Navigating Dry January
Special Guest: Hamza Najam (Founder of Breathe Sober)
Welcome to the first episode of 2026. While many are attacking January with "New Year Resolution Fever," Marc sits down with sobriety coach and breathwork teacher Hamza Najam to unpack our complex, often automated relationship with alcohol.
Marc reflects on his own 12 months of sobriety—the gains, the "othering" at work, and the unexpected challenges of a sunny Christmas—while Hamza explains why your struggle to stop isn't a lack of willpower, but a deeply wired nervous system.
Connect with Hamza Najam:
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🧠 The Science of the "Old Mind"
- Nature vs. Nurture: Hamza breaks down his journey from a binge-drinking culture in Pakistan to the high-stakes house and techno scene in Canada. He explains why we often drink not for the taste, but to change an internal state.
- The Nervous System Trap: Why "willpower is like bringing a knife to a gunfight." Hamza explains how our subconscious automates drinking patterns to serve an identity we might not even like anymore.
- Introspection as a Tool: Moving past the "external excuses" (the friends, the parties, the stress) to realize that unhappiness is often the root cause of over-consumption.
🛡️ The "Trailblazer" Tax: Social & Career Pressures
- The Work Dynamic: Marc shares a raw account of how sobriety might have "hurt" his career in the short term—missing out on the 2:00 AM post-conference bar bonding and the "never trust a non-drinker" stigma.
- The "Mirror" Effect: Why do people ask "Why aren't you drinking?" Hamza reveals the uncomfortable truth: they aren't curious about your health; they are holding up a mirror to their own habits.
- Holiday Hurdles: Marc discusses the "Final Boss" of his sobriety year—spending Christmas in the sun and the nostalgia of "quietly getting sozzled" on a sunbed with his wife.
🌬️ The Path Forward: Phases of Recovery
- Phase 1 & 2 (Mindset & Visualization): Moving from "lacking" to "embodying" the person you want to be.
- Phase 3 & 4 (Rewiring & The New Mind): How breathwork allows you to bypass the ego and release years of unresolved shame to build a thriving, alcohol-free life.
- The 900-Patient Insight: Hamza shares the one thing he’s learned from coaching nearly a thousand people: Alcohol is never the problem; it’s a symptom of an alignment issue.
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