Ep 140: The Craving Isn't The Enemy | Rethinking Alcohol |

What if the craving you feel for a drink is actually a craving for relief, regulation, or connection, and there’s another, more healing way to get it? In this episode, your host Anna Donaghey is joined by breathwork practitioner Jon Paul Crimi, whose powerful personal story weaves together addiction, grief, emotional numbness, and a breathwork experience that profoundly shifted his life. They discuss why most people reach for alcohol (it isn’t what you think), how drinking becomes our “solution” for regulating uncomfortable emotions, and the striking similarities between addiction and the universal longing for a shift in state. Jon Paul breaks down what breathwork really is (spoiler: it’s not just box breathing!) and shares how circular, connected breathwork specifically offers a physiological and emotional “reboot” making space for release, self-connection, and even joy. Anna shares her first-hand experience with his class, highlighting how breathwork can offer real, lasting relief that alcohol promises but can’t deliver.Whether you’re sober-curious, in recovery, or just looking to break free from unhelpful patterns and cravings, this conversation points to practical, science-backed ways to rethink your drinking.Highlights: 00:00 Welcome &amp; intro to breathwork 01:01 Jon Paul’s story: addiction, loss, and seeking relief 04:13 When drinking goes from fun to just problems 07:29 The emotional “arrest” that comes from early drinking 08:25 Grief, trauma, and the search for tools 11:05 Why our brains equate alcohol with relief 14:15 What finally made sobriety stick 19:26 How breathwork entered Jon Paul’s life 12 years into sobriety 22:44 The first breathwork class: from scepticism to transformation 28:01 How breathwork helps regulate cravings, states, and emotions 30:17 Craving isn’t the enemy, it’s information 34:10 Breathwork vs. psychedelics: power inside YOU 35:48 What actually happens in a circular breathwork class 39:00 “Turning off your brain” and moving into your heart 46:08 Using breathwork for current and past pain, grief, and shame 52:16 Cravings, choices, and living an extraordinary life.Anna’s book "What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want", is now out in the world for you to buy!Order your copy, access her free tools and explore her coaching programmes at: https://thebigdrinkrethink.com/The Thirsty For More Mindset Lab is Anna’s ‘inner circle’ - a calm, thoughtful space where conversations continue, patterns are explored, and things begin to make sense. Find out more at: https://thirstyformore.substack.com/If you appreciate the podcast and would like to show a bit of love, you can donate the cost of a coffee here. It helps support the time and care that goes into making the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethinkAbout the host Anna:Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.Connect with Anna:Website: thebigdrinkrethink.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonagheyInstagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethinkProduced by winteraudio.co.ukAbout Jon Paul Crimi:</