Club Soda Community Podcast

• The Next Round: Sean turned recovery into theatre

  When Sean Daniels decided to change his relationship with alcohol, he turned to what he knew best: theatre.His play, The White Chip, shares his story - and the community that helped him find his way to recovery.Welcome to The Next Round, the podcast that explores what people did next.While some keep their post-booze lives quiet, others shout them loud and proud, helping themselves - and inspiring you.Like Sean, his play The White Chip is moving on too: transferring from Off-Broadway to the Off-West End this summer.Could he have written a play while still drinking? Well, yes - until he couldn’t.As a professional artist and director, Sean found healing by translating the chaos of his recovery into something tangible and transformative – a play.Today, Sean’s autobiographical show, The White Chip, is not just another production. It’s a raw, hilarious, and hopeful exploration of addiction and recovery, set to debut at London’s Southwark Playhouse. But it’s also a testament to what happens when you take your darkest moments and create a light for others to follow.“The art form did help to save me, because it was a way to try to process what happened.”For Sean, getting sober didn’t mean leaving creativity behind – it meant reclaiming it. Early on in recovery, on just his third day of sobriety, he wrote a monologue trying to capture his confusion and pain. That piece remains almost untouched in the final version of the play. Writing gave him a lifeline, a way to understand a collapse that seemed impossible to explain at the time.He also poured his energy into community work, founding the Recovery Arts Project, an initiative using theatre to change the narrative around addiction. It’s part of Sean’s larger mission: not just to tell his story, but to reshape how society talks about addiction and creativity.“The opposite of addiction isn’t abstinence – it’s community.”Through his work, Sean challenges one of the most persistent myths: that great artists must suffer for their art, and that alcohol fuels creativity.“The idea that part of what it costs you to be a really great artist is that you have to destroy your life – that’s 100% not true.”Sean’s journey into addiction mirrored the glamorous chaos of the theatre world: late nights, endless parties, endless justification. At first, he says, drinking seemed to fuel his success, making him a more “fun” director, a better networker, someone who could juggle 4 a.m. drinks and 9 a.m. meetings with ease. Until it didn’t.“It worked for me until it didn’t, which is a pretty standard version of the story.”Find Club Soda:The Club Soda Tasting Room is at 39 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5RRFind us on Instagram

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• The Next Round: Sue found confidence through woodwork

  When Sue put down the bottle for good, she picked up something else entirely – scraps of Scottish oak, old skateboards, and a newfound passion for woodwork.What followed wasn’t just a hobby or a distraction. It was the beginning of a new life. Sue encourages you to find  your own spark in the things you once set aside.Welcome to The Next Round, where we discover that the fleeting interests from our drinking days might actually hold the key to lasting joy in sobriety.For Sue Patten, woodwork became more than a craft. It became a way to rebuild, both inside and out. Her latest stint in rehab wasn’t her first attempt at an alcohol-free life, but this time, everything clicked. Art, creativity, and real friendships gave her the strength to not just stay sober – but to thrive – so much so she stepped well outside her comfort zone to share her story with us on this podcast.“You get this rough piece of wood and it turns into this smooth, shiny piece of wood, and I love it. I just love it.”After decades where drinking had become her identity, her routine, her reward, her confidence boost. Sue rediscovered her creativity in sobriety. And she didn’t just dabble. She built a new life.Her workshop near Warrington, Cheshire, became her sanctuary.“I go in there and I just lose track of time”What started with a ring and a skateboard became a series of bottle openers, chopping boards, and vases – each piece a quiet celebration of focus, beauty, and self-belief.“I wasn’t going to make bottle openers, because I don’t drink. But I liked seeing what I could create.”It wasn’t always this way. Sobriety in her 20s, Sue admits, was an angry, isolating thing. She didn’t go out. She didn’t engage. But now, in her 50s, things feel entirely different.“I’m a happy sober person now, partly because of the woodwork, partly because I can socialise again – confidently.”Confidence is a recurring theme in Sue’s story. It wasn’t something she started with.“I’ve only just gained confidence in my mid-50s now… I never had the confidence to say, ‘That’s quite good, that.’”But recovery gave her the tools. Literally.“If I’m a bit anxious, I can go into the workshop at whatever time. I release what I’m thinking.”Recovery, for Sue, wasn’t just abstaining from alcohol. It was connection, creativity, and rebuilding. She found her turning point at Delamere, a rehab centre that encouraged therapy through art, horses, and most importantly – people.“The staff said, connection is everything. And I didn’t believe it. But now I do.”Aftercare became another anchor. Most Sundays, she returns – not because she has to, but because it keeps her grounded and inspired.“Not everyone makes it, but they can see that you can get through it. That’s important.”You can find Sue’s work here. Find Club Soda:The Club Soda Tasting Room is at 39 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5RRFind us on Instagram

