Thriving Alcohol-Free with Mocktail Mom

EP 103 Four Years as A Sober Mom & Thriving!

• Deb, Mocktail Mom • Season 1 • Episode 103

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Celebrating the start of Dry January, this episode reflects on four years of sobriety, emphasizing the joy and community of alcohol-free living. 

Deb shares her journey, offers recommendations for resources, and shares about the upcoming Mocktail Summit. 
• Introduction to Dry January and its meaning 
• Celebrating two years of the podcast and four years sober 
• Importance of community and participating in sober activities 
• Exploring innovative alcohol-free alternatives available today 
• Discussing Quit Lit  book recommendations 
• Promoting the Mocktail Summit and the presenters' insights 
• Encouragement for those on an alcohol-free journey or considering one

Head to The Mocktail Summit to access all the replays!

You are loved. Big Time Cheers!

Speaker 1:

Okay, hey friends, it's Deb. Welcome back to Thriving Alcohol-Free. How are you? How are you? It's just us today. This is going to be a short podcast episode. I have no intro music, no outro music. It is just a welcome to dry January. Happy podcastversary to Thriving Alcohol-Free. We just had two full years of podcasts.

Speaker 1:

So thank you to those of you who have been faithful listeners I'm so grateful for your encouragement and your support and to my members, the ladies who are the members of Thriving Alcohol Free, the VIPs. You guys have been here from the beginning. So thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm so grateful. So I just want to welcome you guys to Dry January. I want to chat a little bit about that Sober Curious if you're sober curious or you're, you know, you're just taking a break this month I want you to be encouraged. There's so many good things to drink, so we're gonna talk about that a little bit and then about the Mocktail Summit.

Speaker 1:

So I just celebrated my four year soberversary and if you had told me back on December 31st 2020, when I first stopped drinking I mean, that was my first day alcohol freefree and I never in a million years could have imagined that I would now be over four years without a drop of wine, without my Chardonnay, without any alcohol, without anything. I really could not have imagined and I know for those of you who are on a sober journey like me or you know you're living an alcohol-free lifestyle. I know from talking to you. It's the same way. It's like you just could never have imagined. For me, I just thought like like the fun will be over, it'll be over. Like how am I going to relax? How am I going to mom? How am I going to like de-stress? How am I going to like transition from, like you know, daytime routine to like evening routine or you know, evening relaxing, because my glass of wine was kind of like that, the like transition. And so now having alcohol-free options and being four years alcohol-free, I just want you to know, if you are brand new, if you are doing dry January, that the fun is not over and there are delicious things to drink. There are so many good things to drink and in four years the market has exploded. So if you're just like just coming in, I mean like it's crazy now how many good alcohol-free wines there are, how many options there are for alcohol-free tequilas, whiskeys, gins I mean, I was just a wine drinker, you know, and now I actually get out a shaker cup every once in a while.

Speaker 1:

You know, make a mocktail, make a non-alcoholic cocktail, and so that wasn't something I was doing. But I am telling you you will be shocked when you kind of retire your, you know your, whatever your wine habit, you know wine habit or your drinking habit. When you quiet that down and you dive into the world of alcohol-free options, it is really fun. There are so many new things to drink and it's really for me in the beginning it was just like a little hobby of trying to figure out. I was bored in the evenings when I wasn't drinking. That's why I started sharing mocktails on Instagram, because I didn't want to in the very beginning. You know when you're not, when you first stop drinking, especially like you need to do something to keep yourself busy. So, whether it's puzzles, or you know crossword puzzles, or um play Sudoku, or you know adult coloring pages, whatever, because you need to figure out something to kind of keep your hands busy, keep your mind busy, because you have a lot of extra time. You don't realize it, but alcohol took up a lot of time and it left you in a state. Usually for me, in the evenings, it was like I was zoned out, you know. And so when I wasn't drinking then, the very beginning, I felt like I had all this time, and so I started sharing alcohol-free options on Instagram. That was how Mocktail Mom kind of got started. So that was actually on day nine. So, gosh, tomorrow will be four years for my Instagram account for Mocktail Mom. So that's kind of crazy.

Speaker 1:

But anyway, I just want to encourage you, if you're brand new, if you're just figuring this out, first of all, get connected to other people, get involved in a community. I host a happy half hour each week. We get together ladies, we get together on a Zoom, make mocktail together and we just connect, we just connect. It's so important to be connected so that you do not feel alone on this journey. You are not alone and you are not the only one who's maybe struggling or has struggled with drinking more than you intended to, more than you intend to. Whatever it is, you're not the only one, let me tell you. The other thing I would say is we'll get connected.

