How to Quit Drinking Alcohol in 2026 (A Modern, Sustainable Approach)

If you’re searching for how to quit drinking alcohol in 2026, you’re not alone, and you’re not behind.

In this Season 8 kickoff episode of the Sober Vibes Podcast, I break down why the old way of quitting alcohol no longer works for so many women, especially high-functioning, successful women stuck in the moderation cycle.

White-knuckling, willpower, and “just drinking less” may have worked for some in the past, but in 2026, we understand more about the nervous system, emotional regulation, and why so many women drink to cope with stress, anxiety, and burnout.

This episode introduces a calmer, smarter, and more sustainable way to stop drinking without shame, fear, or all-or-nothing thinking.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why trying to drink less keeps you stuck in the cycle
• How to stop drinking every night without relying on willpower
• Why grey area drinking is so common  and so exhausting
• What actually helps after 30 days without alcohol
• How to quit drinking wine when it’s tied to stress and identity
• Why quitting alcohol in 2026 is about lifestyle + emotional sobriety
• How to build a sober lifestyle that feels freeing, not restrictive

Whether you’re sober curious, stuck asking “Do I really have to quit forever?”, or quietly Googling how to stop drinking wine at night, this episode will help you rethink sobriety in a way that feels realistic and supportive.

Resources & Support Mentioned:

Soberity Circle 

1:1 Sober Coaching 

Book 

Free Resources

PODCAST SPONSOR:

This episode is sponsored by ExactNature, a trusted holistic tool for anyone navigating recovery and sobriety. Use code SV25 at checkout to save on your order. Click here to shop and save. 

Grab my Masterclass for Free:

Gain access to my Masterclass when you submit a review on iTunes. Email me sobervibes@gmail.com with a screenshot of the review, and I will send you the code to unlock my Masterclass for free!

Thank you for tuning in!

Thank you for listening! Help the show by Rating, Reviewing, and/or Subscribing to the Sober Vibes Podcast.

Connect w/ Courtney:
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Chapters

• 0:00 New Season, New Year, Clear Focus
• 3:16 Respect Your Sobriety
• 6:34 Why Old Quitting Models Fail Women
• 10:35 Moderation Cycle And Mental Traps
• 15:56 Pain, Coping, And Addiction Links
• 19:41 Nervous System And Identity Work
• 23:14 Stop Trying To Drink Less

