
52m Mar 13, 2023
52m
S3 Ep103: Laura McKowen: We Are The Luckiest
In this episode we talk to the fabulous Laura McKowen! Laura is incredibly well-known within sober circles after her first book, a memoir about finding sobriety called We Are The Luckiest, became an instant hit. She talks to us about the inciting incident that led to her becoming sober, and how sobriety gave her the confidence to follow her dreams of being a writer. Laura also talks to us abo...
51m Mar 06, 2023
51m
S3 Ep102: Jane James: The CEO
In this episode we chat to Jane James, the Founder and CEO of a wonderful company called Little Voices that works with young people across the UK. Jane talks to us about the benefits she felt when she decided to go alcohol-free, and how she navigated her sobriety when she was starting a new relationship with her now husband (she met him after she'd just completed a 30 day break from alcohol, b...
49m Feb 27, 2023
49m
S3 Ep101: Susan McGarry: The Achiever
In this episode we catch up with the fabulous Susan McGarry, one of our OTI Community members who's had the most marvellous year. Susan came on the podcast for the first time last year and we called the episode "The Believer" - she very honestly talked about how she didn't feel all of the benefits of alcohol-free life that other people talk about, but how she chose to put her faith in others w...
50m Feb 20, 2023
50m
S3 Ep100: John Clark: The Meal Prep King
In this episode we chat to John Clark, who is also known as The Meal Prep King. Shaz has got John's books on her shelf in the kitchen - but very nearly got rid of them last year after John made the headlines for all the wrong reasons. John has got hundreds of thousands of followers on his Instagram account and did a live video in which he said some really offensive things. He lost his publish...
48m Feb 13, 2023
48m
S3 Ep99: Cassie Ridley: Owning It
In this episode we chat to Cassie Ridley who very honestly tells us about the ups and downs of her alcohol-free journey. Cassie was over three years AF, but decided to drink on a couple of occasions last year. She talks to us about her reasons for making these choices, but also about how it's strengthened her determination to be completely alcohol-free going forwards. Cassie is incredibly bra...
52m Feb 06, 2023
52m
S3 Ep98: Dry January with Hayley Scherders: Living Over The Influence
In this episode we chat to Hayley Scherders, who's business in Canada has a fabulous name... Living Over The Influence! Hayley talks to us about the joys that alcohol-free life has brought her after alcohol and drug misuse meant she hit her rock bottom. She believes that a rock bottom is a lesson and not a life sentence, and now helps other people to remove alcohol from their lives through Liv...
59m Jan 30, 2023
59m
S3 Ep97: Dry January with Madeline Forrest: Happiest Sober
In this episode we chat to Madeline Forrest, known as Happiest Sober! Madeline gave up alcohol in November 2020 when she was 27 years old. She now, like us, sings about sobriety on her Instagram page and her Happiest Sober podcast, and this is a really joyful and insightful conversation. Madeline had two alcoholic parents - her Mum gave up in her early 20s, but she talks to us about how her D...
50m Jan 23, 2023
50m
S3 Ep96: Dry January with Thomas Hartley (MAFS UK): Starting Out
In this episode we catch up with Thomas Hartley, one of the stars of last year's Married at First Sight UK! We spotted a social media post from Thomas on the 1st January this year and we had to slide in to his DMs... He posted a picture of his sober app, showing that it was his first day. Thomas talks to us about how he has had periods of sobriety since the TV show finished last year, and why...
56m Jan 16, 2023
56m
S3 Ep95: Dry January with William Porter: Alcohol Explained
In this episode we catch up with friend of the podcast William Porter, the author of Alcohol Explained! William talks us through what happens to your body and brain when you decide to remove alcohol... And the reasons why it doesn't feel very good at first. He talks us through the science (both physiological and psychological) to give us an understanding of why we feel rubbish at first, but th...
1hr 4m Jan 09, 2023
1hr 4m
S3 Ep94: Dry January with Michael Brown: The TikTok Superstar
In this episode we catch up with Michael Brown, aka Misha, aka Don't Cross a Gay Man (@dontcrossagayman) on TikTok, two years after we first spoke to him on the podcast! Michael is over four years sober after deciding to remove alcohol from his life on Christmas Eve 2018 - and he credits all of his success over the last few years back to this moment. When we first spoke to Michael he had a fe...
52m Jan 02, 2023
52m
S3 Ep93: Dry January Tips & Tricks 2023
If you're doing Dry January this year, then this episode is for you! Sharon and Ben have been alcohol free for 4 years and 2 years respectively, and they give their top tips for not just surviving it, but actually enjoying Dry January 2023! They are also joined by David in Edinburgh who searched for "Dry January" in his podcast app this time last year and stumbled across Over The Influence......
1hr Dec 28, 2022
1hr
S3 Ep92: Davina: Freedom from Moderation
In this episode we chat to the fabulous Davina, one of our very own OTI Community members! When Davina joined Over The Influence she was a moderator... But on one of our community Zoom calls, Ben convinced her to give 100 days completely alcohol-free a go and since then she's never looked back! Davina is now well over a year AF, and talks to us about how it's completely changed her life. She ...
53m Dec 26, 2022
53m
S3 Ep91: James Moon: Fancy A Walk Mate?
In this episode we chat to James Moon from #FancyAWalkMate about his journey to sobriety. James talks to us about how he grew up in an environment where alcohol was normalised, and how this impacted him as he got older. For James, drinking alcohol led on to taking drugs socially and then more regularly - until he decided that enough was enough and he went to his first AA meeting. This then mad...
57m Dec 19, 2022
57m
S3 Ep90: Molly Desch: Determined AF
Trigger warning: this episode contains discussions about attempted suicide and abortion. We fully understand if this week's episode isn't for you - and if you're affected by anything you hear, please see the support links below. In this episode we chat to Molly Desch who tells us her story about going completely alcohol-free - which, like it is for many of us, was a long journey. Molly talks ...
