In this episode of Stop Over-Drinking and Start Living, I sit down with former client, Megan, to talk about the year it finally clicked.

She first worked with me in a 6-month group container, and later committed to a full year of private coaching — the year she became alcohol-free and stayed that way.

What makes her story so powerful is that the year before, she had the same goal: to go an entire year without drinking.

And she didn’t make it. It wasn't until she tried again the following year that it all clicked.

She shares 3 things that helped her not get overwhelmed by the big goal of going alcohol-free for so long. #1 will surprise you!

And 3 things that she does in the moments she has thoughts about a drink.

She also shares a story of how she coped with the stress of a long day of intense interviews.. and it's not what you would think!

Megan really is an example of what is possible, with dedication, never giving up despite lots of 'failures,' and consistent support!

This conversation is for women who are sober curious, want to drink less, or are exploring a healthier relationship with alcohol without shame, labels, or rigid rules.

If you want this type of support I'm excited to open up 3 spots to work with me privately that include a retreat at The Magic House in Lisbon, Portugal. If you are interested, check out the details here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_hJh_lbnLrm1Yt4q7DL4tlE-GjWETf5pfUtIwi2doTg/edit?usp=sharing

In this episode of Stop Over-Drinking and Start Living, I explore why kindness, not willpower, is what actually creates lasting change in your relationship with alcohol.

So many women try to stop over-drinking by being harder on themselves — using pressure, rules, and self-criticism — only to find themselves stuck in the same cycle.

But inside the Dry January community, something different is happening. When women feel emotionally safe, supported, and free from judgment, honesty increases, shame softens, and real clarity begins to emerge.

We talk about:

• Why being gentle with yourself is not the same as being passive
• How nervous system safety allows awareness and choice
• Why trying to “white-knuckle” drinking habits often backfires
• How compassion creates more sustainable change than discipline
• What it really means to change your relationship with alcohol in a kind, supportive way

If you’ve ever wondered why cutting back or taking a break from drinking feels so hard — even when you’re motivated — this episode will help you understand what might be missing: safety, support, and self-trust.

This conversation is for women who are sober curious, want to drink less, or are exploring a healthier relationship with alcohol without shame, labels, or rigid rules.

And if you want to deepen this work with me in a powerful, immersive way, there are a few remaining spots at The Magic House Retreat Center, my international retreat center for women ready to get alcohol out of the way and come back to themselves.

Learn more here:
https://www.angelamascenik.com/magichousefounderscircle

Ep 365 You Didn't Fail - You Returned (Changing Your Relationship with Alcohol)

In this episode of Stop Over-Drinking and Start Living, I share a simple question my yoga teacher asked us before practice:

“Why did you return?”

Not why you stayed consistent.
Not why you did it perfectly.
But why you came back.

This episode is about why returning to work on your relationship with alcohol — whether you want to cut back, take a break, or stop over-drinking — is not failure. It’s commitment.

If you’ve taken time away from this work…
If you’ve disengaged, started again, stopped again…
If you’re here listening after some time away…

This conversation is for you.

We explore:

• Why commitment isn’t about perfection or never slipping

• How returning is often the real work

• Why time away doesn’t erase what you’ve learned

• How to come back to changing your drinking without shame

• Why choosing again can be an act of self-trust and care

You don’t have to start over.
You don’t have to explain yourself.
And you don’t have to do this perfectly.

If you’re sober curious, thinking about drinking less, or want a healthier relationship with alcohol without AA or rigid rules — you’re in the right place.

And if you want to deepen this work with me in a powerful, immersive way, there are a few remaining spots at The Magic House Retreat Center, my international retreat center for women ready to get alcohol out of the way and come back to themselves.

👉 Learn more here:
https://www.angelamascenik.com/magichousefounderscircle

Happy New Year!

Wow. I woke up this morning, obviously needed to process this wild year. So I wrote about my year and decided to turn it into this week's podcast.

My word of the year is Authentic and so why not share now? Here it is, the untold and uncut version!

This year couldn't of happened without me being alcohol-free and all of the deep work I have done up until this point. I have build years of resiliency to have been able to navigate this year as best as I possibly could.

I hope you enjoy!

Also, JOIN THE ALIVE AF! membership for the Dry January Challenge, enrollment is open until January 2nd! Don't miss!

Let's start to build your resiliency NOW!

Thanks for being here, always! Cheers to a healthy, happy, and Alive AF! 2026!

