Press Play Before You Drink: A Pep Talk for When You Want to Give Up

If you’re feeling close to drinking, overwhelmed, tired, or stuck in that mental negotiation, this episode is here for you.

In this episode of the Sober Vibes Podcast is a calm, grounding pep talk you can press play on anytime you feel like giving up or convincing yourself to “just have one.”

This episode isn’t about rules, timelines, or willpower.
 It’s about getting through this moment without turning it into a setback.

Whether you’re doing 30 days without alcohol, trying to stop drinking every night, or working to stop drinking wine when stress hits, this episode helps you slow down and reconnect before making a choice you might regret.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear:

• Wanting to drink doesn’t mean you’re failing
• How to separate an urge from the story your brain is telling
• What’s actually happening in your body when cravings show up
• Simple grounding tools you can use in real time
• Gentle reminders for rebuilding motivation to stay sober
• Why pressing play instead of pouring a drink still counts as progress

This episode is designed to be saved, downloaded, and replayed — especially during moments when alcohol feels like the fastest way to cope.

You can come back to this episode as many times as you need.

Resources & Support Mentioned:

• Sobriety Circle – ongoing support for women living alcohol free
• 1:1 Sober Coaching – personalized guidance during difficult moments
• Free tools for staying sober without white-knuckling

PODCAST SPONSOR:

This episode is sponsored by ExactNature, a trusted holistic tool for anyone navigating recovery and sobriety. Use code SV25 at checkout to save on your order. Click here to shop and save. 

Grab my Masterclass for Free:

Gain access to my Masterclass when you submit a review on iTunes. Email me sobervibes@gmail.com with a screenshot of the review, and I will send you the code to unlock my Masterclass for free!

Thank you for tuning in!

Ready to thrive in your alcohol-free life? Sober Vibes: A Guide to Thriving in Your First Three Months Without Alcohol is your step-by-step guide to navigating early sobriety with confidence.

Grab your copy today!

Thank you for listening! Help the show by Rating, Reviewing, and/or Subscribing to the Sober Vibes Podcast.

Connect w/ Courtney:
Instagram
Join the Sobriety Circle

Apply for 1:1 Coaching
Order the Sober Vibes Book

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Sober Vibes
• 1:41 Episode 260: A Moment of Reflection
• 2:44 Understanding and Normalizing Urges
• 4:46 Practical Steps to Manage Urges
• 5:16 Self-Reflection and Awareness
• 8:25 Final Encouragement and Conclusion

