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 & 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