Episode 66 - Pausing, Not Pouring: Mindfulness for Alcohol RecoveryEpisode 66 - Pausing, Not Pouring: Mindfulness for Alcohol Recovery
The Alcohol Recovery Show
Antonia Ryan explains how simple mindfulness practices like pausing, breathing and urge surfing can help with cravings, triggers and shame in alcohol recovery. A short book sample expands on how mindfulness fits alongside other recovery approaches and supports long-term change.
19:56•1 May 2026
Pausing Instead of Pouring: Mindfulness as a Quiet Superpower in Alcohol Recovery
Episode Overview
- Mindfulness is described as simply paying attention to the present moment with awareness and without harsh judgment.
- Pausing between urge and action can weaken automatic drinking habits and create space for healthier choices.
- Cravings are explained as waves that rise and fall, and urge surfing techniques help people ride them out without drinking.
- Mindfulness helps reduce shame and self-attack by allowing painful thoughts to be noticed without treating them as absolute truth.
- Small daily practices—such as checking in with feelings, body sensations, and needs—build long-term recovery through repeated, compassionate choices.
“"If alcohol has been your escape route, mindfulness can become your return route."”
She explains how many people drink to numb anxiety, escape loneliness, or drown out noisy thoughts, and how mindfulness offers a different path: "We can survive those uncomfortable feelings without escaping them." You’ll hear how the simple act of pausing between urge and action can break automatic habits like "I feel stressed, so I'll have a drink" and turn them into "I feel stressed, I notice the urge, and I'm going to pause and choose." Antonia walks through how cravings rise and fall like waves, and introduces urge surfing, where you: pause, breathe slowly, notice where the craving sits in your body, watch your thoughts, and remind yourself "this wave will pass".
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This episode of The Alcohol Recovery Show takes that question head-on by swapping pouring for pausing and putting mindfulness centre stage. Author and host Antonia Ryan talks through mindfulness in plain, no-nonsense language. No incense, no lotus position required – just paying attention to the present moment "without harsh judgment".
Shame gets a big mention too – those harsh inner thoughts like "What's wrong with me?" – and Antonia shows how mindfulness can soften self-attack and add compassion back into recovery. She also talks about triggers such as Friday nights, arguments or loneliness, and how awareness gives you options: calling someone, going for a walk, resting, or stepping away from risky situations. There’s a short, everyday practice anyone can try: one breath, three simple questions (What am I feeling?
What’s happening in my body? What do I need right now?), and a gentle reminder: "I can care for myself without alcohol." The episode ends with a sample from the book *Mindfulness for Alcohol Recovery*, highlighting how mindfulness can support many kinds of recovery and work alongside approaches like CBT or 12-step. If alcohol has been an escape route, could one small pause be the start of your return route?
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