Simon Chapple

Simon Chapple
Born	7 December 1973 Aldershot, Hampshire
Nationality	English
Citizenship	British
Occupation	Writer, Coach, Public Speaker
Website
besober.co.uk

Simon Chapple (born 7 December 1973) is an English author, sobriety coach and public speaker. He is an only child to his mother Pauline Chapple, he was born and raised in a military town, Aldershot, Hampshire, approximately 20 miles south of London as Simon Langmead. Before being adopted by his step-father Michael Chapple in 1982, at which time his name was also changed. His biological father Dudley Langmead left the family in 1981 and was rarely in Simon's life, he died in 2017.

Early Days

Chapple attended the Farnborough Sixth Form College to study Art and Music before dropping out in 1991. He suffered with severe anxiety and depression from the age of 13 and believes that the roots of his addiction lay in trauma, abuse and emotional neglect that he suffered in his early years. He also suffers with CPTSD (Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), which he wasn’t diagnosed with until an adult, after quitting drinking alcohol. In 2019 Chapple became a sobriety coach before publishing his first book - ‘The Sober Survival Guide: Free Yourself From Alcohol Forever – Quit Alcohol & Start Living’ (Elevator Digital Ltd & Tantor Media) which included accounts of his childhood and teenage years. He now lives in Guildford, Surrey, England with his wife and son, Robin Chapple. Chapple is a keen marathon runner, having successfully completed in 15 races. Career: At age 17 (1991), Simon took his first job as an office junior at an insurance company, he went on to form his own insurance business which he sold before leaving the insurance industry in 2002. In 2004 he and his wife Michelle founded internet marketing company Total SEO & Marketing. Simon remains the Chairman of Total SEO but no longer has a day to day involvement in the business. At the age of 44 (2018), he became sober from alcohol and stepped back from his marketing business, this led to him founding his Be Sober blog, where he charted the story of his journey from being a heavy daily drinker to becoming alcohol-free. In 2018 he launched the Facebook community (Be Sober- Quit Drinking & Enjoy Life), and YouTube channel (Quit Alcohol Coach – Simon Chapple – Be Sober). In 2020 Chapple launched a programme to provide coaching and learning for people who want to quit drinking.

Career

Chapple is a senior certified sobriety coach for This Naked Mind, founded by author Annie Grace. Simon has helped thousands of people evaluate and change the role that alcohol plays in their lives. He has spoken at The Naked Mind Live in Denver, in September 2019, and has also spoken at The Club Soda Mindful Drinking Festival in London, in January 2019 and August 2020. He has also had several television and radio appearances, where he has spoken on the topic of quitting alcohol and his own journey to sobriety. He also speaks openly about the trauma and neglect he suffered in childhood to raise awareness about the importance of these subjects. He authored his first book ‘The Sober Survival Guide: Free Yourself From Alcohol Forever Quit Alcohol & Start Living’ in 2019. His second book ‘How to Quit Alcohol in 50 Days: Stop Drinking and Find Freedom’ was released in December 2020 and is published by Sheldon Press in the UK and Hachette globally, both are imprints of Hodder & Stoughton. Chapple does not prescribe to the approach of organisations like Alcoholics Anonymous, describing them as outdated and having a sense of stigma attached. Instead, he focuses on quitting alcohol being viewed as a positive lifestyle choice that people should celebrate and get motivated about. He is currently working on a third, as yet untitled book that addresses the issues of Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN) and Trauma. Radio, Podcasts & Television.

Publications

Chapple has written articles about sobriety for a number of publications including Chapple has spoken about sobriety on podcasts, radio and television.

• 2019 - BBC Radio 4 You & Yours show - how to cut down drinking.
• 2019 - BBC Surrey - Is Sober October worth it.
• 2019 - Alcohol-Free Life Podcast with Janey Lee Grace.
• 2019 - Mentally Yours Podcast - Dealing with alcoholism.
• 2020 - ITV News - discussing Dry January and the increase of alcohol consumption in the UK.
• 2020 - Love Sober Podcast.
• 2020 - BBC Radio Leeds - discussing drinking during lockdown.
• 2020 - BBC Radio Solent - Advice when drinking too much.
• 2020 - Soberclear Podcast.
• 2020 - Sober Experiment Podcast News

Chapple has written for and featured in a number of newspapers and magazines.

• 2019 - Metro News - Sobriety story.
• 2019 - Daily Mail - Simon's sobriety story.
• 2020 - Daily Mail - Signs you are drinking too much.
• 2020 - The Sun - Lockdown drinking.
• 2020 - Cosmopolitan - How to stop drinking alcohol.
• 2020 - Daily Express - How to break bad habits for good.
• 2020 - Manchester Evening News - How to make Dry January last longer.
• 2020 - The Scotsman - My plan was to quit alcohol for a month.
• 2020 - FQ Magazine - Talking your kids about drinking.
• 2020 - Metro News - Why turning down a tipple is becoming a growing trend.
• 2020 - Wise Living Magazine - Reassess your relationship with alcohol.
• 2020 - Daily Mirror - Stick to your new years resolutions.
• 2021 – Daily Telegraph
• 2021 – The Sun
• 2021 – GQ Magazine
• 2021 – Country & Townhouse Magazine
• 2021 – The Boston Globe
• 2021 – Hello Sunday Morning Australia
• 2021 – Metro News
• 2021 – BBC Radio 5 Live
• 2021 – Daily Express
• 2021 – Evening Standard
• 2021 – We Are The City

Bibliography

• 2019 - The Sober Survival Guide: Free Yourself From Alcohol Forever – Quit Alcohol & Start Living - Elevator Digital Ltd - ISBN 978-1916250093
• 2020 - The Sober Survival Guide: Free Yourself From Alcohol Forever – Quit Alcohol & Start Living (Audiobook) - Tantor Media - ASIN B08HSSSVY4
• 2020 - How to Quit Alcohol in 50 Days: Stop Drinking and Find Freedom - Sheldon Press - ISBN 978-1529357585