Alcohol.. Self-Care or Stress Relief? The Conversation Every Woman Needs

We’ve all told ourselves a glass of wine helps us unwind, but what if it’s actually wrecking your rest? Alcohol sedates you, but it doesn’t restore you.

In this eye-opening moment, Sarah Rusbatch explains why wine disrupts REM sleep, raises cortisol, and leaves women feeling constantly “just tired.” Even one drink can hijack your brain’s ability to process emotions overnight, and that exhaustion adds up.

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In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What “grey area drinking” really means, and why most women who struggle don’t identify as alcoholic

• How stress, boredom, and loneliness drive drinking in midlife

• The neuroscience of habit and emotional regulation behind alcohol use

• Why alcohol has been sold as “self-care” and how to rewrite that story

• Practical steps to reduce or stop drinking without shame

• How to rebuild social confidence and friendships alcohol-free

• The impact of alcohol on sleep, hormones, and midlife health

• Why compassion, not willpower, is the key to real change

If you often wake up exhausted, wired, or low in mood, this episode will help you understand the science behind it, and how to reclaim real, restorative sleep without the nightly glass.

Learn more about the 16 week Rediscover You program here

For more resources from Sarah Rusbatch:

Follow Sarah on Instagram, visit her website and download her free guide “100 Things To Do Instead of Drinking” here.

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Disclaimer: This podcast and any information, advice, opinions or statements within it do not constitute medical, health care or other professional advice. Information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only.

00:00 – Why Women Turn to Wine

01:14 – Meet Sarah Rusbatch

02:18 – When Drinking Stopped Working

03:33 – How Alcohol Shapes Women’s Lives

08:08 – Becoming a Grey Area Drinking Coach

08:56 – Alcohol’s Hidden Impact on Health

13:09 – Wine, Friendship & Connection

15:00 – The Emotions Behind Drinking

16:52 – Stress, Loneliness & Midlife

19:24 – What We Learn from Parents’ Drinking

21:56 – Why Wine Isn’t Self-Care

25:26 – Gender Roles, Pressure & Overload

30:05 – What Is Grey Area Drinking?

30:30 – Are You a Grey Area Drinker?

31:42 – Early Signs You’re in the Grey Zone

32:36 – Alcohol, Sleep & Mood

34:46 – The Science of Stress & Wine

35:43 – Alcohol’s Effect on Skin

37:39 – Sedation Isn’t Sleep

43:35 – Binge Drinking & Health

44:48 – Life After Alcohol

* Grey area drinking women

* Alcohol free midlife

* Stop drinking without rehab

* Women and wine culture

* Alcohol and menopause

* Emotional drinking habits

* Sarah Rusbatch Beyond Booze

* How to drink less

* Alcohol and anxiety

* Midlife wellness podcast

* Quit-lit for women

* Alcohol self-care myth

* Female friendship and wine

* Perimenopause and alcohol

* Dr Shauna Watts interview