Midlife drinking habits can feel set in stone after decades of established routines, but that doesn't mean change is impossible.

In this episode, I explore whether you're ever too old to start moderating your drinking, tackling the unique challenges we face in our 40s, 50s, and beyond.

From breaking ingrained habits to navigating peer pressure with long-established friend groups.

I share the inspiring story of Eamon, a 77-year-old Irishman who removed alcohol from his life after six decades of drinking, proving that neuroplasticity and the ability to make positive change don't disappear with age.

We look at what mindful drinking actually means (spoiler: it's not meditation before every sip), how to communicate your choices to partners and friends without needing their permission, and why the challenges we face around alcohol are fundamentally different from those of the so-called “mindful-drinking generation”.

Gen Z ain’t got nothing on us Gen Xers!

0:00 Going Live Gone Wrong
3:48 We're Not 20 Anymore
5:03 Back To Basics: What Mindful Drinking Means
8:54 Drink & Let Drink
11:42 Old Dog; New Tricks
15:10 Midlife Peer Pressure Looks Different
17:33 Telling Friends & Family
19:35 You Don't Need Permission, But You Do Need To Share Your Why
23:47 The 5pm Fix

Download the 5pm Fix - https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com

===
🌱 Reset the way alcohol shows up in your life with the 4 Week Midlife Mindful Drinking Reset
https://www.lownodrinker.com/4weekreset

===
🧮 Drinking Impact Calculator: Find your personal tipping point
https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com/products/drinking-impact-calculator

===
🗣️ Join the growing community on Substack
https://lownodrinker.substack.com/

===
🧐 Take the quiz and find out what's REALLY driving your midlife drinking habits
https://www.lownodrinker.com/

===
💰 Get 10% off drinks at Wise Bartender with code LOWNODRINKERMAGAZINE
https://wisebartender.co.uk/lownodrinkermagazine *

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*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Low No Drinker may earn a commission. Thank you.

Everyone bangs on about the first two Rs of mindful drinking – reduce and replace. But what about the third?

This week, I'm tackling the missing piece of the moderation puzzle that nobody talks about: remove. I'm not talking about removing alcohol entirely (unless that's your goal).

I'm talking about removing all the negative rubbish that comes with choosing to drink differently – the shame, the embarrassment, the social pressure, and that perfectionist trap that tells you one slip-up means total failure.

Because without all three Rs working together, you're trying to balance on a two-legged stool, and we all know how that ends.

0:01 The Problem With A Two-Legged Stool

1:36 The First R: Reduce

2:47 The Second R: Replace

5:18 The Third R: Remove

6:56 Ditching Shame And Embarrassment

7:57 Can't Drink Like A 20 Year Old

9:54 Social Pressure And Changing Friendships

11:48 Escaping Perfectionism And Binary Thinking

14:00 Flexible Choices On A Night Out

16:21 The Three Rs & Meaningful Change

17:05 Get More From Me On Substack

===
🌱 Reset the way alcohol shows up in your life with the 4 Week Midlife Mindful Drinking Reset
https://www.lownodrinker.com/4weekreset

===
🧮 Drinking Impact Calculator: Find your personal tipping point
https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com/products/drinking-impact-calculator

===
🗣️ Join the growing community on Substack
https://lownodrinker.substack.com/

===
🧐 Take the quiz and find out what's REALLY driving your midlife drinking habits
https://www.lownodrinker.com/

===
💰 Get 10% off drinks at Wise Bartender with code LOWNODRINKERMAGAZINE
https://wisebartender.co.uk/lownodrinkermagazine *

===
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Low No Drinker may earn a commission. Thank you.

We're smack bang between Quitter's Day and Blue Monday - that dreaded mid-January slump when dry January motivation nosedives and everything feels a bit meh.

I'm tackling the three biggest dry January myths that make you feel like a failure: the belief it must be completely sober, that one drink means you've blown it, and that your social life has to go dry too.

I explore why the all-or-nothing mindset sets you up to break, how to restart your challenge without going back to day one, and why a "damp January" approach might actually serve you better than perfection.

