The Next Round: What happens after you change your drinking?
The Next Round: What happens after you change your drinking?
Hattie may be a clear-headed, cold-water queen these days, but getting here was harder than mastering butterfly stroke! Even pregnancy didn’t create the clean break from alcohol she had hoped for.
And despite a few trials with moderation along the way, she now knows—this time, sobriety is for good.
Welcome to The Next Round—the podcast about the bold, brilliant, and sometimes downright bonkers things people do after quitting booze. But remember, folks, you don’t have to freeze your bits off to get sober!
Unlike this week’s guest, Hattie, who prefers being neck-deep in icy water rather than in booze. She kicked off her journey with the Dry January Challenge, and alongside a whole lot of learning and reflection, she’s now alcohol-free and bouyant.
For Hattie Underwood, cold water swimming is more than just a pastime – it’s a sanctuary. The icy plunge slows everything down, giving her a rare sense of hyper-focus and clarity.
“I just feel really hyper-focused. And, you know, afterwards, I just feel so energised by them.”
Her love for swimming started young, training competitively for Southampton. But it was her mother, an avid swimmer in Hampshire’s rivers and along the South Coast, who instilled a love for wild swimming. As she embarked on her sobriety journey, this practice took on new meaning.
“It quietens my mind in a way that nothing else does. I just feel so in the moment.”
Living in London, Hattie became a member of an ice bath club, pushing her limits and embracing the mental resilience required to withstand freezing temperatures.
“It’s a bit of mind over matter going into it. But I just love it.”
Despite a successful life on paper, Hattie’s relationship with alcohol had always been problematic. From sneaking drinks in school to drinking alone before socialising, she felt an intense need for alcohol to function socially. The dependency escalated over time, leading to morning drinking and a fear of being ‘found out.’
“I would drink before seeing anybody, even if they were a really close friend.”
When she became pregnant, she assumed nine months of abstinence would change her relationship with alcohol. However, once her child was born, she quickly fell back into old patterns.
“Even with nine months of not drinking, nothing had changed, and in fact, it had picked right back up where it had left off. And it just got so much worse.”
The turning point came in January, following months of excessive and secret drinking. Dry January seemed like a manageable challenge, but instead of stopping after the month, she kept going—motivated by the unexpected benefits of sobriety.
“I had this window into another life of how things could be. It was still my life, but it was completely different because I was sober.”
She found support in a sobriety coach and online communities, which helped her reframe her beliefs about alcohol. However, after four months of sobriety, she decided to have a drink again, thinking it would be different this time.
“As soon as I picked up a drink, it goes back to how it was. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed.”
That realisation led her to seek further support. A friend in Alcoholics Anonymous encouraged her to attend a meeting, and the experience was transformative.
“I spent the whole first meeting just in tears. I felt so broken and terrified. But the support from the women in that room was incredible.”
Today, Hattie is nearly four years sober. The life she’s built is unrecognisable from her past.
“I would say sobriety gave me my life back, but really, it’s given me a completely new life.”
She is fully present for her children and no longer feels trapped by shame or secrecy. Friendships are deeper, her interests have expanded, and cold water swimming has become a powerful source of joy. She now shares her journey through Sober, Happy, Free, an Instagram and TikTok account dedicated to supporting others.
“I always thought I needed alcohol for connection. But sobriety has given me real, meaningful connections.”
As she trains to become a sobriety coach, she hopes to help others find the same freedom she has.
“Anyone can struggle with alcohol, but anyone can also get sober. And that’s the wonderful thing.”
Interested in Outdoor Swimming? Then check out Nowca locations and training across the UK.
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