How Giving Up Alcohol Transformed Everything, with Dr Alex George

January 9, 2026

48 min episode · 2 min read

Alex George

Episode

48 min

Read time

2 min

AI-Generated Summary

Published Jan 11, 2026

Key Takeaways

✓Three groups who shouldn't drink: Anyone with ADHD (40% develop alcohol misuse disorder due to dopamine deficits and poor impulse control), anyone feeling stuck in life, and anyone struggling with mood issues like depression or anxiety.
✓Rock bottom catalyst: Sitting in a hairdresser's chair at 20 stone, Alex looked in the mirror and didn't recognize himself after months of drinking 8-9 pints three nights weekly to suppress grief, leading to immediate sobriety commitment.
✓Starting small works: Alex began with just two promises—no alcohol and daily morning walks—then gradually added weightlifting, better nutrition, and eventually running a marathon. Trying to change everything simultaneously causes most people to fail at transformation.
✓Grief isn't linear: The five stages of grief model is flawed because it describes dying people's experiences, not survivors. Grief actually moves in figure-eight patterns through different emotions—the key is continuing to flow rather than getting stuck.

What It Covers

Dr Alex George shares how quitting alcohol on April 12, 2022 became his single best life decision after reaching 20 stone while medicating grief from his brother's suicide with drinking.

Key Questions Answered

•Three groups who shouldn't drink: Anyone with ADHD (40% develop alcohol misuse disorder due to dopamine deficits and poor impulse control), anyone feeling stuck in life, and anyone struggling with mood issues like depression or anxiety.
•Rock bottom catalyst: Sitting in a hairdresser's chair at 20 stone, Alex looked in the mirror and didn't recognize himself after months of drinking 8-9 pints three nights weekly to suppress grief, leading to immediate sobriety commitment.
•Starting small works: Alex began with just two promises—no alcohol and daily morning walks—then gradually added weightlifting, better nutrition, and eventually running a marathon. Trying to change everything simultaneously causes most people to fail at transformation.
•Grief isn't linear: The five stages of grief model is flawed because it describes dying people's experiences, not survivors. Grief actually moves in figure-eight patterns through different emotions—the key is continuing to flow rather than getting stuck.

Notable Moment

Alex reveals that untreated ADHD reduces life expectancy by eight years for women and six for men, yet UK waiting lists stretch eight years for diagnosis while medications regularly run out for months at a time.

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