The Michelle Chalfant Show — Life from the Adult Chair 375: Summer Series: A Raw Conversation About Sobriety with Laura McKowen
Cheers. Salud. Skol.
Wherever you are in the world, it seems like alcohol punctuates every celebration.
But have we stopped to ask if alcohol is really good for us? Or have we paused to get curious about why we drink – and when it moves from genuine enjoyment to unhealthy numbing out?
Recently, I’ve noticed more people having conversations about sobriety, from giving up drinking entirely to swapping a few cocktails for mocktails, and I thought it was time we talked about alcohol through the lens of The Adult Chair®.
In this episode, I’m chatting with Laura McKowen, who has written extensively about getting sober and runs a global sobriety support community. She openly and vulnerably shares her story of using alcohol to numb her emotions, why and how she got sober and what her life looks like now.
We talked about how our culture normalizes excessive drinking, all the emotions that come up when getting sober and ways to tell if you might have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. If you’re at all “sober curious,” you’re going to love hearing her perspective!
Listen to discover:
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Laura's story of getting sober and why she chose to stop drinking
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How drinking culture normalizes excessive drinking
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Busting health myths about alcohol
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The connection between alcohol and anxiety
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How Laura's life got better when she got sober
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The way we use alcohol to numb our emotions
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How to develop a healthier relationship with alcohol, whether you choose to cut it out completely or enjoy it in moderation
Like everything in The Adult Chair, we aren’t talking in terms of “do” or “don’t” or “good” or “bad,” but about bringing consciousness into the decisions we make.
My goal for this show is not to tell you to stop drinking, but to encourage you to take a closer look at when you drink, why you drink and how you drink so you can truly live life to the fullest: present, awake and alive!
"I knew I liked to drink a little too much. I loved it a little too much." - Laura McKowen
[When offered a drink after a bad day] "I don't want a glass of wine. I would like to come talk to you about my emotions though." - Michelle Chalfant
"We end up recreating our life in a way that decenters alcohol...my life is still my life." - Laura McKowen
"When you are drinking even a little more than you want to, it keeps you from facing the truth." - Laura McKowen
"Alcohol provides a really great shield to just sort of skim across the top of life." - Laura McKowen
"I was in a lot of emotional pain. I know that's exactly why I reached for alcohol." - Michelle Chalfant
"We don't get away with not feeling things. It goes somewhere." - Laura McKowen
"Shame disconnects us from our humanity and the humanity in other people." - Laura McKowen
"The not drinking wasn't the cure....it was actually connecting with other people in a meaningful way and healing in relationship with people that allowed me to heal." - Laura McKowen
LINKS & RESOURCES
Laura McKowen Website
Laura McKowen Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/laura_mckowen/
"Push Off From Here" (Laura McKowen Book)
https://www.lauramckowen.com/books
The Self-Worth Meditation Bundle
https://theadultchair.com/worthy
MORE ADULT CHAIR
The Adult Chair® Website
The Adult Chair® Events
https://theadultchair.com/events/
The Adult Chair® Coaching Certification
https://theadultchair.com/certification
STAY CONNECTED
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant/
The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant