Mindful Drinking and Moderation in Midlife: How to Drink Less, On Your Terms
**A Spotify 'Rising Star' show** Practical moderation for the way you want to live.
Why can't I drink like I used to? How do I drink less without quitting completely? Should I go for low, no or light alcohol drinks? Why do alcohol-free drinks cost so much?
If you're in your 30s, 40s, 50s or beyond and asking these questions, this is your podcast.
Welcome to the essential show for midlife adults who want to drink less, on their own terms—without the pressure to quit completely, follow rigid rules, or label themselves as sober.
I'm Denise Hamilton-Mace, your mindful drinking mentor, writer and public speaker on all things low, no and light. Each week, I help stressed parents and busy midlife adults navigate their relationship with alcohol through practical approaches grounded in real-world experience and behaviour change strategy, not willpower or wellness culture
What you'll get:
Mindful Moderation Solo Episodes – Deep-dives answering the questions that matter to sophisticated drinkers who want to moderate smartly:
- How do I cut back when my partner still drinks at home?
- What really works: willpower vs. strategy?
- Why do premium alcohol-free drinks cost the same as full-strength versions?
- How do I navigate social situations when I'm the only one moderating?
This podcast is for you if:
- You're looking for practical advice that fits your demanding life, not another wellness overhaul
- You recognise that coasting with mid-strength drinks, zebra-striping, or bookending your evening with something non-alcoholic are all valid strategies
- You want better mornings without giving up celebrating life's special moments
This isn't about going completely dry or reinventing yourself. It's about keeping energy for what matters most: family, health, career, and living life on your own terms.
Join the moderation revolution happening in midlife – because while Gen Z gets the headlines, you're the one actually doing it.
Mindful Drinking and Moderation in Midlife: How to Drink Less, On Your Terms
#11. Understanding the UK Low/Alcohol-Free/Non-Alcoholic Labelling System
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The UK labelling system for low/no beverages is broken. There, I said it!
Most people don't understand the differences, our pubs don’t match our supermarkets, and it’s all a case of best practice with no hard and fast laws to govern them.
In this episode, I take you through the main terminology used to describe the low/no-alcohol drinks that you want to enjoy so you can best prepare yourself to live a life less intoxicated on your own terms.
We examine the different labels used in the UK, the exact ABVs that they ‘should’ represent, where we differ from other countries, and what may be happening to change it all.
This is the first of many episodes helping to bring clarity and open conversation around the low/no drinks industry so we can all enjoy a life less intoxicated with confidence.
If you have a topic you’d like me to dive into, then drop me an email at denise@lownodrinkermagazine.com
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New podcast format
Speaker 1Hi hi Lono Nation . Welcome to episode 11 of the Lono Drinker podcast . We are doing things a little bit differently today Now . Normally on the podcast , I am interviewing Lono brand founders or industry experts about the amazing liquids and beverages that they make or their experiences within the Lono beverage industry , so that we can get all the information that we need to help us live a lifeless intoxicated . Now that format is not going anywhere .
Speaker 1I love doing these interviews , I love speaking to brand founders and to industry experts and finding out and expanding my knowledge and sharing that knowledge with you . But I am finding that of late , as I've started to do more speaking events , as I've started to get more emails and questions and comments coming in from social media and all the places where people find me , that there are a lot of the same questions that are coming up again and again . So , starting with this episode , I will be introducing a series of shorter episodes where I tackle some of the issues that you guys are telling me that you are facing when it comes to low and no beverages and living a life less intoxicated . So whether that is about the drinks themselves , how they're made , the lifestyles around which you are hoping to build and you string to your bow in terms of how you socialize with people and what you drink when you're out , whatever
How to contact me
Speaker 1the subject matter is . If there is something specific that you would like me to talk more about in an upcoming episode , then I'd really appreciate it if you just let me know . You can email me I'm so easy to get hold of it's Denise at lonodrinkermagazinecom , or you can DM me on Instagram I'm at lonodrinkermagazine or on LinkedIn as Denise Hamilton Mace . So , that being said , today's episode is about a question that I got when I was doing a speaking event earlier on this week . I really loved doing this event . It's great to speak to people on mass and see lots of light bulbs going off behind different eyes as sort of the knowledge bombs explode when they get to understand the nuances and the challenges and the greatness that is this low and no industry . So earlier on this week , at a speaking event , I was asked to explain what is the difference between low and no alcohol and all the terms that people hear around it , so I thought I'd explain that with you here today
ABV
Speaker 1. So let's start at the beginning .
