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Sharon Hartley 0:21

Welcome to episode three of Over the Influence. It's our alcohol-free podcast in association with drydrinker.com. You're listening to me Sharon Hartley. I am 46 years old, married to Paul and mother of three two of those teenagers. With me is Freddie.

Freddie Bennett 0:40

Hello, I'm Freddie. I am 38 years old, having just celebrated my first sober birthday in a very, very long time. I live in Liverpool. I'm a dad to a seven-year-old and a five-year-old and a husband to Sarah. I was once the Funtime Freddy party boy, but I am now proudly alcohol-free Freddy. And I would never have imagined a year ago that I would be a person to stop drinking. But here I am today. I'm excited to get into this episode.

Sharon Hartley 1:09

And we've also got background Ben. Hello background Ben.

Ben Anderson 1:12

Hi, I'm the producer. And I'm flirting with the idea of going alcohol-free. I'm changing my relationship with alcohol, but I'm reducing rather than cutting out completely.

Sharon Hartley 1:26

Which is a great place to start for this episode because we want to talk about the shift. Not necessarily giving up alcohol completely and turning your life into a full-on alcohol-free zone, but the shift from think back to the naughties – the early noughties – the 90s, and so on, and how culture’s changing and drinking culture is changing. The workplace is changing, more about health, mindset, better living... We're going to look at the shift in drinking culture and talk about sober celebrities, sober Instagram accounts and how things are definitely changing in society when it comes to alcohol.

Freddie Bennett 2:05

Yeah, absolutely. I think the main thing there also is looking to the future. And we're certainly going to look at the past and how everything in our study in the Western world has revolved around alcohol. But looking forward to the future, how things are going to change and how it really feels like we are on the crest of an alcohol-free wave and how it's going to hopefully help a lot of us as we go forward with our lives.

Sharon Hartley 2:40

So before we look ahead to these changes that are taking place in society with regard to alcohol-free living, I think it's really important that we delve into our past Freddie, and have a look – and I tell you something, Facebook memories have got a huge part to play in this. Do you ever click on when it says see your memories from a year ago, two years ago, and it brings up these hideous pictures of you sloshed in a bar or slumped over a flowerpot vomiting up your night's intake. Anyway, I digress. Let's go back to the past Freddy. Take us back to the beginning.

Freddie Bennett 3:14

Wow, let me try and move all the skeletons in my closet out of the way to try and go into those deep dark past. So, you know, I was I was a child of the 90s... You know, I was born in 1982 and I started drinking when I was a teenager in the 90s. That time in the UK was the height of the lad and the laddette culture... it was all, you know, drinking? Oh yeah, great... it was sick last night or ‘you legend’ and all those sorts of things. And I was massively part of that. So, I think certainly in the 90s and I remember the very first time I got drunk – I must have been like 14 or 15 – I had a party at home and had some drinks. I was falling over everywhere and my baggy white jeans got covered in mud. My baggy Reebok hoodie just got vomit all down it. It was horrific. But it was okay because back in those days you saw all the celebrities falling out of pubs – certainly in the UK and I believe in in the US and certainly places in Australia. That's when getting drunk was a badge of honour.

I know obviously, you being a female and me not being a female, you may have a better perspective than me. But it was it was certainly the case when binge drinking really got turned up to 11. It was the time when you could be proud of getting drunk, when I think certainly for our parents or grandparents it was a lot more about being steady and moderating and maybe letting yourself have that that nice one drink at Christmas or in the evening (unless you grew up in my household which was properly alcohol-soaked and everything else but that's probably something to delve into another day). But certainly, in the 90s, it was all about getting as drunk as you could – vomiting, doing it all again, having fun with your mates. It was it was a great time and it was cool to get drunk, and I absolutely loved it. I've talked in a previous episode how I found I had a real talent for drinking, and I embraced it. It was it was a great thing to do. But now we're in current society, it doesn't quite seem so cool.

Sharon Hartley 5:26

And I think with that, I think a lot of it is we've grown up now. Yeah, you know, when did I start drinking? Crikey. So, I was born in 73. So again, it would have been late 80s? I’m rubbish at sums. Anyway, as a teenager I remember being 14/15/16 and it would be a bottle of white lightning on the sand dunes in Blackpool – classic. A particular low point was a kind of special brew. Horrific, awful. Like you Freddy. I joined in with everybody, it was the thing to do, and spent most of my time not enjoying it and throwing up.

