Anneka has a story many of us recognise — that moment where one drink turns into four, and suddenly you’ve lost the night again.

Like so many, she used alcohol to take the edge off anxiety. It worked — until it didn’t.

Now, she’s alcohol-free and in tune with a completely different kind of energy. She turns to her tarot cards — not just for guidance, but to help others explore their own stories too.

Welcome to The Next Round — the podcast that asks what happens after we stop drinking. Maybe you’re wondering what’s next for you. Who knows — maybe it’s written in the cards.

Like Anneka Davie, who’s turned her passion for tarot into a tool for self-discovery and connection. In this episode, she shares how ditching alcohol opened up a whole new path — and yes, she even pulls a few cards for me.

When Anneke Davie stopped drinking, she didn’t just give up wine – she made space for something entirely new. A quiet force emerged. It started with crystals, then crept into her life with the pull of tarot cards and the clarity of a new routine that no longer centred around hangovers or hazy memories.

She’d always been a binge drinker.

Like many, Anneke believed drinking gave her confidence, especially in social situations, but the next day was always brutal.

Her final drink came after a day at the races. Drunk and disoriented, she lost the diamond out of her engagement ring and found herself on hands and knees, scrabbling through the grass.

That was three years ago.

What came next wasn’t just sobriety – it was a reconnection with a part of herself that had been long dormant. As a child, she’d been fascinated by dreams, superstitions and horoscopes. Lockdown gave her the pause she needed to revisit that part of herself. Crystals came first, and soon her house was filled with them – much to the despair of her husband. But then came tarot. She found a reader on Instagram, began training, and started doing readings for herself. The cards became mirrors, windows, and conversation starters.

It wasn’t long before others began asking for readings, and what started as a hobby slowly began to evolve into something more purposeful. At a retreat, someone asked her for a reading and, despite feeling way out of her comfort zone.

The more distance she put between herself and alcohol, the stronger her sense of direction became.

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Alcohol affects everyone – no matter who you are or where you’re from. Take John from Ghana. Sound familiar?

Today, he’s leading the charge for alcohol-free living in Africa – a true trailblazer.

Welcome to the next round, where we dig into the stories that shape us. The journeys that brought people to where they are now.

Like John Asogonnde – who swapped booze and weed in his for purpose, passion, and change.

We recorded this live during John ’s visit to the UK last autumn — so please excuse the audio quality!

When John stopped drinking and smoking weed at 24, he didn’t just walk away from substances -he walked into a mission. Five months after taking his last drink, John knew he had changed. He didn’t feel like he was missing out. Instead, he felt sharper, more alert, more present. And he wanted to create a space where others could feel that way too.

That’s how Eden Bar was born -Ghana’s first alcohol-free nightlife experience.

Launched on October 2nd, 2022 – World No Alcohol Day – Eden Bar started as a one-day pop-up. John raised money from friends and family after being roasted online for even suggesting the idea. But the launch was a success. Word spread fast, and John knew he was onto something bigger.

John’s journey to sobriety was a long one. He started drinking at 13, not because he liked the taste – his first drink was a 40% spirit that gave him a hangover the next day – but because he liked the way it made him feel.

By the time he reached university, drinking and smoking weed had become daily habits. His grades collapsed. Once a first-class student, he failed every course in his second year.

Even after relocating to a different hostel, the habits stayed. And when he graduated, he went straight into Ghana’s nightlife industry, managing a nightclub for a popular musician. The access to substances was constant – and partaking was expected.

But inside, he was miserable. The high never lasted. The low always deepened. He started to rebuild from the inside out – with faith, family, books, long walks, and intention.

You can follow John on @edenbargh but a hard copy of his book on https://joinclubsoda.com/product/john-asogonnde-unchained-book/

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Angie Thompson grew up in a turbulent home, where shouting, swearing, slammed doors, and harsh words were the norm.

But when she quit drinking, she uncovered a truth that changed everything—her past wasn’t just something to escape from; it held the key to her transformation.

Welcome to The Next Round, where we explore what happens after the last drink—because sometimes, understanding why you drank in the first place is the first step to discovering a new purpose. For Angie, that purpose became clear: by healing herself, she could help others do the same.

When Angie Thomson decided to quit drinking, she had no idea it would lead to a complete transformation -not just in her own life, but in the lives of others. Nearly two years into her alcohol-free journey, she’s now a trauma-informed coach, guiding people through the deeper reasons behind their drinking.