0:01 Quitter’s Day And Blue Monday

2:52 Why All Or Nothing Backfires

4:29 Damp January

7:14 Reframing Slip Ups As Data

9:11 What Success Looks Like After January

10:22 Keeping Your Social Life Alive

13:23 When You Do Drink More - Reset Now, Not Next Monday

16:22 Reconnect to Your Why

18:49 Listener Milestones

Also mentioned:

63: What Are Zebra Striping and Bookending (& Do They Work)?

150: Dry January: The Pros, The Cons & The Sunnyside Perspective

===
🌱 Reset the way alcohol shows up in your life with the 4 Week Midlife Mindful Drinking Reset
https://www.lownodrinker.com/4weekreset

===
🧮 Drinking Impact Calculator: Find your personal tipping point
https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com/products/drinking-impact-calculator

===
🗣️ Join the growing community on Substack
https://lownodrinker.substack.com/

===
🧐 Take the quiz and find out what's REALLY driving your midlife drinking habits
https://www.lownodrinker.com/

===
💰 Get 10% off drinks at Wise Bartender with code LOWNODRINKERMAGAZINE
https://wisebartender.co.uk/lownodrinkermagazine *

===
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Low No Drinker may earn a commission. Thank you.

Nick Allen, co-founder and CEO of Sunnyside, joins me to explore why traditional Dry January might be setting us up to fail—and what we can do about it.

We discuss Sunnyside's "dry-ish January" approach that prioritises sustainable habit change over perfectionism, examining why February often sees people drinking more than ever after a month of white-knuckling through abstinence.

Nick shares insights on breaking decades-long drinking patterns, the limitations of willpower, and why having a system matters more than having goals.

We also touch on emerging medical options like Naltrexone for those struggling with biochemical cravings, and how bringing awareness to your drinking triggers during January can create lasting change throughout the year.

0:00 New Year, New Listeners
4:05 Nick and the Sunnyside story
6:46 Dry January Pros
10:19 Dry January Cons
12:00 The Willpower, Habits & Perfection Challenge
19:00 You Don't Have to Start on the 1st
21:24 Taking it forward
27:47 Breaking Decades Of Habit
29:53 Medication As Another Tool
35:22 The BBQ-Q

WE CHAT ABOUT Sunnyside https://get.sunnyside.co/new3/

WE ALSO TALK ABOUT: Best Days Brewing https://bestdaybrewing.com/

===
🌱 Reset the way alcohol shows up in your life with the 4 Week Midlife Mindful Drinking Reset
https://www.lownodrinker.com/4weekreset

===
🧮 Drinking Impact Calculator: Find your personal tipping point
https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com/products/drinking-impact-calculator

===
🗣️ Join the growing community on Substack
https://lownodrinker.substack.com/

===
🧐 Take the quiz and find out what's REALLY driving your midlife drinking habits
https://www.lownodrinker.com/

===
💰 Get 10% off drinks at Wise Bartender with code LOWNODRINKERMAGAZINE
https://wisebartender.co.uk/lownodrinkermagazine *

===
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Low No Drinker may earn a commission. Thank you.

GET READY FOR YOUR BEST (ADULT) CHRISTMAS YET & GET YOUR FREE MINDFUL DRINKING ADVENT CALENDAR AT http://mindfuldrinkingadvent.com/

This New Year’s Eve episode closes out a full season of festive mayhem with one simple message: the night only matters if it feels right to you.

Whether December was dry, mindful, lighter, messier than planned, or somewhere in between, what counts is how it compares to your own intentions — not anyone else’s highlight reel.

Tonight isn’t about FOMO or mythology or doing it “properly.” It’s about choosing how you want to celebrate, honouring how you want to feel tomorrow, and stepping into the new year knowing the night didn’t happen to you — you chose it.

===
🌱 Reset the way alcohol shows up in your life with the 4 Week Midlife Mindful Drinking Reset
https://www.lownodrinker.com/4weekreset

===
🧮 Drinking Impact Calculator: Find your personal tipping point
https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com/products/drinking-impact-calculator

===
🗣️ Join the growing community on Substack
https://lownodrinker.substack.com/

===
🧐 Take the quiz and find out what's REALLY driving your midlife drinking habits
https://www.lownodrinker.com/

===
💰 Get 10% off drinks at Wise Bartender with code LOWNODRINKERMAGAZINE
https://wisebartender.co.uk/lownodrinkermagazine *

===
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Low No Drinker may earn a commission. Thank you.

