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.Finding Peace in the WaterFor 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.”A Relationship with Alcohol That Had to ChangeDespite 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.”Find Club Soda:The Club Soda Tasting Room is at 39 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5RRFind us on Instagram

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