Freddie Bennett 6:01

Did you have a fake ID?

Sharon Hartley 6:03

I never had fake ID.

Freddie Bennett 6:04

I did – I took a trip with some like schoolmates. I think we just finished our GCSE exams, we were 16 years old, and I had my nicely polished fake ID showing that I was like 25 or something. I took it down to the local nightclub. I think it was a foam party. And the bouncer took one look, and he just confiscated it. And I spent the rest of my holiday terrified that the SWAT teams and the SAS were gonna bash down my caravan door and cut me off. But it was, it was that whole thing when you're growing up in that kind of world, like our lives revolved around drinking – it was who's old enough to get served, where you can get drink, what shops or pubs will sell you a drink. And it almost became all encompassing. I think we've got to take a bit of a real life look at it, as we always tried to do, and I think teenagers are still like that. God, I sound old! I’m like kids these days!!!

Obviously, I think as a teenager, you're always gonna want to get a bit drunk no matter what, you know, what generation we're in and what decade is. But there was something about the drinking culture, when it was just turbocharged, all you wanted to do was to get drunk or to be seen to get drunk. I was quite a geeky kid at school. Like, I wasn't always as cool as I am now. I was quite geeky. I wasn't one of the cool kids. And I still wanted, you know, me and my cool kids in the dungeons and dragons club to go get drunk. Don't start dissing tabletop Wargaming, by the way, like, it was super cool. So, I didn't have a girlfriend. So, I was about 19. But even then, you do want to be accepted. And certainly, as a teenager, what you want to do is be part of the crowd and you want to be accepted. And usually what that involves is having a drink.

Sharon Hartley 7:56

And that sets the precedent, doesn’t it? When you move on into later life when you move on from those teenagers into a working environment or prior to that college, uni and so on. I remember my days at uni, I could go out and get sloshed on Fiver and a taxi home, you know, and I think back to those days, and it set the precedent to becoming an adult drinker, where I used to just drink as much as I can, as fast as I can to get the results as quickly as possible, which was to get sloshed. But it never ended well. No, it ended up throwing up somewhere, or obviously having drunk too much too soon, too quickly.

Freddie Bennett 8:34

I agree. Like we can't, I know we can't get preachy about it's like you know, newsflash university students like getting drunk, who would have thought it?! But I think certainly for me, I had that, you know, university, it was all that, you know, it was Monday night, Wednesday night, Friday night, Saturday, Sunday, you'd be on it. But what was different for me it was when I supposedly grew up, it was when I left college and uni and I went into the world of work when I was supposed to be a bit older, a bit more responsible. To be honest, I turned up another notch after that, because then you're in this this new environment where you've got people that you work with, and you want to be accepted, and you want to be part of the team and you want to impress your boss.

Sharon Hartley 9:13

Which is what exactly what you've just talked about when you're a teenager. To be part of that that drinking group isn't it?

Freddie Bennett 9:18

Definitely. And so, the difference to be honest, between the teenage and the student version of me, and the young adult version of me, was I always had more money to spend on getting drunk. So yeah, I stopped drinking cider and started drinking like, like continental strength lager to feel really edgy, and I was still drinking hard. It was accepted. And we talked about teenagers and students, but then at work, it would be my job. It was a fairly stressful career. And it was the whole badge of honour – who can be out at two in the morning and then be at their desk at seven in the morning expecting to function. And because you know you weren't gonna be successful at work if you weren't impressing your boss by how many shots you could drink, or your colleagues coming in the next day saying, oh, yeah, you're such a legend. He's such a good guy. And again, I loved that because you felt accepted. And at the time, it was too big a step for me. And it felt too much of a challenge to be the one person in my team that said, actually, hang on, I'm not going to drink tonight. Because I did have those times where I said, ‘I'm not gonna drink this week’ or on a certain day. But then all you need is a colleague saying, ‘come on mate, you’ve had a tough day – let's go for a beer’ and you'd be like yeah, okay, I’ve earned this, I deserve this treat. And that's all accepted.

Sharon Hartley 10:33

When I was in my 20s. My career began in radio and commercial radio. And it was freebie after freebie after freebie after corporate event and openings. And I would go to the opening of an envelope if there was free alcohol. And I think that's where my, I wouldn’t say my drinking became a problem, it just ramped up because it was just the thing to do. Yeah, you know, and then fast forward into my 30s. We've got children, married, tired, and then just began to drink more at home. And that again, you know, it was deemed acceptable.

