Alcohol is one of the most dangerous drugs in our society because we've made it so normal!

In this solo episode of Becoming Bold, Izzy opens up about the topic closest to her heart: her relationship with alcohol. Her bold opinion — alcohol is one of the most dangerous drugs in our society precisely because we've made it so normal, and when someone starts struggling with it, the conversation turns to "why can't you control yourself" instead of what they're using it to cope with. Izzy takes you through the whole timeline, including the parts that aren't neat. Starting to drink at 15 or 16 and noticing early that it didn't affect her the way it affected her friends. The blackouts, and that specific feeling of waking up and reaching for your phone. The boyfriend who suggested Dry July and, without knowing it, changed the trajectory of her life. Melbourne lockdown, her health science degree, 75 Hard, and discovering that exercise could change her state without borrowing happiness from tomorrow. The years of Friday-night negotiation with herself, documented in journals she still has. The friction it created with her family, and the shame cycle where the thing causing the shame became the thing she used to escape it. Then 15 months completely sober through a difficult breakup, three weeks in Europe with her family, and a lot of lonely Saturday nights spent telling herself to have foresight. She's also honest about what came after: going back to drinking, marathon training in 2024, getting too introverted and realising that something looking healthy doesn't mean you're doing it for a healthy reason, a bad night at the start of 2025, two weddings sober, and where she actually sits today — still working through it with her psychologist, and not pretending otherwise just because she has a podcast. Through the core four: - **Clarity:** the biggest one when it comes to alcohol — when you stop drinking you can't hide from yourself, and sometimes what you find out hurts - **Health:** the physical stuff is obvious, but it was the next-day anxiety and mental health that cost her most - **Wealth:** not the drinks and the Ubers, but the Sundays, the Mondays, and the sheer mental capacity spent thinking about it - **Relationships:** the friction with family, and the relationship it damaged most — the one with herself, and why keeping promises to herself became everything She finishes with the two tools she still uses: asking what job you're giving alcohol tonight before you ask whether you're drinking, and having foresight. Plus a message for anyone who loves someone struggling — you're allowed compassion and boundaries at the same time. If you're the one having that internal battle every weekend, this one's for you. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow your host: ⁠⁠@izzynewbold⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@becomingbold.pod