The Hello Someday Podcast For Sober Curious Women

What do you do in sobriety when you’re feeling stressed out, overwhelmed, angry or anxious?You need to calm the adrenaline coursing through your body, regulate what you’re feeling and restore peace - without pouring yourself a drink. Today I’m sharing a new sober tool to add to your toolbox.My guest is Jen Broyles, a Holistic Health Coach and SOMA Breathwork Instructor.Jen’s going to introduce us to Breathwork as a next-level meditation technique that can be a quick and effective way to calm your nervous system, rewire your brain, and release emotional trauma.Plus Jen’s going to lead us in a SOMA Breathwork Meditation - a complete holistic system of breathing techniques. SOMA Breath takes fundamental Pranayama techniques put into a sequence that combines rhythmic breathing to beat-driven music, for therapeutic function. In this episode, Jen and I discuss What is SOMA breathwork and what are the benefits of incorporating it into a daily health practice How women who are quitting drinking can use SOMA breathwork to support their physical, mental and emotional health The unconscious mind and stored trauma How to soothe your emotions by controlling your breathing How and when to practice breathwork The 3 phases of SOMA breathwork  Benefits of SOMA Breathwork Awaken dormant functions of the brain. Enhance creativity and problem-solving. Create heightened states of consciousness and inspiration. Improve brain function and mind power. Cleanse and purify the bloodstream and lymphatic system. Stimulate self-healing. Reduce depression/anxiety. Clear negative imprints and traumas from early life (0-7 years). Reimprint your mind with more empowering beliefs and habits. Set intentions and create the motivation and energy to complete important goals. Self-realization: discover your true self and your deepest inner calling.  About Jen BroylesJen helps individuals restore and optimize their health by calming the nervous system, reducing stress and awakening their inner healer. She recognizes that in an overstimulated nervous system, compromised, gut health and suppressed emotions lead to imbalances throughout the mind, the body and the spirit. Jen combines the healing power of breathwork essential oils and other holistic modalities to help clients create a lifestyle of health, vitality and freedom. Connect with Jen BroylesTo find out more information about Jen and the services she offers, check out her website Jen Broyles - Breathwork, Essential Oils, Holistic HealthTo learn more about the Sacred Breath Community, head over to Sacred Breath Online Community Follow Jen on your favorite social media platformFacebook: Jen Broyles, CHC - HomeInstagram: Jen Broyles | Holistic Coach (@jenbroyleshealthcoach)Twitter: Jen Broyles (@JenBroyles1)YouTube: Jen BroylesLinkedIn: Jen Broyles - Dallas, Texas | Professional Profile Connect with Casey McGuire DavidsonCheck out  The Sobriety Starter Kit. The private, on-demand coaching course you need to break out of the drinking cycle - without white-knuckling it or hating the process.Grab your  Free Sober Girls Guide To Quitting Drinking, 30 Tips For Your First 30 DaysWebsite: www.hellosomedaycoaching.comInstagram: Casey @ Hello Someday Coaching (@caseymdavidson)

Worrying about your drinking is a lonely and dark place to be, especially in midlife when women often feel stressed out, unfulfilled and lonely.  And that’s where my guest, Lori Massicot, says she lived for too long.  At 45 Lori says she was an over-drinker, overeater, "sky is falling" type of gal who, after questioning her drinking for two years, finally decided to stop drinking. And then she discovered all the possibilities available to her now that she no longer spent her evenings on the couch drinking.   Lori is now a life coach specializing in sobriety, mindset transformation and holistic wellness for women over 40 and hosts the podcast To 50 And Beyond. Being sober has given Lori a second chance at life and enabled her to become who she genuinely is, without the façade she was trying to keep up with for decades.  In this episode, Lori and I explore: Why more and more women are deciding to stop drinking at age 40, 50 and 60 How “aging sober” empowers women to live healthier, happier and more confident lives.  