My guest this week is Mark Groves—a human connection specialist and founder of Create The Love.

Probably the number one question I hear from people who are getting sober curious, is how will this affect my relationships. For most of us, regardless of our level of attachment to the substance itself, alcohol is part and parcel of our social lives. It’s there in our friendships, our families, our intimate partnerships, and our dating lives. So what happens when we remove it?

Definitely a lot more awareness of the people and the situations we feel comfortable with. Probably a few / a lot of changes to our social lives as a result. I wanted to talk to Mark about how to navigate all of this, and why we feel we need alcohol to connect with others in the first place.

This has  all been front and center of Mark's life since he quit drinking three years ago. In the episode we discuss:

-The impact of the Covid pandemic on our connections with others.

-What led to him getting sober curious three years ago - and the specific quote that set him on his path.

-Why we believe we need alcohol to connect with others - and what is really happening when we use booze socially.

-The social contracts that are often the foundation of our drinking choices.

-How being raised Catholic impacted his early intimate relationships.

-Going through his first sober breakup.

-His experience of being "Cali-sober" and why this didn't work for him.

-The power of learning to sit with painful emotions.

-What his time working in Big Pharma taught him about the Western approach to health and wellbeing.

Learn more about Mark and his work HERE and follow him on Instagram @createthelove.

And big thanks to Grüvi for partnering on this episode. Order at Getgruvi.com and use the code “Sobercurious10” to get 10% off your first online order