Join the Dry January Challenge and start 2026 lit up from the inside. Doors close January 2nd!
www.angelamascenik.com/dryjanuarychallenge2026

Click the link to find out how you can join The Founders Club for The Magic House in Portugal:
https://www.angelamascenik.com/magichousefounderscircle

Tags:
Stop Over-drinking, Angela Mascenik, stop drinking podcast, how to feel, how to overcome addiction, how to drink less wine, change your relationship with alcohol, coach for women who want to drink less alcohol, help to stop over-drinking, stop over-drinking, life coach to help stop over-drinking, self-love, importance of self-love, online membership to stop over-drinking, program to help quit alcohol, how to quit drinking, spouses, partners, food, overeating, moderation, sober retreat, how to prioritize yourself, make yourself a priority to drink less, mental health, mental health and alcohol use, mental health awareness month, how to stop over-drinking, how to stop drinking so much wine, life coach for women who drink too much, use humor to drink less, drink less, where do I start, sober retreat, how to stop over-drinking, how to drink less alcohol, Am I an alcoholic?, why do I drink so much, how to feel your feelings, how to stop the cycle of drinking too much, coaching for women who want to drink less, life coach for drinking less alcohol, stop over-drinking and start living, Magic House, magic, Dry January, Dry January in Alive AF!, 2025 reflections

This big holiday week we’re focusing on:

• Redefining success as awareness, not perfection
• Why small acts of self-care build trust to be able to make bigger goals in the new year
• Simply noticing and naming how you feel
• Using this week as awareness and building self-trust in very small repetitive actions

This episode is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and take care of yourself in small but powerful ways — drinking water, resting, saying no, and noticing your patterns with compassion.

You don’t need to overly challenge yourself this week.

Staying connected with loving awareness is the best gift you could give to you!

Sign up for the free Dry January class here: https://www.angelamascenik.com/dryjanuaryclass2026

Tags:
Stop Over-drinking, Angela Mascenik, stop drinking podcast, how to feel, how to overcome addiction, how to drink less wine, change your relationship with alcohol, coach for women who want to drink less alcohol, help to stop over-drinking, stop over-drinking, life coach to help stop over-drinking, self-love, importance of self-love, online membership to stop over-drinking, program to help quit alcohol, how to quit drinking, spouses, partners, food, overeating, moderation, sober retreat, how to prioritize yourself, make yourself a priority to drink less, mental health, mental health and alcohol use, mental health awareness month, how to stop over-drinking, how to stop drinking so much wine, life coach for women who drink too much, use humor to drink less, drink less, where do I start, sober retreat, how to stop over-drinking, how to drink less alcohol, Am I an alcoholic?, why do I drink so much, how to feel your feelings, how to stop the cycle of drinking too much, coaching for women who want to drink less, life coach for drinking less alcohol, stop over-drinking and start living, Magic House, magic, Dry January, Masterclass, small wins, holiday week

This week is a very special episode that I am so excited for you to hear. Wendy bravely shares what her journey to changing her relationship with alcohol has looked like over the past year AND what finally helped her turn a corner, so much that whenever she has an urge to drink, she thinks 'I don't want to run back the page.'

She shares what it looked like before and how much she was drinking and why.

And some very nuanced detail in HOW she works through the urge to drink that has helped her be alcohol free now for almost 3 months!

Wendy is a really good example of what is possible.

This episode will also motivate you to not give up before the gettin' gets good!

You never know when it will all come together for you, so you need to stay in the game until it does!

Thanks again Wendy for coming on the podcast.

Join the FREE Dry January Class HERE: https://www.angelamascenik.com/dryjanuaryclass2026

Wendy will be there!!

Click the link to find out how you can join The Founders Club for The Magic House in Portugal:
https://www.angelamascenik.com/magichousefounderscircle

Tags:
Stop Over-drinking, Angela Mascenik, stop drinking podcast, how to feel, how to overcome addiction, how to drink less wine, change your relationship with alcohol, coach for women who want to drink less alcohol, help to stop over-drinking, stop over-drinking, life coach to help stop over-drinking, self-love, importance of self-love, online membership to stop over-drinking, program to help quit alcohol, how to quit drinking, spouses, partners, food, overeating, moderation, sober retreat, how to prioritize yourself, make yourself a priority to drink less, mental health, mental health and alcohol use, mental health awareness month, how to stop over-drinking, how to stop drinking so much wine, life coach for women who drink too much, use humor to drink less, drink less, where do I start, sober retreat, how to stop over-drinking, how to drink less alcohol, Am I an alcoholic?, why do I drink so much, how to feel your feelings, how to stop the cycle of drinking too much, coaching for women who want to drink less, life coach for drinking less alcohol, stop over-drinking and start living, Magic House, magic, Dry January, Masterclass, don't turn back, don't want to turn back

Oh boy, I did a word of the year class and my word for 2026 is Authentic!

