240. Breaking a 20-Year Drinking Habit with Ritchie
Most men don’t ReThink alcohol because everything's fallen apart.
They ReThink because they're tired of the trade-off. A few hours of switch-off in exchange for a foggy head, lost energy and another quiet promise to 'sort it out next week.
In episode 240 of The Alcohol ReThink Podcast, Patrick is joined by Ritchie, a long-time listener who decided to change his relationship with alcohol after more than 20 years of what many might call 'normal' drinking .
There was no rock bottom moment. No crisis. Just a growing awareness that alcohol had gone from something social to something relied upon.
Ritchie shares what it was like growing up in UK drinking culture. Friday nights in a field at 15. University midweek sessions. Rugby matches followed by beers. Watching Liverpool with drinks before, during and after the game. It wasn’t chaos. It was routine. And that familiarity made it harder to question.
After one night where a few beers left him feeling worse than expected, something clicked. He didn’t decide to quit forever. He set himself a target of 100 days and committed to seeing what would change.
What followed wasn’t easy.
He talks honestly about the first 30 days, thinking about beer constantly and driving past Morrisons with the urge to turn left out of habit. That pull back to what’s comfortable is real, and he doesn’t sugar-coat it.
Awesome things you’ll hear during this conversation:
• Why you don’t need to hit rock bottom to make a change • What the early weeks feel like when your brain keeps suggesting 'just one' • How to interrupt autopilot patterns, even something as simple as the drive home • The impact alcohol was having on his sleep, training and recovery • Why speaking to someone external made all the difference
By 111 days, Ritchie noticed clearer thinking, stronger training sessions and heavier lifts at 38 than he’d ever managed before.
More importantly, he began to understand what alcohol had been doing for him emotionally, and why letting it go felt uncomfortable at first.
This episode is a grounded, honest look at what it takes to break a long-standing pattern, especially when that pattern looks normal from the outside.
If you’ve ever found yourself debating whether to stop at the shop on the way home, this one will resonate.
Work with Patrick:
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Instagram: @thealcoholrethinkpodcast
Want to stop drinking but not ready for coaching? Start Here:
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