Why midlife is a good time to reevaluate your relationship with alcohol as you look to the decades ahead The perimenopause journey and how to get beyond it sober The correlation between drinking and weight gain in midlife How women’s wellness after 40 is improved by being alcohol-free  SHOWNOTES: www.hellosomedaycoaching.com/41 About Lori MassicotLori is a Life Coach specializing in sobriety, mindset transformation, and holistic wellness for women over 40. Lori is an advocate for aging happy, healthy and confident, and free. Lori has a certification in Nutrition Coaching, and is the host of the To 50 & Beyond podcast, a podcast that celebrates women in the middle of life. Links mentioned in the podcast Casey’s interview on Lori’s To 50 & Beyond podcast - No Rock Bottom Required Connect with Lori Massicot To learn more about Lori and to find out more information about her coaching services, head over to www.lorimassicot.comFollow Lori on Instagram at @lorimassicotListen to her podcast To 50 And BeyondLearn about Lori’s group coaching program for women over 40, Elevate. Connect with Casey McGuire Davidson Check out  The Sobriety Starter Kit. The private, on-demand coaching course you need to break out of the drinking cycle - without white-knuckling it or hating the process. Grab your  Free Sober Girls Guide To Quitting Drinking, 30 Tips For Your First 30 Days Website: www.hellosomedaycoaching.comInstagram: Casey @ Hello Someday Coaching (@caseymdavidson)

My guest today is Clare Pooley. Her book The Sober Diaries: How One Mom Stopped Drinking And Started Living is based on her blog, Mummy Was A Secret Drinker, which describes her first 365 days of living without alcohol.The Sober Diaries is one of the first books I recommend to all of my clients as they stop drinking.In it, Clare tells her story of building up sober days while at the same time uncovering how deeply her love of wine was connected to her identity as a successful working woman, a fun adult and her life as a mom of 3 children.I love the way The Sober Diaries takes you through the days and months of early sobriety in a funny, insightful, relatable and realistic way. If you read it during your first few weeks or months, you'll see your own experiences in Clare's as she moves through Day 14 "Sober Mornings", Day 26 "Oh God, It's Friday", Day 91 "The Wine Witch", 100 Days and when it gets easier - all the way through Day 365.It's a great read, especially for women with kids, who started drinking in the corporate world or in the mommy wine culture.Clare, at the time she stopped drinking, was a middle aged woman, over educated, overprivileged, formerly overweight mom of three, who had a long love affair with high priced good quality wine until she realized that the relationship was going nowhere but downhill. So she started blogging to take her mind off her broken heart. In this episode, Clare and I dive into: Why immediate benefits of giving up alcohol (better sleep, clearer skin and eyes, a healthier body) are good, but the biggest benefits come much later The fact that well educated, middle aged women are becoming the most likely group to drink problematically  How Clare (and I) stopped drinking without traditional 12 Step Programs like AA and why choosing that path to living alcohol-free is even easier for women today Why Clare thinks we need to change the “brand imagery” around not drinking and reframe going alcohol-free from something that one might ‘have to do’ to something you want to do How our social media feeds are doing us a disservice by normalizing excessive drinking Why the the most difficult part of quitting drinking for Clare was learning to deal with emotions without having wine as a crutch Why Clare thought that her life without drinking would be dull and boring but discovered that it was way more exciting than when she was drinking  About Clare PooleyClare is a British blogger, author and novelist. She spent twenty years in the heady world of advertising before becoming a full-time mum. Realizing that her ‘wine o’clock’ habit had spiraled out of control, Clare started writing a blog, Mummy was a Secret Drinker, which has had nearly three million hits. Her memoir, The Sober Diaries was published in 2017 to critical acclaim.  Clare’s debut novel - The Authenticity Project, was inspired by her own experience of exposing the rather grubby truth about her own seemingly perfect life, and is being published in twenty-nine territories in 2020. Clare’s talks include a TEDx talk - Making Sober, Less Shameful. Connect with Clare PooleyTo learn more about Clare, head over to www.clarepooley.comOn Instagram: @clare_pooleyOrder her books, The Sober Diaries: How One Mom Stopped Drinking And Started Living and The Authenticity ProjectListen to her Tedx Talk: Making Sober, Less Shameful Connect with Casey McGuire DavidsonCheck out  The Sobriety Starter Kit. The private, on-demand coaching course you need to break out of the drinking cycle - without white-knuckling it or hating the process.Grab your  Free Sober Girls Guide To Quitting Drinking, 30 Tips For Your First 30 DaysListen to the podcast on The Best Quit Lit For Women Quitting Drinking to hear more about The Sober Diaries and other books to inspire your alcohol-free journey.Get the free guide to The Best Quit Lit Books For WomenWebsite: www.hellosomedaycoaching.comInstagram: Casey @ Hello Someday Coaching (@caseymdavidson)

