The High Performance Podcast

Episode Summary:

Title: How Giving Up Alcohol Transformed Everything, with Dr. Alex George
Hosts: Jake Humphrey & Damian Hughes
Guest: Dr. Alex George
Date: January 9, 2026

Main Theme

This episode dives deep into Dr. Alex George’s powerful journey of giving up alcohol, the pivotal role it played in transforming his life, and how it rippled into positive change for his physical and mental health, career, and relationships. Dr. Alex candidly discusses grief, neurodiversity, addiction, societal pressure around drinking, and the essential role of self-understanding and compassion. The conversation offers practical advice for anyone considering giving up or reducing alcohol, as well as wider reflections on happiness, purpose, and what it means to thrive.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dr. Alex’s Journey: From Rock Bottom to Transformation

• Rock Bottom Moment ([04:46 – 13:19])

  • Dr. Alex recounts reaching "rock bottom" on December 4th, 2022, while sitting in a hairdresser’s chair, physically and mentally unwell, overweight, and realizing he was lost and medicating his grief (especially after his brother’s suicide) with alcohol.
  • Quote: “Me deciding to stop drinking was the single best decision I've ever made. Bar nothing. There is nothing in my life that has come close. No career decision, no path. That is the single best decision I've ever made.” (Dr. Alex, [00:04])

• The Catalyst for Change

  • He describes the immediacy and finality of his decision: “...the two promises I made that day was, I'm not drinking anymore, and I'm going to walk every morning.” ([13:50])
  • Walking became his daily grounding activity and the seed for his podcast 'Stompcast'.

• Building New Habits

  • Change started small: giving up alcohol and daily walking, gradually expanding into other healthy habits like lifting weights, better nutrition, and eventually running a marathon.
  • Emphasizes the importance of incremental change rather than trying an “all at once” overhaul.

2. Alcohol, Grief & Emotional Numbing

• Alcohol as Self-Medication ([07:38 – 18:13])

  • Dr. Alex discusses how alcohol was a tool to suppress emotions rather than simply to 'take the edge off.'
  • He reveals the unique challenge of feeling emotions fully for the first time after stopping:
    • Quote: “Putting down the bottle was easy. Dealing with the problems—that was the hard bit.” ([16:13])

• Therapy & Processing Emotions

  • He turned to therapy, even persuading his therapist to do sessions while walking to suit his ADHD.

3. Neurodiversity, ADHD, and Alcohol

• Late Diagnosis and Self-Understanding ([18:15 – 22:08])
  • Dr. Alex was diagnosed with ADHD in his early 30s, and believes both ADHD and undiagnosed neurodiversity within his family played a role in his and his siblings’ challenges.
  • He stresses the link between ADHD and risk for alcohol dependence:
    • Quote: “When you pour alcohol into an already disinhibited brain... it's a recipe for disaster. That's why 40% of ADHDers have alcohol misuse disorder.” ([20:05])

4. Who Should (Strongly) Consider Not Drinking?

• The Three Groups ([18:15 – 22:08]; summarized again at [50:14]) Dr. Alex believes three groups should avoid alcohol:
  1. Those with ADHD
  2. Anyone feeling stuck in life
  3. Anyone with mood issues (depression/anxiety)
  • “...look at alcohol like it is a depressant. It is an anxiety-inducing drug.” (Dr. Alex, [21:50])

5. Social Pressures and “Auto-Enrollment” in Drinking Culture

• Society’s Double Standard ([22:14 – 23:01])
  • The guests discuss how society “auto-enrolls” people into drinking and treats abstention as abnormal.
    • Quote: “It’s about the only drug where you have to explain why you don’t take that drug.” (Host, [22:14])
  • Dr. Alex is comfortable with friends who drink but highlights the importance of making a conscious choice, not just conforming to routine or expectation.
• Navigating Social Pressure:
  • In audience Q&A, Dr. Alex counsels replacing alcohol with positive activity and warns that some friendships may fade if they’re rooted in past drinking behavior.
    • “If they don’t [support you], they were never really your friends.” ([35:11])

6. Advice for Reducing or Quitting Alcohol

• Try It as an Experiment ([24:04 – 25:14])

  • Suggests practical steps: attempt “dry January,” then extend to 90 days to really feel benefits.
  • Save the money you would have spent as incentive.

• Resilience & Identity Shift

  • Points out that not drinking is hard—and that sticking with hard things builds strength and confidence.
    • Quote: “If you can do things that are hard, it sets you on a path to success... I really like the fact that not drinking is hard.” (Host, [25:26])

• No Regrets

  • Neither Dr. Alex nor the hosts have met anyone who regrets giving up alcohol ([27:17]).