For Angie, sobriety wasn’t just about removing alcohol. It was about understanding why she drank in the first place. That realisation pushed her into a new career, one rooted in healing.

Finding the ‘Why’ Behind the Drinking

Angie describes herself as the life of the party -the first to arrive, the last to leave, always pushing others to drink just as much as she did. But behind the fun-loving image was something deeper.

Like many, she didn’t initially connect her drinking to her past. She grew up in a volatile household, where shouting and name-calling were the norm. As a child, she internalised it. “We don’t think logically as kids. We think, ‘My parents are arguing because of me.’” Those feelings of unworthiness followed her into adulthood, shaping her drinking habits.

It wasn’t until she stopped drinking that she recognised the underlying wounds that alcohol had been numbing.

You can find out more about Angie at angiethompson.thementalwellbeingcompany.com/ and on instagram @AngieMWC

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Looking back it is easy to see how alcohol drains your time, but for a long time Anna couldn’t quite admit what the problem was.

But Anna is not looking back, and her positive attitude is helpful for us all.

Welcome to the next round where we explore how you fill the space once occupied by wine, hangovers, and the mental weight of drinking culture.

When Ex advertising exec Anna Donaghey stopped drinking, she found herself with a new problem – time. What do you do with it? For Anna, the answer lay in something she’d been drawn to for years but had never quite pursued – podcasting.

Anna launched The Big Drink Rethink, a podcast exploring our relationship with alcohol, the culture around it, and what life can look like without it. It was a creative outlet, a way to channel her curiosity, and, unexpectedly, an anchor that kept her steady in her alcohol-free life.

But her journey to this point wasn’t smooth. It was a long, slow unraveling of drinking habits that had once felt normal, even essential. Anna’s story isn’t one of dramatic rock bottoms, it’s one of creeping dissatisfaction, of realising that drinking wasn’t just stealing her time, but also her sense of self.

Advertising, Drinking, and a Life on Repeat

Anna spent over 25 years in advertising, an industry where drinking wasn’t just acceptable – it was expected. She remembers long lunches, late nights, and the endless socialising that blurred into work.

She wasn’t an outlier. Alcohol was woven into the job – client meetings over wine, celebratory drinks, networking events. It was an industry where drinking was both professional and personal, making it even harder to see when it had crossed the line from social to habitual.

When she got married, her drinking didn’t slow down. In fact, it ramped up. Parenthood brought a new challenge: identity loss. Motherhood was disorienting, and the reality of maternity leave was nothing like the glowing, fulfilling image sold to women.

The loneliness, the shift in identity, the quiet grief for the life she had before, Anna managed it the way she had always managed difficult feelings: with wine.

You can find Anna on instagram at bigdrinkrethink and The Big Drink Rethink podcast on all platforms

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Seana spent most of her adult life in a love-hate tango with alcohol. But in writing her story, she unearthed the reasons she drank

Welcome to The Next Round – where the things you do after booze can often lead to feelings you never expected and can help the adult you in ways you could never imagined.

This week’s guest, Seana Smith, set out to document her first year alcohol-free, but in the process, she delved into her childhood- finding answers to questions she never even knew she had.

A Life Entangled in Alcohol

Seana spent much of her adult life in a push-pull battle with alcohol. On the surface, she was a high-functioning drinker—never the one causing scenes or spiraling visibly out of control. But behind closed doors, she was stuck in a vicious cycle of stopping, starting, berating herself, and repeating the pattern all over again.

Her drinking wasn’t just about the present—it was rooted in a painful past. Seana grew up in a home overshadowed by addiction and domestic violence. Her father was an alcoholic, and his drinking shaped the way she saw herself, the world, and alcohol itself.

A Legacy of Trauma

The echoes of her father’s drinking didn’t just haunt her childhood—they followed her into adulthood. As she tried to make sense of her own drinking, she realized she was wrestling with something far bigger than just a bad habit.

The turning point came when she lost her mother—a moment that unraveled a lifetime of emotions and unresolved pain. Her father’s drinking had defined so much of her childhood, but her mother’s silent endurance had shaped her just as much.

You can find Seana’s book on Amazon and Audible

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For years, Cecilia lived a life dedicated to health and fitness and encouraged others to prioritise their well-being. But one thing didn’t align with her values: alcohol.

Cecilia didn’t drink often, but when she did, she didn’t like how it made her feel. It clashed with the lifestyle she professionally advocated.

