Exploring Sober Curiosity or How to Quit Alcohol with Jaime of Hypegirl Healing

Hi guys! It's offically JANUARY WELLNESS RESET time an we are starting it off with a very timely convo about cutting out alcohol and exploring sobriety. We are joined by Jaime, founder of Hypegirl Healing who is spilling the non-alcoholic tea on the freedom and joy she has experienced by living a sober lifestyle. We share some booze-free bevies and tips for how to start your own journey to no more hangovers! 

00:00 Welcome to January Wellness Reset and What's In Your Cup!?
05:22 Danie has been converted to a Bad Bunny Fan
11:30 Introducing our guest, Jaime of Hypegirl Healing
15:19 Why Jaime Chose Sobriety
19:55 Experiencing mental clarity after removing alcohol
22:39 Why Jaime is Creating her own Sober Living Community
26:59 Why choosing sobriety isn't just for alcoholics
36:03 Mental and emotional benefits to quitting alcohol
46:01 Tips for navigating social situations while sober
54:27 Crystina and Danie's takeaways

Where to find Jaime:
Website: https://hypegirlhealing.com/home
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypegirlhealing/

Non-alcoholic drinks mentioned:
Kin: https://www.kineuphorics.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqZhOQOWPSDgICSlm9y3ED2fRQCL88ogwEgZoBwvv7t2oiVOi_C
Friexenet: https://www.freixenetmionettousa.com/wines/freixenet-alcohol-removed-sparkling-white/

Transcript

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 0:00

You start to inspire the people around you. And like you just said, it starts to spark the conversations with those who are interested, and then you're starting to bring in people into your world just by showing up and being yourself and being authentic and realizing how you can show up in the world without alcohol, it's just this beautiful ripple effect that ripples out into the world. And Lord knows we could use more like positive influences out in the world.

Speaker: 0:25

Welcome to Empaths Anonymous,

Speaker 2: 0:27

a space for dreamers, healers, and feelers, navigating the fine line between putting yourself first and holding space for others.

Speaker: 0:35

If you struggle with balancing your needs while still supporting your tribe, then you're in the right place.

Speaker 2: 0:41

Welcome to the support group.

ea_3_01-07-2025_131347: 0:45

Hello and welcome back to Empath Anonymous podcast. I'm Crystina. I'm Danie. And today we have a really special guest for Dry January. As you guys know, we're doing our January Wellness Reset Month. So each week in January We are hosting a separate guest talking about a different pillar. I guess you could say different area of wellness. So we're having Jamie on to talk about sobriety today and dry January and sober curiosity. Which is what I'm curious about. But before that, what's in your cup? Today, because of Dry January, We have, we have opted for non alcoholic Bevies! Vampirinos! Kin euphorics. I believe we've drank a kin. One of us at least. Yeah. Have tried a kin. I think so. Before. This is the kids bricks euphorics Energizing flow and we waited for this So start recording so we can open ready set Oh That asmr guys asmr is for real with our spherical ice Which is very special Oh, it's got a nice peachy Kind of like rosy color to it. Yeah, look how fizzy that is it. Mm hmm. I Do love a kin So, obviously when we talk to Jamie in a moment here, we're gonna ask her what's in her cup as well and she is It's very clearly the connoisseur of non alcoholic beverages, you know, so we're going to put you on to a few of them for those of you who are sober curious or are sober and anything that we talk about as far as like, drink wise we'll link in the show notes. Yes. Can please sponsor us. Can. Would I like about it? Do you want to sponsor me? Cheers. It's not, cheers. It's not too sweet and it's not syrupy. It tastes like it could be a cocktail. Not syrupy at all. It almost has like the Because it's so citrusy, it does have that kind of like, it's got a mouth feel of a A mouth feel? A mouth feel. Like when you What? Okay, so Like the way it feels in your mouth? Yeah. Oh. Like when you talk about like tasting things, you You kind of rate the mouth feel, like when you drink wine. Yeah. You know, when we talk about if something, if a wine, a red wine specifically has like a lot of tannins, it's going to feel really acidic, it's going to suck the moisture out of your cheeks. The tannins. The tannins. But yeah, what is in your life cup? In my life cup I am feeling this January reset. Yes. I'm feeling Let's break it down, honestly. So much has already happened and it's been a week. Right, I'm feeling really high energies despite coming off of this January reset. However week, many week long illness that I just can't seem to get rid of and it's everybody and it's everyone around me and sound like literally stay away if I have to be sick for one more week, I'm going to actually step someone. But other than that, yeah, I feel like ready to go. There is, I think, a lot on the horizon and it can kind of feel overwhelming at times, but it, it feels like a very high opportunity type of energy. Yeah, that's how I'm feeling. Definitely. 2025 is coming for. All of us in the, in a great way, I feel like personally. I know a lot of astrologers are saying it's going to be a very chaotic year that kind of resembles 2020, not necessarily like a worldwide pandemic, but just kind of the chaos of it. I'm like, well, no, duh, there's gonna be an orange man in the oval office again, but. Yeah. I think, and I, I said this to Danie yesterday, 2024 was for the pop girlies and the lesbians. You know, we saw the rise of Sabrina Carpenter. She's been around, but she really took off in 24, right? Yeah. Chapel, Rone, Renee, rap. Mm-hmm Billy Eilish came out. Oh, true. We had a lot of 2000s girlies too. It's like we're, we kind of hit the, like the peak of the 2000s comeback. Charli XCX. Yeah. We had a little bit of a Lindsay Lohan moment, like we're getting our, we're getting our girlies back from 2000s. Yes. And 2025, I already feel like is going to be the year of the male comeback. Hmm. Bad Bunny's album released. I think that I made this bitch a believer. You guys, it's not that I never was. I just know myself, and I know myself well enough, I've talked about this before, that once I dive into something, I can't just like something a little bit, especially if it's music that good or if it's a person as beautiful as Benito. So I knew once I stepped a toe into the world. That I would be done for. And I, indeed, was correct. Yeah, I'm just at the point where I'm like, I'm here late, but I'm here. Yeah, I'm embracing it because it's like, why would I keep myself from any kind of joy? I Think I am struggling to feel like maybe I can't keep up with all the things that bring me joy Oh, like I like I there's a cycle. Yeah, I I suppose like in between him releasing albums and doing anything is like when you rest, but yeah, we obviously have been enjoying the new album a lot and I think that there's a lot of discourse happening around the album outside of it just being a piece of art and album that he released just to release music. It's not that. and so I'm ready to get into the interviews. I'm going to be on the YouTubes and that's really what it is. And my, my TikTok algorithm is going to change. Yeah. And that's okay. I'm open to it. Yeah. I think that because we have so much going on, there's just not even the capacity. To dive into the level that we may be used to that's true. So I also I also take that in stride. Like I fully was there for wicked. I still am very much in my wicked but i'm like I also don't have hours and hours a day to like Do the thing. I also already saw it three times four times. Oh, yeah, we did buy it We did it's gonna always be an ongoing love for me. Yeah, I finally convinced my daughter to say yes I think I asked her every single day since New Year's Eve. Hey, do you wanna watch Wicked? Hey, do you wanna watch Wicked? And finally I got a yes the other day. Yeah, we put it on It's a not something that she just sat there and watched. It's Obviously a three hour film, but I knew that she was enjoyed the for a four year old and all that Yeah, we kept like there were certain parts that were like, okay, you need to see this Yeah, really? Okay. Watch this part where you're gonna like this part right here. Yeah, exactly But yeah, the year of the male comebacks I also have just this inkling that Justin Bieber is gonna pop off in some kind of way like he's gonna be back in the Forefront again. I don't know if that means an album or something else obviously Joe Jonas is releasing an album, the Jonas Brothers are doing their 20 year tour, whatever the fuck they're calling it. Yeah, and he's been on the line. I love single Joe. I will just say that. As controversial and problematic as that might be, I love single Joe. Shout out from the rooftop, girl. I think a lot of people love single Joe. he is chronically online right now. And there was a TikTok I literally just watched less than an hour ago. He's talking to the Their bassist who they've had forever, Greg, and they're in a TikTok together. And it's very hilarious, but the premise is that they're on set. And so all of the comments are like onset of what onset of what? Like, what do you want the set of? Oh, cause they're in a trailer. Yes, I saw that. He posted on his story that he was in a trailer. They also have posted that they're like sitting around with three microphones. So like they might be doing a podcast. Right. It could, they could be on the set of the podcast. Yeah. You never know. Yeah. Yeah. So there's lots of, I think that there's going to be a lot of. The pop boys popping off and also a lot of bisexual. I'm so wondering like what they are going to talk about. I know if the three of them had a body, I know I will shape shift the shit out of this podcast to have them on podcast swap, whatever it is you want to talk about. Yes. I know everything about it. I don't know what it is we're going to talk about, but whatever it is, I already know everything about it. Well, I feel like with the Jonas brothers, we've always been. in similar eras as them because we're close to their age. Yeah. We're the same age as Nick. We're the same age as Nick. Joe's like, what, two years older than us? I think so. So it's like we're around their age, so we're in a similar life stage. Joe's also, like, newly single, co parenting. They're in two different Talk about Talk about a co parenting situation. They're in two different countries. Yeah, that's a lot. Yeah, I don't know about any of that. Yeah, two countries is a thing. It is a lot. I'd imagine they're spending weeks at a time. Oh, for sure. There's no way that they're commuting back and forth that often. But yeah, I don't know the numerology behind it, but my personal, my personal feeling is that even years have female energy and odd years have male energy and I just, I don't know, like a male Dominated energy. Hmm. I don't if you know about numerology and if you know that to be true, you can let me know I've seen totally wrong. That's fine, too I've seen people put like a color to a number or like a personality to a number so I could see how that would work Out. Yeah, like four act would act like this if they were a person, right? Or like seven would act like this if they were a person, right? Yeah, i'm like looking at 2022. I'm like that also felt like a very feminine year 2023 and 2025 just feel like boss years You Okay, numerology people and girlies, please, uh, chime in. Yeah. Let us know. Yeah. But that, I mean, that is how we are feeling coming into January. Very hopeful, very excited, lots of cool things lined up. But without further ado, we're going to get into our interview. So I hope that you guys enjoy it. Here is our interview on sobriety with Jaime.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 11:30

Hi, everyone. Welcome back to Empath Anonymous podcast. As you all know, we've already introduced our guest, but today on the podcast, we have Jamie of Hype Girl Healing, and she is an alcohol free educator, coach, mentor, And community leader with a passion for helping wellness seekers find true freedom. Jamie is empowering her community by teaching how to navigate your social life with friends, family, coworkers, holidays, events, and everything in between, but without the alcohol. Welcome to the podcast, Jamie.

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 12:05

Well, thanks for having me. It's such a pleasure to be here with you ladies today.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 12:09

Of course. Thanks for coming on. We've been wanting to have you on for a while. So we're really excited.

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 12:14

Same. Very much the same. So happy to be here.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 12:18

Thank you. Well, we start out every episode or every interview with our guests asking what's in your cup. So today we, we also brought non alcoholic drinks. We have Kin with us today, but do you have anything in your cup today?

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 12:32

Yeah, well, we're doing a champagne flute to celebrate the new year and we are drinking the Freesian A non alcoholic rose, which is like chef kiss dynamite for anybody who is into the champagne scene and looking. To kind of move away from alcohol. The non alcoholic scene is wild and awesome and amazing. And I was never like a huge champagne drinker when I was drinking. I enjoyed it every now and again, but now that I don't drink, it is like my top fave category. So cannot recommend the Freesia Rose in particular enough. So we popped a bottle for today's episode for

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 13:13

yay. Love that. We love celebrating anything. Yeah, we'll have to try it. We're going to link everything for people in the show notes as well so that they can find alcohol free brands to try. Okay.

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 13:23

Awesome. Okay.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 13:24

And then what is in your, what we call life cup, how are you showing up today to the interview?