Transcript

Courtney Andersen: 0:00

Welcome to Sober Vibes, your podcast for alcohol-free lifestyle tips and real talk about long-term sobriety. I'm your host, Courtney Anderson, sober coach, author, and mom. Each week I share strategies, stories, and encouragement to help you navigate cravings, build confidence, and thrive in sobriety. Whether you're sober curious or years in, this is your space to feel supported and inspired. Hey friend, welcome back to the Sober Guys Podcast. I am your host, Courtney Anderson. Today we are kicking off season eight. Happy 2026. You are listening to episode 257, I believe. And we're starting off season eight with a conversation that feels, I don't know, timely. And I feel like this conversation, whether you're just starting off at the on your journey or you're a couple years in, it's going to help you regardless. Because if you're a couple years in, it's a good reminder. Because what I always say is to respect your sobriety. And don't you ever forget it, because forgetting about it can often lead to people relapsing. Okay. And if you're listening to this episode and thinking really like, okay, this is the year I finally stopped drinking, I you're not alone. And I want you to know that you're not the only one with this because people go back and forth for many, many, many, many, many years before they just finally to decide to stop. Okay. So it nah, it is like you are a unicorn if you're like, I'm gonna stop drinking tomorrow. And it's that happens for you. But a lot of people go back and forth for it. So if you're like pressing play on this and you're like, uh fuck, I've been listening to her podcast for five years. When am I gonna get it together? This possibly could be your year, but you have been getting it together. Okay. So that's what you need to keep looking at is the tried attempts and the getting yourself, I don't want to say getting yourself in line, but really the tried at tried attempts and that you're keep going and the fact that you did press play on this podcast today. Because, like I said, it's December, as you guys will listen to this is will come out on January 2nd, I believe. Yes, January 2nd. And I'm actually recording this a couple days before the new year. So, and I will do a a life update podcast here in a couple weeks. Okay. So let's get into it. And if you're new here, welcome. You have 256 episodes to listen to. You can always find me on Instagram at sober vibes. And if you are needing more help and want sober coaching, I have my one-on-one coaching and I also have my sobriety circle that you can join. Sobriety Circle is my community connection group. That's group coaching. So check the links and the show notes below, and I will be happy to support you on your journey. And if that's just you listening to the podcast, I'm glad you're here. Okay. So quitting drinking in 2026 is going to look very differently than it did even five years ago, right? And if you've been trying to quit using old strategies, white knuckling, cutting back, relying on willpower alone, or telling yourself this time will be different, it makes sense why it hasn't stuck, right? So today I want to talk about a few things. Why the old model of quitting alcohol is failing so many women, what actually works now, and how to quit drinking in a way that feels grounded, sustainable, and freeing, not restricted or scary. Okay. So this episode is especially for women who's by functioning, capable, and successful yet stuck in that stop-start moderation cycle. I'm gonna tell you that moderation cycle, I haven't said this one in a while because if you listen to me in season seven, I've really been trying to clean up my potty mouth, you guys. It's been very hard because I have a four-year-old dictator and he likes to repeat a lot what mama says. Okay. But that moderation cycle really stinks like Bigfoot stick. It does. And a lot of people that I coach who finally get out of that moderation cycle is it's a relief for them because they are not, and that's what's so freeing when you come out of that cycle, when you quit drinking and have some clarity. It is so freeing to finally be like, oh my God, I was like trapped. That controlled more than what I actually knew. Okay. So let's talk about it of what's going to require you to quit drinking alcohol in 26, 2026, this year, as you listen to this. So, why the old way of quitting doesn't work anymore? For a long time, quitting drinking was framed as like, just don't drink, right? Have more discipline, hit rock bottoms first, or worse, the shame, fear, and punishment of it, right? And for some people that did work because everybody is different. But it only worked for so long. And something that I know, because as of recording this episode, I'm 13 years sober. And as I said to you in the top of this episode, it's about respecting your sobriety. And for a lot of people that I have either walked through coaching or, you know, met along my travels in this road, it's they don't want to remember this, right? Because they want to like beat it and they don't want to live there anymore. And I don't ever ask people to like live in it, but you have to remember almost where you came from, right? Because remembering it is going to keep pushing you forward, right? So most women I worked with today aren't drinking because they're reckless, they're drinking because they're overwhelmed, anxious, burnt out, lonely, or emotionally exhausted, slightly even to hating their lives. And alcohol became a tool for them and a way to