54m Dec 12, 2022
54m
S3 Ep89: The AF Christmas Q&A
This is the AF Christmas Q&A where Shaz and Ben answer your questions about how to thrive during December without the booze! This will be Shazza's fifth AF Christmas and Ben's fourth - both were nervous about their first one, but quickly realised that being alcohol-free at Christmas is a gift in itself! This is a slightly different format to our normal podcast, as we never intended to publish ...
1hr 2m Dec 05, 2022
1hr 2m
S3 Ep88: Janet White: The Grandmother
In this episode we chat to the lovely Janet White in Florida who decided to give up alcohol when she became a grandmother. In this episode she talks to us about how removing alcohol from her life when she was in her 50s completely transformed it, and how its meant that she is now present and active for her growing family. She also talks very honestly about her difficult past, and how she used...
55m Nov 28, 2022
55m
S3 Ep87: Ryan Dusick: The Maroon 5 Drummer
In this episode we chat to the fabulous Ryan Dusick, one of the founding members of Maroon 5. Ryan talks to us about how the band went from being friends playing in a garage to Grammy Award winners who headlined stadiums across the world - and how alcohol insidiously crept up on him when injury meant that he couldn't perform. He talks to us about how he didn't talk about his issues with alcoh...
57m Nov 20, 2022
57m
S3 Ep86: Steve Rodrigues: Living with Liver Disease
In this episode we chat to the wonderful Steve Rodrigues who talks to us about living with hepatic encephalopathy. Steve is a normal bloke who's drinking ramped up after a change in his work circumstances. He started drinking more at home, and eventually he ended up in hospital. He talks to us about how lucky he is to be here, and what it's like to now live with liver disease on a day-to-day b...
53m Nov 14, 2022
53m
S3 Ep85: Mandy Manners: Love Sober
In this episode we chat to the fabulous Mandy Manners who, if you're a keen podcast listener, you'll know from the brilliant Love Sober podcast! As well as being a podcaster, Mandy is also a coach and an author - and she's over five years sober. She talks to us about her journey and is very honest about the deeper work she's done to understand why she drank alcohol in the first place. She also...
58m Nov 07, 2022
58m
S3 Ep84: David Nutt: The Professor
In this episode we chat to Professor David Nutt about his decades of research into the effects of alcohol on the body and brain, and about the new project he's working on that could completely revolutionise the drinks industry. Professor Nutt made the headlines in 2009 when he claimed that alcohol was the most dangerous drug to British society. At the time of his report he was the government's...
53m Oct 31, 2022
53m
S3 Ep83: Robert Mee: The Survivor
In this episode we chat to the hilarious Robert Mee, who runs the LGBTQI charity Out In The Bay in Lancaster. Trigger Warning: as part of Robert's story he talks about alcohol misuse, drugs misuse, domestic violence, and suicidal thoughts. Robert makes us laugh so much in this episode, which is a true testament to both his character and his outlook - because as you'll hear, he has faced some ...
57m Oct 24, 2022
57m
S3 Ep82: Jamie Cole: The Honest Quitter
In this episode we chat to the wonderful Jamie Cole, in one of the most authentic and honest conversations we've ever had on the podcast. When Jamie first decided to rethink her drinking and remove alcohol from her life, she wanted to shout about her successes from the rooftops... But unfortunately, it didn't quite turn out the way she'd hoped. She talks to us about the version of herself she ...
56m Oct 17, 2022
56m
S3 Ep81: Nigel Jones: Walking Back To Happiness
In this episode we chat to author Nigel Jones, who's book Walking Back To Happiness was published last month. Nigel gave up alcohol in December 2020 and has been AF ever since. He talks about the mindset shift he adopted in the very early days of his sobriety - literally, when he very first started out - and how identifying as a non-drinker helped him to navigate his way into his new life. Ni...
1hr 3m Oct 10, 2022
1hr 3m
S3 Ep80: Sober October with William Porter
In this episode we welcome back one of our all time favourite guests to the podcast to kick off Sober October, author of Alcohol Explained, William Porter! William's book played a huge part in Shazza's own sobriety journey - she read it early on and it made so many things click for her. He also played a big part in Ben's because when William first came on the podcast, Ben was moderating - but ...
1hr 3m Oct 03, 2022
1hr 3m
S3 Ep79: Our 100th Episode: Meet The OTI Coaches!
This episode is a special one for us... We can't quite believe it, but we've hit 100 episodes of Over The Influence! (For those looking and going "er... it says 79 guys..." - this is Episode 79 of Series 3 but the 100th episode of OTI overall including our first two series and our special episodes!) When we started this podcast, we committed to producing just ten episodes... We wanted to talk...
57m Sep 26, 2022
57m
S3 Ep78: Anneka Reece: Sobriety & Manifestation
In this episode we chat to Anneka Reece, a health and mindset coach who specialises in alcohol-free living and manifestation. When you remove alcohol from your life, all sorts of amazing things start to happen... Is it a coincidence? Anneka believes that sobriety is a manifestation superpower, and in this episode she explains what manifestation is, what effect it can have on your life, and how...
1hr 2m Sep 20, 2022
1hr 2m
S3 Ep77: OTI Adventures: The Snowdon Special
In this episode we chat to four of our fabulous OTI Community members, Maz, David, Will and Denise, about the weekend we spent in Wales for the very first OTI Summer Camp! We love connecting on Zoom and through our forums and OTI Chat, but now that we're all able to get together properly again, nothing can beat a bit of face-to-face connection. Thirty members drove from all over the country (o...
54m Sep 12, 2022
54m