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 13:31

Oh, my gosh. Well, I think it's just a renewed sense of purpose and energy with the top of the new year. Last year was a really difficult year for me personally, with some things going on with me and my family. So I was, uh, definitely happy to say goodbye to 2024 and just really welcome in the new energy. So I'd say refreshed and rejuvenated is what's in my cup and ready to take on 2025 for sure.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 14:01

Oh, good. Well, yeah. Sorry to hear about your 2024 not being the best, but I think that a lot of us are kind of feeling the same. It's like out with the old energy and like 2024 just felt like a, like a growth year, like a, like a test year. And 2025 feels like get in your rocket ship. It's ready to go to the moon kind of year.

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 14:22

Love that. Absolutely the same. And Hey, listen, you know, that's. The thing about life is that it ebbs and flows and you can't have the good without the bad. So I'm glad that I had that dumpster fire of a year last year, because that means now I'm ebbing up to all the good stuff that 2025 is going to bring. So like, bring it on. I'm ready. You know,

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 14:42

right. The cream can rise to the top. Mm hmm. Mm hmm Exactly helps you, Practice gratitude that much more when you understand that life is not always going to be the peaches and cream. Yeah

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 14:55

we're sure. Absolutely.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 14:57

Yeah. So, we wanted to get right into it. As an aside, whatever amount of information you're comfortable sharing, please share whatever you're not comfortable sharing, please keep that in. And, um, whatever else, like, We're totally open to how much you want to share versus how much you don't so that being said What has your journey to sobriety looked like

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 15:23

Sure. Uh, hella bumpy. This was something that I've been doing for years upon years upon years where I would have a steady drinking habit. You would find me in all of the social outlets. Uh, I'm originally from the East coast and I, my life was completely and totally consumed with alcohol. So if I wasn't around alcohol, I was drinking alcohol. I was at the new it. spot, trying the new restaurant or bar and, you know, rubbing elbows with owners and, and it was just my whole life. It was my whole personality. And time and time again, I would take these little breaks, these little dry months before like dry Jan was even a thing. And I think a lot of people will resonate with this where you're just like, you're taking a break, like, Whoa, I, you know, the holidays I overindulged a little bit too much. I'm ready for a detox or, uh, you know, Oh gosh, the summer I went really hard. It's time to wring out the liver a bit. And I'm just going to take like a week off of not drinking or take it light. So this has been something that's been amping up for years because I, like the rest of the world, Thoroughly enjoy drinking and alcohol. What I didn't love were all of the negative side effects and the way that it would make me feel physically, emotionally, mentally, and all of the tentacles that reached out from this one habit with alcohol. And so I had done a number of dry Januaries probably at least five successful ones. And the common denominator was that when I would finish that. 30 day mark, I celebrated with what else? A glass of wine that turned quickly into a few glasses, which quickly erased all of the progress that I had made for 30 days. So I would tack on and make it 60 days. Then I did 75 and at the top of 2017, after finishing and completing my first full year of moving clear across the country from the East coast over here to San Diego, I decided I was going to do for the 2017 new year. 90 days of a dry Jan coupled with whole 30, which if people are not familiar, that's kind of like a, I hate to use the word clean because I know that she has done a complete revamp of the whole 30, but a nice little detox of eating whole foods, ingredients, and there's no alcohol, no processed foods, things like that. And I did really well with doing a whole 30 during my dry Jan and I said, let's do it for 90 days. And so January 1st, 2017 was the first day of the rest of my life, and I just clocked in at the top of the new year, eight years without alcohol. And I can say wholeheartedly, it is a decision that I have yet to regret ever in the eight years that I have not picked up a drink. I have never regretted not drinking, not once, not ever. And the rest is history.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 18:17

Wow, congratulations on eight years. I love that number. That is a huge feat. Yeah

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 18:23

Thank you. Yeah, it feels really good. And in the same token, it feels wild because like so many other people, my whole identity was drinking. You would always see me with a glass of wine. I was always drinking or consuming something. That's how I connected with people. That's how I felt like I knew how to be myself. It was how I relieved stress, all of the things that alcohol plays in our life. That was me. And to think that I haven't had a drop And eight years is pretty wild. So, yeah, I was definitely celebrating on the first, it never gets old and it is definitely worth celebrating each year that it clocks in another year without alcohol. So thank you so much.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 19:06

absolutely. Yeah. I did a short stint, I think. So the first year that I moved here, I went to San Diego pride, which our pride is in July, not in actual pride month. So I, after pride, I was like, okay, I'm going to not drink until my birthday, which is December 21st. And so like about five ish months. And I did really feel like proud of myself because. Kind of like you said, I thought I couldn't have fun or couldn't let loose without alcohol. And it really did show me you can do all these things that you did, you know, with a drink or two in your system, totally sober. And I felt like I still had fun, if not even more fun because I was a hundred percent mentally present.

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 19:56

The mental clarity piece never gets old. And you know, on that quick note, you know, you, literally have like the best time ever. It just might look different. And that's all because so many people equate fun and socializing and going out with alcohol. Well, that's what we've been programmed to believe. And pretty much all of us have fell into that trap. But once you remove it, the fun is only just begun. It's just going to look a little bit different. It's going to feel a little bit awkward in the beginning because you're used to that social lubricant. But once But I promise you, like life is just beginning for you when you give up alcohol and like fun is on a whole new level when you stop drinking for sure.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 20:37

Yeah. Yeah. And I do feel like it was almost when I stopped drinking, it was almost like I ripped the band aid off of the numbing and I kind of got deeper into some of the things that I was maybe trying to mask with the alcohol because sure alcohol might make you feel pretty good for about a couple hours, but then afterwards, you know, there's that little crash and you're always covering up that thing that you're trying to avoid whether it's social anxiety or other things. And I felt like I really was able to kind of get down to the root of some of those things without alcohol being in the way.