Transcript

Courtney Andersen: 1:08

Welcome to Sober Vibes, your podcast for alcohol-free lifestyle tips and real talk about long-term sobriety. I'm your host, Courtney Anderson, sober coach, author, and mom. Each week I share strategies, stories, and encouragement to help you navigate cravings, build confidence, and thrive in sobriety. Whether you're sober curious or years in, this is your space to feel supported and inspired. Hey, welcome back to the Sober Vives Podcast. I'm your host and sober coach, Cordy Anderson. You are listening to episode 260. So if you press played on this episode, I want you to pause just for a second. And the fact that you're here instead of reaching for a drink matters. This episode is here for the moments when the urge feels loud. Your brain starts negotiating. You're tired of thinking about it, or you're wondering if it's even worth it anymore. Okay. Or what's the point? You don't need to be strong right now. You don't need a plan. You just need a few steady minutes. Okay. So let me sit with you during this time. This is a completely different episode, and I've been wanting to do something like this in the last couple weeks. So I hope this helps. Remember, anytime you are struggling, always press play on this episode, right? And if you need deeper support, please look in the show notes below or visit CourtneyRecovery.com for my one-on-one sober coaching or my sobriety circle or the other resources I have. All right, let's get into it. I'm going to keep this short and sweet today. Name what's happening right now without judgment. Okay. First, let's normalize this. Wanting to drink doesn't mean that you're failing. It doesn't mean you made the wrong decision. It doesn't even erase your progress. This is all very normal. Urges come in waves, they rise and they will peak and then they pass. And even when they feel very, very convincing, but you're feeling right now is your nervous system asking for relief, not alcohol. So remember that it's about the relief. And we can work on that. All right. Separate the urge from the story. Right now, your brain might be telling you things like, one won't hurt. I didn't have that big of a problem. I deserve this. I've already proven I can stop. I can do this again, right? I'll start again tomorrow. I really, really deserve this. So that voice sounds super confident, doesn't it? But it's not the wise choice and it's not the wise decision that you need to be falling into that voice. It's just very familiar because this is what you've been doing for such a long time. I want you to remember too how many years you spent in your active relationship with alcohol. So if you're 30, 60, 90 days, one year, two years, three years in, and you're having moments like this, don't then think that there's something wrong with you when you had alcohol in your life for 10, 15, 20 years. Okay. So an urge isn't a command, it's sensation paired with a story. You don't have to argue with that. Okay. You don't have to obey it. Like I said, you don't have to then say, oh, okay, I must do this. You you just have to not act for this moment and stop thinking on impulse. And that is it. Just do not act on it. Do not act on it, right? So come back into your body, right? Let's slow things down right now. Take a deep breath in through your nose. Hold for a couple seconds and then breathe it out. And do that a couple times. Exhale that slowly, obviously. And do that at least three more times. Okay. Keep doing it three to four times. That way you are calming your nervous system so that the relief has to start there too. Okay. Now I want you to ask yourself gently: Am I hungry? Am I tired? Am I overwhelmed? Am I lonely? Do I not feel good? There's no perfect answer right now. It's just that awareness because sometimes when you ask yourself one of those things, you can respond when the answer comes up, then you respond quickly to that. Okay, am I overstimulated? What do I need to do? Maybe I need to turn off Courtney's voice, but please don't finish this episode. Okay, it will help you through. Maybe I need to turn a light off in the house if I'm overstimulated. Maybe I need to stop scrolling on my phone for the rest of the night. So they you're going to find what the answer is that you need, and that is awareness. Then choose one small thing that supports you, right? Like I just said, with the oh if you're overstimulated, or if you just need to have a glass of cold water, stepping outside, changing rooms in your house, putting your feet in the earth, right? Putting your feet on the floor. Tiny shifts matter more than a big promise right now. So even too, it's like, do I need to go walk outside? Do I need to move this anxious? If I'm anxious, do I need to move this anxious energy around or out of me? Do I need to jump on my on my treadmill even though I was on it this morning? Do I need that second, that second walk for the day? And the answer could be yes, right? I want you to remember after you went all these, after you did this, if you did this checklist, right? I want you to remember this. You didn't start this because everything was fine, right? You started because something inside you wanted peace. Clear mornings, less anxiety, more of self-trust, freedom from the moderation cycle, right? A calmer nervous system. So alcohol promised relief, but it always asks for more in return from you. January is here, that challenge where you take a month-long break from alcohol to reset your habits and see how life feels like without drinking. Time off can bring huge benefits: better sleep, more energy, weight loss, and improvements to your liver health, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. But those first few weeks can be tough. That's where Exact Nature comes in. Exact Nature makes safe, non-intoxicating CBD products designed to help you take the edge off, easing cravings, calming anxiety, improving sleep, and stabilizing your mood, all without getting you high or causing harm. Founded by a father-son team in recovery, Exact Nature truly understands this journey. Their range of products is value-priced, subscription ready, and designed to support your success over time. As a listener, you'll get 25% off your order at exactnature.com with checkout code SV25. Start off strong in 2026 with Exact Nature. Your future self will thank you. You can also find the link in the show notes below. Make sure to use code SV as in sober vibes25. SV25. So this moment will pass. This this feeling that you are currently having right now is going to pass. Maybe also to you need to put yourself to sleep. Okay. Go to bed. Just in and asking yourself what you need, especially for you when you're tired, because I know for a lot of us gals, being tired and being sick is a huge, huge, huge trigger. But if you were to go to sleep, put yourself to bed earlier, it is something that your body needed. And the next morning you're gonna wake up feeling very, very, very good. So again, remember that this moment is going to pass and you will be so grateful that you stayed another day sober and you will be super proud of yourself tomorrow and be like, fuck yes, I did this, right? And if you're thinking, why again is this still hard? Or I thought I'd be past this by now, just know these are normal thoughts, but please hear me when I say this. There is no timeline you're failing to meet. There's no version of sobriety where urges never show up, all right? Progress, progress over per perfection, right? And progress is what you do when these urges appear and then act accordingly, right? You chose to press play on this, and that matters. Again, always feel free to come back to this episode if you need this quick turnaround, but you really do have to recognize what is happening at that time. What does your body need and act according to plan? Can you do this in every type of situation? Sometimes you are just gonna have to like be like, okay, I just gotta get through this. This urge is gonna be a little bit hard, but I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and I'm gonna feel great if I choose not to drink alcohol today. You do not have to act every time an urge comes up because you're stronger than that. And you are that bitch. I say that with love, okay? Just remember this. All right, let me know if this episode helped you today. And like I said, come back to it, use it. As always, keep on trucking out there.