Speaker 1:

Find a new hobby, find something. Actually, one of the ladies on the pot or on the on our membership call last night our happy half hour she is going to be taking tap dancing lessons this year and I was like I love that, like do something new, do something different for yourself, so, so fun. I'm not going to be taking tap dancing lessons, I just need to take walking lessons at this point and get off these crutches, just learn how to walk, get yourself, immerse yourself in sober podcasts, sober people maybe that you're following. If you're on social media, make sure you're following people that are going to encourage your sober journey. Make sure you're doing that.

Speaker 1:

And read what's called quitlet books. I had never even heard of quitlet books. What's a quitlet book? I'm going to give you five recommendations. These are some. Actually, four of these authors have all been guests on the podcast in the last two years.

Speaker 1:

Thriving Alcohol on this podcast you're listening to Thriving Alcohol Free but each of these books I would highly recommend if you are just getting started you're just getting started or you're a few months in because the beginning can be so hard. The beginning is hard. Let's just be real. The beginning is really hard and in the beginning you just think like there's no way. There's no way, and so I want to help you turn that self-talk into yes, I can do this, I can do this. And I want you to tell yourself if Deb can do it, so can I, because you have no idea how many Tuesdays I woke up with a hangover. You have no idea the U-Haul of shame that I dragged around when I would look in the mirror in the morning and think like, oh my gosh, I did it again, told myself I was going to have one glass of wine and I drank the whole bottle and I felt such shame. And so, actually, when I just had my four year sober birth rate sorry, I'll tell you these I did not expect to cry my gosh, okay, sorry. Jennifer. Page is probably like stop crying If you're listening, jen, okay, sorry. All that to say what was I saying Four years ago? I could never have imagined. I could never, ever ever have imagined that I would be here four years later alcohol-free. There's no way.

Speaker 1:

Okay, the five books that I want to recommend for you if you're brand new, you're just getting started. Quitlet is something. It's like literature about quitting drinking. I'd never heard of Quitlet, but this is what it is. Or Quitlet podcast, things like that, but Quitlet is Quit literature.

Speaker 1:

Okay, first one would be Rachel Hart why Can't I Drink Like Everyone Else? She was a guest on the podcast. She's one of the original sober coaches outside of the AA program. Fantastic, I just love her. She actually was on the Mel Robbins podcast as well, talking about alcohol. So her book why Can't I Drink Like Everyone Else is a step-by-step guide to understanding why you drink and knowing how to take a break. Excellent book. Highly recommend it.

Speaker 1:

Second one that I would really recommend is called Sober Vibes. It's by Courtney Anderson. She was a podcast guest. She's actually the founder of National Sober Day. She's wonderful and her book is a guide to thriving in your first three months without alcohol. Excellent book, okay.

Speaker 1:

Third one this is from a gal who's down in Australia. I love her book Sarah Rusbach. She's a gray area drinking and sobriety coach. Her book is called Beyond Booze how to create a life you love alcohol-free. Because that's the thing. It's not just about not drinking, it's about loving your life without alcohol. It's creating a new life, creating new habits, creating the life that you want, so that when you're 80 years old, you're not thinking about all the regrets that you have.

Speaker 1:

For me, I think about my 40s and I drank way more than I intended to Went through some really hard life things and wine. It numbed the pain that I was going through. It numbed the pain of my divorce. It numbed the pain of losing my parents. It numbed the pain of my breast cancer diagnosis. But it also numbed a lot of the joy in my life and there's so much joy and there's joy in your life and there's so much joy and there's joy in your life and we don't want to miss out on the joy. I missed out on joy and I don't want to get to 80 and be like, oh my gosh, the last 40 years I've missed out. So the last four years have been phenomenal. I have felt pain and I've had to grieve my parents in ways that I didn't when they first passed away. Because I'm actually feeling it now. I'm emotionally sober, now I actually have to feel what I'm feeling, okay.

Speaker 1:

Fourth book recommendation this Naked Mind. Find Freedom, discover Happiness and Change your Life Annie Grace. Annie Grace, fantastic book, probably one of the best, best-selling books on alcohol-free living. And then the last one I would recommend is and I actually have not had her on the podcast, so let's say that should be a goal for 2025 is to have Annie Grace on the podcast. How's that sound? Maybe we can meet. I'd love to meet Annie Grace. And then the last book I'd recommend is Alcohol Explained, and that's by William Porter. So there's five recommendations for you. Books that you can grab at the library or pick up on Amazon, wherever. But just to help you get started, if you're just getting started, just getting started, I want you to know there's resources for you. You don't have to go to a meeting. You can if you're, if you're a meeting person or you want to go to a meeting. I just want you to know there's other options.