Freddie Bennett 11:07

Because we always give ourself excuses.

Sharon Hartley 11:10

My excuse was that there was a ‘Y’ on the end of the day – simple as that. You know, I'm tired – it's a Monday; I'm tired – it's a Tuesday. Or this happened or that happened and it’s a Wednesday. Any excuse to crack a wine basically.

Freddie Bennett 11:21

Exactly! I think when I started drinking, I was a student, for God's sake, I didn't have any stressors in the world at all. Like, you've got to go to some lectures and do some writing exams, but not real-life stress. But then when you have kids and you do have a mortgage to pay and a job, that's when you give yourself even more excuses. So, at that time in your life, when you want to be focused more than ever, and you know, deep down, you know you should be focusing on your family and trying to do a good job in your career, or at least not getting fired and providing for your family. Then you've got all these excuses to try and undo that by having more and more drink. That's what I found.

Sharon Hartley 11:57

Don't you find that drinking and the amount and the frequency... it creeps up on you? And before you know it, you're thinking hang on a minute, I'm cracking the wine every night here. Is this normal? Is this acceptable? Is it okay? Well, actually, all the Facebook accounts I follow, you know, it's wine o'clock, mummy's drinking time. Of course, it's okay. You know, there's no problem and it's, it's so accepted. And it's so normalised, isn't it, regardless of age or where you're at in your life. It's perfectly normal to do that, because that's what the rest of the world is doing.

Freddie Bennett 12:30

Yeah, I think that's still something that we see today. And that's why I've talked before about we are, you know, we are the rebels. We are doing something differently. We've had a thing, yeah, we had an incident a few months ago, where we had a break in and the police came round and everything. The police officer – one of the people that deal with all correlated crime and injuries more than anyone else – the police officer was there saying, ‘yeah, you're gonna pour yourself a big whiskey tonight, aren't you?’ And me being polite, I was like, yes, yes, officer. That's right. Oh, and part of me was thinking, well, hang on, the police say I should have a drink. So maybe I should. And society still says - we all say it without thinking – yeah, you've earned a drink... You’ve earned this, it’s a reward. It makes it really easy to have a blip and take yourself away from your alcohol-free journey.

Sharon Hartley 13:29

But I think it's fair to say, now, fast forward, and society is changing massively. And whether that's because we've removed alcohol, and we notice it more, or because social media and the people putting it out there. People are encouraged these days, aren't they? Encouraged to be honest and not to be ashamed of, of the lives that they live. When we did our sober social a couple of months ago, we thought it'd be a brilliant idea to do an alcohol-based quiz. And one of the rounds was focused on all the sober celebrities these days... there are so many out there that have come to the forefront and put their hands up and said, ‘you know what, I've changed it’.

Freddie Bennett 14:08

Yeah, exactly. I think I'd say looking back at the 90s, then you'd see all the celebrities having fallen out of the nightclubs getting into all sorts of bother because they were drinking, but now that does seem to be a difference. And one thing that's quite important to me, in my alcohol-free journey is looking for role models, and they can be people that you know, or that you've connected with on social media, but also people in the celebrity world. So, you know, off the top of my head, you've got people like Tom Hardy, Russell Brand, Demi Lovato, Bradley Cooper, all these super successful celebrities that fully are very open with the fact that they wouldn't have their level of success and fame and fortune if they hadn't stopped drinking. And the one person who's always resonated with me was Robert Downey Jr. because I love a superhero story. And he's someone who properly fell off the waggon; he was properly under the influence. Yeah, he did prison time, because of his drug and alcohol addiction. But now look at him, he got sober, he quit alcohol, and now he's one of the most successful actors in Hollywood.