Speaker 1The first term that we need to understand is ABV . This is the term that you'll hear after the number . That describes what the percentage of alcohol is in a drink and that's all it is . Abv stands for alcohol by volume and it simply means the percentage of the drink in the bottle that is alcohol versus other ingredients , such as water , sugars , anything that the drink is made of , depending on what you're drinking . So , for example , if you're drinking a glass of wine which has an average ABV of around 12 to 13% , then 12 to 13% of the liquid in your wine glass will be alcohol . The rest of it will be grape juice , water and all the other things that go into making wine . Same with a bottle of beer . If you have a bottle of beer at 5% , 5% of that liquid you're consuming is alcohol . The rest is all the other ingredients . We use the term ABV , preceded by a number , to designate the amount of alcohol that's in a drink and therefore , which category it belongs to .
Speaker 1Let's start with the first category
Alcohol-free
Speaker 1alcohol-free . In the UK , alcohol-free drinks are considered to be any alcoholic-style beverage that has an ABV of less than 0.05% , so that 0.05% ABV in the UK is considered to be alcohol-free . However , in America , spain , most of Europe , in fact Australia , a lot of the places that we import low and no beverages from . The term alcohol-free in those countries is used to mean an alcoholic-style beverage with an ABV of up to 0.5%
Changing the guidance
Speaker 1. Now there is a consultation happening at the moment in the Department of Health and Social Care as to whether or not we should change the labeling in the UK so that alcohol-free here means the same as alcohol-free in other places . So that would be changing it from 0.05 to 0.5% .
Speaker 1Of course , as with anything , there are some people who are strongly for it and some people who are strongly against it . Those who are for it say that it makes sense that pubs and bars and shops and supermarkets and consumers and everybody has the same understanding , no matter where the drink is from , of what the alcohol content will be . Those who are against it say that 0.05 should remain , because none should mean none and that 0.5 is too much to have in an alcohol-free drink .
ABV in everyday food & drink
Speaker 1It is worth noting here that there are many products that we consume on a daily basis that contain 0.5% of alcohol or more , but we just don't realise . For example , ripe bananas , orange juice , brioche buns some brioche buns can contain up to 2% alcohol . The only difference is that they're not required to be labelled as such .
Speaker 1So , along with the fact that there have been many , many studies that have shown it is impossible for the human body to get drunk on a beverage that contains 0.5% alcohol , because we will process the alcohol faster than we can get drunk by it , there is a strong argument as to why we should make everything the same . Because if you are picking up two bottles of beer and they both have the label alcohol-free , but one is from the UK and one is imported from , say , the States or Spain , you could be picking up drinks that have different alcohol contents , and if you don't understand that you need to look at the ABV . Then you could be consuming more alcohol than you intended to , and if your reasons for not drinking are perhaps medical or religious , that can have a pretty big impact on your day . Hey , hey , I will get you back to the episode in just a second , but first a quick word from our sponsors Me , that's right .
Speaker 1This week's episode is sponsored by LONO Drinker Magazine , the number one UK magazine for sober , curious drinkers . Each issue is packed full of news , reviews and interviews from the people , places and brands leading the low and no alcohol revolution . You can subscribe to LONO Drinker Magazine and read your copy online or in print anywhere in the world , and subscriptions start from just £3.45 . Get your subscription today and use code LONOPOD to get 20% off your first two issues over at lonodrinkermagazinecom . With 24 years of experience and hospitality myself , I know first hand just how intense an environment it can be and just how far down the rabbit hole you can go .