Speaker 1:

Because when I first stopped, I thought, like when I was thinking about stopping drinking, I didn't. For many years I was because I felt like, well, I don't, I don't label myself as that and I don't feel like I need to go to a meeting and label myself. But then when I discovered this whole world of gray area drinking and that there's gray area drinkers and there's this whole space in between, I was like, well, that's, that's exactly who I am. I just just became a habit and I was drinking way more than I intended to. So, anyway, okay, that's it. Dry January, you can do it If I can stop drinking. Anyone can Borrow my belief. I believe in you. If I can do it, anyone can. I am telling you. Just know that there is well there's so many people who are not drinking now.

Speaker 1:

But I host an event. This is the second year we're doing it. It's called the Mocktail Summit and I would love to have you there. Let me just tell you real quick about it, because if you want to learn about mocktails, about non-alcohol options like the non-alcoholic spirits, alcohol-free wines this is the place for you. The mocktailsummitcom is where you can sign up. I'll put the link down below in the show notes. But having alcohol-free options is one of the things. Beyond Quitlet, beyond following people on social media who are also sober, having alcohol-free options is what was like the bumper rails for me on my sober journey. Having new things to drink, having new things to drink and having new things to drink and having something good to drink Help me stay on my alcohol-free journey. And if that would be a trigger to you, then the Mocktail Summit is not for you. But if finding out about mocktails and learning about alcohol-free options and all that would be of help to you, then this is definitely the event for you. I cannot encourage you enough.

Speaker 1:

Let me just tell you the lineup of some of the people, just some of the presenters that are coming to the Mocktail Summit to present for you, to share their tips, their tricks. There's actually one gal who's opened up a non-alcoholic bottle shop. She shares about that. I have a brand that comes in talks about opening up a non-alcoholic brand. But then everybody else is Mocktail influencers or Mocktail enthusiasts or experts, and I mean, just to name a few, the mindful Mocktail Nat. She's amazing. You're probably following her already. If you're on social media, you're following her. You probably saved a hundred of her recipes. Mocktail girly same thing if you're on TikTok or Instagram. Rich Loud Rich Loud is one of the faithful listeners Rich, we love you and he's one of the presenters this year.

Speaker 1:

Mocktail Wiz Derek, if you're listening, appreciate you, love you so much and he comes in and shares a tea-based mocktail without a spirit. So he presents that. Make it non-alcoholic. She comes in talks about Cava Haven, so if that's something of interest to you, we chatted about functional mocktails. I should say she chatted more about functional mocktails.

Speaker 1:

Mocktail Hour she's a phenomenal bartender. She was a bartender for a year. She just had her one-year soberversary. She was addicted to all kinds of stuff and she's just incredible content creator. She comes in and makes a. She makes a cocktail. It's called a paper plane and she makes it as a mocktail. So you'll get to learn tips and tricks and just how to how to mix things up. You know and be encouraged that there are all these people. All these people who are presenting were people who used to drink. They all used to drink and so you'll be looking at them. You'll be like, oh my gosh, if they can stop drinking, then I can stop drinking. Sobersh mom comes in. She is a mom who's cut back her drinking by about 90%. She shares about non-alcoholic options on her Instagram page.

Speaker 1:

I just love her and just she encourages women well, women and men but encourages people. You know, if you just want to cut back, take a break or drink less, great For me. That was in the beginning. I just wanted to drink less and then I felt so good that I kept going, and I do feel good and I encourage everybody to not drink. I don't think it's healthy at all and actually the Surgeon General just came out with a warning. He's calling for updated health labels on alcohol beverages and stuff. So I think the tide is changing. But even if you just want to drink less great, she comes in and we're going to do a happy hour. She shares on a happy hour with me.

Speaker 1:

Ian, blessing of all the bitter. Okay, he is like the guru of all gurus, of like everything, every brand, every flavor, anything you want to know. He comes in and presents um, he presents a uh, it's called a good night Manhattan, so it's like a sleepy time. It's like a sleepy girl. Mocktail meets a Manhattan cocktail. He makes that all non-alcoholic so delicious. And then he actually comes in and he is co-hosting with me for a happy hour.

Speaker 1:

So here's how the summit works. It's three days, it's virtual. There's presentations each day, pre-recorded by all these mocktail presenters. You get to watch the presentations at. You can watch them. You have 24 hours. So it's $10 right now. Early bird is $10 to come to the mocktail summit.