And the reason why resonates with me – and you're probably going to get another Freddy phrase here – but I guess it is, I think of myself as, as in my own superhero movie. And that is not saying, look at me, I'm such a great hero. But we love a story, and especially a superhero movie where the hero has to go through a tough time and where they have to fall and then rise again. I would not go and pay to see a movie where the hero is perfect. Where they breezed through life where they say, yeah, this is great. Everything's easy. Look at me, I'm perfect. We want to see people that struggle that strive that fail that fall. But then somehow, they can rise again, like the phoenix from the ashes. And that's what ironically happens with Robert Downey Jr. In his movies, because he's Ironman, but also in his life. And that's what I try and tell myself and when other people talk to me. And they've been like, well, you know, I've tried stopped drinking, and I've fallen, I failed. And like that's, you have to think in the story of your life that is a much more compelling, it's a richer, it's a more rewarding story. And that will certainly be my story as well. I've fallen so many times. And once, just once I was able to rise and move forward. But we all know and celebrities can teach us a lot. It isn't just about making loads of money and looking perfect on Instagram. I think they can teach us that by changing your habits and your behaviours and the way you want to live your life, you can get unimaginable success.

Sharon Hartley 16:40

I completely agree. And also though, I think it's really important. What I've really enjoyed in this whole process is using social media. And actually, people that aren't celebrities, normals, you know, all the all the Instagram accounts out there. I can't even reel the names off. There are so many people who have gone. Okay, so the gay sober, he's one of my favourite accounts. He is absolutely brilliant. In fact, he's going to be a guest on one of our podcasts in the future. He's got so much to say he's so much fun and he's, he's turned his life around and it's joyous to listen to it.

Millie Gooch and the Sober Girl Society... Speaking from a purely female point of view, I used to really enjoy all the, you know why mommy drinks this and all these blogs that were based on the hardships of motherhood, and oh, crikey, it's so hard being a parent and working at the same time. But if you have a glass of wine at seven o'clock, forget the glass, finish the bottle, you know, life will be okay. I've deleted them all. I can't, I don't need that anymore. And I've now swapped it for all the sober accounts. And they're not preachy, they're not going oh, life is brilliant without alcohol. But they are showing that there, there is another way. And I do find them incredibly inspiring, just hearing from ordinary folk, changing the narrative, and showing that, you know, life is still... actually it's better, in many ways, without alcohol.

Freddie Bennett 18:07

Definitely. It's not easier. It's just better. There's still the trials, the still tribulations, there's still things that we struggle with, but seeing people out there in the public eye that are very much saying, look, I've got a problem here. And I'm not saying that you have to have a problem to even change relationship with alcohol or to give up drinking, but it is saying I want to live my life in a different way. I don't see any social media accounts where people are saying, ‘yeah, I've given up drinking, and my life is much, much worse because of it’. Sure, stuff still happens. But we're so much more confident and stronger. And we have so much more self-belief to be that superhero in our own story.

Ben Anderson 18:50

For me, I've never watched Made in Chelsea, it is not my kind of TV, but I follow Spencer Matthews. Okay, because he's very famously sober now. So having gone from that party boy lifestyle, he put something on Instagram the other day – I'd really recommend following him – but he put something saying it's hard to explain how regular alcohol consumption can actually change the kind of person you are how it changes your nature. Yeah, it's everything. And actually, for me following Spencer Matthews, even though I am drinking a little bit, I'm still finding it difficult to cut down as much. And it is amazing how following people like that can just kind of remind you that yeah, you know what, it is a good thing.

Freddie Bennett 19:29

We do think that celebrities have this amazing, pampered lifestyle where it's all laid out for them – champagne every day and being driven around in your limousine and everything else. But it's difficult to say because I know it's so difficult to believe but they do have stresses and pressures like all of us, and like all of us if you know, when life gets hard, you immediately think oh, I could do with a drink right now. And if anything, being in that public eye, makes it more stressful and more difficult. I think if they can do it, and the end of the day, if I turned around tomorrow and had a drink, no one would know about it apart from me. If you're Spencer Matthews, or if Russell Brand's got back on the drink, it'd be front page news. And his life would be, you know, massively compromised by it. But I think the fact that they can have that strength and the fact that they are strong enough, looking at that shift in society to come out and say, ‘look, I'm living my life differently now, and I'm quite happy and proud of it’. I think it's an amazing thing.

Sharon Hartley 20:26

I think something you just said then Ben as well about Spencer's account talking about the changing as a person. It’s terrifying. It's terrifying in a good way. I think back to the person I was when I was drinking, and the person I am now and to coin the old Greatest Showman phrase: This is me! And this is as good as it gets now, and actually, I really really like it. I'm not as shouty. I'm not as stressed. I'm not as angry. I'm not as tetchy. I’m not thinking ‘when’s it wine o’clock?’. And as we said in a previous podcast, it’s removed all that noise, and it just makes you go, ah, it's okay. This is really quite good.

