How Alcohol Made Fools of us All! - with Ken M Middleton

Today’s guest is Ken Middleton If you’re a regular listener then you’ll already know Ken and many of you have read his fabulous book which is called Bamboozled – How Alcohol Makes Fools of us all!" Kenis an interesting case because he didn’t embark on this journey because he was worried about his alcohol dependence… he did it because he realised that alcohol was preventing him from reaching his potential As he says “even if alcohol doesn’t destroy you it will prevent you from reaching your potential” How true! This is my actually my third podcast episode with Ken – You can listen to the other podcast episodes here and here   In this episode:- Ken started his sobriety journey by educating himself on the scientific effects of alcohol. There is such power in knowledge – the more we understand about the damage alcohol does the less we feel like drinking it! His drinking career was pretty typical – starting at college where he used it to fit in and socialize. His drinking then intensified during his sales career It was when he decided to become an entrepreneur that Ken realized the detrimental impact of alcohol on his productivity. He decided to take a 90-day break from drinking with his wife, to his surprise this period of sobriety led to a significant increase in his productivity and income. Two weeks into his sobriety, Ken read Annie Grace's "This Naked Mind" which changed his perspective on alcohol. This book helped him to recognize the spectrum of alcohol's effects, We agreed that society stigmatises the alcoholic to such an extent that we imagine an alcoholic to be a homeless man in the park – this gives us a reason to decide we are not “that bad” so we can carry on drinking! This suits the alcohol industry very well of course! Inspired by his journey, Ken wrote "Bamboozled" to share his experiences and educate others on the hidden dangers of alcohol. One of the things I love about his book is the stories he includes - alcohol parables like "Scott and Mitchell," illustrating how drinking choices in college can impact future success. Ken emphasizes the cognitive and emotional impairment caused by alcohol, affecting decision-making, learning, and long-term success – of course its especially harmful for young brains which are still developing Ken encourages his readers to consider the long-term effects on their lives and potential. He believes in running towards personal growth rather than away from alcohol, recognizing the multitude of benefits gained through sobriety.  I love this approach and see our members getting more and more motivated as the benefits of sobriety keep coming! Societal views on drinking are changing, with more and more young people abstaining - For example the latest stats from the UK tell us that 39% of 18-24 people just don’t drink Another of Kens alcohol parables focuses on Sarah and Susan Susan's excessive drinking hinders her career growth, while Sarah's more moderate approach leads to promotion. Hollywood's portrayal of alcohol influences societal perceptions and behaviors – Ken has a whole chapter on this and its fascinating If you haven't yet read Bamboozled then you’re missing out – it’s a really great read, you can buy it from Amazon or you can get it directly from Ken on TheBamboozledBook.com Do check out his 90 day challenge that he mentioned – he’s set up a website for that which is called https://www.dry90.com/ - I’ll put the links in the shownotes You can also follow Ken on Instagram @kenmmiddleton and of course his regular newsletter is called Alcohol is Not Your Friend. More Info   Episode Sponsor This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then sign up today Read more about our program and subscribe HERE Help us to Spread the Word! We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share. If you enjoyed the podcast, then please leave us a 5-star review on Apple podcasts. Take a screenshot of your review, and DM it to Tribe Sober’s Instagram page – see PS below for instructions. We’ll send you something special to say thank you! We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning. You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can join our private Facebook group HERE.