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 26: Boxing Day: The Second Coming of Christmas
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.
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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.
Well, hello. I know you weren't expecting to hear from me today, but I thought I would give you one more bonus day for the mindful drinking advent on today, December the 26th, known in the UK as Boxing Day. Why? Because Boxing Day can often feel like the second coming of Christmas. And I want you to know that I'm here for you, even when you didn't think I would be. I've got your back. Before we go any further, just for my friends who listen in the States, Boxing Day is a tradition that we have here in the UK. It's said to have started back in the 19th century, and it is known as a day when churches or wealthy households would box up perhaps leftovers or more thoughtful gifts and give them to the poor the day after Christmas. Now it is a day where we might still have family with us, or we would have had family with us on Christmas Day, and then we go to a different family member's house on Boxing Day. And we do it all over again. There's more food, there's more drinks, there's more relatives, more effort. As if Christmas Day wasn't enough. You've got to rally now for round two. And if you did drink yesterday and you're feeling a little bit worse for wear today, I want you to know that you need to give yourself some permission to coast today and have a gentle day. Lots of tea and self-sympathy, but not to beat yourself up for it. Christmas is such a special time. And if you decided to let your hair down and you made a conscious choice to do so, then stand in your power in that and know that it was a decision that you made for yourself in that time. And that's okay. It doesn't mean that you have to keep going today if you don't want to. You've still got one more big day coming and all the little bits in between. So, you know, you can still continue to take a mindful or moderate approach to how you want the rest of this season to go. If you are feeling a bit rough today, then be kind to yourself. Hydrate. You know, I'm a big fan of the H2O. Uh move your body gently. Getting out for a walk would be a great help to you. Eat something healthy, something real, uh, something that came from the ground, perhaps. Put the quality street tin down. Don't make things worse by hair of the dogging your way through the day. On the flip side, however, if you are feeling fabulous, if you did your Christmas day and you decided not to consume alcohol and you stuck to your guns and you're feeling great, well, first of all, well done to you, but make sure you protect that. Don't let other people's boxing day plans derail the momentum that you have set up for yourself. Uh, it's a very challenging time to choose to be a moderate or mindful or abstaining drinker. So if you did manage to stick to whatever plan you set for yourself, then keep celebrating that and keep honouring that by doing it for another day and see how you feel. Um, either way, you are also allowed to have a quiet day on the sofa today. Yes, the house is probably still in a mess. There's wrapping paper everywhere, there's dishes that still need doing, uh, the kids are going crazy with their toys. Um, and you might just want to put your feet up. There is a reason why there is a lot of good stuff on the telly on Boxing Day. It's because you're not supposed to do anything else apart from maybe hitting the sales if you feel brave enough. I, for one, will be choosing the sofa option every time. Um, I have done a bonus email today for you as well. Uh, the shops won't be delivering, the online retailers won't be delivering. So instead of trying to buy some new Lono or Light drinks, um, I've got some tips for you there about some drinks that could help to either ease you if you're feeling a little bit rough or to boost you up if you're feeling great and want to keep that momentum going. So go and check out your email for today. And once again, I want to say a very big thank you to all of you who have participated in the Mindful Drinking Advent this year. It has been so much fun writing it, recording it, and I really hope that it has been helpful and supportive to you. I'd also like to take this moment just to say that if you have found this a helpful and supporting process over the last few weeks, and this mini reset has inspired you to drink differently for the longer term or to take a deeper dive into the way that a moderate or mindful drinking lifestyle could serve you. And you don't want to wait for dry January. If you're feeling good about it now, then I highly recommend you go and check out the Full Week Midlife Mindful Drinking Reset because it would be perfect for you. It is a program that I developed myself and it deep dives into some of the topics that we've discussed here over the last few weeks, but it goes into so much more detail to help you really take back the power of choice from alcohol so that you can lead a life less intoxicated on your own terms with no judgment and no expectations. It is a four-week program. At no point do I tell you that you have to give up alcohol. You could do it moderately, you could do it alcohol-free, you could just go through it and see which bits are really speaking to you and take action on those as and when you need them. So check out the link in the show notes and have a look at the four-week midlife mindful drinking reset. And I will see you soon as we start to return back to the regular scheduled programming of the Mindful Drinking and Moderation in Midlife podcast. Take care and happy lazy boxing day to you.