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 21:15

For sure. I mean, there's no denying the numbing agents and numbing properties of alcohol. And. It's different for everybody, whatever that thing is, or things, I should say and once you remove that, those things kind of bubble to the surface. And that's where a lot of the work that I do comes into play because you'll start to realize that removing alcohol really isn't. Necessarily the hardest part. It's all the feelings and the emotions and thoughts that you haven't dealt with that have been numbed out and quieted out and shut down with alcohol that you didn't have to necessarily deal with or hear or pay attention to that really starts to kind of bubble to the surface. And it's like, oh, well. What is this feeling and how am I supposed to navigate this? And then that's where like the whole like can of worms and peeling back that onion comes into play. And that's the stuff that I just, I love doing. But yeah, it's, it's an interesting process because for so many people, it's the alcohol part. Oh, this is, this isn't so bad. I can have fun, but oh my gosh, social anxiety. Oh my gosh. This thing that I haven't dealt with since I was 12. Oh my gosh, why is this at the surface when I'm trying to just enjoy my friends? Why am I thinking about this? And then that's where like a lot of the tools and the resources that I kind of introduce to, uh, women, uh, comes into play. So,

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 22:39

That's awesome. So correct me if I'm wrong, what you do is when women choose a sober lifestyle you're there then to kind of help them navigate all of those things and kind of help them feel empowered around friends and family and how to kind of live your life sober without always feeling like you're missing out.

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 22:58

yeah, uh, that's a sliver of what I do. It's, it's all encompassing because here's the deal, when you remove alcohol, uh, you know, the tentacles reach far and wide. There isn't one. Area of your life that isn't affected when you stop drinking good and bad. Right? And there's lots of things that you're navigating. 1st off, like, the social element is so huge for so many people. That's 1 of the biggest roadblocks. Who am I without alcohol? How am I supposed to connect with my friends without alcohol? My family? You know, how am I supposed to navigate holidays? Like so many questions that revolve around like socializing show social life and being a social person in this world. But also a lot of the work that I'm doing is really building communities so that you're not doing this alone because this work and this journey and this path is never meant to be done alone. I did it. Back in 2017 by myself, because sober curiosity was just starting to be a term. I didn't even know what it was. And for me, the only options were AA or bust AA or figure it out and cut it back. Cause everybody else has a handle on their drinking. Why don't you, and there had to be something else there that just wasn't quite there when I stopped drinking, which is kind of the long story short of how Hype Girl Healing came to be. Cause I was in isolation. Creating the very things that I needed. And then when people found out that I stopped drinking and then they wanted to talk to me and find out how I did it, because they don't want to go to AA. Then I realized like, it's a, it's a shame and it's a crime for me to keep this information to myself. I need to make this public because clearly there's others like me. Little did I know that there is this entire spectrum of people that are The official term is gray area drinking where you're not necessarily a full blown alcoholic or an addict, but you're not this unicorn. That's a one drink wonder who can have that one glass of champagne on new year's eve and then walk away from it. Oh, let alone like not even finish it. I don't know who those people are. There's millions upon millions of us somewhere in the middle, floating around, trying to figure out, do I actually enjoy alcohol? Have I just been following the crowd? Cause that's what I've been told. And society told me this is how I'm supposed to have fun and celebrate. Relieve stress and connect with others. So that's where Hype Girl Healing came to be. So another really big part of what I do is bringing these women together so that they can meet other like minded women. Because when you can validate your experience, which feels very isolating and only a you problem and realize that that woman and that woman and that woman and that woman, that, and, and. Millions of other have your exact same story. You don't feel so alone. And that's where you become empowered knowing that there's other people have walked this path and succeeded because you're the sum of the five people that you're surrounding yourself with. And for so many of us, we're We're still surrounded by people who have a healthy or an enjoyable or a whatever relationship with alcohol that is not reflected on our relationship by any stretch. So when we want to be around others who aren't drinking or maybe exploring that different relationship with alcohol, it's so important to be around others. So that's a large part of what I do as well. In addition to supporting all of the changes that are happening as you're removing alcohol, changing your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions to move towards that wellness driven lifestyle that you're seeking as you remove alcohol from your life.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 26:46

Right, because it seems to be a total overhaul. Like you said, it's not just the alcohol. It's like, okay, what do you put in place then so you feel supported? You have your people. You kind of led me to my next question though. So of course in January we always see a huge push for dry January, but even beyond that, I feel like a lot of millennials and Gen Z are choosing sober lifestyles. One of the questions I got a lot when I just chose to not drink for, you know, about five months was like, well, why? You're not an alcoholic or anything. So one thing I did want to explore with our listeners is why is sobriety not just for alcoholics?

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 27:25

Because we're waking up to the fact that it's not making us feel the way we want to feel. That was my whole purpose is that I sat here and if Everybody asked the same question to figure out if you have a problem with drinking or not. Nobody wants to admit that they have a problem. So, if you're sitting down and you're thinking about not drinking and you're like, but do I have a problem with with alcohol? Do I have an am I an alcoholic? I don't. I don't think so. No, I think I'm okay. We default automatically to trying to moderate or to cut back. And if you're somebody like me, that was the broken solution that I tried over and over and over and over again. And I kept getting the same result until I realized I don't need to figure out this moderation game because it's never going to be enough after one. I'm never going to want to stop after one. So what is it that I need for me? And then when I started asking a different set of questions, well, is alcohol positively impacting me or negatively impacting me? Let's make a list. Well, you can imagine that my list of how it was positively impacting me versus how it was negatively impacting me, the proof was in the pudding. It was visibly like clear as day that, ah, there's the receipt. It's causing me a lot more negative things than it is for the good. So why am I continuing with this habit that has a lot more negativity associated to, to it? Instead of positive. Now, I also felt like crap. I hated having hangovers. That is my why. My why is I never want to have a hangover again. I'm done with that nonsense. I am done feeling like that. That is your body crying to you. Please stop putting this thing in my body because it makes us feel like crap. And also because I have been on a wellness journey for plenty of years and how I didn't think to take a look at this pink elephant in the corner called alcohol in my drinking habit. But yet I would choke down the green juice. I would chomp on the kale. I would chug down the turmeric. I would go to the workout classes. I would do the 10, 000 steps. I would do, you know, guzzle down the bone broth. But I wouldn't be willing to take a look at this one habit that maybe just maybe is impacting all other areas of my life. It was time to take a look at the pink elephant. And so it's not just for alcoholics. And that is the misconception and the stigma that we're trying to break. I would say the leaders here in the sober curious and alcohol free space is that this is a lifestyle change. This is a health and wellness change. And just this past week with the top of dry January, the surgeon general just came out saying that this is the third leading preventable cause of cancer is alcohol right behind tobacco and obesity. And the way that the internet erupted saying what, and they want to put warning labels. Saying that this is like a known carcinogen on alcohol. Why? Because it's a toxic substance that doesn't make us feel good. Nevermind. It's addictive and nevermind. It goes against all of the health and wellness benefits that my audience is looking to achieve. It is literally standing in the way of you and your health and wellness goals. So it is for anyone, for any reason at all. At any time at any point in your life. This is not just a decision for one group, not a decision for one distinct category of people. This is a decision that is open to anyone and everyone who has ever consumed alcohol and has decided maybe this just doesn't fit into my life for the myriad of reasons that you're choosing to look at your relationship and make a change.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 31:25