Today my guest on the podcast is my very own sober coach. Belle Robertson from Tired Of Thinking About Drinking was the person I emailed on my very last “Day 1” 5 years ago, after I woke up at 3am and decided that I needed support to stop drinking wine every night. After that first day, and over the course of 2 years, Belle and I exchanged over 800 email messages! Belle held my hand through my first week without alcohol and gave me advice and support as I navigated dinner parties, crappy days at work, date nights, sick kids, camping trips and my first sober vacation in Europe.  I love Belle's approach because it's practical, approachable and positive. When I started working with her I heard this message - and it set me on the path I’m still walking today. She said, “So I want you to imagine that there's something else for you, something better than what you're doing now. I want you to think about what could be rather than what is. So if there's a you who right now is a person who's drinking, and you want to be something else, and you want something else to happen in your life, and you don't know how to get there. And you don't know how to get this voice in your head to stop. I know what the answer is. I know that you don't believe me when I tell you I know what the answer is. Because the answer is stop drinking. And when you stop drinking, things change.” In this episode, Belle and I discuss: The benefits of not drinking and having a sober coach Why having a positive mindset will help guide you through sobriety Why repeated relapse is normal and how to change your strategy to support sobriety How being sober takes work, it doesn’t happen overnight Why removing the booze will make things better for you and your relationships The drinking cycle of quitting drinking and how it affects your mental health The importance of self care during your sobriety journey About Belle RobertsonBelle is a writer and a sober coach with a website, Tired Of Thinking About Drinking. She's written a book about how to quit drinking, and has worked one on one as a sober coach with 3258 individuals. Belle hasn't had a drink in over eight years and she started her own sober journey with a sober trial, a period of time off alcohol to see how she liked it. And apparently she did. When she's not recording sober audios or coaching by email. She works as a caterer and a text designer, originally from Canada. Bell lives in Paris and Vermont with her husband, who's also a Canadian.  Connect With Belle RobertsonTo learn more about Belle and how she can support you on your sober journey, head over to www.tiredofthinkingaboutdrinking.comFollow her on Instagram: @tiredofthinkingaboutdrinkingOrder her book, Tired of Thinking About DrinkingTake my 100 Day Sober Challenge by Belle RobertsonListen to Belle’s audiobook: https://gumroad.com/l/Belle-TOTAD-audio, Tired of Thinking About Drinking Take my 100 Day Sober Challenge by Belle Robertson Connect with Casey McGuire DavidsonCheck out  The Sobriety Starter Kit. The private, on-demand coaching course you need to break out of the drinking cycle - without white-knuckling it or hating the process.The course is self-paced, so you’re never ‘behind’. You can move through the lessons as quickly or slowly as you need to and revisit earlier lessons at any time. In the Sobriety Starter Kit you’ll learn the framework, plus all the skills + strategies you need to stop drinking and build a life you love without alcohol – without white-knuckling it or hating the process.And I’ll hold your hand each step of the way. Click here to get all the details. Grab your  Free Sober Girls Guide To Quitting DrinkingGet the guide on How to find and join my Favorite Private Sober Facebook groupsWebsite: www.hellosomedaycoaching.comInstagram: Casey @ Hello Someday Coaching (@caseymdavidson)

Today is The Day! It’s January 1st, 2021. It is DRY JANUARY and you are ready to stop drinking.  It’s the perfect time for a fresh start. You’re ready to  Take a break from drinking to be healthier and happier, more fulfilled and confident. Sleep through the night and wake up feeling good.  Get out of the drinking cycle of feeling, tired, stuck and defeated. And I’ve got all the tools you need to start strong and keep on going!In this podcast I’m going to share all my best tips and tricks to set you up for success so that you get the most out of Dry January.You’ll learn How to use Dry January as a springboard to building a life you love without alcohol, not as a short break from the drinking cycle.  Why Dry January gives you the perfect reason to tell others you’re not drinking, without labels or explanations.  