Dr Melissa Kelly, B.A., M.Sc., Ph.D. is a public health researcher, writer, and educator based in Ireland.

In 2020, Melissa’s mental health hit an all time low while she was completing her PhD in the area of public health risk communication at Queens University Belfast. This was largely due to an unhealthy relationship with alcohol that Melissa had developed over a number of years. On the outside, Melissa’s drinking looked ‘normal’ for a 26 year old. She was at the height of career success — with a prestigious research position at a top university and a unique opportunity to undergo a salaried PhD with an expense account and competitive salary. Over drinking on a Friday night after work to ‘switch off’ and escape from a stressful work week was hardly something to be concerned about. Or was it?

With no other coping tools, Melissa used alcohol at the end of each week to relax, unwind, and get off the emotional rollercoaster she felt she was on. This worked in the beginning, but as you can probably guess, became an issue due to the negative effects alcohol has on the mind and body. Melissa’s hangovers got worse and worse over time. One night of drinking meant the next full day spent recovering followed by days of crippling ‘hanxiety’. She knew drinking was getting in the way of her reaching her goals and causing negative mental health effects and decided to take a 30 day break.

But unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple.

Behaviour change is far more complex than simply changing our behaviour. Our behaviour is the result of our subconscious thoughts, feelings, and patterns. Without addressing the underlying reason behind our desire to drink, we can rely on willpower to ‘make it through’, all while feeling restricted and deprived.

With her background in research and psychology, Melissa got to work unpicking the science behind gaining back control over her cravings and developed healthier ways to cope with difficult emotions.

After many (read: MANY) attempts to take a 30 day beak between 2017-2020, Melissa finally achieved her goal in May of 2020 and never looked back. She found that removing alcohol improved her life so drastically that going back to drinking was no longer appealing. She started cooking, walking, reading, writing, and found her joy again. She decided to share her story on Instagram and began to cultivate a following of other high achieving women with similar stories, who struggled with ‘grey area drinking’.

After completing her PhD at the end of 2021, began using her expertise in risk communication research along with her own lived experience to educate and raise awareness around drinking less alcohol to improve mental health.

She currently delivers workshops and other educational trainings to a wide variety of audiences. In 2022, Melissa founded the Sober Social Ireland community where she educates and hosts virtual and in person events for anyone who is sober or sober curious living in Ireland. Melissa also works as a postdoctoral researcher at a university in the field of public health.

As of 2024, Melissa is now over 4 years sober and lives in Co. Waterford with her partner and border collie named Nimbus. She likes to spend her free time walking, cooking, reading, and listening to true crime and cult podcasts.

Dr Melissa Kelly, Ph.D.

Founder of Sober Social Ireland | Researcher | Educator | Writer