2 Feb 2023 12:00
I Was a Secret Drinker with Clare Pooley
Addiction and alcoholism can take many shapes and forms, yet addicts' experiences can be strikingly similar and, in this episode, Daniel is joined by Clare Pooley, an ex-secret drinker to open up about her experience of alcoholism and sobriety.
Clare talks about her viral blog “Mummy was a Secret Drinker”, her background in advertising and how that world fed her addiction, as well as how she has remained sober for over 7 years. Clare also talks about her memoir “The Sober Diaries” and her recent New York Times Bestseller book “The Authenticity Project”.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Clare’s blog was a ‘black comedy’ about her secret drinking, she didn’t expect it to go anywhere but within 2 years she had over 3 million hits.
- With addiction, it takes more and more over time to get the desired effect. This is why the amount of a substance used can creep up so easily on people.
- No one told Claire she had a problem with alcohol, she managed to keep her addiction hidden easily.
- The advertising scene in the 00s was very centred around drinking, it was just how things were done. This certainly impacted Clare’s attitudes around alcohol and was habit forming too.
- There are a lot of little signs that can signal a problem with alcohol, including drinking along frequently, googling about your consumption and any form of self-medicating.
- Asking yourself if you are an alcoholic or even an addict isn’t the right question. What you need to ask yourself is if the alcohol or addiction is impacting your life negatively.
- Being sober allows you to present in every day, effectively adding years to your life.
BEST MOMENTS
“The thing about addiction is everyone's experience of addiction is similar”
“I didn’t want to quit drinking, I thought my life would be over”
“What you should be asking, is if alcohol messing with my life?”
VALUABLE RESOURCES
