Why Do We Drink? with Sylvester McNutt
12/16/21 • 69 min
Find the episode and subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher, or listen up below.
My guest this week is the author and motivational speaker, Sylvester McNutt III. I met Sylvester when I was a guest on his podcast, Free Your Energy, and as soon as we signed off that day, I knew I wanted to have him on here to continue the conversation.
I explain why as the recording gets going, so you’ll hear about that in a few moments. But his Sober Curious journey aside, I also wanted to have Sylvester on as his work speaks directly to what is such a key piece of this path: how, where, and why am I directing my energy, and what am I either inviting into my life or preventing myself from experiencing as a result.
With his writing, he spreads the message that “healing is the key to success.” And, yes, our relationship to alcohol and other substances is a part of this. I’m just going to leave this here and get right into it. In the episode we discuss:
-His first Sober Curious birthday – and how he made his decision whether or not to drink
-His drinking history and how his relationships to alcohol has evolved over the years
-His idyllic experience of early family life as a child – and the incident that changed everything
-How his parents’ drinking shaped his feelings about booze
-How removing alcohol has impacted his male friendships
-How to “Free Your Energy” - and why getting conscious about your drinking is part of this
-Why he never gave in to peer pressure to drink during high school – and why he started drinking in college
-Why he decided to get Sober Curious after becoming a father himself
-How removing alcohol has impacted his relationship with his partner
-What it means to live a “purposeful” life – and why alcohol now has no purpose in his life
-Why shame is so prevalent in our society and how to move beyond living from low self-esteem
-His go-to healing practices and why community is such a big part of this
-Why he’d rather be alone than engage in “fake” friendships – and how to keep it real with the people we love
Sylvester McNutt III is an author and host of the Free Your Energy podcast. Learn more about his work HERE and follow him on Instagram @sylvestermcnutt
Big thanks to Grüvi for partnering on this episode. Order at Getgruvi.com and use the code “Sobercurious10” to get 10% off your first online order.
Shout out also to Curious Elixirs alcohol-free cocktails. Order online at Curiouselixirs.com—where you can also get $10 off orders over $50 with the code RUBY22.
Find the episode and subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher, or listen up below.
My guest this week is the author and motivational speaker, Sylvester McNutt III. I met Sylvester when I was a guest on his podcast, Free Your Energy, and as soon as we signed off that day, I knew I wanted to have him on here to continue the conversation.
I explain why as the recording gets going, so you’ll hear about that in a few moments. But his Sober Curious journey aside, I also wanted to have Sylvester on as his work speaks directly to what is such a key piece of this path: how, where, and why am I directing my energy, and what am I either inviting into my life or preventing myself from experiencing as a result.
With his writing, he spreads the message that “healing is the key to success.” And, yes, our relationship to alcohol and other substances is a part of this. I’m just going to leave this here and get right into it. In the episode we discuss:
-His first Sober Curious birthday – and how he made his decision whether or not to drink
-His drinking history and how his relationships to alcohol has evolved over the years
-His idyllic experience of early family life as a child – and the incident that changed everything
-How his parents’ drinking shaped his feelings about booze
-How removing alcohol has impacted his male friendships
-How to “Free Your Energy” - and why getting conscious about your drinking is part of this
-Why he never gave in to peer pressure to drink during high school – and why he started drinking in college
-Why he decided to get Sober Curious after becoming a father himself
-How removing alcohol has impacted his relationship with his partner
-What it means to live a “purposeful” life – and why alcohol now has no purpose in his life
-Why shame is so prevalent in our society and how to move beyond living from low self-esteem
-His go-to healing practices and why community is such a big part of this
-Why he’d rather be alone than engage in “fake” friendships – and how to keep it real with the people we love
Sylvester McNutt III is an author and host of the Free Your Energy podcast. Learn more about his work HERE and follow him on Instagram @sylvestermcnutt
Big thanks to Grüvi for partnering on this episode. Order at Getgruvi.com and use the code “Sobercurious10” to get 10% off your first online order.
