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
#31. Alcohol-Free Drinks: Triggers or Lifesavers?
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Alcohol-free drinks still get a bad rap.
Whether from those who’ve tried one and written off the whole category or from recovery personas rejecting the premise of alcohol alternatives.
But as with all things in life, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to whether alcohol-free drinks are triggers or lifesavers.
In this episode, I share some of my findings from research into the question as well as the experience of a recovery coach with lived experience.
Inspired by an Instagram post proclaiming that NA beers are akin to “using behaviour”, I share the power and the challenge of appreciating alcohol-adjacent drinks from those in recovery to general consumption.
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Coming up
Speaker 1The same study also found , interestingly , that alcohol-related cues that can be brought about by using alcohol-free or alcohol-adjacent drinks might trigger the same physiological response in users as when they were consuming full-strength alcohol . Oh , hi , hi , you just caught me having a sip of a fabulous new drink that I discovered sip of a fabulous new drink that I discovered . I was interviewing Paul Matthew the other day , the founder of Everleaf , and I was just trying his marine with something I didn't think I would very much like , which is the double Dutch pink grapefruit soda , because I'm not a big fan of grapefruits and that sort of flavor , so I didn't think I'd like it . Actually , when you mix it with the Everleaf marine , it makes a beautiful long drink . So I highly recommend that if you're looking for a tip for something new to try . But that is not why I wanted to speak to you today . I was going to do a completely different episode today to add to the different series that I've been creating for you about the difference between ABV and units , because I think it's something that people get really confused about , particularly units . So I will do that for you later on .
Speaker 1But I was inspired this morning by a post that I saw whilst doing a very rare morning scroll on Instagram . Now , I'm not one for spending a lot of time scrolling on Instagram . I find that you're just waiting to be told that you're not living your hashtag best life and I don't have the mental capacity to deal with that .
The post
Speaker 1But I came across this post on an account called Marathon to Sobriety and the guy that runs that account was responding to a comment which he had up on the screen and , depending on how good my editing skills are , if you're watching this on YouTube , I will put that video up on the screen and , depending on how good my editing skills are , if you're watching this on YouTube , I will put that video up on the screen for you . But don't hold me to it . And the chap in his comments said , and I quote not judging , but working a program and drinking NA beers is using behavior .
Speaker 2Can someone please help remind Chris ? There's more than one way to get sober . I've been sober almost eight years and I did it my way . I never did AA . I never did a program I didn't relate to that . I'm not an alcoholic , and these bad boys right here , these non-alcoholic beers , fucking saved my life . If it wasn't for these beers , I would fucking feel miserable . I'd feel like I'm missing out . I feel like I'm not connecting with the boys having a good time . But hey , I get it . It can be triggering . It's not for everybody . There's less than 0.5% alcohol . For some people that's way too much . For me it's the perfect amount . That's why I like to drink eight or nine . Then I feel like I'm a bit tipsy . But hey , look , chris , I appreciate this . I'm not judging you . Sounds like you're not shit . You are judging me . Um , do your way . I do it my way . There's more than one way to fucking do it nab ears ?
Speaker 1is it using behavior ? I'd love to hear your thoughts . I was just surprised to see that somebody had put out such a first of all not judging but clearly I'm about to judge statement about something that is so far reaching and and affects so many different people in so many different ways .
Different strokes
Speaker 1I have met a lot of people over the last year and a half of producing the magazine and two years of planning and getting everything into place , and I can attest and I can swear and I can vouch and I can testify , by the gods of whatever algorithm brought you to me today , that there is no one right way to reassess and make changes to your relationship with alcohol . Different people trying to make the change .
Speaker 1I have met alcohol-free brand founders who still drink and I've met others who haven't touched a drop for 25 years and swear that they never will . I have met directors and founders of alcohol-free drinks awards who have no issue with their relationship with alcohol whatsoever but absolutely love what what alcohol free drinks can do for people and the amazing taste and flavors that they can bring . I have met sobriety or recovery coaches who still occasionally drink , whether for part of their work or just because they want to try things and see what they're like . There are so many different people taking so many different paths , and you and I are just two examples . So I think for somebody to boldly state that consuming NABs whilst in a recovery program is using behavior is just really , really ignorant , and I don't mean that in the offensive , argumentative way that people often take it , but ignorance just means a lack of knowledge and a lack of experience . Now
The study
Speaker 1what I will say is that alcohol-free drinks , be they beers , wine , spirits , ciders , whatever , can be triggering for some people . So don't be fooled into thinking that I'm dismissing that .
Speaker 1In fact , I recently found a meta study , created in 2022 , of 4,045 different records of the use of alcohol-free drinks in people , and I thought it was really , really interesting . This report noted that craving and desire to drink have been found to increase after the consumption of no-load drinks in patients with heavy or high-risk drinking pattern . Aud AUD standing for alcohol use disorder , which , if you didn't know , is the new way that people use replace the term alcoholic . The report goes on to explain that the increase in craving correlates with the severity of the person's alcohol dependency , and the same study also found , interestingly , that alcohol-related cues that can be brought about by using alcohol-free or alcohol-adjacent drinks might trigger the same physiological response in users as when they were consuming full strength alcohol . So it's kind of that psychosomatic approach where your body starts to react as if it's had the thing , even though it hasn't , because your brain has told it to expect that . So clearly , for a certain cohort of people , alcohol-free drinks or alcohol-adjacent drinks or non-alcoholic drinks are not a wise choice and for those people , absolutely 100% steer clear of them . Get off that highway or to hell straight away and find something else that you can enjoy that makes you feel special , makes you feel like you're having a quality drink and can enjoy the occasion and the situation that you find yourself in .