Freddie Bennett 21:06

No, definitely, I think that our lives are a result of the story that we tell ourselves. And I told myself a story for so long that I was stressed, I was depressed, I was unfit. I told myself, I had to be at the bar every night, because that's who I was. And that was my story. But it is possible to change that story. You can tell yourself a different tale. And you can make whatever story you want about your life. But it does show that change is possible. We don't have to be the person that we used to be. And we can then move on and evolve and become anything we want.

Sharon Hartley 21:50

We just want to take a moment out of this episode of over the influence and say a couple of huge thank yous, to those who have so kindly donated to what we're doing. Obviously, listening to podcasts is completely free, but making them isn't. Thank you to Simon Kirkman. You said that you really enjoyed listening and you enjoyed it that much that you said to have a coffee on you. We will, thank you very much. It's really really appreciated and really kind. The lovely Harvey he's gone in again and bought us another brew super kind Harvey, thank you. It all really does help we put it towards our production costs or marketing costs. And we've had a couple of comments on social media as well. Potter pickle, brilliant name, who's listening down under she says ‘never mind me and Freddy’, she's not interested... She says that she loves background Ben. So do we Potter. And just want to mention Joe and Stuart, who are just trying the dabbling. They've dipped their toes into alcohol-free life. They're three months in now and they’re saying never say never. Which I think is what me and Freddy say to be honest with you. But they're saying that it's looking like alcohol-free life is the future for them. And our Stewart's necking the ice cream by the gallon. And Joe, a little bit like me, is chasing that elusive thigh gap that Freddie boasts. Thank you both so much for getting in touch.

And again, thank you for all your donations to what we're doing. If you'd like to buy as a brew or an alcohol-free beer, we put it back into the podcast, find us at soundrebel.co.uk forward slash over the influence and just click on the big button that says buy as an alcohol-free beer. Thank you so much. Also, as you've been hearing, we've been talking a heck of a lot about our past. And my co-host, Freddie has appeared on another Sound Rebel podcast this week, he was a guest on a show called Keep Real Mental Health Stories. And he talks in even more detail about why he decided to ditch the booze. And I've got to say it's an absolutely fascinating Listen, Freddie won’t mind me bigging him up – I've known him for some time now, but even I learned a lot about him. So just search for Keep Real Mental Health Stories in your podcast app or give it a listen straight after this episode has finished. It's definitely worth 40 minutes of your time. Okay, right back to this episode of Over the Influence.

Freddie Bennett 24:17

So, I think we that we've looked a bit about the past drinking culture, the 90s and where we are in the present in terms of the big sober movement and the super celebrities. But now let's look to the future and Shazza I know as a parent of a couple of Wildish teenagers. I mean, do you do you think your kids are going to drink in the same way that we did or what's your view?

Sharon Hartley 24:37

Absolutely not? No, I don't think they are. I think from a very personal point of view, if I was still drinking, and I've got a 19-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter had I still been drinking and they'd come to me and say, okay, I'm going to a party Mum, can you buy me this? Can you buy me that? You know, dark fruit cider or whatever? I probably would have done. Yeah, I would have said just have a couple. I don't go, you mustn't drink children. You mustn't do this. Obviously, they still go out and they go to parties and they've got a great social life. But I say, just have a couple. But I tell you now that I ain't buying it. Yeah, I try and not be evangelical and say you mustn't drink. But I do sort of try and instil, maybe don't go to stupid, don't do what I did please. Otherwise, they might be on a podcast in 20 years-time talking about you know, alcohol-free living. And I look at their social circles, and I honestly believe that it is changing. I don't think they're all out to get wrecked every weekend. I think it's a phase they go through. Yeah, we had it with our eldest and he felt rough for a few Saturday, Sunday mornings on the trot, and he's gone, now. It's not nice. It is horrible the hangovers... and I remember once feeding him Calpol he was that really, you know, that ruined and Lucozade and all the rest of it. And I honestly believe that, you know, you reap what you sow. If they were still watching me now, drinking daily and hammering it at weekends, there's every chance that they could also go down that path. But I think they've also seen the positive changes that have occurred in my life and as a result in the family's life. And it's, it's been a brilliant thing. And it's, I do believe that whether they know it or not, it's influenced them massively. And I think it's okay for teenagers these days to say, we're going to do something else... Like a lot of them drive, they're just passing their test. So, they're not going to drive to the pub and drink and whatever they've got, they've got better things to be doing, I think.