How to build up sober momentum in Dry January without worrying about questions of ‘forever’ or ‘never again’. Where to hook up with other women doing Dry January so that you can cheer each other on.  How to step up self care this month and use treats and rewards so that your time not drinking is really pleasurable.  How to take advantage of this month to change your go-to habits so that after the 31 days you won't want to go back to drinking.  And if one of your goals in 2021 is to drink less + live more I can help.  I created an on-demand course, The Sobriety Starter Kit, which can help you make 2021 the year you stop drinking.  The Sobriety Starter Kit is the online, self-study sober coaching course that will help you quit drinking and build a life you love without alcohol.The course is based on the sober coaching work I do with my private clients and is available at a cost that’s significantly more affordable than one-on-one coaching. Plus the online Sobriety Starter Kit course is ready, waiting and available to support you anytime you need it.   When you purchase the course you’ll have lifetime access to it. You can start today or at any other time.  The course is self-paced, so you’re never ‘behind’. You can move through the lessons as quickly or slowly as you need to and revisit earlier lessons at any time.  In the Sobriety Starter Kit you’ll learn the framework, plus all the skills + strategies you need to stop drinking and build a life you love without alcohol – without white-knuckling it or hating the process.And I’ll hold your hand each step of the way. Click here to get all the details. Resources mentioned in this episode Episode 34 - The first episode on using Atomic Habits to Quit Drinking with Identity Based HabitsEpisode 35 - The second episode on using Atomic Habits to Quit Drinking on how to break your habit of drinking in four simple steps - without relying on willpower or hating the process Episode 36 - The third episode on using “The Habits Tipping Point”, that magical moment when choosing not to drink simply becomes a part of who you are.   The Sobriety Starter Kit Online Course Connect with Casey McGuire DavidsonCheck out  The Sobriety Starter Kit. The private, on-demand coaching course you need to break out of the drinking cycle - without white-knuckling it or hating the process.Grab your  Free Sober Girls Guide To Quitting DrinkingGet support during the holiday season from women who are on the alcohol-free path with the guide on How to find and join my Favorite Private Sober Facebook groupsWebsite: www.hellosomedaycoaching.comInstagram: Casey @ Hello Someday Coaching (@caseymdavidson)

As the end of 2020 approaches many of us are ready to turn the page on this year and start anew. And it’s time to start fresh and look ahead to what you want and how to make that happen.And in this episode I want to tell you just how to do that. How to not only turn the page on last year and set new intentions for 2021, but also to keep your intentions strong as motivation fades after a few weeks or months. Too often in life, we’ve stopped dreaming. Or if we have dreams we dismiss them as impractical or impossible. We feel weighed down by responsibilities or what other people might think. Or our own habits, fears, limiting beliefs and assumptions of what is achievable, appropriate or allowed stops us in our tracks. My goal is to get you centered on what lights you up, fires up your imagination and brings you joy. To change what’s weighing you down because you deserve to feel happy and fulfilled. We think it’s our busy schedules or responsibilities that get in our way, but it’s not that. The biggest thing that stops us from achieving our dreams is ourselves.Our fears, our limiting beliefs and our negative self-talk.  My challenge to you is to focus on what you want to feel and do in your life (regardless of what others think) and take small and large steps towards your dreams. And if one of your goals in 2021 is to drink less + live more I can help.  I created an on-demand course, The Sobriety Starter Kit, which can help you make 2021 the year you stop drinking.  The Sobriety Starter Kit is the online, self-study sober coaching course that will help you quit drinking and build a life you love without alcohol.The course is based on the sober coaching work I do with my private clients and is available at a cost that’s significantly more affordable than one-on-one coaching. Plus the online Sobriety Starter Kit course is ready, waiting and available to support you anytime you need it.  In the Sobriety Starter Kit you’ll learn the framework, plus all the skills + strategies you need to stop drinking and build a life you love without alcohol – without white-knuckling it or hating the process. And I’ll hold your hand each step of the way.  Click here to get all the details. Resources mentioned in this episode Download The Ultimate Vision Board Starter Kit Blog: How Vision Boards Work & Why You Need One The Sobriety Starter Kit Online Course Brené Brown: The Midlife Unraveling Jen Sincero’s Book: You Are A Badass Connect with Casey McGuire Davidson Check out  The Sobriety Starter Kit. The private, on-demand coaching course you need to break out of the drinking cycle - without white-knuckling it or hating the process. Grab your  Free Sober Girls Guide To Quitting Drinking Get support during the holiday season from women who are on the alcohol-free path with the guide on How to find and join my Favorite Private Sober Facebook groups Website: www.hellosomedaycoaching.comInstagram: Casey @ Hello Someday Coaching (@caseymdavidson)