Wanting a change
Speaker 1But that study was focused only on people who have or have already been classified clinically as having high or severe alcohol use dependency . It wasn't looking at people who are just trying to make inroads into addressing their relationship with alcohol , and those are my people . That is who I want to speak to . Creating low , no media for me has always always been about reaching people who are like me , people who are like who I was a few years ago , who just don't recognize that they have these options and they have these other choices . For me , it's always been about showing people that there are other options , so you don't have to go down this path , and hopefully reaching people before they reach a stage where they need professional help so that they can make these choices and take these actions off their own regard .
A coach's view
Speaker 1In the same vein , I spoke to somebody on this podcast a couple of months ago now and actually up until I think three weeks ago , his was the most listened to episode . His name is Aaron Smallman and he is a recovery coach and he fascinates me because Aaron Smallman quite happily says you know , life is a great area and I'm quoting now there are loads of variables in it . There are people , like myself included , that without no or no products , their life would be completely different and the chances are they wouldn't actually be here , and I'm quite open and honest about the fact that it would have fucking taken me down . I would have gone under . So for some people , these drinks offer a lifeline that they would otherwise be drowning without . I am passionate that we can help to show people that this lifeline is available in so many different forms and that it is about you searching for which element of it works best for you .
Speaker 1You don't have to like everything Nobody likes everything but if you try one alcohol-free drink and that doesn't work well for you , then don't write off the entire category . Go and try something else . As a culture , we spend so much time trying to fix things , fix ourselves to get over things , and , of course , we should always be working on bettering ourselves . But , as my mother was often very , very fond of telling me , prevention is better than cure , and I think that alcohol-free drinks , non-alcoholic drinks , can offer a preventative approach to drinking for those people that need to find something else to enjoy other than falling down the rabbit hole of just having yet another drink , having yet another shot . I mean , I don't know about you , but I can't even count the amount of drinks that I have had that I didn't really want to have , just because it's what you do , just because it's what everybody else was doing .
Speaker 1So
Different drink types
Speaker 1you know , whatever it is , that you enjoy drinking , whether you like to look for things that replicate the burn of alcoholic drinks by using chili extracts , whether it's a cocktail in a can that you can just pop and pour so you can have something whenever the moment takes you , whether you're looking for a wine to replace those wine moments or you just want a beer without the booze , there's so much that alcohol-free drinks can offer to non-drinkers . You know that , really , we're in such a lucky time to be able to have these options , have these options and even if you're not looking for a replica , if you're not looking for a replacement because you don't want to be triggered , there's also a great wealth out there of really unique brands that are doing things that you can't find anywhere else with alcohol or without . Brands like Ferragaya Bativo and the Botanist Beer , who've created a tea brewed collagen enhanced alcohol free beer . You know , this stuff is absolutely fascinating and it's so exciting being part of this industry and seeing what's coming out next and what crazy things people are going to be coming up with , and that's why I say it's great to go and experiment
Growth of the category
Speaker 1.
Speaker 1The low-no industry is growing at a rate of knots . Comparing 2022 to 2023 , beverage alcohol sales in the UK fell by 2% , whereas in the same time , beverage sales of no-load drinks grew by 47% volume . I mean , yes , we're starting from a lower base , but that's still phenomenal growth against an alcohol market that's growing more and more stagnant as people start to really think about what they're putting in their body and how it's affecting them both physically and mentally . This trend and I'm loathe to call it a trend for low , no and light is not going anywhere , and it is a tool that helps so many people .
Speaker 1So , whether you are coming at it as something to use to replace your old habits because you want to stop drinking , whether you just want to become more mindful of your drinking choices , whether you're more of a blender who likes to have a night out last a little bit longer by mixing alcohol full and alcohol free drinks in the same setting , there is so much that the world of low-no beverages can bring to us , and it would be a crying shame to have them dismissed as dangerous triggers for all and sundry without first giving them that opportunity to see if they could work for you . And I think that , truth be told , most people who find themselves in a situation where alcohol use disorder is impacting their life in a significantly negative way will know whether or not those drinks are safe for them to have . And once again , I beseech that , if you are that kind of person , don't go down this path . Don't force yourself to do something that's going to ultimately negatively impact you . But for the people out there who are looking to make a positive change and still want to go to the pub , still want to go for a meal , still want to sit down on a Friday date night with their other half and have a drink and a curry , there is no downside to trying this world of low , no drinks and finding some brand new favorites to enjoy .
Speaker 1Whether your goal is to go tea total in the long run or just to reduce your alcohol intake , remember that being a mindful drinker , being sober , curious , should be a judgment-free zone with no expectations , free zone with no expectations . So , as the kids say , you do you , babe . That's it for today . Thank you for listening to me have my little soapbox moment . It's really important to me , obviously , that we champion these Lono drink brands and allow the members and citizens , I should say , of Lono Nation to keep finding amazing drinks to try . If you would like to try some amazing drinks and you don't know what to try next , then I highly recommend that you check out the latest issue of the Lono Drinker magazine . Or why don't you go and check out your Lono drinking personality type by taking the UK's first and only low no and light personality drinking type quiz over at learnodrinkermagazinecom . That's it . See you next time .
