How an Identify Shift Changes Everything with Nigel JonesHow an Identify Shift Changes Everything with Nigel Jones
Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol free life!
Janet Gorond talks with hypnotherapist and coach Nigel Jones about how changing his identity from drinker to non-drinker reshaped his alcohol-free journey. Their conversation focuses on mindset tools, vivid metaphors and practical habits that Nigel says helped him build and maintain a life without alcohol.
42:05•2 May 2026
How Nigel Jones Changed His Identity and Left Alcohol Behind
Episode Overview
- Shifting self-talk from “I’m a drinker trying to stop” to “I’m a non-drinker” can dramatically reduce struggles and cravings.
- Examining and dismantling beliefs like “alcohol helps me relax” or “I can’t socialise without it” weakens alcohol’s hold.
- Visualising a future version of yourself one year alcohol-free helps the brain start working to make that image real.
- Building daily habits such as regular walking and meditation supports a clearer mind, better sleep and stronger self-respect.
- Finding a supportive tribe of non-drinkers makes it easier to stick with the new identity and feel less isolated.
“If you put yourself in a section of the library which is called I am a drinker, then you're just going to see all the books about how great drinking is.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation between host Janet Gorond and returning guest Nigel Jones zooms in on one simple idea that he says changed everything: identity. Nigel, a hypnotherapist, life coach and author of *Walking Back to Happiness*, talks through 35 years of drinking and countless failed attempts to stop, until one December morning in 2020 when he did something different.
Instead of telling himself he was "a drinker trying to become a non-drinker", he stepped straight into, "I am a non-drinker" – no mountain to climb, just a new set of shoes to walk in. You’ll hear Nigel’s now-famous “librarian in your head” analogy: "If you put yourself in a section of the library which is called I am a drinker, then you're just going to see all the books about how great drinking is.
But if you take yourself to the area of the library which is I'm a non-drinker, you'll see all the books about how great non-drinking is." It’s funny, vivid and brutally honest about how the brain keeps proving whatever you believe about yourself. Janet and Nigel break down practical mindset tools too – from the “alcohol seesaw” to his tabletop technique for knocking down beliefs like “I need alcohol to relax” or “I can’t socialise without a drink”.
He also shares how visualising a future alcohol-free self, and building daily habits like walking and meditation, helped him keep the “new wolf” of sobriety stronger than the old one. For anyone stuck in the loop of “day ones”, worried about losing friends, or terrified to take the first step, this conversation offers straight-talking reassurance, vivid metaphors, and plenty of humour. Could a simple shift from “I drink” to “I’m a non-drinker” be the change you’ve been waiting for?
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