Yeah, I'm totally there with you. I mean, I am still on my, on my journey of figuring it out and I definitely, Want to explore it more and I know that it's not good for my health like we're consuming poison so I think I always have been so confused about that because like there's always been such this stigma around marijuana But yet alcohol is poison and a carcinogen and like that's okay. That's legal

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 31:54

There's you know, a big thing that we have is, you know, when you tell people like, Oh, I'm not drinking and they're like, but why? You don't have a problem. Like you stated, right? We don't do that with other substances that are harmful for us. We don't do that. If you're into cocaine, we don't do that. If you're into heroin, if somebody says, Hey, I quit heroin. They're like, that's great. Hey, I'm not. And why? Why would, why would you do that? And so there is this constant stigma that we're trying to break down. And I think we're getting there. And a lot of people are referencing that this is you know, the breakdown of an empire, just like we saw with cigarette smoking, where, you know, just a few decades back, everybody did it. It was a social thing. It's what you did to relieve stress. It was all of these things that alcohol. Like now represents and the downfall is starting to happen because the gigs up, people are realizing like, it's not the only way to have fun. It's not the way to connect and socialize. It's not the stress reliever that we thought. And in fact, it's, it's dangerous and harmful to your health. I'm certainly not here to put fear in anybody's earbuds or, you know, I don't love being that person who's like, you should never drink again because it's toxic and it's terrible for your health. Listen, if you have a great relationship with alcohol, there's plenty of things in your cabinet, your home, your environment that are, you know, not great for us, but like it, the way that the news is starting to come out about alcohol and having a warning label on it, it gives people the option now to realize, like, is this something that I want to partake in? Because again, it is harmful for your health. But if you're choosing to do that, that is your decision. No hate, no shame. And I just kind of want to make that loud and clear because that is not a part of my messaging. And I don't love people who are just shaming people into sobriety because it's awful and it's toxic. And it's all of these things like make your own informed decisions. And I'm glad that we will be moving in that direction if they do put a warning label on alcohol. Again, that just, this news just broke at the top of dry January. So it's like, okay, so more information to make more informed decisions. And it doesn't mean, you know, it has to come, uh, how do I want to word this? It's not just, uh, a poison for people who are alcoholics. This is a decision for everyone to kind of consider when you continue with your drinking habit.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 34:21

Right. Yeah, I like that you said you're not here to shame anyone. More often than not, I think all of us understand that when you shame someone for a choice that they've made because of, you know, social pressures, societal ideals. You pretty much find them turning the opposite way, like the opposite way from you. Like they're walking away from whatever it is that you're shouting at them because you're making them feel very uncomfortable. You're not helping them to realize they can make the choice for themselves in an informed way. And reminds me of those like really intense, like, Uh, religious zealots on the corner of like Disneyland who like are shaming everyone for walking into Disneyland, but they're screaming into a microphone. Just kind of like, I saw a TikTok the other day where it was like, I don't think that's the right way to bring people into your like community. Right. Whether it's religion or anything else. So I do appreciate that sentiment that you're not here to like, you know, I guess hit the, what is it called? It's, The little, the gamut? Yeah, the gamut, right? Like, you're not here to like yell at everybody. You're here to provide that information and say, hey, if and when you do decide to make that choice, I'm right here as a support for you with the resources that you found true. beneficial to yourself. So we've touched on this a little bit throughout, but as far as the mental clarity and all of the things that are, were on the positive lists of what would happen if you gave up alcohol, right? Um, how else have you noticed in your personal life or with other people and women that have come to you for that assistance? How have you noticed Their lives change for the better, both mentally and emotionally.

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 36:09

Oh, I could talk forever about this because I host a free weekly online meetup for anybody who's sober, curious, or, you know, new to the alcohol free lifestyle. And I always intro that like, you know, these tentacles reach far and wide. And, you know, aside from probably what you've seen with better sleep, better skin, the sparkle in the eye comes back. Overall general, like, physical health improves. Mental clarity is great. There are just so many other parts that this touches that doesn't get a ton of, uh, airplay, if you will. So, like, you're making better connections that are more meaningful for you. So while the friendship department gets real dicey, you start to take off the rose colored glasses and you start to see things exactly as they are. So as some of these friendships, friendships start to kind of crumble, you are making way for more meaningful relationships with people that Matter that are gonna meet you and raise you, uh, to a new higher level. And, uh, that is one of the benefits that I know my community sees all the time. Plus we realize like, okay, so if alcohol has been numbing me out, what else have I been numbing myself out from dreams, aspirations, goals. So the way that the hype girl community is kicking ass and taking names. It's unreal. So nothing is off the table. We're looking at careers. We're looking at relationships. We're looking at what defined us to be happy and going after those things, knowing that there is no limit because now we have boundless energy. We have a strong support system. We have like minded women that are surrounding us who are cheering us on and letting us know, like, you got this. I'm here to catch you if you fall. And it doesn't matter because we're building the bridge with you to get you there. The way that, you know, we're able to handle really big emotional uh, experiences that happen in your life. That's debilitating that people would just go and numb out because that's just really difficult stuff. We know how to manage the really difficult things in life with Which just equips us for bigger and better things that we want in our lives. So, you know, the emotional resilience is astounding because the way that these women, and I'm going to like, kind of focus on my community for just a minute. You know, we kind of share everything again, because sobriety affects every part of our life. So there's really nothing off the table that we don't talk about. So some of us have had some really trying things in the time that I've been working with my. Community in particular online and the way that we were able to bring that and show up authentically and not try to like dull it down and not try to make it look better than it was and just be able to authentically say this is what it is. This is how I'm showing up and I just need this space to just be like this because this is the only space where I'm able to do that and then to work through it. Together and then get on the other side and then just watch they skyrocket after that. The emotional resilience is one of the best parts with mental clarity and the connections, aside from some of the, I guess, like surface level stuff, like I said, the better sleep, the better skin, you know, if, if, uh, you lose weight from it because you're not in taking all of those, uh, sugar calories, you know, the It's just the list goes on and on and on, and, uh, it's, you know, we could spend a whole episode, but I think that would kind of summarize some of the other lesser known benefits that people aren't necessarily talking about that my community experiences, and it's, it's just the best thing to witness ever. Is just to watch these women be able to regulate their emotions and to have resilience after really like hard trying times because we're there doing it together and we get to see each other on the other side is it's just the best thing and to not have to use alcohol for it, it's, it's incredible.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 40:48