The Habits Tipping Point: When Choosing Not to Drink Becomes Easy and Simply Part Of Who You AreWelcome to Episode #3 in the Atomic Habits series on how to break your habit of drinking based on the research into what works in changing behavior for long term success.In part one of Atomic Habits, Episode 34, we discussed how to quit drinking using identity based habits. We talked about how every action you take supporting your goal to be alcohol-free [like listening to this podcast] is casting a vote for your identity as a happy, healthy woman who doesn’t need to drink to have fun or cope with life. In part two of Atomic Habits, Episode 35, we talked about how to break your habit of drinking in four steps by changing your cues, cravings, responses, and rewards habit loop.And in today’s Episode, part three, we're going to talk about the tipping point.  The point when your behavior changes and shifts into your identity. There is a tipping point where by choosing not to drink you are simply acting IN ALIGNMENT with who you are.  The struggle not to drink is gone.  Your mind is not constantly thinking about drinking or not drinking.  You're someone who used to drink but don’t anymore, because you feel better without it.   In this episode we’ll dig into:  How to avoid the stumbling blocks that have tripped you up in the past and led you back to drinking. What to do when you’re in the ‘plateau of latent potential,’ the time period when the work you’re doing builds until you hit the tipping point.   Good habits make time your ally and bad habits make time your enemy.   Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. In the same way that money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them across time. At first you feel better and your progress is small and incremental. But as more time goes by those small improvements compound exponentially. The positive or negative trajectory of your life is immense depending on which habits you keep or change.When you change your habit of drinking, you’ll have a bunch of immediate benefits. You’ll have more energy and sleep well. You’ll look better and have more patience. And you will also change the trajectory of your life. From one that’s declining slowly and then more steeply, to one that’s improving slowly and then improving exponentially over time. Impressive results are the natural outcome of many small improvements accumulating over time.   Atomic Habits links and resources mentioned Grab a copy of Atomic Habits by James Clear Episode 34 - The first episode on using Atomic Habits to Quit Drinking with Identity Based Habits Episode 35 - The second episode on using Atomic Habits to Quit Drinking on how to break your habit of drinking in four simple steps - without relying on willpower or hating the process.  Podcast episodes on how to prime your mindset, physical and social environment for success in quitting drinkingEpisode 2 - 5 Mistakes Women Make When Quitting DrinkingEpisode 3 - 7 Strategies To Get You Through Your First Week Without AlcoholEpisode 10 - 10 Things You Need In Your Sober ToolkitEpisode 23 - Feeling Bored In Sobriety? Things To Know + What To Do Connect with Casey McGuire DavidsonGrab your  Free Sober Girls Guide To Quitting DrinkingGet support during the holiday season from women who are on the alcohol-free path with the guide on How to find and join my Favorite Private Sober Facebook groups Website: www.hellosomedaycoaching.comInstagram: Casey @ Hello Someday Coaching (@caseymdavidson)

