Mindful Drinking & Moderation in Midlife: How to Drink Less, On Your Terms
How do I drink less without quitting completely? What's the difference between alcohol-free, low alcohol, and no alcohol drinks? Why can't I handle alcohol like I used to? How do I cut back when everyone around me is still drinking? Why do alcohol-free drinks cost so much?
If you're in your 30s, 40s, 50s or beyond and asking these questions, this is your podcast.
Welcome to the essential show for midlife adults who want to drink less, on their own terms—without the pressure to quit completely, follow rigid rules, or label themselves as sober.
I'm Denise Hamilton-Mace, your mindful drinking mentor, magazine editor, writer and public speaker on all things low, no and light. Each week, I help stressed parents and busy midlife adults navigate their relationship with alcohol through practical approaches grounded in real-world experience and behaviour change strategy, not willpower or wellness culture
What you'll get:
Mindful Moderation Solo Episodes – Deep-dives answering the questions that matter to sophisticated drinkers who want to moderate smartly:
- How do I cut back when my partner still drinks at home?
- Why do premium alcohol-free drinks cost the same as full-strength versions?
- How do I navigate social situations when I'm the only one moderating?
- What really works: willpower vs. strategy?
Drinks 101 Mini-Series – Short educational episodes demystifying the confusing world of low and no alcohol drinks:
- What does ABV actually mean?
- What's the real difference between non-alcoholic, alcohol-free, low alcohol, and light beer?
- How are alcohol-free drinks made?
- Which drinks are safe for pregnancy, driving, or recovery?
Meet the Makers – Intimate conversations with the founders, brewers, distillers, and visionaries creating the premium drinks and experiences that support your moderation goals.
This podcast is for you if:
- You want drinks that taste like the ones you already love
- You're looking for practical advice that fits your demanding life, not another wellness overhaul
- You recognise that coasting with mid-strength drinks, zebra-striping, or bookending your evening with something non-alcoholic are all valid strategies
- You want better mornings without giving up celebrating life's special moments
This isn't about going completely dry or reinventing yourself. It's about keeping energy for what matters most: family, health, career, and living life on your own terms.
Join the moderation revolution happening in midlife – because while Gen Z gets the headlines, you're the one actually doing it.
Mindful Drinking & Moderation in Midlife: How to Drink Less, On Your Terms
Mindful Drinking Advent 22: Hosting with Ease and Inclusion
GET READY FOR YOUR BEST (ADULT) CHRISTMAS YET & GET YOUR FREE MINDFUL DRINKING ADVENT CALENDAR AT http://mindfuldrinkingadvent.com/
On Day Twenty-Two of the Mindful Drinking Advent, we talk about hosting — and how to do it with ease, generosity, and inclusion.
This episode shows you how to set up your drinks space so low, no and light options carry the same weight as alcoholic ones, making everyone feel welcome without creating more work for yourself.
From stocking variety to making drinks self-serve, it’s about thoughtful preparation that lets you enjoy your own Christmas too.
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You can email me at denise@lownodrinkermagazine.com
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🗣️ Join the growing community on Substack
https://lownodrinker.substack.com/
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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: Find your personal tipping point
https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com/products/drinking-impact-calculator
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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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*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Low No Drinker may earn a commission. Thank you.
Welcome to day 22 of your mindful drinking audio advent here on the Mindful Drinking and Moderation in Midlife podcast with me, Denise Hamilton Mace. It's day 22 and we are talking about the upcoming hosting. If you are having Christmas Day, we're going to talk about how you can be the host with the most or the hostess with the most des and host with ease when it comes to uh low no and light drinks and drinkers. This one's pretty easy, I think, and it's all about creating an environment where everybody feels included, no matter how they choose to show up for the lunch, for the dinner, for the evening, for the day, whatever it is. If you are hosting this Christmas, it's really important that you don't make low-no drinkers, and that includes yourself, feel like an afterthought. You likely have an area in the house where the drinks are going to live. A table, an extra table you set up in the kitchen, or if you happen, like my mum, to have a bar in the living room. Um, and on that bar, if you've been drinking for any length of time, you'll have a wide selection of alcoholic drinks from beers and ciders and wines to spirits, ports, bailey's, of course, it being Christmas. You need to make sure that that offering is duplicated for low, no, and light drinkers. And again, that includes yourself. Don't make that an afterthought. It is not good enough anymore to just have one thing available for everyone who might decide to be drinking differently at this season. Just as when you go to the pub or the bar or the restaurant, you don't only want to be given a list of three alcohol-free beers, which is my personal bug beer for most places that we go. That actually they do have a selection of alcohol-free drinks. Unfortunately, that selection is just three beers. And from time to time, I would like to drink something other than a lager. Personal rant over. Make sure that when you are hosting, you make it count. Set up your drink station with equal weight of alcohol-free options displayed as prominently as the alcoholic ones. Now, if you're listening to this and you are already in a state where you don't drink alcohol yourself, you might be in two minds as to whether or not you should provide alcohol for your guests. Now, it's up to you what you feel is the right thing to do. What I would say is think about how you want people to feel when they come to your home. Do you want them to feel welcome and cared for and thought about and included? If so, then you might need to expand your offering to make sure that there's a good selection of alcoholic drinks as well. And you can make it clear to people how you expect them to behave in your house. You can't police uh an adult choice of what and how they drink, but you can tell them the behavior that is acceptable in your house, in your in your home. Um, so stock variety, you know, sparkling wines, spirits, beers, or ready-to-drink cocktails. Um, they're all available in alcohol-free and alcohol-ful options. Uh, and a lot of supermarkets at this time of year will be doing lots of deals. So if you're not sure what to get, just go and find a couple of, you know, buy two, get the third one free sort of options and create a variety. Or better still reach out to your friends and say, what do you enjoy drinking? What do you like? What can I make sure is there for you? Um, and then make your bar area nice and easy. Now, this doesn't matter whether it's alcohol-free or alcohol full, uh, lots of glassware, make sure you've got lots of ice, uh, garnishes if there's uh cocktail options there. Uh, just make it easy, make it easy for people so that you don't have to get involved, they can go and help themselves and they'll feel welcome and cared for in your home because that is how you want the people that you love to feel when they come and spend time with you. To make this easier for today's Advent email, when you open the door, you'll find a selection of some variety packs that are a really easy win for alcohol-free guesting. Um, there's some sparkling teas, which are really popular at the moment, uh, some mop towels and some and some beer mixed packs that can really help to just take the pressure off trying to decide and figure out what to serve everybody. So go and check those out. And of course, as usual, you can use the discounts that go with them. Um, and I will see you tomorrow for day 23. Until then, cheers to a Christmas less intoxicated.