7. Neurodiversity, Diagnosis and Systemic Issues

• Barriers to ADHD Assessment ([36:55 – 39:56])

  • Acknowledges the long NHS waitlists and the negative impact of untreated neurodevelopmental conditions. Suggests self-education, lifestyle design, and leveraging resources online as interim steps.

• Self-Understanding Over Labels

  • Early and accurate understanding of neurodiverse needs is empowering and prevents young people from acquiring negative labels and self-blame ([43:08]).

8. Changing Attitudes: Generational Shifts

• Young Adults & Drinking Habits
  • Points to statistics showing nearly half of 18–23-year-olds do not drink at all, reflecting a shift in what is considered “fun” and aspirational.

9. Grief: Beyond the Five Stages

• Non-linear Process ([44:26 – 46:59])

  • Challenges the “five stages of grief” model, describing grief as a figure-eight, fluid experience without a neat endpoint.
  • Quote: “Most people experience grief would describe that... it's much more important that you're able to flow between different emotions.” (Dr. Alex, [45:05])

• Support Networks During Grief

  • Stresses the need for at least one trustworthy friend and multiple support channels—personal, professional, and workplace:
    • “Masking is exhausting... it's very important to be able to be transparent at work.” ([47:25])
  • Ends with the reminder: “This too shall pass.” ([47:25])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the transformative power of quitting alcohol:
  “Everything else that follows on was because of it. I suspect it will be for a long time.” (Dr. Alex, [00:04])

• On societal drinking norms:
  “If you choose to do something, then that's great, it's a choice. You've weighed things up. But I don't think I ever made that choice.” (Dr. Alex, [23:01])

• On loss and unpredictability:
  “The worst things in life are often the things you hadn’t even imagined.” (Dr. Alex quoting his mother, [04:46])

• On different pathways through grief:
  “There’s no such linear experience. Most people experience grief as that figure-eight of different emotions—sadness, anger, acceptance—sometimes all in a day.” (Dr. Alex, [45:05])

Audience Q&A Highlights

• Dealing with Social Drinking Pressure:
  Replace alcohol with positive activity; remember your why; realize some friendships may drop away.

• Barriers to ADHD Diagnosis:
  Use online resources, adapt lifestyle for symptom management, focus on self-compassion and finding compatible routines or work environments.

• Stigma around Neurodiversity & Mental Illness:
  Progress on “acceptable” disorders like anxiety/depression, but much more to do for severe and stigmatized ones (bipolar, schizophrenia).

  • Quote: “All ignorance, in my opinion, is combated through education.” (Dr. Alex, [41:49])

Key Timestamps

| Segment | Topic/Quote | Time | |---------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------| | Dr. Alex on his rock bottom and quitting alcohol | [00:04-04:46] | | Reflection on happiness, emotional health | [03:07-04:36] | | Grieving his brother & alcohol as medication | [04:46-13:19] | | The process and challenge of quitting; developing new routines | [13:19-18:13] | | Alcohol & ADHD, three groups who shouldn’t drink | [18:13-22:08] | | Societal pressures & ‘auto-enrollment’ in drinking | [22:08-23:34] | | Advice for reducing or quitting alcohol | [24:04-25:14] | | Benefits experienced after stopping drinking, living with intention | [25:52-27:49] | | Changing attitudes among young people | [27:17-29:52] | | Challenges of getting an ADHD diagnosis & managing without one | [36:55-39:56] | | Grief: rethinking the stages model, support nets, “This too shall pass” | [44:26-49:40] |

Tone & Style

Candid, honest, at times raw and intimate, but ultimately empathetic and practical. Dr. Alex’s openness about his struggles and the non-judgmental questioning from the hosts create a supportive, motivational atmosphere throughout.

Final Takeaway

This episode is a moving exploration of why giving up alcohol—or even simply drinking less—can be transformative, especially for those dealing with neurodiversity, trauma, or feeling stuck. Dr. Alex’s experience is both cautionary and inspiring, emphasizing that real change is incremental, grounded in self-understanding, compassion, and a willingness to face emotional discomfort. The episode is peppered with practical, uplifting advice for anyone curious about whether life without alcohol might be better for them—and Dr. Alex’s testimony is unequivocal: for him, it absolutely is.

Resources Mentioned

• Dr. Alex George’s new book: Am I Normal? (out January 15th, 2026)
• Stompcast (Dr. Alex’s podcast)
• ADHD Foundation, Autism UK, and ADHD Chatter (recommended for neurodiversity resources)

“If you’re thinking of drinking less or not at all, maybe this episode is the catalyst for you.”
— The High Performance Podcast Team