Carmel Anne Brennan: 18 Months Alcohol-Free

This week on No More Booze, I’m joined by my beautiful friend Carmel Anne Brennan who’s 18 months off the booze and someone who thought drinking was just part of life until her body started sending louder messages. Carmel Anne talks honestly about how alcohol gave her confidence and helped her socialise, especially while living overseas and how that slowly shifted after a breast cancer diagnosis, medical menopause symptoms, anxiety and years of gastro issues that nobody could fully explain. We talk about the benefits of having peer support, sober podcasts and books, Dry January, the power of community and why the benefits of alcohol-free living build and build.

Carmel-Anne is married to Rory, a mum of two and she has just turned 50. Carmel Anne was so fed up with hangovers, generally feeling rubbish, increased anxiety, awful sleep and terrible stomach and digestion issues and it was this combination that led her to give up alcohol. It was only when she removed alcohol that she realised the huge impact it was having on her everyday life. She had absolutely no idea. Today, she sleeps incredibly well, trains hard and tries to eat well. She has no more digestion issues anymore and her anxiety disappeared overnight. She is a calmer more balanced person since she removed alcohol from her life. Carmel says ‘It’s the best decision I ever made and probably the one decision I was most afraid to make’ Enjoy.