ALCOHOL COACHES AUSTRALIA

As a long-term member of Alcohol Coaches Australia, I wanted to share with you that our original website has been revamped with a fresh, clean look.

Alcohol Coaches Australia still functions as an online directory that helps people find and compare Australian alcohol coaches.

Each coach listed is certified and their coaching approach reflects the methodology instilled at the This Naked Mind Institute or equivalent. They share a common, compassionate desire to help people change their relationship with alcohol, be that drinking less, on occasion or just not at all. They do not believe in judgement, shame or assigning labels.

I remember back to when I was trying to stop drinking for a second time in 2020. There still weren't a lot of options compared to 2007. AA was as always, the main player in the sobriety game. This Naked Mind had only just started its coaching program the year before, but it had an excellent podcast and an active online community based in the USA. There didn't appear to be any Australian based coaches or programs on Google. Now we have so many choices.

Why Alcohol Coaches Australia was created.

When someone begins looking for help with alcohol, it can be surprisingly difficult to know where to start. They may not have hit a "rock bottom" experience at all. They are probably functioning well in their work, relationships and daily life, and possibly not even sure they have a real "problem" with alcohol. But they are tired of negotiating with themselves about alcohol. Typically they want to change without a self-diagnosis or commitment to traditional recovery programs.

Alcohol Coaches Australia brings a range of Australian coaches together in one easy-to-browse directory. People can read individual profiles, learn about the different coaching styles and find someone who feels like the right fit. The directory is free and private to browse and each coach offers a free discovery call, so people can start with a conversation rather than begin with a commitment.

A shared approach, with room for individual support.

The coaches listed with Alcohol Coaches Australia are all like-minded practitioners whose work is grounded in the principles of This Naked Mind. They do not focus on the behaviour i.e. "Just STOP drinking!" Rather, they focus on and explore the beliefs, habits, emotional triggers and social conditioning that can make alcohol feel rewarding, necessary or difficult to resist.

Curiosity is at the heart of finding out what's actually driving the drinking.

Questions such as: what do you believe alcohol gives you, what are your triggers to drink, what feelings or situations you're trying to avoid or change and whether your beliefs about alcohol hold true. What would drinking less or not at all feel like to you? Would it be freedom or deprivation?

Although the coaches share a broad methodology, each brings their own personality, lived experience, specialist interests and coaching style. Coaching is very personal and the right fit often comes down to feeling comfortable and safe enough to be honest, even vulnerable with someone else.

What does an alcohol coach do?

An alcohol coach helps you understand and change the thoughts, patterns and situations connected with your drinking. An alcohol coach is not a Stop Drinking Coach. The coaching is collaborative and shaped around your own goal or goals, whether you want to reduce your drinking, take an alcohol-free break or stop altogether.

A coach will work to help you understand your personal drinking patterns and triggers, challenge the beliefs that keep alcohol feeling important and work through cravings and emotional cues. Looking to the future they will help you build healthier ways to handle stress, boredom or social pressure, recover from setbacks without shame or all-or-nothing thinking and create an alcohol-free or alcohol-light life that genuinely feels good. It comes down to gaining the knowledge, tools and support to make choices that feel right for you.

Why did I become a coach?

My work through Sobertides grew from my own experience of feeling trapped in an ever-increasing drinking cycle, while continuing to function in business and life. The break-through over my previous periods of not drinking was understanding how alcohol works and examining my own internal beliefs I had built around it. Rather than just focusing on the “Just stop drinking at all costs” mentality I had before.

There weren't any coaches available in Australia at that time and very few in the USA. So even after reading the This Naked Mind book and other resources, there were plenty of moments where I had to work out which way to go, all by myself. Having a coach, even just someone to bounce ideas off, would have been the bee’s knees. Once my thinking began to shift, alcohol started to lose its grip and life without it stopped feeling like a drag.

That gap is part of what led me to train as an alcohol coach and help other men find their own way forward, without having to work it out alone.

Finding an Australian alcohol coach who suits you

There is no single "best" alcohol coach for everyone. A good match will depend on the kind of support you want, the coach's personal approach, specialties and experience and whether you feel you will be comfortable speaking with them. That can be really hard when all you are doing is reading some text on a web page, so each coach offers a confidential discovery/strategy call, enabling you to get a feel for how they operate. Some information and questions that you could prepare ahead of time might include; describing the patterns of drinking you are experiencing, do they relate back and understand what you are saying and feeling. How do they deliver their coaching, structured or conversational, online or in-person. Do they customise their approach to suit someone's needs? Do they feel and sound like someone who gets you? Do you feel a connection with them? Could you work with this person over several coaching sessions?

You can now browse Alcohol Coaches Australia to learn about its coaches and the support available. You can also continue to work with me directly through Sobertides.

Work with me through Sobertides

At Sobertides, I offer private one-to-one online coaching for men over 40 who are ready to rethink their relationship with alcohol. My approach is compassionate, practical and science-based. We look beneath the behaviour to understand what is driving it, then work on the beliefs, habits and emotional patterns that keep alcohol in place. A number of clients have come to me to cut back on their drinking, not necessarily quit altogether. Education and understanding is a key component, without those the choices you make are not informed ones. Each client has different goals, different needs, so there is no one-size-fits-all method, the coaching is customised to suit you. No shame or judgement here, only curiosity.

If alcohol is taking more from your life than you want it to, you do not have to wait until things become worse. A first conversation can simply help you understand what support might look like.

Book a Confidential Strategy Call with me, Tony or visit Alcohol Coaches Australia to explore the national directory.