Episode #40: "It only takes one moment of drinking to change a life forever." (Colleen Clifford)Episode #40: "It only takes one moment of drinking to change a life forever." (Colleen Clifford)
Beyond the Two Pillars of Recovery
Colleen Clifford shares decades of binge drinking, near misses and a final drunk-driving scare that led her to stop and seek help. The conversation highlights shame, suicide, and the risks of "occasional" binges, while inviting people to honestly ask how alcohol is working in their lives.
39:25•14 Sept 2026
Binge Drinking’s Wild Card: Colleen Clifford on Risk, Shame and Change
Episode Overview
- Binge drinking can be dangerous even if someone does not drink daily or think about alcohol often.
- Frequency of drinking is not the only measure of severity; a single event can change many lives.
- Rationalising binges with promises to be "careful next time" can keep people stuck for years.
- Isolation worsens shame; connecting with others and asking for help is a key step towards change.
- A clear, honest question — "How is it working for you?" — can help people examine their relationship with alcohol.
“"It only takes one moment of drinking to change a life forever."”
Curious about how others manage their sobriety journey? This conversation with commercial fisherwoman and author Colleen Clifford shines a light on the hidden risks of binge drinking, especially for people who don’t see themselves as having an alcohol problem. Across the chat, Colleen describes 40 years of on‑and‑off heavy drinking, punctuated by blackouts, near misses and a persistent belief that she was "sure" she didn’t have an alcohol use disorder.
She didn’t drink every day, could go months or even a year without a binge, and often stopped completely while working at sea. That pattern kept her stuck.
As she puts it, "I realized that frequency isn't the only measure of a problem's severity." You’ll hear Colleen unpack what binge drinking actually means — four or more drinks in two hours for women, five or more for men — and how many people may fit that pattern far more often than they admit, even to their doctors.
She talks about the "wild card" in her drinking: the small percentage of occasions where things went badly wrong, including the final incident where she drove home drunk and was "so grateful" she didn’t kill anyone. That scare finally pushed her to stop drinking and, crucially, to ask for help for the first time.
The discussion also touches on shame, mental health, and suicide, including the alcohol‑related death of Colleen’s husband and her promise to "try and make a difference" by speaking openly. One of her most striking lines captures the emotional core of the episode: "Isolation doesn't heal shame.
It feeds it." With gentle humour and a very down‑to‑earth tone, the hosts and Colleen keep circling back to one simple question about alcohol: "How is it working for you?" If you’ve ever wondered whether your own "occasional" binges are worth the risk, this might be the moment to pause and really ask yourself that question.
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