To 50 and Beyond - Sobriety for Midlife Women

Welcome to To 50 and Beyond! A weekly podcast exclusively for midlife women who are tired of drinking and want to create a lifestyle that is free from alcohol. Your host, Lori Massicot, The Midlife Sobriety Coach, is a woman who started drinking at 14 and made the tough decision to get sober at 45. With each episode, you will hear honest conversations and practical tools to help you embrace aging alcohol-free. For more information and show notes, please visit https://www.lorimassicot.com/to-50-and-beyond-podcast Disclaimer: The To 50 and Beyond podcast's content is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment, or meant for anyone under 18. Guests of the To 50 and Beyond are available to answer questions and seek help on their respective channels provided in each episode.

When You Change Your Mind - I'm on a Podcast Break Until September 11, 2024 07/07/2024

Tips to Help You Prepare an Alcohol-Free Vacation 07/03/2024

Tips to Help You Prepare an Alcohol-Free Vacation Episode 297 Are you planning a vacation and want to stay alcohol-free but feeling unsure if you can manage it? I've been there too. When I stopped drinking, I struggled with the idea that a vacation could be enjoyable without alcohol. For me, alcohol and vacation were intertwined in my belief of what made a trip fun. It took one sober trip to realize that vacations could be just as enjoyable without alcohol. In this episode, I share seven of my favorite tips for preparing for a sober vacation, along with strategies to help you stay on track during and after your trip. What you’ll hear: Why we associate vacations with alcohol and how to change the associations one trip at at time My first sober travel experience and what I learned The benefits I’ve experienced from traveling without drinking: Keeping my wits about me, longer (slow) days I remember, and not needing a vacation from my vacation. Seven tips to help you prepare for your vacation before you leave: 1. Define your purpose of the trip. 2. Get clear on what challenges you are concerned about to create a plan when/if they come up. 3. Communicate your intentions not to drink with a travel buddy or someone at home. 4. Focus on Nourishment 5. Invest in something to carry with you as a reminder of your intention to stay a/f. 6. Write down you reasons why you don’t want to drink and make an “if this, then that” plan that you can carry with you. 7. Write a Dear Me letter to open when you return. In this letter, you will talk about how you experienced your vacation without drinking and how grateful and proud of yourself you are. You are not alone if you’re not that excited about alcohol-free vacations, but I want you to know that if you are choosing not to drink on vacation when you would normally - it is a badass move that can be life-changing. If you need extra sobriety support, join us inside Team Alcohol-Free before enrollment closes on 7/1/24. Inside The Team this summer, we are kicking off our First Annual Sober Gal Summer Camp on July 15th. /episode/index/show/lorimassicot/id/31928842

Sober Gal Summer: What's In and Out 06/26/2024

Sober Gal Summer: What's In and Out Episode 296 This episode is for the Sober Gal who wants to spend her summer with that Sober Gal vibe - freedom from alcohol. Freedom to do more things SHE wants to do. Invest and give herself back the time, money, and energy alcohol took from her and have fun on her own this summer - no alcohol required. ➡️Do you feel like you’re missing out because you don’t have a glass of alcohol when you’re sitting on your patio? ➡️Are you starting to give yourself a summer pass for drinking because you’re on vacation? ➡️Saying things like - I’m traveling internationally; alcohol doesn’t count? ➡️Are you doubtful that you will be able to show up at BBQs and get-togethers and say, I’m not drinking? I totally get it! I felt this way when I stopped drinking in August of 2013. But hold up before you grant yourself a drinking pass because it’s summer, and listen in while I share what’s in and out for Sober Gals during our one-and-only summer of 2024. I had the same summer experience for decades and I didn’t realize it until I stopped drinking. Different year. Same old stuff. Alcohol-centered, not me-centered that is why I’m creating the very first Sober Gal Summer in 2024! What you’ll hear: An explanation of what it means to have a Sober Gal Summer: it’s a mindset, an attitude, and a celebration of elevated self-care regimes and rewards. Both tangible and intangible. Think freedom, peace, and being present. Why summer is a challenging time to stay sober for most midlife women A list of What’s In and What’s Out for Sober Gals this summer (hint: what’s in: pleasing ourselves first) How to create your In and Out Sober Gal Summer list by using my My mission to bring our midlife community together this summer to build more confidence in ourselves and our choice to be free from alcohol. If you’re ready to make 2024 the summer of you. Join us inside Team Alcohol-Free and get the inspiration, support, and fun you deserve this summer. Inside The Team this summer, we are kicking off our First Annual Sober Gal Summer Camp on July 15th. Enrollment closes July 31, 2024, until Fall. Join today! /episode/index/show/lorimassicot/id/31855612