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• The Next Round: Ryan made a sober pact with his mum

  Not many people kick off their sobriety journey with a pact made with their mum - but for Ryan and his mum, it worked. And it’s transformed both of their lives.For Ryan, the energy he unlocked by quitting drinking didn’t just stay bottled up - it burst open a world of new opportunities. And he said yes to all of them.Welcome to The Next Round -the podcast that explores what happens after you change your drinking. Whether you’re wondering how to fill all that new free time or feeling supercharged with so many ideas you need help saying no, this show is your source of inspiration for whatever comes next.When Ryan gave up drinking, he didn't just close a door -he opened a portal. What followed wasn’t just sobriety, but a full-blown transformation that turned him into a festival-hopping, breathwork-leading, mushroom-coffee-brewing creative force. This is the story of what happens when you say no to booze and yes to everything else.When Ryan gave up drinking, he didn’t just close a door -he opened a portal. What followed wasn’t just sobriety, but a full-blown transformation that turned him into a festival-hopping, breathwork-leading, mushroom-coffee-brewing creative force. This is the story of what happens when you say no to booze and yes to everything else.Ryan didn’t just stop drinking. He and his mum made a pact, and it stuck. It became an anchor that kept him grounded when life threw him curveballs—grief, stress, pressure. And rather than slide back into old habits, he leaned into something new. Actually, many things new.“As soon as I closed that door, every opportunity just fell at my feet.”His first year of sobriety looked nothing like what you might expect. It began with a love story—he met his girlfriend at a sober-friendly community festival. She opened the door to a world of conscious living: breathwork, ice baths, and music-fueled self-exploration.“It was like, okay, here’s everything you’re going to do: this, this, and this. And you’ve just got to have the balls to do it.”What followed was a summer of sober festivals, including Medicine Festival and Boom in Portugal—seven days of breathwork, dancing, Kung Fu, and sound healing in the mountains. He wasn’t just attending these gatherings. He was performing, drumming with his girlfriend’s band, and even leading guided meditations at immersive sound healing events. At Hackney Round Chapel, he took the stage after a 20-year hiatus and led a meditation through the chakra system, paired with a cup of Blue Lotus tea and sacred geometry visuals on the ceiling.“It was the first time I was holding space in that kind of way.”Then came the deepening. He enrolled in an eight-month breathwork facilitator course, digging into trauma, PTSD, and shadow work. He’s now running free sessions as part of his training and sees this as part of his longer-term path: helping others—especially men—through sobriety and healing.But his creativity doesn’t stop there.“I used to drink quite a fair bit of coffee, but now I’ve had it with Reishi mushrooms… I’ve always had a passion for mushrooms.”So he’s building “Holy Mush,” a tree-slab-cart-powered mushroom coffee business with a side of kindness and storytelling. Think Lion’s Mane espresso served with a dose of human connection. He’s also cooking up plans to document his journey on social media using first-person glasses.You can find Ryan's podcast 'Find Club Soda:The Club Soda Tasting Room is at 39 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5RRFind us on Instagram

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• The Next Round: Jeff reversed fatty liver disease