Have you been trying to break your habit of drinking using willpower, positive inspiration or negative, fear-based motivation by trying to avoid negative consequences? If you haven’t been successful in your attempts to stop drinking using this approach it’s actually not your fault. Instead you've likely just been trying to make a long term behavior change in all the wrong ways. There are easy ways and hard ways to break a habit, and research into the science of behavior change shows that willpower just doesn’t work in the long term.  In this episode I’m going to talk about how to break your habit of drinking in four simple steps - without relying on willpower or hating the process.  We’ll dive into: The four laws of how to break a bad habit and how to build a new one, as outlined in Atomic Habits by James Clear. Why understanding your personal habit loop of cues, cravings, responses and rewards is critical to helping you stop drinking without relying on willpower or hating the process.  How creating and sharing an implementation intention is fundamental to succeeding in change where you have stumbled in the past. Why environmental design is key to achieving your goals. Making small changes to your physical and social environment will make it easier to break the drinking cycle.  What has likely tripped you up in the past and practical and specific ways to set yourself up for success, not self-sabotage.  What you should learn from times you’ve tried to stop before, without shaming yourself for going back to drinking.    There are four laws of how to break a bad habit and how to build a new oneFirst, start with your implementation intention. It’s a stated plan to solidify your plan to be alcohol-free for a specific amount of time.  The first law of how to make a new habit stick is to make it obvious. The more visible and available a habit is, the more likely you are to stick to it.  The second law is to make it attractive. The more appealing a habit is, the more likely you are to feel motivated to do it.    The third law is to make it easy. The easier, simpler, more convenient and frictionless a habit is, the more likely it is to be performed.  And the fourth law is to make it satisfying. The more satisfying, enjoyable, and pleasurable a habit is, the more likely it is to stick.  Atomic Habits links and resources mentioned Grab a copy of Atomic Habits by James Clear Episode 34 - The first episode on using Atomic Habits to Quit Drinking with Identity Based Habits Podcast episodes on how to prime your mindset, physical and social environment for success in quitting drinking Episode 2 - 5 Mistakes Women Make When Quitting DrinkingEpisode 3 - 7 Strategies To Get You Through Your First Week Without AlcoholEpisode 10 - 10 Things You Need In Your Sober ToolkitEpisode 23 - Feeling Bored In Sobriety? Things To Know + What To Do Connect with Casey McGuire Davidson Grab your  Free Sober Girls Guide To Quitting Drinking Get support during the holiday season from women who are on the alcohol-free path with the guide on How to find and join my Favorite Private Sober Facebook groups Website: www.hellosomedaycoaching.comInstagram: Casey @ Hello Someday Coaching (@caseymdavidson)

Now back to How to Quit Drinking With Identity Based Habits, Because Willpower Doesn’t Work. There are easy ways and hard ways to break the habit of drinking.  And if you’ve tried a bunch of times to get sober momentum and given up after 2 weeks or 2 months, I’m betting that you’ve tried ALL the hard ways to stop drinking and it’s brought you back to the same place. In this episode I’m going to share with you the research and framework behind how to break your habit of drinking once and for all, without relying on willpower, white-knuckling it or hating the process. What I’ve found in the coaching work I do with women is that approaching not drinking based on the research into what works in terms of long term behavior change is the most powerful, logical and sustainable way to become a happy and healthy non-drinker.  And the best book I’ve found on how to change your habits and behavior is Atomic Habits by James Clear. Here’s what doesn’t work when you’re trying to stop drinking: Shaming or blaming yourself for drinking again when the physical, social and emotional environment you live in has set you up for failure Relying on hitting a low enough ‘bottom’ so that you’ll finally have the motivation to not drink and the willpower to resist alcohol Keeping your wine (or your alcohol of choice) in your home (so that you don’t have to ask your partner to change their behavior) Relying on your partner, family and drinking friends as your main source of support for changing your relationship with alcohol  If you’ve tried to stop drinking before and don’t seem to get very far there are a lot of reasons why what you’ve been doing up until now hasn’t been working.  Here’s what you’ll learn in today’s episode about the ways to change your behavior and stop drinking in a way that’s easier and set up in a way for long term success.  