Mindful Drinking & Moderation in Midlife: Low No Drinker Podcast
Welcome to the essential podcast for anyone in their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond who's ready to drink differently. While Gen Z gets all the headlines for being sober curious, let’s not forget that the real moderation revolution is happening in midlife – and this is your space to explore it without judgment, pressure, or expectation.
Join me to discover the people, places and brands making it easier than ever to live a life less intoxicated, whether that's for tonight, this week, or forever.
I get it – as a midlife moderator, you're not looking to reinvent yourself completely. You want drinks that taste like the ones you already love, new and exciting options with something special to offer, experiences that enhance rather than shorten your evenings, and practical advice that fits your busy, demanding life.
I’m Denise Hamilton-Mace, founder and editor of Low No Drinker Magazine – the leading global publication for mindful and sober curious drinkers and a professional public speaker on all things low, no and light.
My goal with this podcast is to help you feel more confident and more comfortable in your choice to explore a life less intoxicated, and to help you find, understand and enjoy the drinks that make it possible.
If you are, or aspire to be the type of savvy moderator who recognises that drinking less is not a binary decision for you, who knows that coasting with mid-strength drinks, alternating through zebra-striping or bookending the start and end of your night with something non-alcoholic are all viable options then this show is for you.
And you’ll leave each episode feeling motivated and supported to keep energy for the things that matter most: family, health, career, and living life on your own terms.
Each week on the Low No Drinker Podcast, you’ll get to either:
Meet the Makers: Join me in intimate conversations with the experts, founders, brewers, distillers, and visionaries who are creating premium alcohol-free drinks that don't compromise on taste. Discover their personal journeys, what drives their innovation, and why their products are perfect for the discerning midlife palate.
Mindful Moderation Solo episodes: Practical deep-dives into the questions that matter to sophisticated drinkers who want to moderate smartly, with topics like:
- Why do premium alcohol-free drinks cost the same as full-strength versions when there's no alcohol and no tax?
- How can I find an alcohol-free red wine that actually tastes like the Malbec I love?
- What's the real difference between no, low and light alcohol options?
- How do I navigate social situations when I'm the only one moderating?
- What are the best functional drinks for midlife energy and wellness?
This isn't about going completely dry or following someone else's rules. It's about making mindful choices, exploring sophisticated alternatives, and practising practical moderation that suits your lifestyle. Whether you're a Gen X professional looking to improve your health, a busy parent wanting more energy, or someone who simply wants to enjoy better mornings while still celebrating life's special moments, this podcast helps you drink your own way.
Mindful Drinking & Moderation in Midlife: Low No Drinker Podcast is perfect for mindful drinkers, sober curious adults, midlife moderators, health-conscious professionals, premium alcohol-free enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the low, no and light or mid-strength alcohol lifestyle.
Mindful Drinking & Moderation in Midlife: Low No Drinker Podcast
Advent 17: You Don’t Need Dutch Courage
GET READY FOR YOUR BEST (ADULT) CHRISTMAS YET & GET YOUR FREE MINDFUL DRINKING ADVENT CALENDAR AT http://mindfuldrinkingadvent.com/
On Day Seventeen of the Mindful Drinking Advent, we tackle festive exhaustion and the myth of Dutch courage.
When you’re tired, overstretched, and running on fumes, alcohol can feel like the thing that helps you keep going — but this episode questions whether it was ever really doing the work.
You’ll explore the difference between energy and permission, how alcohol masks social fatigue, and why choosing the right people (or choosing rest) can be more powerful than pushing through another event.
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🌱 Reset the way alcohol shows up in your life with the 4 Week Midlife Mindful Drinking Reset
https://www.lownodrinker.com/4weekreset
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🧮 Drinking Impact Calculator: What you get vs. what it costs
https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com/products/drinking-impact-calculator
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🗣️ Join the growing community on Substack
https://lownodrinker.substack.com/
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🧐 Take the quiz and find out what's REALLY driving your midlife drinking habits
https://www.lownodrinker.com/
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💰 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.
Welcome to day 17 of our mindful drinking audio advent here to help you get through a Christmas less intoxicated on your own terms with me, Denise Hamilton Mace. I am your mindful drinking mentor, and you're listening to the Mindful Drinking and Moderation in Midlife podcast. We are halfway through one of the uh last big party weeks in terms of maybe office parties and that sort of thing, although we've still got a whole nother week to go till Christmas Day itself, and there's plenty of social events to be catching up with between now and then. And you might be flagging a little bit by now, you might be feeling a little bit exhausted. It is a full-on few weeks, all the way from Thanksgiving through to New Year's Eve. And if you have been participating, partaking, socializing, going out, catching up with people, attending different work dos, maybe for different departments, if you've got clients or you're a consultant, there's just so many different places that you could have been out experiencing the festivities. That it's just bloody exhausting. Just listing that I'm tired by now. So one of the things that we often rely on alcohol for is to give us that sense of energy, to give us that um that boost, that pep, that Dutch courage to be able to keep going in these situations, to be able to keep showing up. But what I want you to think about today is the fact that is it really the booze that is making you show up as the best version of yourself? Or is it just you who brings the energy anyway? The alcohol was never really doing the work. It was just giving you the permission that you didn't need to be yourself, to let go and to stop worrying about what other people think, to dance badly and not care, to sing terribly and not be embarrassed, whatever it is. It's that sort of Dutch courage that we've come to rely on alcohol for. But Dutch courage was never meant to be a um a positive thing. It the term itself was used as an insult uh to Dutch soldiers during the war. So it's not something that you need to rely on to bring the best parts of yourself to any event. And if you don't feel like you can bring the best part of yourself, then maybe it's not the event for you to be going to at that time, and you take a little bit of time out to re-energize yourself. I released an episode of the podcast a little while ago, it was episode 106, and it's about drinking to your personality type and your social energy, be that as an introvert, an extrovert, or an ambivert. I discovered after changing the way that I drink that despite having worked in hospitality for 24 years and socialized every single day of my adult life, I'm actually an introvert. And alcohol for me was what forced me outside of my comfort zone, but in a way that left me feeling drained and depleted. I highly recommend you go and check out that episode. I won't repeat all of it in here because obviously that was more of a deeper dive. Um, I'll link to it in the show notes for you. In today's Mindful Drinking Advent, I have listed a few drinks for you that are great for those sharing moments because when you do have the right people around you to raise a glass with, to share a moment with, then you will feel energized, then you will feel like you can be yourself, and then you won't feel like you need any Dutch courage or any chemical assistance from anything that might be in your sphere of understanding to help you have a great time and enjoy a Christmas less intoxicated on your own terms. I will see you tomorrow for day 18.
