Is this like AA or a recovery programme?

No. Press Pause 90 is a forward-looking coaching programme. Not a recovery group, not a 12-step process, and not a medical intervention. There are no labels. The focus is on what you are building, not what you are giving up.

What if I slip up during the programme?

A slip does not end the programme. We work through it together rather than around it. Slips are part of how change works for most people, and the plan accounts for that.

I still drink. Can I start before I have stopped?

Yes. Most people start Press Pause 90 while still drinking. Understanding why you drink is the foundation, and that work begins from wherever you are right now.

Is this for men and women?

Yes. Press Pause 90 is for men and women who privately know alcohol is taking more than it gives. The pause is personal to you.

How is this different from therapy or counselling?

Therapy focuses on the problem. Coaching focuses on where you are going. Press Pause 90 deals with why you drink first, then spends the remaining time building the life that makes alcohol irrelevant.

Karl Elliott

Alcohol-Free Coach & Mentor

Alcohol starting to take more than it gives?Press Pause. 90 days.

Q: Do I have to call myself an alcoholic?

No. This programme does not require you to adopt any label. If alcohol is costing you more than it gives you and you are ready to change that, that is the only qualification you need.

You are still working. Still parenting. Still holding life together. But the mornings feel heavier and the evening drink has started to feel automatic. Press Pause 90 gives you a clear 90 days away from alcohol, with structure, support and somebody who has been there. No forever promise. No label. No lecture. Just find out what comes back when alcohol is removed.

See How Press Pause 90 Works Still drinking? You don't need to decide forever first. Book a Private Power Hour to talk it through privately.

10 Years alcohol-free

90 Days. Press Pause 90.

2 ways Group or private support

Karl Elliott — before and after 10 years alcohol-free

Before & After — 10 Years Alcohol-Free

Watch this first

Hear Karl's story in his own words

"The problem isn't that you drink. The problem is that alcohol has become the answer to questions you haven't asked yet."

Does this sound familiar?

Life still works. But it does not feel the same.

You are not waking up every morning thinking your life has fallen apart. You are getting up, going to work, turning up for other people. But privately, you know alcohol is taking more than it gives. You are not looking for somebody to tell you what label fits. You want enough distance from alcohol to see what is really happening, and who you are without it running so much of your life.

"I know I should stop but I can't imagine life without it."

"I've tried before. It never lasts more than a few weeks."

"I don't know who I am without alcohol."

"I feel like I'm missing out when everyone else is drinking."

"I don't want to quit forever. I just want a proper break."

"I'm ready. I just need someone who actually gets it."

Look beneath the drink

What job has alcohol started doing for you?

Alcohol rarely stays just a drink.

Over time, it can become the way you mark the end of work, change your mood, quiet your thoughts, reward yourself, connect socially or escape the pressure of the day.

That is why simply telling yourself to drink less can feel harder than it should.

The question is not only:

How much am I drinking?

It is also:

What am I expecting the drink to do for me?

Press Pause 90 helps you notice those patterns and begin building other ways to handle the moments alcohol has gradually taken over.

What people have said

This is about much more than counting days.

"I came to Karl to deal with alcohol. What I didn't expect was how much it opened up everything else. Working with Karl helped me understand there were other areas of my life I'd been ignoring. He helped me with those too. It wasn't just about drinking. It was about becoming a better version of me."

Bee, Mum of two, UK

"I started thinking this was just a 30-day break. Karl's experience and the way he works made me realise I could go so much further. I'm now 4 stone lighter and competing in triathlons with my son. I wouldn't have believed that was possible when we first spoke."

Ken, 65. United States

"Working with Karl gave me the confidence to face something I'd been scared of. Being alcohol-free isn't a stigma anymore. It's something I'm genuinely proud of. Karl helped me see it that way."

Tom, 35. UK

AS SEEN ON

ITV NEWS

In 2018 ITV News featured Karl to talk about what life without alcohol actually looks like. This is where it started.

Karl Elliott with Andy Ramage — coaching diploma

Karl Elliott and Andy Ramage Karl receiving his diploma in positive psychology and alcohol-free coaching

10 Years
alcohol-free

Your guide

Ten years ago, I pressed pause.

I was a daily drinker. I know the Monday morning dread, the promises to myself that never stuck, and the quiet feeling that this can't be what life is supposed to feel like.

Ten years ago, I pressed pause on alcohol for 90 days. I wasn't trying to quit forever. I just knew alcohol was taking more than it was giving. Those 90 days changed what I thought was possible.

I've been alcohol-free since June 2016. Not because it was easy. Because I found out what comes back when alcohol is removed. Something I couldn't have imagined when I was still in it.

I'm an Alcohol-Free Coach and Mentor, and the author of I Believe In You. I work with people who are still functioning, still working, still holding life together, but privately know alcohol is taking more than it gives.

This isn't a programme I designed from a textbook. It's the pause I lived. Structured into 90 days so you can take the same private pause and find out what comes back.

Ninety days without deciding forever

You do not have to decide the rest of your life today.

Press Pause 90 asks you to make one clear decision for 90 days. It gives you time to notice the situations that keep pulling you back and build a different way of handling evenings, weekends, stress and home life. No two people experience the same days in the same order. The point is to create enough honest evidence to decide what happens next from experience rather than fear.

Notice

See when the thought of drinking begins, what the drink is being asked to change and what the old routine is costing you.

Rebuild

Put structure, support and practical alternatives around the times, places, people and situations that used to lead straight to alcohol.