cope, to shut off the brain, to shut off their feelings, to take the edge off, to transition from the witching hour of getting the kids home from school into dinner and pushing through and whatever activities they had to do, right? They wanted to feel relief, even if it's just for a short-lived, right? I even too had this woman reach out to me, and this is very common as well. She had reached out to me, telling me that she had a hip replacement, and she actually started drinking more when the pain of her hip problem started happening. Okay. So, and that was within a couple times. So now there's like an association too with people drinking, which this is common as well, is people drinking to relieve pain, right? And then you get an association around that. And even too, if you're in the recovery process, then you're stuck with this terrible habit that turned into a that a habit that was a coping mechanism for pain, and now it's an addiction because let's not forget it, alcohol is a very highly addictive substance. So then the only strategy is to take the alcohol away. Your nervous system panics, right? You feel like you're very much about to be very restrictive because nothing replaced what alcohol was doing for you, right? So that's why quitting drinking in 2026 requires a little bit of a new approach and one that understands emotional regulation, identity, habits, and the nervous system. A lot in the last year, and more I'm getting to in my coaching is a lot more of identity work, nervous system regulation, right? I mean, it was always there, but it's getting more embedded into it in the last year. But the identity, nervous system, and to the specific person, right? And really, because again, you have to do what's going to be right for you. And that's even true of my book, of how I wrote my book the way that it did, because it has to be tailored to the person. I it's not a one size fits all. It really truly isn't. Because again, some people will relate to AA material, but other people won't. And I do believe that there has to be there's a whole kind of ecosystem of it that just goes into more than just AA. It's a whole lifestyle and slash identity work that you need to take on. Do you need to take that on once? No, but you can work on little by little each time. Okay. So step one in 2026. Stop trying to drink less. I know this might sound counterintuitive, but you need to really hear me when I say this. Trying to drink less keeps alcohol front and center in your life. So you're in a constant state of negotiation. Can I have one? Did I drink too much? Should I drink tonight, right? I'll be good next week. The mental gymnastics alone is exhausting. So in 2026, the shift isn't about drinking less. It's about removing alcohol as a decision you have to keep making. Not forever in a in a scary way, right? But long enough to let your brain, body, and emotions actually stabilize. Because when you keep reintroducing alcohol into your system, you're actually not giving yourself a fair shot. You truly are not. You are in a constant state of detox. And in on that roller coaster, I came across something and I came across something on Instagram. And it was this person talking about how they went from pretty much it was a moderation coach. Okay. Now to each their own. But and I had to do a little bit of deep dive on this, and I was like, huh, okay. Again, if that's what worked, but and this person was saying that they went from drinking almost a bottle of vodka a day to then sobriety for three years, and then that person was miserable in their sobriety. So then this person introduced alcohol back into their life. I'm gonna call bullshit on this that this person is not has moments of being stuck in this godforsaken moderation cycle. Because now you're slowly creeping in. And yes, there was a three-year break. And this might sound a little, I don't know if this sounds judgy. This is just of what I I have not met somebody who used to drink like that and then went sober for a couple of years and then now is able to moderate it because then what they did was look at treated their anxiety and depression first, when you are then putting a substance into your system that actually induces anxiety and depression because it is also to an upper and a downer. So please make that make sense to me. And feel free to DM me. That to me sounds like hell. Because if I was drinking a fifth of vodka or a pint of vodka a day before I quit drinking and then didn't drink for a couple of years and then go back into it, I I I already know in my head I would lead back to where I left off. And for so many people, they do that. I just don't think people give themselves a fair shot to truly live that. No, again, I could be wrong. Okay, I could be wrong. Um, I just have yet to really see that. I really have yet to see that. And I don't think once a person has a problematic relationship with alcohol, that their brain just goes back to it being like it everything's fine. So you really have to get your you have to give your body a chance. And three months isn't long enough. Three months, you're just scratching the surface. Okay. Now, three years, I can't my first couple years. Do you think that I was like, this is all fucking rainbows and butterflies? You guys have heard me, if you've been listening to this podcast for a long time, up until about five years, that five years at 35, I felt like I was having a midlife crisis. I actually technically should be having a midlife crisis right now by what has gone on in my life and