GET READY FOR YOUR BEST (ADULT) CHRISTMAS YET & GET YOUR FREE MINDFUL DRINKING ADVENT CALENDAR AT http://mindfuldrinkingadvent.com/

On this surprise bonus Day Twenty-Six of the Mindful Drinking Advent, we talk about Boxing Day — the often-forgotten second wave of Christmas.

Whether you’re feeling a bit rough after yesterday or quietly proud of how you handled it, today is about kindness, not punishment.

This episode gives you permission to slow down, hydrate, move gently, eat something real, and choose rest without guilt.

If you’re feeling great, it’s also a reminder to protect that momentum — without pressure, rules, or expectations. Sofa optional. Self-compassion required.

===
🌱 Reset the way alcohol shows up in your life with the 4 Week Midlife Mindful Drinking Reset
https://www.lownodrinker.com/4weekreset

===
🧮 Drinking Impact Calculator: Find your personal tipping point
https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com/products/drinking-impact-calculator

===
🗣️ Join the growing community on Substack
https://lownodrinker.substack.com/

===
🧐 Take the quiz and find out what's REALLY driving your midlife drinking habits
https://www.lownodrinker.com/

===
💰 Get 10% off drinks at Wise Bartender with code LOWNODRINKERMAGAZINE
https://wisebartender.co.uk/lownodrinkermagazine *

===
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Low No Drinker may earn a commission. Thank you.

GET READY FOR YOUR BEST (ADULT) CHRISTMAS YET & GET YOUR FREE MINDFUL DRINKING ADVENT CALENDAR AT http://mindfuldrinkingadvent.com/

On Day Twenty-Five of the Mindful Drinking Advent, we’ve made it to Christmas Day, and the message is simple: enjoy yourself.

There’s nothing to track, nothing to analyse, and nothing to fix.

This episode is a reminder to be present, grateful, and kind to yourself after everything you’ve navigated this December.

Whether you’re surrounded by family, catching up with friends, or enjoying a quiet day on your own, today is about laughter, connection, and doing whatever genuinely brings you joy.

===
🌱 Reset the way alcohol shows up in your life with the 4 Week Midlife Mindful Drinking Reset
https://www.lownodrinker.com/4weekreset

===
🧮 Drinking Impact Calculator: Find your personal tipping point
https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com/products/drinking-impact-calculator

===
🗣️ Join the growing community on Substack
https://lownodrinker.substack.com/

===
🧐 Take the quiz and find out what's REALLY driving your midlife drinking habits
https://www.lownodrinker.com/

===
💰 Get 10% off drinks at Wise Bartender with code LOWNODRINKERMAGAZINE
https://wisebartender.co.uk/lownodrinkermagazine *

===
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Low No Drinker may earn a commission. Thank you.

GET READY FOR YOUR BEST (ADULT) CHRISTMAS YET & GET YOUR FREE MINDFUL DRINKING ADVENT CALENDAR AT http://mindfuldrinkingadvent.com/

On Day Twenty-Four of the Mindful Drinking Advent, it’s time to stop, breathe, and slow everything down.

Christmas Eve is charged with excitement, pressure, nostalgia, and logistics — but it doesn’t need to be fuelled by exhaustion or overdoing it.

This episode is a gentle reminder to rest, enjoy something you genuinely love, and protect tomorrow by keeping tonight calm and intentional.

No tasks. No plans. Just permission to pause before the big day arrives.

===
🌱 Reset the way alcohol shows up in your life with the 4 Week Midlife Mindful Drinking Reset
https://www.lownodrinker.com/4weekreset

===
🧮 Drinking Impact Calculator: Find your personal tipping point
https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com/products/drinking-impact-calculator

===
🗣️ Join the growing community on Substack
https://lownodrinker.substack.com/

===
🧐 Take the quiz and find out what's REALLY driving your midlife drinking habits
https://www.lownodrinker.com/

===
💰 Get 10% off drinks at Wise Bartender with code LOWNODRINKERMAGAZINE
https://wisebartender.co.uk/lownodrinkermagazine *

===
*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Low No Drinker may earn a commission. Thank you.