243. Why You’re Still Drinking (Even Though You Want to Stop) with Hunter243. Why You’re Still Drinking (Even Though You Want to Stop) with Hunter
The Alcohol ReThink Podcast
Patrick Fox talks with his client Hunter about why he kept drinking for years despite knowing it made him miserable, and what changed when he finally stopped. They discuss habits, values, practical tools, and how life and relationships have shifted six months alcohol-free.
49:29•27 Mar 2026
Why You’re Still Drinking When You’re Sick of It: Hunter’s Story
Episode Overview
- Short breaks and moderation attempts can act as band-aids if nothing in your behaviour or thinking truly changes.
- Recognising alcohol as a habit tied to routines and associations, rather than part of your identity, makes change feel more possible.
- Tools like mapping your values and asking whether alcohol supports any of them can shift how you see drinking.
- “Playing it forward” from one drink to its longer-term consequences helps weaken urges, especially in social situations.
- Quitting drinking can improve sleep, patience, focus and relationships, while fears about others judging you often never materialise.
“I think for me, it really revolves around being honest with yourself… you don’t need to stay stuck unnecessarily.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? Episode 243 of The Alcohol ReThink Podcast brings together coach Patrick Fox and his client Hunter for a candid chat about why someone keeps drinking even when they’re sick of the cycle.
Hunter, 46, shares that there was no dramatic rock bottom – just a decade of waking up after “even just having a couple of drinks and being like, why did I do that?” He talks about juggling a young family, leaving a 20–year legal career, starting a new business, and realising alcohol was quietly draining his focus, patience, and joy.
You’ll hear how he moved from failed moderation and Dry January attempts to six months alcohol-free, starting with a simple decision to stop from September to the end of the year.
Coaching gave structure: exercises like mapping his drinking timeline and a values session where he realised “there really isn’t anything that I value in my life that requires alcohol to be involved in it.” Hunter explains how powerful it was to reframe drinking as a pattern and habit rather than his identity, and how tools like “playing it forward” helped him handle urges – asking what that one glass of Bordeaux would really lead to over time.
He also talks about the huge shift in sleep, clarity, and mornings that no longer start with, “you are such a fucking asshole, why did you do that last night?” This episode is ideal for men who haven’t hit a stereotypical rock bottom but are tired of the mental hangovers, the self‑criticism, and the sense of being stuck.
If you’ve ever quietly wondered, “Am I really going to feel like this for the next ten years?”, this conversation may feel uncomfortably familiar in all the right ways. What might change for you if you got radically honest about how alcohol actually fits your values?
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