How to prime your physical environment and social support to overcome the moments when willpower isn’t enough and motivation fades Why true behavior change is based on identity change - who you believe you are. Because when you change your identity from a “red wine or chardonnay girl” to a “healthy, happy, confident and inspiring woman who doesn't drink anymore because she feels better and does more without it” - then, when you don’t drink, you are simply acting IN ALIGNMENT with who you are How to get rid of the limiting beliefs and fears you have about what your life will look like without drinking Why it's important to focus on your trajectory (the path that you are on and where it is leading you) rather than your end goal   How altering the media and messages you surround yourself with (including the messages you tell yourself) can be the difference between success and failure  Links and resources mentioned Grab a copy of Atomic Habits by James Clear Podcast episodes on how to prime your mindset, physical and social environment for success in quitting drinkingEpisode 2 - 5 Mistakes Women Make When Quitting DrinkingEpisode 3 - 7 Strategies To Get You Through Your First Week Without AlcoholEpisode 10 - 10 Things You Need In Your Sober ToolkitEpisode 23 - Feeling Bored In Sobriety? Things To Know + What To Do Connect with Casey McGuire DavidsonGrab your  Free Sober Girls Guide To Quitting DrinkingGet support during the holiday season from women who are on the alcohol-free path with the guide on How to find and join my Favorite Private Sober Facebook groupsWebsite: www.hellosomedaycoaching.comInstagram: Casey @ Hello Someday Coaching (@caseymdavidson)

There is no cookie cutter way to quit drinking. Often it takes many tries to find out what level of support you need to navigate life without drinking as a way to cope with life and what framework of recovery works for you.  My guest today is Erica C. Barnett, the Seattle author of the book Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse and Recovery. Erica’s experience with drinking and quitting drinking illustrates that it often takes a lot of trying to know what works for you. And that being able to move from relying on drinking pretty heavily as your main coping mechanism to not drinking and being able to sustain that often takes a number of tries. I loved my conversation with Erica and we covered a lot of ground. We talked about the good and the bad in drinking, quitting drinking and life in recovery. Plus Erica shared a ton about the ins and outs of the world of outpatient + inpatient treatment and detox facilities, which I knew very little about before our conversation.  In this episode, Erica and I chat about How awesome it is that we’re now able (with a few years distance from quitting drinking) to laugh at ‘all of it’ (our drinking, the situations we got into, the things we screwed up, the times we tried to stop drinking and failed, our paths to sobriety and everything in between) The rapid increase in women binge drinking and drinking daily during the 2020 quarantine and COVID pandemic and the relentless messaging in our society encouraging (and pressuring) women to drink everyday How fucked up it is that our society first encourages and trivializes women’s reliance on wine as “cute” or “funny” and then blames women for becoming addicted to an addictive substance Why despite the fact that alcohol use disorders are more common than opioid addiction and kill more people, alcohol is positioned as an almost entirely fun and harmless substance Why relapse is more often than not a part of recovery yet relapse is treated as a personal failure rather than a near-inevitability The differences between the many paths to recovery including cognitive behavioral therapy, 12 step programs, online alcohol-free groups, inpatient and outpatient treatment facilities, medically supervised detox services, sober coaching and everything in between The judgement surrounding addiction and how it can be harmful to recovering addicts. The treatment industry and how it relies on repeat customers to keep it profitable and thriving - as well as Erica’s personal experiences (what worked and what didn’t) at various treatment centers  About Erica C. BarnettErica is a longtime political journalist and the author of a great book, Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse and Recovery. She founded and edits the website PublicCola.com, which covers local news and politics in Seattle.  Links and resources mentionedGrab a copy of Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and RecoveryCheck out Erica’s blog, Thecisforcrank.comCheck out http://PubliCola.com and I Was a “Fun” Drunk. Until I Wasn’t. Connect with Erica C. Barnett Follow Erica on Twitter @ericacbarnettConnect with Erica on Instagram @ericabarnett Connect with Casey McGuire Davidson Grab your  Free Sober Girls Guide To Quitting Drinking Get support during the holiday season from women who are on the alcohol-free path with the guide on How to find and join my Favorite Private Sober Facebook groups Website: www.hellosomedaycoaching.comInstagram: Casey @ Hello Someday Coaching (@caseymdavidson)