Speaker 1The we Recover Loudly podcast , hosted by Shell Regina , aims to show people that it is possible to recover from these destructive patterns and to still work within the industry they love . Shell talks to front of house and back of house team members , interviewing everyone from chefs and bartenders to managers and operations , as well as mental health professionals , about the reasons why there is so much addiction , burnout , anxiety and depression in the industry . She asked the question if alcohol and drugs were never the problem but the solution , then what changes do we all need to make to allow the hospitality industry and its people to survive and thrive ? Subscribe now to we Recover Loudly , wherever you get your podcasts . And now back to the show
Dealcoholised
Speaker 1.
Speaker 1The next label that we have in the UK for our drinks is de-alcoholized . Apart from being a very long word , de-alcoholized means drinks where the alcohol has been removed and the remaining liquid is no more than 0.5% . De-alcoholized is another misnomer . A lot of producers who have drinks at 0.5% will brew their drinks up to 0.5% rather than removing the alcohol afterwards . So there's a lot of producers out there who get frustrated by the fact that the label de-alcoholized includes their beverage , because they don't feel they sit into that category .
Speaker 1The next
Non-Alcoholic
Speaker 1label is non-alcoholic . Now , non-alcoholic is a term that's usually associated with drinks that aren't expected to have alcohol anyway , so more like soft drinks . The most important thing to know about the term non-alcoholic is that brands are not allowed to use the term in front of regularly associated alcohol words , such as gin or rum . So a brand is not allowed to call their product a non-alcoholic gin or non-alcoholic rum , because those terms are protected and those drinks must meet the minimum standards of alcohol , which is at least 37.5% . Some drink types , like bourbons , will have higher minimum ABVs . The only exception to this that you might see if you are of a religious disposition is sacramental wine , so those wines are allowed to be labeled
Low-Alcohol
Speaker 1as non-alcoholic . The last label that we'll talk about today is low alcohol . Now , drinks that are labeled as low alcohol are allowed to be up to 1.2% ABV .
Licencing
Speaker 1Now here's one more reason for you why the consultation that's taking place to look at the labelling of drinks may well decide that we should label everything that is alcohol-free as 0.5% . According to the Licensing Act , when you are in a pub or a restaurant or any licensed premises , they consider alcoholic beverages to be wines , beers , spirits , porters , stouts or any other alcoholic beverage sold above 0.5% . So , according to the Licensing Act , alcoholic drinks start at 0.5% , but according to the Guidelines , alcoholic drinks start at 0.05% . It is such a minefield of confusion for people and it is little wonder that everyone is really confused about what it is that they're drinking , what the ABVs should be , what the labels mean . The other thing to bear
What the law says?
Speaker 1in mind with this and this is really important to recognise is that whilst all of these labels that I've given you are the current guidelines , they are just that they are only guidelines . This is not law . According to the UK government , brands do not have to use the labels alcohol-free , low alcohol or de-alcoholized on their drinks . If they do choose to use those labels , then they are expected to follow those guidelines , and if they're found not to be following the guidelines , then action can be taken against them , whereby they would be forced to relabel things , perhaps pay compensation to people who feel that they've been misinformed , but it is not the law . So all this to say .
Speaker 1When it comes to choosing which type of low-no beverage you are going to drink , just be careful . Don't just go by the label . If there is one , make sure you look at the ABV on the bottle to see what percentage of the drink that you're about to consume will actually contain alcohol . There you have it , guys . Hopefully that has helped to shed some light on the labelling of low-no beverages here in the UK and not made things more confusing for you .
Speaker 1If there are any of those labels or areas that you'd like me to expand a bit more on , then let me know in the comments or drop me an email . Wherever you are watching or listening to this podcast , I would really appreciate it if you would like subscribe , rate and review whichever one's easiest for you , wherever you happen to be listening , whether you are on audio or watching on YouTube , because that really helps me get the word out to more people who might be looking to live a life less intoxicated . And don't forget to check out Lono Drinker Magazine , the number one UK magazine for mindful and so be curious drinkers Until next time , lono Nation .
