252. It's sunny, so what? - Dealing with urges in the sun252. It's sunny, so what? - Dealing with urges in the sun
The Alcohol ReThink Podcast
Patrick Fox talks about why sunny weather can feel like a trigger to drink and explains how a simple "so what?" question can help challenge those urges. He focuses on exposing learned associations with sunshine and offers ways to build new, alcohol-free experiences in the sun.
21:17•19 Jun 2026
It's Sunny, So What? Handling Drinking Urges in Hot Weather
Episode Overview
- Sunny weather itself is neutral; the urge to drink comes from the meaning the brain has attached to sunshine over time.
- Treat thoughts like "it's sunny, I want a beer" as learned beliefs rather than facts, and question them instead of accepting them automatically.
- Use the coaching question "It's sunny, so what?" to interrupt urges and create curiosity instead of panic.
- Normalise having thoughts about drinking in the sun; they reflect past associations, not failure or inevitability.
- Create new alcohol-free experiences in the sun to build fresh evidence that enjoyment, connection and relaxation don’t require alcohol.
“"It's sunny, so what? My brain's having a thought about drinking in the sun, so what? I don't have to make it mean anything."”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober when the sun finally makes an appearance? Episode 252 of The Alcohol ReThink Podcast zooms in on one deceptively simple question: **"It's sunny… so what?"** Patrick Fox talks directly to men who are rethinking alcohol and finding that hot weather brings a sudden spike in urges.
He breaks down the common belief that sunshine itself is a "trigger" and points out that, as he says, **"the sun is a circumstance… it's neutral. It doesn't mean anything."** What actually drives the craving is the story the brain has learned to tell: sun plus pub garden plus beers equals fun.
He also normalises those automatic thoughts, reminding you that **"it's okay if you notice having thoughts about drinking in the sun… that's just what brains do."** The standout tool here is the coaching question "So what?" – as in, "It's sunny, so what?" or "My brain is telling me a beer would be nice, so what?" Instead of panicking about the thought, you’re invited to get curious about it, see it as a learned belief rather than a fact, and decide what you actually want to make it mean.
Using examples like pub gardens, barbecues, holidays and festival memories, Patrick shows how years of pairing good times with booze trains the brain to treat sunshine as a drinking cue. Patrick then encourages building new evidence: going to barbecues alcohol-free, enjoying holidays without hangovers, or simply sitting in the sun with an ice cream or a round of golf. Over time, those new experiences reshape the belief that alcohol is required for sunny-day enjoyment.
If the warmer weather has you thinking a cold beer is "just what you do", could it be time to ask yourself: it's sunny… so what?
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