123: {SOLO} 30 Days Alcohol-Free: What I Learned & Where I Landed

In this solo episode, I share a vulnerable and very real update on where I currently am with alcohol, how my habits have evolved over the years, and what I learned from taking a recent 30-day break. If you’ve ever questioned your own relationship with drinking, struggled with moderation, or felt the “mental noise” around alcohol, this conversation is for you.

I revisit patterns from high school and college, motherhood triggers, the stories I’ve told myself about drinking, and the eye-opening experience of going alcohol-free for a month, including the neuroscience behind cravings, dopamine dips, and why the process felt so emotional.

I also discuss the role of consciousness, thoughts, and deliberate living in reshaping habits, and how this experience helped me prove to myself that I can do hard things.

In This Episode, I Talk About:

• How my relationship with alcohol has evolved over the past 20 years

• Drinking in high school and college and why those early patterns stuck

• How motherhood, overstimulation, and boredom played into evening wine habits

• The moment that pushed me to take a 30-day break

• What happened in those 30 days — including the dopamine dip around days 10–14

• The neuroscience behind cravings and dopamine regulation

• How to handle cravings by separating the thought from the sensation

• Deliberate living vs. default living (and why thoughts matter more than we realize)

• The stories we tell ourselves about alcohol — and why many aren't true

• How nervous system overwhelm contributes to wanting to drink

• The small lifestyle shifts (like hiring babysitters!) that changed everything

• Healthy dopamine habits I used to replace wine

• Why vulnerability and accountability helped me finish the 30 days

• What I’ll be carrying forward now that the 30-day break is over

Resources & Links Mentioned

• My first alcohol episode — Episode 74

• Mallory Andrews episode — Episode 121

• Soberish Mom (Katie) on Instagram

• Sunnyside App (for tracking alcohol + soberish challenges)

• Reframe App (for alcohol education + habit change)

• My book: Counting Colors

• Book: Loving What Is by Byron Katie