  It was a health scare that pushed Jeff out of his comfort zone. He was diagnosed with a fatty liver at 29.Now he’s reversed fatty liver disease and gained an amazing and active personal life.Welcome to the Next Round, when things that scare you have the potential to improve your life in ways you never imagined. Your next round can be more than getting better physically, it can help you create a new point of difference.Meet Jeff Smith, he works in finance by day, a notoriously boozy industry, but in his spare time he now performs improv on stage, jumps into icy fjords, learnt his mother tongue Tagalog, and has even launched a podcast. Most importantly he has reversed a health condition that could have killed him.When Jeff changed his drinking habits, he didn’t just remove something from his life- he unlocked a more exciting life and imporved his health to boot!A health scare in his late twenties pushed him to re-evaluate how alcohol fit into his lifestyle. What followed wasn’t just abstinence – it was expansion. From improv stages to ecstatic dance and even launching his own podcast, Jeff’s life now pulses with more energy, creativity, and meaning than ever before.“It’s just such a lazy option to go down the route of the pub when there’s so many other things.” The catalyst was a diagnosis: fatty liver. At just 29, Jeff found himself dealing with elevated liver enzymes, fatigue, and unpleasant stomach issues. His drinking wasn’t daily, but it was intense – classic binge behavior.“I reached a point where I didn’t feel booze was doing anything anymore… I just didn’t like that hangover slash low-energy feeling.”The health wake-up call forced him to stop. Cold. But instead of spiraling, he got curious.“You end up having much more free time because I wasn’t low energy and didn’t feel hungover… and that just made me think, gosh, push yourself out your comfort zone.”His first discovery? A run club that served matcha instead of beer. That led to Club Soda events, then the Social Wellness Club, and eventually a plunge into activities he never imagined himself doing. Like ecstatic dance.“What an amazing way to just be free… you could be any sort of background. And I just thought, this is so damn cool.”Even more surprising for an introvert in the corporate finance world? Improv.“Try improv. That would have scared the living daylights out of me a year and a bit ago… but I’ve pushed myself out the comfort zone.”Jeff also co-created a podcast with a university friend, “The English Footy Podcast.” With his evenings no longer lost to wine or recovery, he had time and clarity for passion projects. He even began learning Tagalog – his mother’s language – fulfilling a long-held desire to connect more deeply with his heritage.But perhaps the most meaningful change came from social confidence.“I just feel more confident in socialising alcohol free and not feeling embarrassed. Just feeling positive about that choice.”Navigating the finance world – a bastion of long-standing drinking culture – hasn’t been easy. Jeff still finds pressure in client meetings and among old university friends who knew him as a drinker. But with confidence and a kombucha in hand, he’s learned to draw his own line.“It’s been a bit of a re-education for some colleagues… but actFind Club Soda:The Club Soda Tasting Room is at 39 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5RRFind us on Instagram

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• The Next Round: Anneke draws strength and insight from Tarot cards

  Anneka has a story many of us recognise — that moment where one drink turns into four, and suddenly you’ve lost the night again.Like so many, she used alcohol to take the edge off anxiety. It worked — until it didn’t.Now, she’s alcohol-free and in tune with a completely different kind of energy. She turns to her tarot cards — not just for guidance, but to help others explore their own stories too.Welcome to The Next Round — the podcast that asks what happens after we stop drinking. Maybe you’re wondering what’s next for you. Who knows — maybe it’s written in the cards.Like Anneka Davie, who’s turned her passion for tarot into a tool for self-discovery and connection. In this episode, she shares how ditching alcohol opened up a whole new path — and yes, she even pulls a few cards for me.When Anneke Davie stopped drinking, she didn’t just give up wine – she made space for something entirely new. A quiet force emerged. It started with crystals, then crept into her life with the pull of tarot cards and the clarity of a new routine that no longer centred around hangovers or hazy memories.She’d always been a binge drinker.“Friday was my big sort of day. But my problem was I couldn’t ever stop at one glass no matter how much I tried.”Like many, Anneke believed drinking gave her confidence, especially in social situations, but the next day was always brutal.“I’d be lying in bed crying, couldn’t look at my phone. I just felt like everyone I’d been out with probably now hated me.”Her final drink came after a day at the races. Drunk and disoriented, she lost the diamond out of her engagement ring and found herself on hands and knees, scrabbling through the grass.“The next day I just thought, I don’t want to do this anymore.”That was three years ago.What came next wasn’t just sobriety – it was a reconnection with a part of herself that had been long dormant. As a child, she’d been fascinated by dreams, superstitions and horoscopes. Lockdown gave her the pause she needed to revisit that part of herself. Crystals came first, and soon her house was filled with them – much to the despair of her husband. But then came tarot. She found a reader on Instagram, began training, and started doing readings for herself. The cards became mirrors, windows, and conversation starters.“I use tarot more as helping people get insight into something they’re struggling with. It doesn’t predict your future. It gives you a bit of a slap in the face about what you already know.”It wasn’t long before others began asking for readings, and what started as a hobby slowly began to evolve into something more purposeful. At a retreat, someone asked her for a reading and, despite feeling way out of her comfort zone.The more distance she put between herself and alcohol, the stronger her sense of direction became.“I think actually believing I could do it came once I’d fully stopped drinking.”Find Club Soda:The Club Soda Tasting Room is at 39 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5RRFind us on Instagram

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