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What if the thing standing between you and a healthier relationship with alcohol isn't your social life, your job, or your partner — but the beliefs you've been carrying around for years without ever questioning them?

In this episode, I get personal about some of the most common — and most stubborn — limiting beliefs that keep people stuck in drinking patterns they'd genuinely like to change.

From the idea that you need a drink to "take the edge off" (and what we actually lose when we do that),

To the belief that fun and alcohol are inseparable,

To the very human fear that because you've tried before and it didn't stick, you simply can't change.

I look at where these beliefs come from, why we hold on to them so fiercely, and — more importantly — how to start unpicking them.

This one's worth a listen if you've ever found yourself saying "I don't really have a problem" while simultaneously wishing things were a little different.

You don't need a crisis to make a change. Sometimes you just need to get honest with yourself about what you actually believe.

Your next listen: ep#163. Five Questions to Ask Yourself About the Pros and Cons of Different Moderation Techniques

3:56 Taking the Edge Off
5:46 You Can't Have Fun Without Booze
8:16 No Problem = no problem
9:34 Fear Of Failing At Moderation
11:36 How to Review What Went Wrong Last Time

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Join me inside The Vault, where theory becomes action, and you learn how to drink mindfully on your own terms - https://mindfuldrinking.substack.com/s/the-vault

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You can email me at denise@lownodrinkermagazine.com

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*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may earn a commission that helps me keep the show going. Thank you.

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Have you ever had that quiet, nagging feeling — not a dramatic rock-bottom moment, just a low-level sense that something's a bit off? A voice in the back of your head that you keep brushing aside, telling you that maybe, just maybe, alcohol has something to do with it?

For most of us, the realisation that we want to change the way we drink doesn't arrive with fanfare. It creeps in. It shows up as a hangover that just won't shift, a morning's worth of anxiety that wasn't there before, or a Saturday spent recovering when you'd rather be doing literally anything else.

In this episode, I walk through five of the most common signs — some obvious, some surprisingly subtle — that your relationship with alcohol is shifting, and that your body and mind might be quietly ready for something different. For each sign, I point you towards a companion episode that goes deeper, so wherever you are in your own journey, there's somewhere useful to go next.

3:22 Long Tail Hangovers

7:26 The Morning After Hangxiety Spiral

11:03 When Your Drinking Starts to Bore You

14:52 The Wasted Time

18:55 The Emotional Fallout

22:57 Two Extra Signs

Episodes to check out :

118: Why You Can’t Drink Like You Used To

103: No One Tells You This About Drinking Less in Midlife

153. Are You Too Old For Mindful Drinking?

155. Identity Crisis: Does Drinking Less Mean Becoming Less You?

161. The Real Reason Your Friends Can’t Take ‘No’ for an Answer

===
Join me inside The Vault, where theory becomes action, and you learn how to drink mindfully on your own terms - https://mindfuldrinking.substack.com/s/the-vault

===
You can email me at denise@lownodrinkermagazine.com

===
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may earn a commission that helps me keep the show going. Thank you.

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Are you waiting for the big lightbulb moment that finally makes changing your drinking feel easy? Five years in, I can tell you that moment probably isn't coming. And honestly? That's fine. Because it turns out it's not the sweeping life overhauls that make the real difference. It's the small stuff.

To mark five years of drinking differently, I'm sharing 20 of the little habits, mindset shifts and quiet decisions that have genuinely shaped the way I drink today. Some of them will surprise you. Some might make you laugh. A few might make you think. And none of them involves a strict set of rules or a particularly impressive amount of willpower.

If you've been on this journey for a while and feel like you're still figuring it out — we all are. So this one's for you.

0:00 Why Small Habits Matter

2:41 I Don't Count My Drinks

3:03 No Negotiation

4:18 I Tell the People Who Matter

4:44 I Keep it Simple

5:13 When I'm Done, I'm Done

5:40 No Guilt

6:06 I Pay it Forward

7:00 I Don't Show Off

7:50 I Eat

8:19 I Sleep

8:52 Check Menus

9:17 Have a Backup Plan

10:07 Healthy Comparisons

11:06 I Treat Myself

11:44 I Fantasise A Life Less Intoxicated

13:13 Not Expecting Perfection

13:30 Flexibility

14:50 I Don't Drink To Feel

15:43 I Put Myself First

Also mentioned:

===
Join me inside The Vault, where theory becomes action, and you learn how to drink mindfully on your own terms - https://mindfuldrinking.substack.com/s/the-vault

===
You can email me at denise@lownodrinkermagazine.com

===
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may earn a commission that helps me keep the show going. Thank you.

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There's nothing quite like a proper pint. So why is it still so difficult to find a good alcohol-free one on draught at your local?

The answer comes down to more than just slow adoption — there's real science and real commercial pressure behind it. The good news is that things are moving, and there's actually something practical you can do about it right now.

1:21 The Challenge for Pubs

2:37 Who’s Doing Draft Alcohol-Free Well?

