Staying Alcohol-Free on the "Patio" This Summer
To 50 and Beyond - Sobriety for Midlife Women
Release Date: 06/18/2025
Listen to Help You Get Centered On Why You Don't Want to Drink
To 50 and Beyond - Sobriety for Midlife Women
Episode 329 Hey there! One of the biggest things I share is what’s helped me stay alcohol free—focusing on why I didn’t want to drink more than why I did. That’s not easy, but it’s powerful. I call it Why Power—something I started saying years ago in a community meeting: Why Power over Willpower. In this episode, I invite you to reflect on your reason why you don’t want to drink. If you’re like me, you could always find reasons to drink—or you didn’t even need a reason. This reflection will help you get started in living alcohol-free or reinforce your choice if you're...
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Everyday Self-Care to Support Your Alcohol-Free Lifestyle
To 50 and Beyond - Sobriety for Midlife Women
Episode 328 Do you have a consistent self-care practice? If you said no, chances are there is one thing you are doing for yourself that you may not identify as self-care. By the end of this episode, I'll help you define what self-care is and feels like for you, and start calling out what you're already doing for yourself today. What you'll hear inside: The definition of self-care and how to find the meaning for you My self-care before and after I stopped drinking Why consistency (in self-care) matters to help you be proactive when you experience drinking urges/triggers The common...
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Listen to Help You "Play the Tape Forward"
To 50 and Beyond - Sobriety for Midlife Women
Episode #327 I'm so glad you're here! Please if you need help in working through the "drinking chatter" and any romantic thoughts about drinking, if you are working on living an alcohol-free lifestyle. If you’re a woman in midlife working on living alcohol-free, this episode is for you. “Playing the tape forward” is a favorite practice of many women who are working on living an alcohol-free lifestyle. One of the biggest challenges is the thoughts and ideas about drinking - the “drinking chatter” as I like to call it. What “playing the tape forward” means: It’s about...
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My First Year of Sobriety: What I Did to Stay Alcohol-Free
To 50 and Beyond - Sobriety for Midlife Women
Episode 325 Hello, friend! Thank you for being here. If you're in your first year of sobriety, congratulations! I'm very proud of you wherever you are on this road to alcohol freedom in midlife. During this episode, I'm sharing the things that helped me stay alcohol-free during my first year. I stopped drinking in 2013, choosing to go it alone. I stuck to simplicity because that is all I knew. I wasn't sure if I was doing things "right," but here we are today, almost 12 years later. I've been able to sustain sobriety because I've done what works for...
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Life After Alcohol: Learning to Love Yourself More with Paula Muller
To 50 and Beyond - Sobriety for Midlife Women
Episode 325 Hello! I'm so happy you're here! This podcast is all about living alcohol-free later in life, and my guest today, Paula Muller, is living proof of living alcohol-free later in life. Paula is an incredibly supportive member of my online community, who brought this wonderful topic of learning to love yourself more to me as a topic. When I heard it, I was "all in!" Paula shares her story of starting to drink at 13, how alcohol became part of her identity, and what led to her decision to stop drinking for good on April 8, 2024—a night in a hotel room...
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Staying Alcohol-Free on the "Patio" This Summer
To 50 and Beyond - Sobriety for Midlife Women
Episode 323 Welcome back to the To 50 and Beyond Podcast! I've missed being here with you. Coming your way are brand new episodes for the summer, starting with today's episode, which is all about staying alcohol-free on the "patio" this summer. Your "patio" is any challenge, including a literal patio, that you are concerned may come between you and your alcohol-free lifestyle. What you’ll hear: I'll help you identify what your specific summer triggers are instead of feeling overwhelmed by "not drinking all summer.” The reason why trying to live the same summer as when you...
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Listen When You Feel Left Out Because You're Not Drinking
To 50 and Beyond - Sobriety for Midlife Women
Episode 323 Hello, friend! This episode is one to come back to whenever you feel alone in choosing to live alcohol-free. Whether you’re at home watching your favorite show where drinking is everywhere (hello, Real Housewives!) or at a party surrounded by drinkers, your choice to be alcohol-free is a badass one. You’re never truly left out when you’re choosing what’s right for you, and you always have support and community here with me and with other women making the same choice. I’m right here with you. Thank you for listening. If you liked this episode and want to hear more,...
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Negotiate for Yourself Not Alcohol
To 50 and Beyond - Sobriety for Midlife Women
Episode 322 Hey there! Thank you for being here. We are on a break after today. 💗 New podcast episodes will be coming your way in late spring. This episode is dedicated to the women worldwide who are doing the work to live an alcohol-free lifestyle and build a better, more trustworthy relationship with themselves. I see you and I stand with you. With summer approaching faster than we'd like and warm weather months ahead, I want to talk about shifting our focus from negotiating with alcohol to negotiating for ourselves to live the life we want. Summer can be challenging, and the...
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What Are You Aware of About Your Relationship with Alcohol?
To 50 and Beyond - Sobriety for Midlife Women
Episode 321 The purpose of this episode is to take a moment to check in with you and your relationship with alcohol in honor of April being Alcohol Awareness Month. Whether you're alcohol-free curious, navigating early sobriety, or embracing long-term sobriety, this episode serves as both a reminder and a reflection—a chance to reconnect with the truth about you and alcohol. As a recovering "avoider," I share my story and the level of acceptance I reached when I stopped drinking, along with what I’ve come to know for sure about my relationship with alcohol after 11 years of...
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Never-Ending To-Do Lists and Playing Catch Up
To 50 and Beyond - Sobriety for Midlife Women
Episode 320 Tired of long to-do lists and playing catch-up? Yeah, me too! If you feel like you're working hard at catching up and have to wait to relax until you do, this episode is for you! I've had an epiphany about the unrealistic expectations I put on myself. One day, a few weeks ago, I said ENOUGH! I'm working towards being more intentional with my time and energy to get done what is important and taking a break even with a long list of to-do's! In this episode, I share my truth and encourage you to be honest and realistic with yourself if you need more time for...
info_outlineEpisode 323
Welcome back to the To 50 and Beyond Podcast! I've missed being here with you. Coming your way are brand new episodes for the summer, starting with today's episode, which is all about staying alcohol-free on the "patio" this summer.
Your "patio" is any challenge, including a literal patio, that you are concerned may come between you and your alcohol-free lifestyle.
What you’ll hear:
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I'll help you identify what your specific summer triggers are instead of feeling overwhelmed by "not drinking all summer.”
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The reason why trying to live the same summer as when you were drinking can leave you feeling let down. I share my own experience with patios, summer wines, and how I had to change things up.
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Practical ways to transform your challenging spaces—whether that means skipping your Aunt Sally's barbecue or making your patio an alcohol-free friendly zone with new plants and glassware. I'll share how I went from avoiding my couch to creating new rituals, and how you can decide what works for you (and change your mind anytime).
We get one summer of 2025 - let's make it the one you want, not the one you've lived in the past.
I'm with you!
Thank you for listening!
Join the Team!
Team Alcohol-Free (TAF) is an online community created exclusively for midlife women who have chosen to live alcohol-free.
Gain access to weekly meetings, daily inspiration, and lots of connections with midlife women who are living alcohol-free.
Plus, you will receive long-term support for a one-time investment, + additional resources added monthly.
TAF was established in 2023, and we are growing stronger together! If you feel like you've been missing out on alcohol-free girlfriends and coaching, join us today!
Check out these episodes next:
Listen When You Feel Left Out Because You Don't Drink
Outgrowing Yourself in Midlife
The Bright Side of Going Alcohol-Free in Midlife
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