what I've been dealing with with the past couple weeks. However, I'm not. So I'm pretty proud of myself. January is here, that challenge where you take a month-long break from alcohol to reset your habits and see how life feels like without drinking. Time off can bring huge benefits: better sleep, more energy, weight loss, and improvements to your liver health, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. But those first few weeks can be tough. That's where Exact Nature comes in. Exact Nature makes safe, non-intoxicating CBD products designed to help you take the edge off, easing cravings, calming anxiety, improving sleep, and stabilizing your mood, all without getting you high or causing harm. Founded by a father-son team in recovery, Exact Nature truly understands this journey. Their range of products is value-priced, subscription ready, and designed to support your success over time. As a listener, you'll get 25% off your order at exactnature.com with checkout code SV25. Start off strong in 2026 with Exact Nature. Your future self will thank you. You can also find the link in the show notes below. Make sure to use code SV as in sober vibes25. SV25. So, but that's what I mean. It wasn't until after like six years, I was or after I got over that five-year hump, I was like, okay, because there's healing. Because you don't just drink just for the hell of it. It started off that way, and then when you use it as a coping tool, there is a lot that you are trying not to deal with. So it takes some time, especially if alcohol has been in your life for 10, 15, 20, 30 years, right? If you're new here, I'm not trying to scare you. I'm just putting it down into reality because for me, when I was starting, I would rather have some uh broad on the internet. I use a lot of humor here. I would rather have some lane on the internet tell me, like, how is it gonna be? How is this all gonna happen? So if you are done with the moderation game, you have to give yourself a fighting chance. And honestly, totally detox that from your system and work on it and being like, okay, if I'm not happy right now, because two things can be true. You can be happy that you're not, or you can be like sad that you're not drinking alcohol anymore and going through that grieving process, but can be happy that you don't feel like Bigfoot's dick with a continuous hangover state of anxiety. Two things can be true at once. If in a couple of years there is a state of being miserable, well, then that's really how you have to look at it, you know, like what is the risk and reward if you want to introduce alcohol back into your life? Because you know where it has taken you, right? So you have to give it a finding chance to see then how your life will get better without alcohol. And also, too, that could even consist of two that if you are on an antidepressant, anti-anxiety medicine, that medicine might not be working for you. That could be a proof of being a little bit miserable. There's a lot of factors into that, and uh and a couple of my clients that I worked with a couple of years ago within the past couple of years, I mean, that was one thing. They didn't know their medication wasn't working properly until they got sober and was like, this isn't work, like something's not right, you know. And then finding out that they're got into another medication and then they were able to feel better. Okay, so there's a lot of factors to that, but I'm just saying, give your body a fighting chance, right? And so quitting alcohol is also an identity shift, it's not a rule. One of the biggest mistakes I see women make is treating sobriety like a punishment or a personality flaw they need to fix, right? But this is the truth. Again, you're not a broken person. You're responding normally to something that's incredibly addictive and normalized. So in 2026, quitting alcohol is about asking, who am I becoming? What kind of woman do I want to feel like in my body, right? How do I want to show up emotionally? How do I want to show up physically in my life? What actually feels calm and aligned for me right now? Sobriety stops being about what you're giving up and actually starts being about what you're building, right? So you're building the confidence, the self-trust, the emotional steadiness, some peace. And that's what people don't realize with the huge identity shift. I've had two huge identity shifts in my life. That is when I got sober and when I became a mother. I actually saw a therapist. I don't know. Was it the second year of my motherhood? Anyways, I went to see a therapist because there was not something right in my noggin and come to find out it was postpartum OCT. But I was asking her, because I do like to ask a lot of questions, and I was asking my therapist, I was like, you know, do a lot of people have to like, because we started talking about identity work, and I was like, ding ding ding. I know this, I've lived this before. And she had told me too. She was like, in my question, she she told me, she's like, Courtney, I see a lot of mothers with like teenagers who are still trying to wrap their heads around the full identity of being a mom. And like to me, that stuck because I understood that was sobriety of becoming a person who doesn't drink. It doesn't take a month. You're not gonna get that identity shift within a month when you've had it in your life for 30 years. It's gonna take some time, but you have to trust that process and give yourself that time to take on this new identity. And I want you to be excited