Mindful Drinking Advent 7: The Sunday Night Calendar Audit You Actually Need Artwork

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.

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Mindful Drinking and Moderation in Midlife: How to Drink Less, On Your Terms

Mindful Drinking Advent 7: The Sunday Night Calendar Audit You Actually Need

December 07, 2025 • Denise Hamilton-Mace • Episode 129

0:00 | 6:27

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YOUR DATA, YOUR CHOICE: WEIGH UP THE TRUE IMPACT OF DRINKING FROM LIGHT – MEDIUM – HEAVY DAYS WITH THE DRINKING IMPACT CALCULATOR AT https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com/products/drinking-impact-calculator

On Day Seven of the Mindful Drinking Advent Series, it’s time for a Sunday night calendar audit — a simple but powerful way to cut overwhelm, create breathing room, and avoid drinking on autopilot.

This episode walks you through reviewing the week ahead, spotting the plans that energise you, and confidently ditching the ones that don’t.

You’ll also learn how to add buffer days, escape routes, and boundaries so December stops running your life — and you get to run it instead.

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🎄 Join the daily advent for free to have your best Christmas & New Year yet! https://lownodrinker.com/christmaspod/ 🤶🏾

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✅ Get the Beginner's Guide to Mindful Drinking - https://lownodrinker.com/mindful-drinking-beginners-guide/

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❓ Take the Midlife Drinking Triggers Quiz - https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/68dd33385bb4a20015996a13

You don't have to go

SPEAKER_00 1:51

Hello, hello, and welcome to your mindful drinking audio advent day seven here on the Mindful Drinking and Moderation in Midlife podcast with me, Denise Hamilton Mace. Today is day seven, and we are doing a calendar audit. It's Sunday today. It is the end of the weekend. Hopefully, you've had some nice downtime and been able to relax and unwind. But it has been reported that on Sunday evenings, website traffic across the globe goes up as most people start getting ready for the week ahead, and also in line with that, stress levels go up as well. Now, at this time of year, you might be looking at your week ahead and going, damn, I have got a lot going on. So today's task is quite simple. We are going to do a calendar audit because if you're like most people at this time of year, you've got a lot of events in your diary over the next two weeks. There's lunches, there are staff parties, there are evening catch-ups, there are things on the weekend, uh, there's so much going on, and it can be hard to see when you're going to get some time for you. But it's important, you need some time for yourself, and you don't have to stumble through December thoughtlessly accepting every single invitation. You can decide what's worth your time, what's worth your energy, worth your attention, and whatever drinking uh allowance you decide to give yourself, however you want to frame that. So, what I'd like you to do today is to pull up your calendar and have a look at what's coming. Notice which of the events that you've so far said yes to are actually going to energize you. What are you looking forward to? And which ones are going to deplete you? What is it that you're seeing and going, oh my gosh, I can't believe I have to spend two hours talking to these people. Review your week ahead. Look intentionally and mark which of the events that you said yes to that you actually want to go to. The ones that you don't want to go to. Let me tell you a secret. It's okay to say no. Even if you've already said yes, it's okay to change your mind. You don't have to drink and socialize and uh be out to everybody else's schedule. And in fact, I'll let you into another secret. Most people, most of the time, are quite relieved when plans get cancelled, postponed, pushed back, changed, reduced

If you do decide to go

SPEAKER_00 4:31

in some way, shape, or form. Because we've all got so much going on. So decide what you're actually going to go to. And the ones that you're not going to go to, you simply need to send a very simple message. Thank you so much for the invitation. I'm afraid I can't make it. I'll catch you next time. You don't need to explain anything else. You don't need to go into some big monologue about how you're worried about drinking too much. You don't need to ask their permission if it's okay if you change your mind. You simply state the facts as they are. I'm no longer going to be able to make it. I'm very sorry. And I will catch you next time. Now, if you do have events that you feel that you uh need to attend for whatever reason, um, the other thing you can do is to make sure you add some buffering into your week. Wherever possible, move any events that will lead you to back-to-back socializing. Don't go out on Tuesday night, Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday night. It's just too much. Your brain, your body, your psyche, your soul is just going to be overwhelmed. So make sure you give yourself some breaks in between, some buffer days in between events. And finally, plan your uh your escape routes, plan your outs uh for each event that you have said yes to. Decide um how long you're gonna stay, when you want to get home, whether or not you're gonna book an Uber in advance, whether that's gonna be catching the last train or the last bus. Um, and if needs be, have some uh exit lines ready, such as you know, I've got an early start tomorrow, or I've got to get home. The babysitter needs me by 11 pm, whatever it is, whatever you're comfortable with, so that it doesn't feel scripted or forced. Uh, make sure that you've got that in your back pocket so that when it comes time for you to make your goodbyes, you can do so quickly and confidently. Now, in today's mindful advent calendar, uh, I've got something a little bit different for you. I'm not recommending some drinks today. Instead, you might be at that stage where you are about to do Secret Santa later on this week and you have forgotten to get a present in. But I have got some great sober curious, mindful drinking, uh, low no light alcohol gift suggestions for you. So make sure you open up today's day and you can see some suggestions from my friends at Sober and Curious at We Recover Loudly and at the Jomo Club. Okay, that's it for today. I'll see you tomorrow for day eight. And until then, cheers to a Christmas less intoxicated.

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Denise Hamilton-Mace

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