S3 Ep58: Rosie: Alcohol, Drugs & Eating Disorders

In this episode we chat to Rosie, a wonderful young woman from the UK who now lives in New Zealand happily drug and alcohol free! We're Sharon and Ben, two normal people who decided to give up alcohol to see how our lives would change. We're not medical experts but we are expert ex-drinkers, and our podcast brings people together who are on their own alcohol-free journeys by celebrating just how wonderful life without booze can be! Rosie got in touch with us because she's listened to the podcast for a long time and wanted to talk about something we haven't talked about much before - the link between alcohol and eating disorders. Rosie would under-eat and over-exercise in the week to essentially save up calories for her alcohol intake at weekends, and to maintain the "party girl" figure she thought she needed to have to fit in. Rosie talks to us about the pressure she felt to look a certain way, and the detrimental affects that this had on both her mental and physical health. Rosie is also an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous, and talks to us about her experiences of attending meetings and being an active part of the AA community which has been overwhelmingly positive. As a Buddhist, she talks to us about how Buddhism and AA have overlapping principles and how both now provide her with the connection she needs to remain drug and alcohol free. We are so glad that Rosie got in touch with us, and we're so grateful for her honesty. If you'd like to follow Rosie on social media, search for "Sober Not Boring" on Instagram. If you are in the UK, you can find links to local support for eating disorders on the NHS website - or there are lots of useful links on this page of the MIND website. --- Get In Touch: Of course, you can always get in touch with us (publicly or privately) on our socials - @alcoholfreepod on Instagram, or search for "Over The Influence" on Facebook. We'd love to hear your story - please get in touch with us directly at [email protected] or go to our website, www.overtheinfluence.co.uk --- The Premium Podcast: If you love OTI and you'd like to hear behind the curtain, subscribe to the OTI Premium Podcast now! Released every Monday and exclusive to subscribers and OTI Community members, the Premium Pod is Sharon and Ben talking through even more topics surrounding alcohol-free life, from how to not just survive but enjoy AF holidays to alcohol free dating! Subscribe now! Released every Monday, cancel any time - just £5 per month. --- Links: Over The Influence is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel. Sound Rebel works with businesses, brands, charities & other organisations across the UK - go to soundrebel.co.uk now to find out how podcasts could help you to tell your story to the world. If you feel as if connection with likeminded people would help as you try life without alcohol, join the Over The Influence Community now - and we can't wait to meet you! For links to alcohol-related support services, please visit our website. --- Disclaimer: All views expressed in this podcast are of the participants themselves, and not necessarily those of Over The Influence (OTI) Ltd. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. We are not medical professionals but normal people giving their own experiences of removing alcohol from their lives, and as such this podcast should not be considered professional advice. If you are dependent on alcohol, or think you may be, we strongly recommend that you seek professional medical advice. --- Helpful Hashtags: We found hashtags and sober social media accounts really helpful in our early days alcohol free, as following them can help to reinforce that you are not alone!  These are some of the hashtags we've followed: #alcoholfree #stopdrinking #healthandwellnessjourney #zeroalcohol #idontdrink #sobercurious #healthydrinking #alcoholfreelife #soberaf #alcoholfreeliving #sobermotivation #podcast #healthpodcast #noalcohol #nobooze #sober #sobercurious #soberlofe #soberliving #sobercommunity #afcommunity #soberwomen #sobermom #sobermomtribe #sobersisters #sobriety #soberuk #soberjourney #sobrietyrocks #overtheinfluence #oti