Ep 120: The Shortcut To Belonging | Rethinking Alcohol |

Why does alcohol feel essential to parties, celebrations, and big social events? And what’s really at stake when you rethink your drinking in those spaces? Anna Donaghey is joined by Evan Cudworth, a self-described “party coach,” who shares his personal journey through alcohol-fueled confidence, alter egos, and radical new rituals.

Together, they explore why we outsource energy and confidence to booze, how nostalgia can keep us stuck, and why the real “party” has to start within. Evan Cudworth breaks down his unique framework for building confidence and joy without alcohol and offers stories from both wild raves and deep silence at Burning Man.

Whether you’re worried you can’t party sober (or just curious how presence can replace performance), this episode shares new possibilities.

Here are the Highlights:

00:00 Intro: The myth that drinking is the party

01:16 Why parties without alcohol feel unimaginable

07:21 Creating alter egos: who are we trying to access?

09:31 The “alcohol is a credit card” analogy

11:42 How social norms & culture shape drinking

14:44 Parties as rituals: St. Patrick’s Day and celebration engines

20:30 The act of doing shots and what it really signifies

24:42 Sober rituals and the power of intention

29:56 The party within: reclaiming confidence and aliveness

33:59 Building new evidence: is partying sober actually crap?

34:44 The 7-stage “Party Within” framework

44:41 Stop chasing nostalgia, what if you created joy instead?

48:22 “Live more, numb less”, a new party philosophy

51:05 The ultimate invitation: be the energy you want to see

52:03 When it’s not about you: making others feel they belong

Anna’s book "What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want", is now out in the world for you to buy!

Order your copy, access her free tools and explore her coaching programmes at: https://thebigdrinkrethink.com/

The Thirsty For More Mindset Lab is Anna’s ‘inner circle’ - a calm, thoughtful space where conversations continue, patterns are explored, and things begin to make sense. Find out more at: https://thirstyformore.substack.com/

If you appreciate the podcast and would like to show a bit of love, you can donate the cost of a coffee here. It helps support the time and care that goes into making the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethink

About the host Anna:

Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.

Connect with Anna:

Website: thebigdrinkrethink.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey

Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

About Evan Cudworth:

Evan Cudworth is, as far as anyone can tell, the world's first & only party coach - and he believes partying will save humanity. A nerdy UChicago graduate who came up in the underground rave & music scenes. Alongside his own struggles with validation, alcohol, & substances, in the post-pandemic chaos he created The Party Within, a 7 step framework for high-achieving adults who've been sold the lie that optimisation and fun are opposites.

His argument is simple and a little heretical: the wellness industrial complex has made us more isolated, more rigid, and worse at being in a room together -and the cure is learning to actually party in our modern world.

He's inspired thousands to libertate their social lives from anxiety, scrolling, & substances, and his work has appeared in GQ, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and Teen Vogue.

He's here to make the case that partying might be the thing that saves us.

Connect with Evan:

Website: https://partycoach.me/