Choose

At Day 90, review what changed, what was difficult, what came back and what you genuinely want to do next.

One programme. Two ways in.

Two ways to experience Press Pause 90

Press Pause 90 is one clear 90-day pause, with two ways of being supported through it. Same structure, same tools, same person in your corner. The only real difference is who else is there, and that is simply a question of what you would find easier.

Everybody starts together

Press Pause 90 Group

Press Pause 90 Group is a small, capped group that begins on the same day and moves through the 90 days together. That matters more than it sounds. You reach the difficult weeks at the same time as everybody else, so nobody is sitting with it on their own. You get a clear path through the 90 days, regular guidance from Karl and the quiet reassurance of other people who understand the private negotiations and the evenings that get hard.

A private onboarding call with Karl before day one
Twelve weekly live sessions of ninety minutes
Two private calls to use whenever you need them
Support between sessions for the harder evenings
Your own Day 91 call to decide what happens next

Personal support with Karl

Press Pause 90 Private

Press Pause 90 Private is for somebody who wants a more personal level of support and the opportunity to work directly with Karl across the full 90 days. Private support is available subject to Karl's capacity. Because the work is personal and places are limited, Karl will first make sure it is the right fit for you.

Personal one to one support
Work directly with Karl
Support shaped around your circumstances
Available subject to capacity
A suitability conversation before joining

Both routes follow the same central principle: press pause for 90 days. No forever promise. No label. No lecture. Find out what comes back when alcohol is removed.

Explore Press Pause 90 Each group runs to a set start date and places are capped. The group page shows the next start and whether places are open.

"This isn't a recovery programme. It's not a 30-day challenge. It's about getting the life alcohol was quietly taking from you."

Karl Elliott. Alcohol-Free Coach and Mentor.

Life after the pause

This is what's waiting on the other side.

Same man. Different life. This didn't happen by accident. It happened because I understood why I drank, removed it, and built something worth being present for.

Alcohol-Free Advice

Honest answers for people questioning alcohol

Alcohol-Free Advice is Karl's growing library of practical articles for people who are drinking more than they want to, repeatedly trying to cut back or wondering what the first 90 days without alcohol might actually involve.

It covers the private patterns behind drinking, the questions people are often afraid to ask and the practical situations that can make change difficult.

No scare tactics. No labels. No demand to decide forever.

Read Alcohol-Free Advice

Common questions

Questions you might have

Do I have to quit forever?

No. Press Pause 90 asks you to commit to 90 days. At Day 90, you decide what happens next from your own experience. Forever is not a condition of starting.

Do I have to call myself an alcoholic?

No. Press Pause 90 does not require a label. If alcohol is taking more than it gives and you want to test life without it for 90 days, that is enough reason to explore the programme.

Can I look at Press Pause 90 while I am still drinking?

Yes. You can understand how the programme works and speak with Karl while you are still drinking. If stopping suddenly may be unsafe for you, get medical advice before beginning.

Is Press Pause 90 for men and women?

Yes. It is designed for men and women aged 30-55 who are still functioning but know they are drinking more than they want to.

Can I do this if my partner still drinks?

Yes. The pause belongs to you. It does not require your partner to make the same decision, although the programme should help you plan the conversation and the practical realities at home.

What if I am interested but not ready to join?

Book a private Power Hour. It gives you one honest hour to talk through where you are, what alcohol is costing and what your next step could be. It is not a hard-sell call.

Not sure which route is right for you?

Talk it through privately first.

The Power Hour is a private 60-minute conversation with Karl. It gives you space to talk honestly about what is happening with alcohol, what it is costing you and what you would like to change.

Karl can then help you decide whether the next step is joining Press Pause 90 Group, private Press Pause 90 support, another suitable step, or simply taking time to consider what you have discussed. There is no obligation to join Press Pause 90.

The Power Hour is valued at £250 and is currently complimentary. Karl makes five genuine Power Hours available each week.

The Power Hour | Complimentary

The Power Hour

One private hour with Karl. No obligation to join Press Pause 90.

A private 60-minute conversation
Talk honestly about what alcohol is costing you
Help deciding your next step
Valued at £250, currently complimentary
Five genuine Power Hours each week

No pressure. No pitch. No obligation. Book a Private Power Hour

The book

I Believe In You

The story of what becomes possible when you stop drinking and start building. Written for anyone who's ready to stop but scared of what comes next. Honest. Direct. No therapy speak.

Included with every Press Pause 90 programme.

Discover the Book →

Ready to find out what 90 days could show you?

You do not need to promise forever. You need one clear 90-day decision, the right support behind it and the willingness to find out who you are without alcohol running the same parts of your life.

See How Press Pause 90 Works No forever promise. No label. No lecture.

Before you begin

Press Pause 90 is coaching and educational support. It is not medical treatment, detoxification or emergency care.

Stopping alcohol suddenly can be dangerous for somebody who is physically dependent.

If you drink heavily every day, experience shaking, sweating, sickness, seizures or other withdrawal symptoms, need alcohol in the morning, or are worried that stopping may be unsafe, speak to a doctor or qualified alcohol service before attempting an alcohol-free period.

Find NHS alcohol support

Half of a man's face on a red background with text overlay. The man has a beard, a mustache, and is wearing a black cap and a beige fleece jacket. The overlay text reads: 'I BELIEVE IN YOU'. Additional text in black says: 'A FATHER'S JOURNEY FROM DAILY DRINKER TO REDEFINING HIMSELF'. At the bottom, the name 'KARL ELLIOTT' appears in large red letters.