Speaker 1:

Okay, for general admission pass, you'll get 24 hours to watch each day's sessions. Then, if you want to upgrade or not, then if you look at the MocktailSummitcom, if you look at it, you go, oh, I would like to come on the all access pass you actually have. We have a happy hour, a live happy hour each night that you get an invitation to, and then, as well, all of those recordings each of the day's recordings. You'll have one year access to watch recordings. So maybe you know, maybe you don't have time to watch all the recordings that day and you would like extended access to watch those recordings as well, as well as an all access pass holder.

Speaker 1:

Let me just tell you there are sponsors who are donating prizes for our all access pass holders. So you'll definitely want to get on that because, um, several of my favorite brands are donating products. Um, oh, my goodness, okay, better than booze. Trying to think um Gießen wine, one of my favorite non-alcoholic wines, as you guys already know if you listen to my podcast. Um, beckett's is one of the sponsors. Cava Haven trying to to think, oh Go, brewing. So some of the top brands are donating prizes for those who are on the all-access or the VIP pass. So VIP is for my members. So if you're in the membership, you get to come with an all-access pass to the Mocktail Summit. So check out themocktailsummitcom. I'll put the link down here below.

Speaker 1:

But really, probably, whoever you're following on Insta, probably any of the I should say, any of the mocktail recipes you've probably saved on your Instagram if you're, you know, on Instagram or Facebook are most likely, most likely they are a presenter at this year's summit or were last year. Even so, anyway, just such a wonderful community. I just want you to feel welcomed into the world of non-alcoholic options and your alcohol-free journey and I want you to know that you are not alone and that it does get easier. It is not all rainbows and sunshine and, like I said, you're going to. You know I've had to feel a lot of emotions that I numbed for years and years, but it is so much easier than dragging through my life and feeling shame and feeling for me personally, feeling shame and feeling just feeling bad, like I was just drinking way more than I intended to, so feeling so much better now, four years walking, continuing to walk forward in my alcohol-free journey and being connected. That is the key is being connected with other people. So get connected. Get connected wherever you are, whether it's an online group.

Speaker 1:

Join my membership, join. We have again, like I said, we have happy hours, happy half hours each week. If you're a member, you get to come to the Mocktail Summit with an all-access pass. You'll get to come to the happy hours each night, but just know that you are not alone. You are not alone and you are not the only one who is struggling.

Speaker 1:

This is an addictive substance and we were fooled. We were sold a bill of goods. That is not true. We were told. Like to celebrate, you have to have wine, or you have to have a drink to celebrate. Or, if things are hard, you have to have a drink. Or what am I going to drink at my daughter's wedding? Or what am I going to drink if I go to Italy? You can do all those things and enjoy a non-alcoholic option and thrive, and absolutely thrive in your life. Thrive in this new year, in 2025, whether you're on crutches, no matter how you showed up to dry January, no matter how you showed up to 2025, you can thrive. So I just want your heart to be encouraged. The fun is not over. There are still good things to drink and I'm sending you lots and lots of love and big time cheers from the great state of Kentucky.

Speaker 1:

I'm actually drinking right now. I'm not even drinking a mocktail, I'm drinking a coffee with you. Know what I put in here? It's the brand new, all the Bitter. So Ian Blessing is the co-founder of All the Bitter. He is my co-host on the happy hour, the first happy hour at the Mocktail Summit.

Speaker 1:

But I put in here one of his products. It's the Coffee Cherry Blast. It's their non-alcoholic brand new flavor. They're non-alcoholic bitter. So good, so delicious. You can use it in a mocktail or you can use it in your coffee if you want. It's so good and you can even drink it at night because it's a decaf, it's made with decaf coffee. They're little bitters. Anyway, there you go. There's that I hope you guys are doing great.

Speaker 1:

Please reach or my email is deb at mocktailmomcom and I'm sending you all my love and I hope to see you at the Mocktail Summit, mocktailsummitcom. I'll put the link below and no outro music. This is it. I'm going to hang up and I will see. Oh, next week, let me tell you actually, lori, lori McAtee, if you're listening, shout out to you saying hey, deb, tell people what's going to be on next week. Okay, next week. Lily, if you're not following her, her Instagram is mocktailswithlily L-I-L-L-Y. She is going to be my guest next week. She's a very young, sweet gal. She's going to be my guest. She is my guest, I should say, sharing about her alcohol-free journey and the mocktails that she makes on Instagram. So make sure, if you're on social follow.