Shout out also to Curious Elixirs alcohol-free cocktails. Order online at Curiouselixirs.com—where you can also get $10 off orders over $50 with the code RUBY22.
Previous Episode
The Astrology of Addiction with Bess Matassa
My guest today is the brilliant astrologer and author Bess Matassa. Bess is a long-time friend and collaborator of mine, and I knew she would be the perfect person to bring on for this episode on The Astrology of Addiction.
Now, I know this topic might be a bit “out there” for some of you. But I am confident that whatever your interest in or thoughts about astrology, you will find plenty that you can relate to in our conversation, while having your mind blown just a little bit along the way.
Ultimately, Bess and I use astrology less as a divination tool for “predicting” future events – and more as a language of symbols to describe the more numinous, or unknowable and unnamable, aspect of being human. That is, the part of being human that we are often attempting to either run towards or away from when we are reaching for alcohol and other drugs.
We get into how we can use astrology for self-awareness – and as a way of looking at our addictive tendencies. We also go into some specific astrological teachings that listeners can apply to their own lives and Bess shares the details of how she came to be sober curious herself.
PS: this conversation was originally recorded as part of Sober Voices Flow. In the episode we discuss:
-Bess’s own journey with substance abuse and her current relationship with alcohol
-How astrology and alcohol have served a similar purpose in her life – but both with different outcomes
-How astrology can help connect us to the concept of a “higher power”
-The concepts of “fate” and “free will” and when to accept life as it is and when to take control
-How knowing your astrological birth chart can help you understand who you are and what you need
-Being guided by our feelings as much as our thoughts
-A primer on how to read your astrological birth chart – and why we all contain all the astrological “signs”
-Specific examples of how to use astrology on your sober curious path
-Why life gives us friction and challenges to work with in order to help us grow
-How astrology can help us understand individual differences in terms of values and needs
-How current astrological transits are shaping thinking about addiction and mental health
Bess Matassa is an astrologer and the author of The Numinous Cosmic Year – a total, interactive guide to the astrology of 2022. Learn more about Bess and her work HERE and use the code COSMICMOCKTAL for 20% off a personal reading with Bess.
Next Episode
Drinking on the Job with David Murphy
My guest on today’s show is David Murphy—chief “flavor architect” for Lyres. David is a restauranteur, a sommelier, and a decades-long wine specialist, and now he has brought all his expertise in the field to the alcohol-free space.
I’ve been very curious about how people working in the alcohol industry at large are responding to the emerging sober curious or alt sobriety space. I sometimes picture people at the big booze brands sitting around, scratching their heads trying to figure out how to keep people drinking. Although, let’s be real, they are selling a highly addictive drug that is the most socially acceptable way to medicate out existential pain, so it’s not like alcohol is going anywhere fast.
But this conversation with David made me believe that, if nothing else, there being more and more alcohol-free options on menus makes it easier for people to choose something else rather than just drinking because it’s what everyone else is doing.
We also talk about the components that come together to make a really “good drink,” the future of alcohol-free wine, and how conversations about addiction are evolving among hospitality industry professionals. In the episode we discuss:
-The heavy drinking culture in Australia—and how this is changing radically
-Realizing it is just good business to give non-drinkers better options on a menu
-The toll that daily drinking takes when it’s part of your job
-How the sober curious movement has made it easier to talk about addiction within the booze industry
-How he went about creating non-alcoholic versions of all the classic spirits – and why tequila has the hardest flavor to replicate
-What makes a really “good drink” – and how to begin experimenting on your own at home
-Why the alcohol-free space wine has been so hard to crack and the latest developments in this area
-The ripple effect of him getting involved in non-alcoholics among his family and friends
-More people selecting their hospitality venues based on their zero-proof offerings
Learn more about David Murphy and Lyres new Agave Spirit non-alcoholic tequila blend HERE.
And big thank you to Avec for partnering on this episode—who make elevated mixers that are perfect for pairing with your favorite alcohol-free spirits. Find them at Avecdrinks.com where you can get 10% off online orders with the code "SoberCuriousPod"
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