3:23 Ask For What You Want

Dive deeper with:

Ep# 117: Inside the Asahi / Peroni 15% Alcohol-Free Mission

On Apple – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/117-inside-the-asahi-peroni-15-alcohol-free-mission/id1701338793?i=1000734001475

On Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/episode/7s4TA9XTUfswRGnp3nfbJt?si=bec8464dea564f06

On Overcast – https://overcast.fm/+BDZGt5rwMA

& Feel free to email me any topics or questions you’d like me to answer for you on another episode of Drinks 101.

===
You can email me at denise@lownodrinkermagazine.com

===
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may earn a commission that helps me keep the show going. Thank you.

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What if the biggest obstacle between you and actually drinking less isn't willpower, habit, or social pressure — but the words you're using to talk to yourself about it?

This episode borrows a little wisdom from the world of NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) to shine a light on five ordinary, everyday words that are quietly working against your moderation goals.

These aren't obscure or complicated — they're the kind of language that slips into your self-talk without a second thought, because it's just how we've always spoken. And yet, when it comes to changing the way you drink in midlife, these tiny words can have an outsized impact on how your brain processes — and follows through on — change.

Once you know what to listen for, you'll clock them constantly.

2:18 What NLP Has to Do With Changing Your Drinking

3:02 Your Brain is Wired for Survival

4:46 Why Trying Doesn't Work

6:54 Wishing & Hoping Is Not A Plan

8:46 There is No Should

10:44 Swap But For And

13:17 From 'I Can’t' To 'What If I Can?'

15:53 Practice The Reframes And Move On

Best episode to listen to next:
ep#153. Are You Too Old For Mindful Drinking? - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2229527/episodes/18562254

===
Join me inside The Vault, where theory becomes action, and you learn how to drink mindfully on your own terms - https://mindfuldrinking.substack.com/s/the-vault

===
You can email me at denise@lownodrinkermagazine.com

===
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may earn a commission that helps me keep the show going. Thank you.

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If you've ever hesitated at the bar or in the supermarket over a 0.5% beer, wondering whether it counts as "really" alcohol-free — this one's for you.

The labelling around low and no drinks can be genuinely confusing, especially when the UK and most of the countries we import from aren't working from the same rulebook. There's actual science behind the answer, and it might put your mind at rest to finally know the truth

1:38 Why 0.5% Drinks Can't Get You Drunk

3:04 Metabolism And Micro Doses Of Alcohol

4:06 Everyday Foods With Trace Alcohol

Dive deeper with:

ep#76. Beyond Bananas! 12 Everyday Foods That Contain Alcohol

On Apple – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/76-beyond-bananas-12-everyday-foods-that-contain-alcohol/id1701338793?i=1000701851950

On Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Qo6ZlOME4QEUTGT4NyzFi?si=75dc9a05eefc4cba

On Overcast – https://overcast.fm/+BDZGuYsLbA

& Feel free to email me any topics or questions you’d like me to answer for you on another episode of Drinks 101.

===
You can email me at denise@lownodrinkermagazine.com

===
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may earn a commission that helps me keep the show going. Thank you.

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Have you ever dipped a toe into the world of mindful drinking, decided it wasn't for you, and quietly slipped back to your old habits — only to find yourself here again, months or even a year later?

That's exactly what happened to H. She found this podcast, subscribed, then walked away. A year on, she came back — and this time, something had shifted. Her story isn't unique. It might actually be yours.

This episode explores the part of the mindful drinking journey that nobody really talks about: the waiting room. That in-between place where you're not quite ready to commit, but something keeps pulling you back. The repeated dry Januarys with no real plan for February. The "failed" attempts that weren't really failures at all. And the quiet but growing awareness that alcohol might not be serving you the way it once did.

Mindful drinking isn't a quick fix or a personality transplant. It's a tool — and knowing how and when to pick it up is half the battle.

Whether you're somewhere between sober curious and not-bloody-likely-yet, your journey has already started, whether you're ready to admit it or not.

2:13 H's story

3:46 Not the only one

5:16 Mindful Drinking As a Tool

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You can email me at denise@lownodrinkermagazine.com

===
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may earn a commission that helps me keep the show going. Thank you.

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Ever picked up a bottle of alcohol-free wine or a non-alcoholic spirit and wondered why it costs as much — or more — than the full-strength version? You're not alone, and the answer is more interesting than you might think.

Alcohol does a lot more heavy lifting in a drink than most people realise, and replacing all of those functions doesn't come cheap.

Find out everything you need to know in this five-minute listen.

Dive deeper with:

108: Costs Pt1: What You’re Really Paying For
On Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/108-costs-pt1-what-youre-really-paying-for/id1701338793?i=1000723671858

&

109: Costs Pt2: £62,899 Burnout
On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/1YDnvrKmgOEwCeP2b6U5NK?si=f092962e1999409e

& Feel free to email me any topics or questions you’d like me to answer for you on another episode of Drinks 101.

===
You can email me at denise@lownodrinkermagazine.com

===
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may earn a commission that helps me keep the show going. Thank you.