Right. Yeah, it's empowering when you make a choice to change your lifestyle, when you have people around you who are also willing to do that with you, whether it's choosing to be sober, choosing to eat differently because then you know that you have people in your corner that are rooting for you and you kind of go along this journey together. There's so, I mean, it's so cliche, but there's so much strength in numbers. And I think that I was in a coaching cohort earlier this year. And the best part of it was the fact that we all could just learn from each other because I would hear how somebody else's week went or a breakthrough that they had. And I was like, wow, that's so inspiring. Like, I'm going to start, you know, looking into that or like, I'm going to add that into my daily practice or, Hey, let's just like meet up and like, talk about what that means to us. Or I want to hear more about, you know, why you came to that conclusion. So I think that. Healing and going on a journey to change your lifestyle with people is so rewarding.

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 41:50

it is. And I think, you know, when we talk about. You know, gratitude with sobriety, you become so grateful for every single thing that got you to that point. And that's how we start to neutralize some of the intense shame and guilt and all of the gross feelings that bubble to the surface. It's like, it got you to this point. So you get overwhelmed. And over consumed with this gratitude and the best way when your cup is overflowing with gratitude for this beautiful alcohol free life that you're creating is to pay it forward. And when we have somebody in the community that's struggling with something, just like you said, when you're in a cohort. The hype girls are jumping in to help one another because they're like, Oh my God, I literally just went through that like last month and this is what worked for me and you're sharing all of this information because it does no good for you to sit on that information and there is no better feeling than being able to pay it forward for somebody who's a few steps behind you to reach your hand back and say, Hey, come on, we got this. This is what I did. We're going to do it together. This is how it worked. Let me know how it goes. It's just like, And I didn't even have a chance to step in because the Hype Girl community is that magical and amazing. We're all doing it together and sharing it because that paying forward, paying it forward from the immense gratitude that you have, like, I can't believe I'm like, this life is incredible without alcohol. I had no idea. Paying it forward is just one of those ways. And when you're in that group, it's just like, it is like, it's called like the hive mind. You just all are jumping in and sharing together because you want. You want everybody on your playing field. There is no Like comparison, it's like, I need you to get here with me and I'm going to do it with you. So take my hand, let's go. And it's, it's the most incredible thing to watch ever.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 43:45

Right. Yeah, we all win. Yeah, exactly. And I'm sure you're noticing that a lot of your community members are adopting that hive mind in so many other areas of their life, right? Whether that be with like family and friends that are external, that maybe haven't had that haven't, I guess, approached that part of their life or haven't made that decision for themselves don't necessarily see it as a problem. Like you said, maybe they have a totally fine relationship with alcohol, but seeing someone else live out a completely different lifestyle than maybe what they were used to seeing from that person, I think can probably just inspire someone who's not even like, you know, part of the hype girl healing community, right? So you're seeing this kind of bleed into, um, so many other areas of someone's life when you choose something so different from what you've had, what you've just known for years.

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 44:42

Yeah. And the best part is, is, you know, you become this pillar unbeknownst to you, people are watching and they see that sparkle and they see this like new side of, you know, that's going to irritate some people's demons and that's none of your business if it does. Okay. Let them deal with that. And if they're going to be negative Nancy's, they could be negative Nancy's on that side. But for those who see you as that pillar, it's like you are just by getting yourself into this, this space, right? And taking care of yourself and really just like it shines out. You start to inspire the people around you. And like you just said, it starts to spark the conversations with those who are interested, and then you're starting to bring in people into your world just by showing up and being yourself and being authentic and realizing how you can show up in the world without alcohol, it's just this beautiful ripple effect that ripples out into the world. And Lord knows we could use more like positive influences out in the world. So, you know, uh, go us for those who are being those pillars of light in the world. But yeah, it totally, totally does that for the hype girls for sure.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 45:53

Yeah. Well, you answered our question on community just naturally, which we love. And that's something that we really focus on here and want to build more of. So for our listeners, and even for myself, because I think this is where I get tripped up the most can you give some tips on how to tell people you aren't drinking or different ways that you can like navigate social situations? Because I think that a lot of us can relate. When we're trying to take this journey, whether it's for a month or just as a lifestyle change, that can be a little intimidating.

