Risk Factors That Shape Our Relationship With Alcohol
Why some of us are more vulnerable to alcohol than others
FREE MASTERCLASS
Monday 23 February
Why do some people find it easier to stop or cut back, while others struggle, even when they want to?
This live, one-hour masterclass explores the real science behind alcohol’s different effects on different people.
Drawing on the research from Why We Drink Too Much, we’ll unpack how biological sensitivity, learning, genes, and life experiences combine to shape our alcohol risk, and why understanding that risk can help restore a sense of agency and self-compassion.
This is not about labels, diagnosis, or willpower. It’s about understanding how vulnerability is created, and how awareness can become a turning point.
In this masterclass, you’ll learn:
Why alcohol risk is cumulative, and context-dependent
How early experiences, genes, and stress influence drinking patterns
Why powerful learning loops make some habits feel “sticky”
How to reframe “Why me?” as a scientific, not moral question
What understanding risk makes possible for change
Who It’s For
Anyone curious about why alcohol affects people differently
Professionals in wellbeing, health, or psychology
Women in midlife exploring social drinking and identity
Readers of Why We Drink Too Much who want to go deeper
No prior knowledge required. You’ll leave with fresh insight, practical reflection prompts, and a more compassionate lens on your own or others’ drinking.
🔒 Your email is safe with us. We’ll only send you masterclass details and wellbeing resources if you opt in.
About Your Hosts
Meet Annie and Charles Knowles — a husband and wife team who’ve walked their own very different paths to the same powerful truth- when it comes to alcohol, the story we’ve been sold isn’t the full picture.
Charles is a Professor of Surgery and Clinical Director of Research at Cleveland Clinic London. After decades of working in high-pressure environments and quietly struggling with his own relationship with alcohol, he decided to explore the science behind drinking - and what really drives it. That journey became personal and professional, ultimately leading him to write Why We Drink Too Much, a book that combines the latest research with real-life insight.
Annie is an accredited sobriety and life coach, with a background in NHS health education and wellbeing. After going alcohol-free in 2021, she’s helped many women - across sobriety communities and especially those in healthcare and emergency services - take a break from drinking, rediscover balance, and reclaim their confidence. Her coaching blends lived experience, holistic, trauma-informed tools, and gentle accountability.
Together, they’re passionate about helping people feel more empowered, informed, and less alone.
This masterclass is a chance to press pause, get curious, and hear what the science (and real life) has to say — without pressure, shame, or labels.