Q & A: When Does Sobriety Stop Being So Hard? 06/19/2024

How I Managed My Anxiety When I Quit Drinking Alcohol 06/12/2024

How I Managed My Anxiety When I Quit Drinking Alcohol Episode 294 In this episode, I’m answering a question from a To 50 and Beyond listener, Maggie. Maggie sent me an email and said: I’ve heard you talk about your social anxiety when you were 14 and started drinking as you got older. Did having anxiety hold you back from quitting drinking? And how did you manage it once you stopped drinking? Anxiety has been one of the most difficult things I’ve had to experience and manage throughout my life. I didn’t talk to a doctor about my anxiety until I was in my 40s. I wanted to hide it. Pretend like I had everything together, and even during public panic attacks in my 20’s and 30’s, I would say, “I’m fine.” I wasn’t anything but fine for decades, and I used alcohol to take away my anxiety so I would feel better. In this episode, you will hear: When and why did my anxiety start at eleven after losing my dad. Why I first started drinking at the age of 14 - to fit in and lessen my social shyness. Where my anxiety comes from (hint: I was trying to control my anxiety, not manage it with drinking). How I approached the “anxiety roadblock” that held me back from going alcohol-free. The basics that I stuck to in early sobriety, and today, that help me manage my anxiety. If you are someone who experiences anxiety and using alcohol to cope, I understand how you feel. Alcohol is not a sustainable approach to anxiety. I learned this after I quit drinking. There is help for you and support. You are not alone. I felt alone in my anxiety for far too long. I’m with you. Thank you for listening! Mentioned in this episode: Please if you have a topic for the podcast or need a friend. Q & A Series Help me spread the word! There is another option besides drinking in midlife. If you liked this episode and want to take a few minutes to support the podcast, I encourage you to leave a positive rating and review on Apple Podcasts. So many women out there don’t know there is an “alcohol-free” option and are struggling with their drinking. Your support will help these women find the podcast this week and learn about an alcohol-free lifestyle later in life. ➡️Click, scroll to the bottom of the page, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” I read my reviews and will hug you when I see yours. Make sure to “follow” To 50 and Beyond to get all the wonderful episodes coming your way. If you don’t click “follow," you will miss hearing what’s coming up. Thank you! /episode/index/show/lorimassicot/id/31534612

Starting Over on Day One 06/05/2024

The Benefits of Staying Sober When You're Alone 05/29/2024

The Benefits of Staying Sober When You're Alone Episode 292 I enjoyed drinking alone, and I know that being alone can be a challenge when you stop drinking. Whether you live alone or find drinking alone an enjoyable “reward,” but you don’t want to continue drinking, this episode is for you. Today, I’m answering a question from a To 50 and Beyond listener, Kim, as part of my six-week Q&A series. Kim sent me an email saying: I go about 30 days without drinking but find it hard to keep it going, mainly because I live alone. No one will know if I drink, so I often give in and tell myself—I’ll have just a little (you know how this goes) or just because I’m bored or miss my nightly glasses of wine. How do I break this habit of giving in because of feeling this way? In this episode, I discuss the benefits of staying sober alone in midlife: building more trust, pride, confidence, and patience with yourself when you stay true to what you want more than alcohol. I share suggestions to help you if you’re feeling lonely, bored, or in the habit of rewarding yourself with alcohol to create new rituals for yourself. My message to you is that you are not the only one who feels like drinking alone is enjoyable or lives alone and finds it hard not to give in. “I’ll just have one.” Give yourself time and lots of love and kindness to help you find new ways to manage your daily life without drinking alcohol. I’m with you 100%! Please if you have a topic for the podcast or need a friend. Thank you for listening! Mentioned in this episode: Help me spread the word! There is another option besides drinking in midlife. If you liked this episode and want to take a few minutes to support the podcast, I encourage you to leave a positive rating and review on Apple Podcasts. So many women out there don’t know there is an “alcohol-free” option and are struggling with their drinking. Your support will help these women find the podcast this week and learn about an alcohol-free lifestyle later in life. ➡️Click, scroll to the bottom of the page, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Make sure to “follow” To 50 and Beyond to get all the wonderful episodes coming your way. If you don’t click “follow," you will miss hearing what’s coming up. Thank you! /episode/index/show/lorimassicot/id/31354117

Wondering if Your Drinking Isn't "Bad Enough" to Quit? 05/22/2024

Wondering if Your Drinking Isn't "Bad Enough" to Quit? Episode 291 Today, I’m answering the question: What if my drinking isn’t “bad enough” to quit? I’ve heard this question from midlife women for years and asked myself this question for two years. f you are on the verge of going alcohol-free but aren’t 100% certain that your drinking is at a place where you “need” to remove alcohol completely, this is the episode for you. Even though my drinking was considered “bad enough” to quit on paper and in my heart, it didn’t mean that I stopped. For two years, I tried to justify and compare my drinking to others whose drinking was worse than mine. The purpose of this episode is to share some good news - you don’t have to measure your drinking by “bad” to go alcohol-free. I've got you, friend! During this episode, you’ll hear: My story and reasons why I was trying to moderate my drinking and make alcohol “work” What I envisioned of someone who had to quit drinking, and why I resisted being a sober woman Why the consequences of my drinking and others doesn’t make it easier to quit drinking The good news! Why you don’t have to measure your choice to quit drinking by labels or by comparing yourself to others How Gray Area drinking plays a role in our choice to stop drinking on our own accord The questions you can ask yourself if you are wondering if your drinking isn’t “bad enough” to quit Ask yourself these questions to learn more about where you are with your drinking and where you want to be: Why are you wondering if your drinking isn’t bad enough to quit? Is it to validate quitting or continuing to drink? If my drinking is not bad enough, how bad does it have to get? When is enough enough? What is holding you back from going alcohol-free? What if you allow yourself to create an alcohol-free lifestyle not because your drinking is bad but because YOU want better and different than what alcohol gives you? Don’t compare how you feel about alcohol and your drinking to anyone else - including me. Stay in your lane because that is where you will figure it out. 👊🏻 Mentioned in this episode: How I can help you: Help me spread the word! There is another option besides drinking in midlife. If you liked this episode and want to take a few minutes to support the podcast, I want to encourage you to leave a positive rating and review on Apple Podcasts. So many women out there don’t know there is an “alcohol-free” option and are struggling with their drinking. Your support will help these women find the podcast this week and learn about an alcohol-free lifestyle later in life. ➡️Click, scroll to the bottom of the page, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” I read my reviews and will hug you when I see yours. Make sure to “follow” To 50 and Beyond to receive all the wonderful episodes. If you don’t click “follow," you will miss out on what’s coming up. Thank you! /episode/index/show/lorimassicot/id/31240997