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 46:25

For sure. So, We're going to start off and give you a permission slip to do white lies. Okay. These are small, innocent white lies where it's not harming anyone. Okay. We never want to promote lying to harm anyone or yourself. These are little white lies just until you get comfortable. So we can start off with the natural response, which is I'm just taking a break. You can move into, I'm, uh, on medication. I'm not feeling well. I'm still hung over from last night. I'm, uh, you know, got a big morning and I got a big meeting, whatever it is that you want to say that makes you feel comfortable. Now, I have an entire list of responses that people can use in a template shop that I have on my website, but those are just some easy ones. If we have someone whose demons are getting irritated by you, just being a sober bad ass, then if this person's being a, you know, Then you can use what I call the zinger. And when they come in, they're like, well, that's stupid. Why aren't you drinking? And they're not going to leave you alone, which happens. More often than I care to admit, you just go ahead and put the onus right back on them. And I like to make a little body contact and do a little hand on the shoulder. Cool, calm and collected and say, why do you care so much? And you watch how that person just backs right off and you can go on with your memory way and not have to answer any more questions because it's none of their goddamn business.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 47:51

Period. Yes. And

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 47:53

so there's the polite answers. Then there's the answer to get the people off your back. And then you go sip your fancy nonalcoholic drink while they go be irritated and question their life as to why do I care so much? Yeah. Okay. So those are just a few quick responses that you can use and you. Do not owe anybody an explanation. Short, sweet, five words or less. I'm not drinking right now. I'm taking a break, period. You don't have to go on, well, I had this really bad hangover, and then all of the, and your verbal diarrhea on this person. You don't have to do that.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 48:25

hmm.

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 48:26

Find your comfort level. I definitely recommend having two to three responses practiced in your back pocket if it makes you that nervous and for most people it does. So it might sound a tad like crazy but you want to practice it so it's second nature because when you're nervous you tend to talk more so just practice makes perfect. Keep them tucked in your back pocket before the social event. Now, a few tidbits on how to navigate social scenes. They're going to change, but if you're going into the boozy atmospheres that you're used to, a few quick little like off the cuff tips, arrive late, leave early. If the event is seven to 10, you're going to show up at eight. 30 and maybe you hang out until like 9 15. You always want to have a drink in your hand. Most people aren't going to notice what is actually in your cup, but they're going to recognize that that's a champagne flute, which signals champagne, which what signals to them that you're drinking, which makes them back off. on the questions because it's the questions that you are not comfortable or ready to handle just yet because you yourself might not know all of the answers of why you're doing this and I'm not sure if I have a problem and should I be going to try to be sober I don't know how to figure this out so this is just like These are just like queues sending like, you know, messages to people like she has her champagne flute, she's drinking and this little like quick trip, quick tip will really just kind of back people off, having your responses ready, having an exit plan ready because you'd be surprised how much that can trip you up because then you start to get nervous. If you start to feel triggered to drink Know your exit plan. What time do you want to leave? Are you saying goodbye to people or are you just Irish goodbying? Are you familiar with the joint that you're going to? Do you know where the exits physically are? Things like that, because the name of the game is the more prepared you are, the more successful you're going to be. And it's not going to be like that forever, but you want to have a game plan. When you're going into these things, because the less blind spots you're trying to navigate, the easier and more enjoyable these first handful of social events without alcohol are going to be. So I actually have a free resource for people who are navigating the social scene because it is such a huge trip up for people, 20 point checklist to make sure that soup to nuts, you are good to go, including your responses, including these things like arriving late and leaving early. making sure you have a drink in your hand, making sure you know where the exits are, things like that, because you'd be surprised just having that game plan really relieves the stress. It's one less thing of the unknown, which causes us to feel nervous, which what causes us to drink to calm the nerves. So those are just some quick, like off the cuff things that you can do. And then I will close with just saying this for the social scene. No is always an option on the menu. If you just feel like you are not quite ready to be in that social environment, especially if it has a boozy backdrop, I promise you there will be other events and there will be other times for you to connect with this people. You can say no. If it means that it's going to have you stick to your sober and alcohol free goals. Say no, take a pass on that event and then maybe see how you're feeling for the next one. You don't have to go, you don't have, you don't owe it to anybody to show up. You can again make a white light, Oh, I was feeling sick. Oh, this came up, whatever it is to make sure that you are secure in your decision to not drink because going there, already feeling like you're not quite ready for that scene yet is only a recipe for disaster.

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 52:23

it's 2025. So no is definitely a full sentence. So we love that. We love that's an option. If the listeners are feeling like all those checklist things are very overwhelming for me right now. Choose no. Well, we love this conversation. Thank you so much. for coming on. Before we let you go we did want to give you the space to just say where everyone can find you on socials, plug your website, where everyone can find those resources and if they are ready and willing to join that community.

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 52:51

For sure. So you can find me at HypeGirlHealing. com. That's the home base. That's my little Mecca on the interwebs. All of the things will be there. Otherwise, on socials, you can find me on Instagram. Find me on threads at HypeGirlHealing. And I have an online community. You'll find all of that information in my links and bio and socials. Also, you'll see it on the website. That is open to anyone and everyone. We have open doors with dry Jan. So come on in. If you're looking for a like minded community of women to support you with this decision, especially if you're doing dry January or dry month, but also if you're in the San Diego area, I am doing in person events. To bring the in person community here in San Diego together so that you can meet all the rad, awesome women that are choosing a sober curious or alcohol free lifestyle and get you plugged into the community that's right here in beautiful San Diego as well. So

ea_3_01-07-2025_133450: 53:47

Highly encouraged because that's how we all met. So please if you're local to yeah, if you're local to the Southern California area Please join one of those and if you're not, of course, the virtual community is just as incredible. So Again, thank you so much. We really appreciate you for coming on and We'll see you next time. Yeah, I know I already had all these other questions sparks. I'm like, well, ooh, what about dating sober? So maybe we'll have to have you on in the future again to talk about that

jaime_1_01-07-2025_133450: 54:16

sure. Well, thanks for having me ladies. I always love talking about this. So thank you so much for having me.

