Sobriety Chat: Kate

preview of video chat

Kate Baily is a a Professional Coach and coach trainer in Addictive Behaviours and Grey Area Drinking. She's also the co-founder of Love Sober, a community interest company that helps women be happily, sustainably sober. Click on the video or audio below to hear our Sobriety Chat. We chat about relapse, 'grey area drinking', being neurodiverse and managing sensory overload. For more on Kate's work visit the Love Sober website here or search 'Love Sober Podcast' on your usual podcast app. She has also shared a link to this free sensory self-care toolkit available to download from a UK-based mental health charity.

Audio recording below

9 Comments
  1. misscalanthe 2 years ago

    Absolutely love the chat re grey area. I don’t feel comfortable using the word addict, but it is definitely causing some hidden problems and therefore time to stop.
    I too would feel a fraud going to AA.
    Thanks for this, was a good distraction to help get through the afternoon of day 1.

  2. Hellsbells 2 years ago

    What a great interview- I love the grey area idea- thanks so much for sharing- And Inventing Anna is awesome!

  3. boomersandie 2 years ago

    A great interview/chat with so much to think about as I sure do need that motivation! I have written in my journal a quote but don’t know where from, now.
    “The Grey Area……
    You are functional and healthy in every way, but recognise that your drinking habit is holding you back from being the best version of you.”

  4. JMB62 2 years ago

    A really interesting conversation that has helped me recognise where I fitted. It has solved the dilemma of, am I or am I not addicted?
    The ‘grey area’ is suddenly ‘black and white’. Thanks for this.

  5. Hammer123 2 years ago

    Another great conversation. I have always struggled with the language and definitions around my drinking problem. I found it hard to explain to people who asked if I was an alcoholic, because they didn’t see my problem and I didn’t identify myself with the traditional idea of an alcoholic.
    I do like the term grey area drinking. The most positive part of giving up the poison for me is the freedom from thinking about drinking. I don’t think about when I can have a next drink, when I can start, how many can I have without people noticing, do I have enough booze at home. Stopping drinking has freed up a lot hard drive space in my brain.
    I am really looking forward to more conversations like the first two!

    • Finallyfreetobeme 2 years ago

      I just love having that head space that booze used to occupy. There’s now room for so much more. Also up there in best bits about being sober is that I don’t have to lie anymore. When I remember some of the truly pathetic things I did, I have so much shame. But I’m trying to put that behind me. It was a really energetic and positive postcard. I’m sure the ladies could have gone on for hours!

  6. MissFreedom 2 years ago

    I really enjoyed this , i also went to A.A but felt like a fraud . I never heard of Grey area drinking before , i find this enlightning .
    How many people are in that grey area but don’ t seek help because they don’ t associate themselves with being alcoholic ?
    Thank you for this postcast .

  7. justjo 2 years ago

    Oh my! Thank you so much @MrsD !! And Kate! Thank you for answering my question. Truly, if I had been able to find more of this 20 years ago . . . sheesh. I can’t imagine how my life would be so much better. But, I can’t dwell on that. I am here now. And while I may be a late bloomer, I do hope that others will see themselves here. What you are doing is so good. And so helpful. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

  8. Finallyfreetobeme 2 years ago

    Hey Mrs D! I really enjoyed listening to your chat with Kate. For me living in the UK, it was really nice to hear you in “real life” rather than just your fab posts. A face and a name and a voice put together which was lovely. As for the conversation, you touched upon so many interesting points. I could have listened to you for hours. What I loved most about it was the energy you both gave. It is so evident how passionate you are about all aspects of embracing a life without alcohol. I find it a great motivator, comfort, teaching, and self care. I could relate to so much of what you talked about and that in itself helps because I know I’m not alone. And you and so many others on LS are such wonderful examples of what it looks like when alcohol no longer destroys you but instead your experiences have made you stronger. I’m about 11 months in now and growing day by day. And I’m certain that this safe place has made all the difference. Thank you for all you do xx

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Licensed by NZ Drug Foundation under Creative Commons 4.0 2024. Built by Bamboo Creative and powered by Flywheel.

Log in with your credentials

or    

Forgot your details?

Create Account