And I am thinking, how much more authentic can I be? And I'm kind of scared of what might happen if I do reveal more of me.. what will happen in my relationships, work, family?

Tune into this week's podcast and hear my thoughts about being scared of being authentic and why it's important to do it and practice it anyway.

I have been practicing authenticity since I started working on my drinking 8 years ago. I decided I was going to share that I struggled with alcohol, publicly. And that helped me feel more real and authentic with myself. I needed to be done pretending that everything was perfect, because that is not real.

Some people might not like it when you become the real you and share what doesn't work anymore, because it will make them be faced with their own need to take responsibility for themselves, AND THAT IS OK.

I hope you enjoy this podcast episode.

Free Dry January Class https://www.angelamascenik.com/dryjanuaryclass2026

Sarah Trapkus, Find your Word of the Year Journey: https://www.sarahtrapkus.com/signup-e3cda046-693b-45f9-b25d-ca665196d910

My podcast on Authenticity and Drinking Less https://www.angelamascenik.com/podcasts/stop-over-drinking-and-start-living/episodes/2147641475

The Magic House Retreat Center: almost full for our first 3 retreats: Grab your spot now!
https://www.angelamascenik.com/magichousefounderscircle

Tags:
Stop Over-drinking, Angela Mascenik, stop drinking podcast, how to feel, how to overcome addiction, how to drink less wine, change your relationship with alcohol, coach for women who want to drink less alcohol, help to stop over-drinking, stop over-drinking, life coach to help stop over-drinking, self-love, importance of self-love, online membership to stop over-drinking, program to help quit alcohol, how to quit drinking, spouses, partners, food, overeating, moderation, sober retreat, how to prioritize yourself, make yourself a priority to drink less, mental health, mental health and alcohol use, mental health awareness month, how to stop over-drinking, how to stop drinking so much wine, life coach for women who drink too much, use humor to drink less, drink less, where do I start, sober retreat, how to stop over-drinking, how to drink less alcohol, Am I an alcoholic?, why do I drink so much, how to feel your feelings, how to stop the cycle of drinking too much, coaching for women who want to drink less, life coach for drinking less alcohol, stop over-drinking and start living, Magic House, magic, Dry January, Masterclass, authentic, scared of being authentic, word of the year,

So many of us build our lives around avoiding discomfort — keeping the peace, staying comfortable, and managing our environment instead of truly living in it.

But here’s the truth: when you spend your life trying not to feel bad, you also cut off your ability to feel good.

In this episode, I explore the difference between living to avoid discomfort and living to feel alive.

I share personal reflections and how over-drinking often becomes the shortcut we use to feel a spark in a life that’s gotten too small.

When you stop numbing, your world expands. You start to feel everything again — and that’s where your aliveness, joy, and magic live.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why avoiding discomfort leads to a smaller, duller life
• How alcohol becomes a substitute for feeling alive
• What real peace feels like (it’s not comfort!)
• How choosing discomfort leads to expansion and confidence

Work with me privately by filling out an application HERE:
https://form.typeform.com/to/x8tcz6lm

Click the link to find out how you can join The Founders Club for The Magic House in Portugal:
https://www.angelamascenik.com/magichousefounderscircle

Join me for a free live class and learn how to make Dry January your most peaceful, powerful reset yet:
https://www.angelamascenik.com/dryjanuaryclass2026

Get on the waitlist for my Alive AF! membership:
https://www.angelamascenik.com/aliveaf

Tags:
Stop Over-drinking, Angela Mascenik, stop drinking podcast, how to feel, how to overcome addiction, how to drink less wine, change your relationship with alcohol, coach for women who want to drink less alcohol, help to stop over-drinking, stop over-drinking, life coach to help stop over-drinking, self-love, importance of self-love, online membership to stop over-drinking, program to help quit alcohol, how to quit drinking, spouses, partners, food, overeating, moderation, sober retreat, how to prioritize yourself, make yourself a priority to drink less, mental health, mental health and alcohol use, mental health awareness month, how to stop over-drinking, how to stop drinking so much wine, life coach for women who drink too much, use humor to drink less, drink less, where do I start, sober retreat, how to stop over-drinking, how to drink less alcohol, Am I an alcoholic?, why do I drink so much, how to feel your feelings, how to stop the cycle of drinking too much, coaching for women who want to drink less, life coach for drinking less alcohol, stop over-drinking and start living, Magic House, magic, avoiding discomfort, allowing discomfort, Dry January, Masterclass