Welcome And Friday Feeling

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Hello and welcome to day five of our Mindful Drinking Audio Advent here on the Mindful Drinking and Moderation in Midlife podcast with me, Denise Hamilton Mace. Today's day is an important one. It's all about that Friday feeling. And I'm pleased to say that it is very kindly sponsored today by Everleaf. And I'll tell you more about them and the discount code that you can get to go and try some for yourself later on. But for now, I want to talk about that Friday feeling. It has been for as long as anyone can remember the signal that you have reached the end of the working week and that it is now your time to unwind, to relax, to be indulged, to be indulgent, and to kick your feet up and make the most of the weekend ahead. And for years that feeling has been tied to the sound of a wine bottle opening, a can cracking, a cork popping, the hum of the pub, the clinking of glasses, and all of those drinks filled with alcohol. Now the good news is that if you still want that Friday feeling, but you don't want that Saturday morning feeling, you can still have it. You can still keep it. All of it. You can keep the ritual, you can keep the reward, you can keep the relaxation, you can keep the fact that you have got to the end of yet another week and it's been stressful and you deserve a drink to unwind. You absolutely do. That Friday feeling, it's not about the alcohol. It's about the permission to stop, it's about the ability to rest, it's about being able to switch off and to put your out of office on and to tell the world that you are off duty for the next two days. You don't need alcohol to give you all of that. If that's where you want to get it from, and it's a conscious choice that you make, that's different. But the automatic assumption that because it's Friday in the pub, you have to have booze, that needs to go out the window. The other problem with Friday is that every night throughout this festive season feels like a Friday night. Maybe Monday or Tuesday, you might have to pretend to get some work done. But from Wednesday to Thursday to Friday, the rest of the week and all over the weekend, it all feels like a Friday night. It's all oh, why not? Or go on, it's Christmas, oh, just a little one, the whole time. So if you are associating that feeling and that time with alcohol every single time you have one of those thoughts, you're never going to stop drinking throughout the Christmas period. And the fact that you're here means that that's not what you want. So I want you to know this that on a Friday night, if you want to go to the pub and you want to have an alcohol-free drink, that is perfectly okay. It is okay to say no to booze if

Go with a plan

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you feel like you need a breather. It's also okay to say no to going to the pub if you don't feel like it's going to be the best place for you. Maybe the relaxation that you get on a Friday night is that you go home and relax on the sofa and your other half and the kids go out for the evening and go to a friend's house. Maybe that's what you need. I love having the house to myself, it's wonderful. There are different ways to find your relaxation and your rest and your restoration. So make sure you explore those. But if we are sticking to talking about going to the pub, then the good news is that our pubs and bars, both here in the UK and over in the States, are all doing so much better when it comes to low-no and light alcohol options. They are not perfect by any stretch. I'm not saying they've all got it right, but they are doing so, so, so much better. So if you do decide to join in and go down the pub on a Friday night, my advice would be to make sure you have a few low-no or light alcohol drinks in mind that you know you want to uh going to use as your go-to drinks when you get to the bar. Reason being is that when you go to the pub, if you are unprepared and then the waiter comes over, or uh you're all standing at the bar and someone's getting around in, and you don't know what you want to drink that happens to be alcohol-free, it's so easy to just say, Oh, go on, I'll have what he's having, or I'll have what she's having, or to just ask for what you usually have, be that a GNT or a lager or whatever it is. So knowing a few go-to alcohol-free drinks is a really easy way to help you stick to whatever um goals or guidelines or ideals that you outlined for yourself when we spoke on day one. Now, today's Advent Door is sponsored by the wonderful Everleaf, and I'm really pleased because this is a brand that you can definitely find in so many bars, restaurants, supermarkets, online retailers across the UK and in the US as well. They are a really great brand. It is founded by conservation biologist and mixologist Paul Matthew. Uh, he's a wonderful, kind-hearted gentleman who gave me uh a bit of his time uh a few months ago to have a chat on the podcast, and it is the most downloaded episode of the entire show. So I will link to that in the show notes if you want to go and find out a little bit more about them. They're three varieties, forest, mountain, and marine, are all inspired by nature and all give back to nature as well. These are fantastic to use as spritz, as a sort of maybe a gin and tonic, to use in cocktails. They are so versatile. And of course, if you open today's Advent door, you will find uh an exclusive discount code for you to go and try them all and save a few pennies while you do on your way to having a Christmas less intoxicated. I'll see you tomorrow for day six.