Before we start the series proper – and you'll be shocked to hear that a Dry January episode *will* be landing on New Year's Day – we have a couple of bonus episodes to introduce your hosts and our aims for the series.

Helen and Kat come at soft drinks from different angles. Helen is a lifelong teetotaller, and Kat is four years sober. Helen asks Kat about her background with alcohol, why she stopped drinking, and what drinks fire her up now (spoiler: we have polar opposite views re Shloer and elderflower cordial.)

Non-alcoholic drink options and personal drinking experiences. 1:11

Alcohol use and its impact on mental health. 3:24

Quitting drinking and its impact on social events, ADHD diagnosis. 8:04

Finding alternative rituals & replacements for coffee and Diet Coke. 10:18

Kat's favourite non-alcoholic drinks. 15:18

Episode transcript

If you’ve got a favourite drink, or a drinks menu that you’d like to celebrate or shame – or if you're a soft drinks fan going "OH THANK GOD!" and would like to flag something for us to cover – then email us at popculturedrinkspodcast@gmail.com or on Instagram @popculturedrinkspodcast. We’ll see you soon, soda speak.

Helen's Twitter @HelenLOHara and Instagram @heleno84

Kat's Twitter @katbrown and Instagram @katbrownwrites

Artwork: Ilutaka

Music: HoliznaCC0

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