How CBT Can Help Us Change Our Relationship with Alcohol - with Therapist EmilyHow CBT Can Help Us Change Our Relationship with Alcohol - with Therapist Emily
Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol free life!
Janet talks with CBT practitioner Emily about practical tools such as STOP, thought records and urge surfing that may help someone change their relationship with alcohol. The discussion touches on beliefs, moderation struggles, small steps towards sobriety and even the comforting role of dogs in emotional wellbeing.
32:55•22 Aug 2026
Changing Your Drinking Habits with CBT: Emily’s Practical Tools for Sobriety
Episode Overview
- CBT helps link thoughts, feelings and behaviours so drinking patterns can be understood and changed without harsh self-judgement.
- The STOP technique (Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Proceed) offers a quick, structured way to respond to urges with intention instead of autopilot.
- Thought records and journalling create awareness of triggers, environments and emotions that drive drinking, forming the basis for behaviour change.
- Challenging beliefs like "I deserve a drink" or "I can’t relax without alcohol" involves looking at what’s truly helpful both in the moment and afterwards.
- Small steps, curiosity and building alternative coping tools make it easier to move away from moderation battles and towards a sustainable alcohol-free lifestyle.
“You just need one small step in the right direction and getting momentum going to start getting unstuck.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This conversation between Janet Gorond and Cape Town-based CBT practitioner Emily looks at that question through the lens of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, keeping things practical, relatable and surprisingly light, even when it gets serious. You’ll hear Emily explain how CBT focuses on the here-and-now, linking thoughts, feelings and behaviours to show why reaching for a drink can become an automatic response to anxiety, stress or even celebration.
Instead of judging those habits, she talks about getting curious about them and then gently interrupting the pattern. A big highlight is Emily’s breakdown of the simple STOP tool for urges: **Stop** and pause, **Take a breath** to calm your nervous system, **Observe** the thought like “I deserve a drink”, and then **Proceed** with intention rather than autopilot.
She pairs this with ideas like urge surfing, using thought records to collect “data” on cravings, and challenging beliefs such as “I can’t relax without alcohol” by asking what’s true both in the moment and afterwards. The chat touches on why moderation can feel like endless bargaining, why many people keep hopping on and off the wagon, and how acceptance—“I just can’t drink safely”—can free up energy to build an alcohol-free life that actually feels good.
Journalling, alternative coping tools, and small, realistic steps all come up as ways to get unstuck. There’s even a warm digression into dogs and emotional regulation, featuring Emily’s six-month-old staffy, Bisu, and how routine, movement and unconditional companionship can support mental health. This episode is especially helpful if you’re sober curious, stuck in moderation, or craving something more structured than “just try harder”.
It keeps things friendly, hopeful and very down-to-earth, asking: what’s one small step you can take today to change your relationship with alcohol?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.