UC 427: Alcohol-Free and Empowered: Sarah Rusbatch on Grey Area Drinking, Hormones & Self-Love

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Cyndi and Kim sit down with Sarah Rusbatch, a health and wellness coach and author, to unpack the growing conversation around grey area drinking—a space where many women find themselves, struggling with their relationship to alcohol but not fitting the traditional mold of addiction.

Sarah shares her own journey from social drinking to sobriety, and how becoming alcohol-free in 2019 transformed her health, mindset, and purpose. The discussion explores how alcohol affects women’s hormones, particularly during perimenopause and menopause, and why even moderate drinking can have serious consequences on health and well-being.

This episode is filled with inspiration, science, and practical tips for any woman questioning her relationship with alcohol or seeking a healthier, more empowered lifestyle.

What You’ll Learn:

• What grey area drinking is—and how to identify it
• The link between alcohol and estrogen dominance in women
• Why women metabolize alcohol differently than men
• The mental and emotional health impacts of alcohol
• How alcohol disrupts dopamine and serotonin levels
• The social stigma and judgment faced by women who choose not to drink
• Why self-love and alcohol-free living go hand in hand
• How effort-based dopamine boosts like exercise and goal-setting can replace drinking
• Tips for navigating relationships when one partner continues to drink
• Stories of transformation from Sarah’s “Rediscovering Me” program

Quotes There is an unconscious link in the way you have fun with your friends as that is how you drink alcohol. I was a fish out of water. People would say – Sarah you’re hilarious when you’re drunk. I created a neural pathway when drunk, I became Sarah the party girl! I wore my capacity for alcohol like a badge of honour, it was girl power! Alcohol helps us to not feel disconnected and gives a big dopamine hit. There is a ‘Mummy win’ culture – my kids whine so I drink wine! It was like the light inside was going out. Decided to take a 21 day break and could not believe the difference. Society tells us if you can take 100 days off you don’t have an alcohol issue. I started to realise everything was better when I didn’t drink! The liver will always choose a substance outside of the body. It takes 72 hours for alcohol to leave the system, There is a 35% increase in the risk of breast cancer and alcohol use. 80% of women don’t know that alcohol – 3-4 units is a risk. The more you drink the bigger the risk. Alcohol makes us very bloated and puffy. I’m not the fun police but I want to educate women on what alcohol is doing. There is a huge ‘grey area’ I talk about. An addiction is anything we crave and have trouble giving up. Be careful of anything that gives you a dopamine hit without effort. A goal is a powerful dopamine hit, we are at our happiest when working towards a goal. Alcohol keeps us small. We have to live our lives for us. Most grey-area drinkers will associate with other grey-area drinkers. Only you can do it but you can’t do it alone. Do the self-enquiry, be with self, take in the world. Get curious. Unless someone wants to change – they wont. Our children watch everything we do. When we know better we do better.

About Sarah Rusbatch: Sarah is a certified Health & Wellbeing Coach, keynote speaker, and author, specialising in helping women redefine their relationship with alcohol. She supports women who don’t identify as having an addiction but know alcohol is affecting their health, relationships, and happiness. Sarah’s programs have helped thousands of women step into greater self-worth and freedom through sobriety.

Where to Find Sarah Website: www.sarahrusbatch.com Instagram: @sarahrusbatch Courses: https://sarahrusbatch.com/courses

Cyndi O’Meara Links Website – https://thenutrition.academy/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/cyndiomeara/ https://www.instagram.com/thenutrition_academy/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/cyndi.lovetto https://www.facebook.com/thechnutritionacademy

Kim Morrison Links Website – https://www.kimmorrison.com/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/kimmorrison28/ https://www.instagram.com/twenty.8.essential/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/KimMorrisonTraining https://www.facebook.com/twenty8essentials