Freddie Bennett 26:38

Yeah, it's, it's a different story. For me, I think you're absolutely right, in terms of I do think that teenage point of view is changing. And again, as a parent, I can't go to my kids and say, alcohol is bad, you will never drink because one that's not real life and two like, because I know I certainly wasn't like that. And as much I know about kids and teenagers, if you tell them not to do something, then that's like a green light to go and do it 10 times over. Yeah, I think in terms of parent, I certainly remember when I was growing up the great parent line is ‘I'd rather you're doing under my own roof’. And so, I can control the drinking. And so, I can teach about alcohol in a very, you know, respectful adult way. But that's just an excuse for parents to say, yeah, I'm going to go and buy some drinks, and like get drunk with my kids now - brilliant! My mum might be listening to this, so I better not drop her too much in it. My dad's not listening to it, because he's dead from alcohol-related diseases. So, I will I'll leave that one there not go down that path. But um, I think about my own kids, they’re younger, they're seven and five, but what's interesting, and what I'm slightly proud of, is that the whole alcohol-free phrases are now in their language. So, if I'm, if I bought some alcohol-free beers from dry drinker.com, then my, my seven-year-old will be there saying, Daddy, is that alcohol-free? Has that only got 0.5% in it? And I don't, I'm not going to start hammering it home into them... I'm not going to impart my beliefs on my kids too strongly. But I think it's nice surely for them, because they've seen their dad.

Sharon Hartley 28:08

Yeah, they’re just watching everything. You don't need to hammer it.

Freddie Bennett 28:11

No, I've been there so many times when I’d stagger downstairs... like last year, I'd stagger downstairs on a Sunday morning, put some sort of film on the TV. And I could just lie across the sofa and quietly pass out for a couple of hours. And they didn't say anything. But they saw that but now they see Daddy breaking world records and running races and drink alcohol-free beers and you'd like to think surely then that has to have a positive effect on them. If I could do the same with bloody iPads, then that would be something totally different. If there could be like a, like a screen time programme to get them to go screen time-free. I would absolutely love that.

Sharon Hartley 28:47

I remember in the in the heyday of my drinking days, I used to fast forward to when my teenagers were of an age that they could drive and I used to think well hey, free taxis! You can come and get me from here, you can come and get me from there – sorted. Not once have I ever had to ask them and actually, I'm really quite proud of that now. You know they've never had to come pick me up. Only one of them can drive at the moment and the one’s about to start to learn. But you know, the chances are, from this point forward, they'll never have to pick me up sloshed from a local establishment and that's brilliant. And they just soak up everything they see, don't they?

Freddie Bennett 29:22

Yeah, definitely. I think it's about I mean, other kids too. I helped out at my kid’s school party... it’s a big big school thing but they have like music and everything else. I was asked to man the bar, so it was in the school hall, bar was all set up. And the parents they've come along and they'd be like, yep, beer, please, beer please. Some people get through four or five in a couple of hours. And again, not judging and if people want to then yeah, we've been there and done it. They even said to me, oh, because you're working here you have a few for free as well. I was like, ah, brilliant and it's very much accepted and it is about helping people to understand there is another way. I cannot be that parent, especially after my own experiences and my parents’ experiences. I cannot be the person that turns around to my kids and says, alcohol is bad. If you ever drink you'll be thrown out of the house or anything like that. Partly because the poor little snowflakes would probably have a heart attack if they were outside in the cold on their own. Instead, it's about showing them there is an alternative, it doesn't have to be a one-way street... There is an option I think and the more people they can see and the more celebrities they can see, off living their best life whilst being alcohol-free surely has to be a great thing.

Sharon Hartley 30:50

So that's it for another episode of Over the Influence from Sound Rebel, we would love to hear from you and chat to you online at any time. You can of course find us on Instagram and Twitter @alcoholfreepod or on Facebook to just search for Over the Influence or go to facebook.com/alcoholfreepod. If you prefer to keep your messaging private, that's something we completely understand. We’ve got an email address too: overtheinfluence@soundrebel.co.uk We'll be back next Thursday with another episode of Over the Influence where myself and Freddy will be talking all about Quit-Lit. Don’t say it too quickly! See you next week.