Welcome to the next round—where we explore what happens after people evaluate their relationship with alcohol. Whether you’re a daily drinker or an occasional binge drinker, alcohol can affect your life in both physical and psychological ways. Can quitting open up new perspectives?

This week’s guest, Cecilia Shandeva, a Workplace Wellbeing Professional and Grief Recovery Specialist, proves that no matter where you start, social pressures remain the same—but cutting out alcohol can make a huge difference. While the physical benefits of quitting are clear, the biggest gains may come from the psychological transformation.

For years, Cecilia lived a life dedicated to health and fitness. She ran marathons, led group workouts, and encouraged others to prioritize their well-being. But one thing wasn’t aligning with her values: her drinking habits.

Despite drinking less frequently than some, the impact was undeniable. The hangovers, the anxiety, the lost days of recovery – Cecilia realised that alcohol was taking away from the life she wanted to live.

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Tabbin is on a mission to shake up booze-soaked workplace culture -but her own journey with alcohol was anything but smooth. After going alcohol-free for years, a cancer diagnosis sent her back to the bottle, even though drinking may have played a role in her illness.

Like so many, her drinking started at work – where long lunches and late nights weren’t just accepted but expected. Now, she’s challenging the norms that make alcohol a workplace staple, so others don’t fall into the same trap.

Welcome to The Next Round, where we dive into why we started drinking, how that history shapes our future, and what an alcohol-free life can really look like. From personal challenges to changing the world (or at least your office happy hour), there’s more on the other side than you ever imagined.

Meet Tabbin Almond -an ex-advertising pro who knows firsthand how the industry’s macho, drink-fuelled culture can spiral out of control. She yo-yoed between sobriety and drinking for years, but now she’s free and fighting to create healthier, more inclusive workplaces. Let’s get stuck in!

She believes that drinking should not be an expectation in corporate environments, nor should it be a measure of professional success or sociability.

“It starts out as a perk of the job, but it becomes a requirement of the job.”

For years, she worked in industries where drinking was not only normalised but encouraged. Client entertainment meant keeping up with drinking expectations, and refusing a drink could be seen as a lack of team spirit.

“Do you check with somebody before you send a gift, whether or not they drink alcohol? The most common reply is, no, who doesn’t love a bottle of bubbly?”

She challenges workplaces to rethink corporate gifting, expense policies, and the psychological safety of employees who may struggle with alcohol. She argues that alcohol should not be the default, nor should abstaining from it come with stigma.

“If leaders don’t lead on this, there’s no psychological safety for people saying, ‘Do you think I could have a bit of help?'”

You can buy Tabbin’s Book: Bottling Up Trouble: How alcohol is harming your business… and what to do about it

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Hattie may be a clear-headed, cold-water queen these days, but getting here was harder than mastering butterfly stroke! Even pregnancy didn’t create the clean break from alcohol she had hoped for.

And despite a few trials with moderation along the way, she now knows—this time, sobriety is for good.

Welcome to The Next Round—the podcast about the bold, brilliant, and sometimes downright bonkers things people do after quitting booze. But remember, folks, you don’t have to freeze your bits off to get sober!

Unlike this week’s guest, Hattie, who prefers being neck-deep in icy water rather than in booze. She kicked off her journey with the Dry January Challenge, and alongside a whole lot of learning and reflection, she’s now alcohol-free and bouyant.

Finding Peace in the Water

For Hattie Underwood, cold water swimming is more than just a pastime – it’s a sanctuary. The icy plunge slows everything down, giving her a rare sense of hyper-focus and clarity.

Her love for swimming started young, training competitively for Southampton. But it was her mother, an avid swimmer in Hampshire’s rivers and along the South Coast, who instilled a love for wild swimming. As she embarked on her sobriety journey, this practice took on new meaning.

Living in London, Hattie became a member of an ice bath club, pushing her limits and embracing the mental resilience required to withstand freezing temperatures.

A Relationship with Alcohol That Had to Change

Despite a successful life on paper, Hattie’s relationship with alcohol had always been problematic. From sneaking drinks in school to drinking alone before socialising, she felt an intense need for alcohol to function socially. The dependency escalated over time, leading to morning drinking and a fear of being ‘found out.’

When she became pregnant, she assumed nine months of abstinence would change her relationship with alcohol. However, once her child was born, she quickly fell back into old patterns.

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