I want to talk about the bicycle of change.

So some of you, if you work in health or behaviour change will have heard of the cycle of change.

Pre contemplation.

Contemplation.

Preparation.

Action.

Maintenance.

Relapse. (just checking you saw that in there).

Yes relapse is part of the process. You can call it whatever you want.

This isnt just restricted to drugs and alcohol either.

Think about healthy eating, exercise, drinking water etc.

Now when people describe this, its not actually a fair representation of what happens, as its a cycle, makes it sound like a circle, people might feel like they are going round and round.

But you are not.

This is why we will refer to it as the bicycle of change.

Because yes, we are human, yes we are learning machines, yes we learn by making mis-takes. But we keep moving forward.

We learn from our alcohol free days, our days when we dont drink very much, our reductions, as well as our moments when we have a blip.

And we move forward, mig...

I am a qualified Coach and Master Practitioner of NLP, trainer and manager. Over the last 15 years, I have helped many people from all walks of life facilitate change - specifically helping people to change their relationship with alcohol and drugs.

People often come to me when they have decided, "I want to stop drinking," or "I want to stop taking drugs" I help them get clear on how to make this change and support them through it.

10 Core Things I Stand For (in the context of my work)

Learning - this one is massive; learn about alcohol, learn about drugs (I know alcohol is a drug, but I have to say that so you know what I am talking about). This is where I want you to start; learn about the substance you are taking, the facts. Make an informed choice about what you are putting into your body and the impact on you and your life. If you don’t know where to start, message me.

Action - You can think, read, listen, overthink, analyse; but seriously, just take action. Just f**king do it...

Blip, slip, relapse; I don’t mind what you call it.  Please don’t use language that makes you feel like shit.

It doesn’t matter what your drug of choice is: alcohol, cocaine, crappy food (although not a drug, people do use it in a similar way). When life changes, even subtly, its super easy to find ourselves reaching for our old favourite to cope, to comfort us, to escape, to fill time, because well, whats the point?

I am going to talk about lockdown in England specifically, although I am sure the psychology of it is similar in other countries.

For most of us, in some way (to different degrees), the rug has been pulled out from under us.

Now this isn’t about moaning or being entitled, this is a fact.

It doesn’t have to be a massive problem, most of us know that what we are experiencing are first world problems and we know that we are lucky.

That’s not the point.

I haven't relapsed, but I understand how it can happen. The slightest change can take us by surprise.

Holidays have b...

One thing is for sure, we are living in unprecedented times.

Lots of change happening.

Its too early to tell what the impact will be on certain markets, including drug markets.

However we can be sure, that people wont stop taking drugs, so people wont stop selling, where there is a demand, there will always be someone that can figure out how to get it to you.

Drug dealers are some of the most resourceful and entrepreneurial people I have ever met. 

Take alcohol for instance, people have been panic buying, stocking up and off licences, supermarkets are still open.  This tells us that people are worried about making sure they have enough booze, even when they know logically, they can still buy it every day.

We can assume that people have been stockpiling their favourite drug as well.  I would imagine, cannabis, cocaine and ketamine are the favs, maybe a bit of ecstasy and acid. 

Lets take cocaine, chances are less of it will come into the country, but it will still come in, trust ...

If you are struggling, feeling depressed, low, anxious, not sleeping well, have an overactive brain, roller coaster emotions, the list goes on. Please, take a break from drinking alcohol.

Effects of alcohol on the brain

If you drink alcohol regularly, it will have an effect on you, your physical health or most likely your mental health at some point. The effects of alcohol on the brain have been well documented.

Let's take sleep on its own.  Alcohol impacts on your ability to get good quality sleep.  If you are tired and not sleeping properly this alone will affect your emotional health.

Do you drink regularly? Could you cut down? Does it affect your sleep?   When was the last time you took a break from alcohol?

First things first, take a break; 3 months at least.  Then re-assess, see how you feel.  Most people will feel better within the first few weeks.  While you are taking a break, sleep, be nice to yourself, take it easy, eat healthy food, do some exercise, spend time doing t...

A few words about anxiety and uncertainty.

Here is the thing, there are no guarantees in life.