ea_3_01-07-2025_144536: 54:27

All right, you guys. I really enjoyed that conversation. It was very informational. So I think that it's maybe something that I'm going to have to, like, revisit. To get all of the different points. But I mean, I think that that was the intention from the beginning is we wanted to, for those of you who may be sober curious, we wanted to give you. All the information, all the facts. And do with that what you will. Like Jaime mentioned in the episode and like we reiterated, we're never here to tell you what to do with your life. If you're curious enough to where you want to explore the community that Jaime has online, if you're local to San Diego, make that an in person exploration. She's so lovely. So even if you just want to go meet her and like pick her brain for a little while, like I would. Absolutely encourage that. We met, fun fact, we met both her and Pam in the same day. Mm hmm. Pam of Café con Pam. Of course. When we talk about Pam here, there's only one. I'm not talking about the butter spray. No, and we're not talking about the office. No, we're not. Yeah, so anytime I reference Pam, that's who I'm talking about. I'm never talking about anything or anyone else. And it's like the Pam, you know what I mean? For me, anyway. But I think that, yeah, like Crystina said, super informational. Again, if you're curious about it, please visit those resources that we're going to link in the show notes. And we also are always going to be transparent with our audience that although we may have a guest that shares certain information or certain things about their lifestyle choices, doesn't necessarily mean we are. Automatically making that choice for ourselves. Is it something that we're always going to have to think about? Absolutely. Are there adjustments that I'm probably going to make after this conversation? I think so. But there's no rigidity here. There's no judgment here. Yeah. And that's the thing. And this is a totally open and honest place for you to be like, Hey, this inspired me to do this. Or, Hey, didn't even really align with that. I have a great relationship with alcohol. Yeah. It doesn't affect me none, and I could have a glass and like she said walk away from it. Right. You know? A lot of people are like that. A lot of people like it doesn't affect them one way or the other. Yeah. And a lot of people are the opposite where it's like if I have one I'm having five. Right. You know, and so that's a choice for you to make. And that's something that I've expressed too, is that I just, one, doesn't do anything to me. Mm hmm. Two, doesn't really do much to me. It's like I'm having to have three drinks sometimes just to feel a buzz. Right. And then it's like, I'm gonna feel horrible tomorrow. I've spent 60 or more on drinks. And it's just, I don't know why. So it's like for me, giving up liquor is pretty easy from that standpoint because it just doesn't. Affect me and I mean, it's never my aim to like get fucking sloshed You're right. I'm gonna spend 20 sometimes 22 25 on a cocktail. I want to feel a little bit of a Yeah, I wouldn't be spending that amount of money on just juice, right? Exactly. Yeah It's for the effect of feeling fun, fancy, free, and loose, right? It's all about that social setting that we're talking about. But yeah to me it's like as we were having this conversation as having a little like side thought of like if every single time I was going to going to order a cocktail or a glass of wine or something, what if, instead of doing that, I put the money that it would cost me to do that into my savings account? Ooh. So it's almost like a reward system. Yeah, I think that's something we could challenge each other with. Like, do we really want a glass of wine right now, or do we want to save money for something we're doing coming up? Yeah, always, always questions to be asked and honest answers to be given. Yeah, I would definitely identify myself as sober curious. I know the benefits. I know from a health standpoint that I probably should not drink alcohol at all or very, very rarely. Just because of the health issues that I have. I'm insulin resistant. So honestly, my body doesn't break down the sugar. So a lot of times I will be sober, sober, sober, sober for a really long time. And then all of a sudden, super drunk because my body's not metabolizing it in the same rate as somebody else. It takes a lot longer for my body to metabolize that sugar. The alcohols. Yeah. So that's one of the major reasons. And yeah, I know that in my fitness journey, there is no point in me killing myself to go to the gym or yoga or on these walks all every day, or at least, you know, four or five days a week. If I'm going to drink alcohol, it really just undoes the entire progress. So I'm looking at it from more of that perspective. standpoint, kind of like what Jaime was saying, a wellness standpoint. I'm not going to reach these certain goals. And even long term, Like I don't want to be diagnosed with diabetes Yeah, you know like the cancer part of it all the all the health things that we probably could have talked even Several more hours about that. There's no positive side effects of consuming alcohol period and so Because we all are just, I wouldn't say just now starting, but it's becoming a lot more public knowledge that like, okay, so there's no real, uh, health benefit to drinking any type of alcohol, then you do have to set up a pros and cons list. You have to decide that goal for yourself, right? So that's, I think, where we're going to leave it. And then, of course, always open to conversations about anything we talk about on the pod. Yeah, I don't, I'm not going to sit here and say that I'm going to go completely sober from this day forward, but I already know, and it's already been my goal in 2025, to drink less. So, I don't know what that's going to look like for me, because I honestly, until today, having Jaime on the podcast, like I didn't really think about it. But I know that I will be drinking a lot less, so if that is a choice that you also are making, I will be on the journey with you. Yeah, it all is going to boil down to what do you want your goal to be for the year and beyond. If you are super money focused, like I'm very money focused, then yeah, that's going to be my goal is if I want to save money for a very specific thing, then I'm not going to spend it on alcohol because I. Piss it out, you know, and it's just not worth the, like, I am a good time. Sally, like, I don't need it to have a good time. So if that's you, let's save money together. We'll like get, I'm sure there's apps for that. To like, put money away that you would have spent on something, right? Ooh, there are, I forget what it's called, but I used to use it. And I actually funded my entire Mexico trip by doing that. See? So it's like every single time you're out, you're training your brain. to save that money into a very specific area. And you're like, oh, I saved that money because I literally would have just spent it right now on two drinks, 60 later. You know what I mean? Right. So I think it's all about that. If you are health and wellness oriented, then make the choice for that reason. If you're both, double whammy. Don't let anyone make the choice for you. But with that, we hope you enjoyed our video. We hope you enjoyed Jaime. Yeah. Yeah. We'll have to have her on the pod again to maybe dive into some of these other, you know, pockets that we didn't really get to dive into, like maybe more of the, you know, health and wellness side, or I personally want to talk about, you know, what does sobriety look like when you're dating? Because I think the first question that you're asked is, hey, you want to go get drinks? And I'm like, no. Not really. Hmm. You know? Yeah. And I've been noticing more dating apps. There's an option to choose sober. Yeah. And I've seen people choose it all the time. I'm like, Oh, that makes me kind of want to swipe on you more. Right. Because now I know that, like, you're, Exploring, like what we talked about with Jaime, exploring a lot of different areas of yourself without alcohol, which means you're doing a lot of like deep personal, like interpersonal work. Yeah. It's expansive. The choice is expansive. So. Absolutely. Well, yeah, that's about it. Please share this episode with your bestie who may be sober curious and let us know if you are doing dry January. We are wishing you the best of luck, if so, to finish out the rest, the last half of the month. And we'll see you next week. Bye!