about it. That is why, too, like I understand that it can feel really restrictive. That is why I tell people like, treat yourself to something when you hit milestones. Know even if that's a new pair of jam jams, you want to go out and treat yourself to an ice cream. I don't know, you want to drink a two-liter of Coca-Cola from the bottle, do you? Right? Like, whatever you want to do. You want to smoke a cigarette, go ahead. Like sometimes, and if that is a little bit of relief, because also we are very much caught up in a reward system with alcohol, then do that stuff because at least with that, it doesn't feel like it's so restrictive, right? But again, I guarantee you, you are gonna you are going to gain so much more with removing alcohol from your life than you are if you continuously decide to have it in your life, okay? So what's actually gonna work in 2026 here? Here's what quitting drinking successfully looks like now, okay? Support over willpower. You don't need more discipline, you need regulation, understanding, and accountability. Truly. Emotional sobriety, not just physical sobriety, right? Learning how to sit with emotions instead of numbing them because you're not used to that. Lifestyle shifts, not isolation. You don't need to disappear from life. You redesign it. A calm, realistic plan for your triggers. So witching hour, stress, social events, work pressure, not avoiding them, but knowing how to move through them instead. So letting go of the forever fear, you don't have to decide anything for the rest of your life today, right? You just need to decide what supports you right now. And if that's in what supports you right now is by not drinking alcohol, right? And just work on that thought in that moment. So if you're thinking about quitting in 2026, if you're listening and thinking, I don't want to keep doing this another year, I've been listening to this broad since 2020. I want you to hear this, right? You don't need a dramatic rock bottom. You don't need to prove anything. You don't need to be like, I need to get this perfect again, because a lot too of this is very much stuck in an ego and our own egos and what we think we should be doing, right? And honest to God, you you need to not do this alone anymore. So the women who thrive in sobriety are not honestly the strongest, they are the most supported. And choosing support isn't a weakness, it's true, true, true wisdom and giving up. And I want you to hear this. If there has been support that you've been in where you're like, this isn't working anymore, because I am a firm believer of finding it until it clicks. Sometimes you just don't find your people or person, right? But you have to kind of keep searching for that. And there's no shame in that help because in this particularly, when somebody slips or they've had help before and they slip, then they feel very embarrassed. And there's nothing to feel embarrassed about. When you can go to a CBS and buy alcohol now, you can't buy cigarettes anymore, but you can buy alcohol. Isn't that funny? I remember when they stopped selling cigarettes at CBS, anyways. And if you know me, you know if the world ever goes down, I am going to buy a pack of parliament lights. I'm gonna sit in the corner and chain smoke a cobble. Anyways, so it's it's just there's no there shouldn't be any shame. I know you might be hurt uh holding some internal shame in, but you gotta let that go if you want to move forward and again show up with how you want to show up in this life, right? So I hope this episode resonated with you. And if it did, I want to invite you to take the next step of whatever that looks like for you, right? You can join my sobriety circle community. You can book a single breakthrough session if you want more in-depth one-on-one support. I have sober coaching available, and then also to my book, Silver Vibes, a guide to thriving in your first three months without alcohol. I will put all the show notes or all the links in the show notes below. Or again, just simply keep listening and maybe listen to this episode a couple times, right? And let it click and really think about like, how do you want to show up? Because that's what I'm gonna keep asking. I don't know in every episode for season eight, but I'm gonna ask you that a lot. And in the last couple of weeks alone, and just in the past in 2025, life is short, right? Life is short, and I don't want you to keep waking up and being like, why didn't I do do this sooner? Or same thing. If you're listening to this and you're a couple years sober and there's shit you want to start doing, do it. Do it because life is short, and you know, you deserve to live the life that you deserve, like honestly, and you deserve to live a good life because the people who listen to the this podcast are the good people of the world, and you deserve good things and the good things to happen to you and for you. So, but it's the start of a new year. Don't look at this as like dry January. Please don't, please don't. Just look at this as again, I'm gonna do some things different this year. And this is the one thing I need to tackle, and I'm gonna tackle that on first before I apply 35 other things into my life. Okay. Also, too, if this episode helped you today, please, please, please rate and review the podcast and send me that review on Apple. You can email it to me at silvervives at gmail.com and I will give you access to my free workshop. Okay. Good people of the world, thanks so much for listening. And as always, keep on tracking.