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What Are You Thirsty For?

Rethinking alcohol and the life you want

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About this listen

 'If you're curious about what a life without alcohol might look like, then this is the book for you. An optimistic, non-judgmental guide to asking the right questions, and finding the right answers.'
Clare Pooley, author of The Sober Diaries


Have you ever said to yourself, 'I'm not going to drink tonight' and then found yourself giving in? Was it really alcohol you longed for, or were you craving something deeper?

Anna Donaghey, former advertising exec turned alcohol mindset coach, stopped drinking six years ago when she realised that it was no longer enhancing her life - it was running it.
In this inspiring book, she invites you to take a clear-eyed look at your relationship with alcohol - not because you have to change, but because you deserve more.

This isn't a 'how to quit' manual. It's a 'what if?' book - a space to get curious about the life you want, and what might be standing in your way. A gentle wake-call for anyone wondering: is this really making me happy?

Blending personal experience, coaching insights and stories from her acclaimed podcast The Big Drink Rethink, Anna offers warm, thought-provoking perspectives to help turn alcohol from a habit or default into a conscious, empowered choice.©2026 Anna Donaghey (P)2026 New River Books Limited Personal Development Social Sciences Alcohol
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This book looked at giving up alcohol from a perspective of being free from something that has held you back ... you're not giving up anything... your getting rid of a lifetime of being influenced by society and family and once the message gets through to your brain !!!! Your free !
An easy read , easy to listen to and understand backed up by numerous podcasts etc that relate and support .. would highly recommend

If you want to change your drinking ... this is the one

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An open and honest book about Anna’s life and how she overcame her addiction. Lots of usual tips how to navigate your way to giving up or cutting back on alcohol and regain your life.

Brilliant!

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Does the world really need another piece of Quit Lit? You might think possibly not. However, this one is by far the best I have read for the majority group of grey-area drinkers. While many Quit Lit books *claim* grey-area drinking as their focus, most cannot resist portraying alcohol as the devil incarnate and telling tales of spiralling so far out of control that it turns most moderate drinkers off. I have read many books in this category and found them almost detrimental: if I simply don't recognise the lifestyle they are describing, why should I change mine?

This one is different as it genuinely addresses the question of moderate drinking. While the author *does* describe her own relationship with alcohol as one in which she lost a significant amount of control, she acknowledges that this may well not be the case for her listeners. She addresses habitual moderate alcohol consumption as the most likely place where you find yourself and offers suggestions and solutions for both reduction and cutting it out altogether. As with her podcast, one of the simplest but best things for me that she points out is that for moderate drinkers, cutting out alcohol actually only means finding an alternative for around 2-3 hours per day, a period of time she calls "the witching hour": once you realise that, it seems almost ridiculous that we set so much store by this particular habit in the context of our whole lives.

I was genuinely impressed by this contribution to the Quit Lit library. I honestly think that it will resonate with far more people than some of the big-hitters already out there. Nicely read by the author, entirely appropriate for those of us who are familiar with her podcast.

At last: something for the majority

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This debut book by Anna Donaghey is truly a beautifully written and humane book. A less “ how to” manual and more a compassionate conversation with a friend about something that is starting to or for a while now has been bothering you.

A book that helps you to understand why you drink alcohol.

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I’ve read many books about reducing or abstaining from alcohol but this approached the subject in a completely different way and felt more like counselling or a life coach. Rather than focus on the alcohol, Anna takes a whole life approach and I think that it particularly resonated with me as we are both female and a similar age.

A different approach

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