James Lloyd spent 8 years trying to get back to four months of clarity he accidentally stumbled into at 38. He'd read Alan Carr's book on holiday in Abu Dhabi - picked it up because it was called How to Control Alcohol, not how to quit - and by the end of it, floating in a swimming pool, he thought: I don't think I'm going to drink again. He stopped for four months. Then started a new job at Nintendo, convinced himself he could turn it on and off for client events at Christmas. The toothpaste was out of the tube. It didn't work twice.
He finally stopped for good the day his mum died. He had a drink with his dad, went to bed, and woke up knowing that was it. A month later, at her funeral, he stood up to give the eulogy and spontaneously told the entire congregation he was never going to drink alcohol again. He put it out there in front of everyone. He wasn't going back on that.
Two and a half years into sobriety, he was given two separate cancer diagnoses in the space of a month. He processed it in about a week. He credits the emotional resilience that comes from proper sleep - and proper sleep that comes from not drinking - for the fact that it didn't put him in a hole for months.
James now coaches grey area drinkers through 100 days alcohol-free. Not Dry January - 100 days, because you can white-knuckle a month, but you can't white-knuckle 100 days. You have to go to the wedding, the stag do, the birthday party, and find out whether the things you believe about alcohol are actually true. Nine out of ten of his clients come in wanting to get control back. Nine out of ten end up staying alcohol-free.
This week, James, Rich and Andy get into why stopping drinking is probably not as hard as you think - and why the real work, the identity shift, the limiting beliefs, the blank canvas of what comes next - starts after the first month, not before.
Plus: the selective attention experiment that explains exactly why people stay stuck, why the summer is actually the best time to take a break, and the line that stopped the room - it's only ethanol in a glass bottle with a nice label on it. Everything else is a belief.
Find James at AlcoholFreeCoach.com or on Instagram @AlcoholFreeCoach_. His podcast, the Alcohol-Free Revolution, features both Rich and Andy in back episodes.
What is Clean Break Chats?
🎙️ Clean Break Chats – Mindful Miles and AF Lifestyles.
Hosted by Andy and Rich – two ordinary guys who’ve discovered something extraordinary through living alcohol-free. Andy lives by the sea in sunny Spain, and Rich’s home base is in Leeds, UK. What they share is a passion for running, a commitment to alcohol-free living, and a desire to help others unlock the same freedom and joy.
Formerly known as The Running Dryy podcast, this re-branded podcast is part of their new venture Clean Break – a growing community dedicated to helping runners break free from booze and tap into their full potential. Between them, Andy and Rich have run multiple marathons and ultra events, and they credit going alcohol-free as their superpower.
Each episode features raw, honest conversations between the two – full of laughs, insights, and the kind of chat you'd have on a long run with your best mate. They also invite brilliant guests to share their own stories of transformation, triumph, and what it means to live, run, and thrive without alcohol.
Whether you’re sober-curious, in recovery, or just want to hear real stories about finding meaning through movement and mindset, Clean Break Chats is your new go-to listen.
👟 Come for the running.
💬 Stay for the community.
✨ Leave feeling inspired.