Well I can guarantee that how you are feeling now will change, because everything changes. Like the weather, you can wake up feeling sad and then by the end of the day, feel good. The same way you can wake up and its sunny, then it will be raining by the afternoon.

There is so much that we dont know, or cant predict, we need to make peace with uncertainty.

If your thoughts are running away with you, please remember this, you are not your thoughts.
Your thoughts are just a small part of your human machine, like your heart beating, your blood pumping, lungs breathing, eyes seeing and so on.

Most of your thoughts are not real, or helpful.
Treat them like back seat drivers, tell them to shut up.

If you take a moment to imagine that your thoughts are another person, lets give them a name. What would you say if that person kept speaking to you, in the same way your thoughts do?

You would ha...

Ok, there are a few things I want you to be aware for your first few months of quitting Cocaine.

(Well actually I am sure there is a book load, but for now we will start with the most important things for when you stop Cocaine use. I have helped many people change their behaviour with cocaine, and these are the things that I have found are key).

Ok let's start at the beginning with the obvious.  Cocaine is a drug, we take it because we like it, well that's why you started.  It feels nice, it releases all those feel good chemicals in the brain and with the adrenaline, a bit of excitement and pleasure is always nice.

Pleasure, reward.  You do this with certain people, at certain times in certain places. Maybe you combine Cocaine with alcohol. You are setting anchors, making habits.

You might even notice that with certain people you want to take cocaine with them, the urge is strong, or it's when in a certain place like at a bar when you want to mix cocaine and alcohol, or at a certai...

Festival season is here.

The bands, the music, the people, new friends to be made, losing your tent, losing your friends, maybe even your mind? Will it rain and will we get covered in mud this year? Or will we all get sunburn and be dehydrated? Who knows what the British festival season will bring.

Most people have a great time at festivals with no problems. The only thing they take home are great memories and thoughts of “when can we do it all again?!”  But for some people with a tendency to over-indulge or openness to try new things a number of things can go wrong.

So what can you do if you want to have a good time, but don’t want to feel like the world is ending for the next week afterwards? Maybe you just want to enjoy the experience without any dramas, attempt moderation or festival healthy style?  Yes it is possible to have a healthy festival trust me I have done it quite a few times.

Here are my 10 tips for surviving the festive season

1.       Drink lots of water: Alway...

How I began to hate Fridays and what I did to learn to love them again.

Friday!  Best day of the week!   What if Friday became your nemesis?  What if the weekend became nothing but a test of your resolve; a mirror reflecting the worst of you?

In my twenties I worked in the city.  Most Friday’s we’d have a boozy lunch and hit the bars around 4pm!  I’d wake Saturday mornings anxiety ridden! Where did we go after 6pm?  Did I eat? How the hell did I get home?  Yet, Saturday and Sunday I’d be drinking again with friends.  Back on the merry-go-round I couldn’t jump off.  Everyone was having fun, right? 

Monday mornings we’d recount Friday night’s antics.  Only I was acting!  I had no clue how the night ended.  I had no memory of falling down. How did they remember?  Surely, they’d drank as much as I did?  Sound familiar?  Friday to Sunday spent pinballing from wasted to hangover and back again. 

Twenty years fly by and it’s no longer fun.   ‘Acting’ feels like a full-time job.  I wake mo...

Ok, let’s talk about belief.

Do you believe in yourself?

Its not a question we get asked very often, or even ask ourselves.

We have all seen this quote: “If you believe you can, you can”. But do you?

Self-belief comes up in my 1-1 coaching quite a bit. Whether we are working on reducing the drugs or alcohol, getting the dream job, or just living a life on your terms. Do you believe you can? Is it possible for you?

Do you believe that anything is possible? When I ask this, I usually get back, “Well yes for other people I can see that, but not for me.”

Here is the thing, we are all human beings. If you can find one person that has done what you want to do, with a similar background then, if they can, you can.

That doesn’t mean it will come easy, sometimes we have to apply ourselves, learn, persist, review, ask for help, find a good teacher, do the work etc.

But we can learn anything right? If we apply ourselves. You have learnt how to walk, how to read, write, how to parent, be i...