I know what it’s like to be stuck and over-drinking and not believing in myself and feeling overwhelmed and anxious and often resentful AND using alcohol for all the good times, too. I know what it’s like on the other side of that, and it’s worth every single penny, no matter how many hours it takes, all the uncomfortable urges you have to work through, and learning how to fail and keep going.. IT’S ALL 100% WORTH IT to be free from the over-desire to drink all the time. I wish someone had...

Oh boy, are you in for a treat today!? I am sharing behind the scenes what's been happening with us on the parenting front. We had a big breakthrough last week and realized that our main focus on parenting was a bit 'off.' And we made a shift, and now our entire family is notably more engaged and happier. I also realized I was people-pleasing around my kids. I was relying on them to be happy and to feel good in order for me to feel good. My energy in making them feel happy or protecting...

This episode is a class I taught this week. I covered WHY we over-drink. It's because you've trained your brain to DESIRE alcohol with repetitive drinking in response to your feelings. AND, we continue to over-drink because of our primitive motivational triad, avoid pain, seek pleasure, and conserve energy, in addition, we have our conditioning and culture at play. During the masterclass, we discussed: Being intentional vs unintentional. I taught you how to process an urge vs resist...

Are you being proactive in drinking less, or is your relationship with alcohol more REACTIVE to how your day is going or how you feel? This episode is EXCELLENT to learn about the benefits of being proactive to maintain an alcohol-free life or someone who doesn't over-drink. I share a lot of my own personal journey in this episode, and you don't want to miss it. Also, real tools you can use today that will help you to be more proactive in your own journey to drink less and live more!The...

Please join me in welcoming Kristi Coulter to the Stop Over-Drinking and Start Living podcast.Kristi Coulter is the author of the memoirs NOTHING GOOD CAN COME FROM THIS and EXIT INTERVIEW: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF MY AMBITIOUS CAREER. Her writing has appeared in New York Magazine, the Paris Review, Elle, Glamour, and many other publications. She is a former Washington State Book Award finalist and has held residencies at Ragdale and the Mineral School. Alongside her writing, Kristi also teaches...

Have you ever wondered what kind of results you could get if you did more? Or maybe you have noticed lately you are sort of half-ass doing the work to stop over-drinking. Well, this episode is for you! This episode will light you up to consider GOING ALL THE WAY and do what it takes to repair your relationship with alcohol. In this episode I share about a workshop I attended last weekend called Finish Strong and got coaching myself on my goals for the end of the year. I had noticed I was just...

When we decide to pursue any goal, we need to get good at failing. Any goal or project we pursue comes with setbacks, unexpected events, and a whole slew of obstacles. But, somehow, we forget about that in the pursuit to stop over-drinking. Failure is a part of the process. But many of you are scared to fail, and that fear holds you back from pursuing what you want. The thing about the fear of failure is that you already know what failure feels like. That's why you aren't motivated to...

Oh boy.. parenting!!! Parenting is no f'ng joke. It's the hardest thing I have ever done, even harder than stopping over-drinking. It's relentless, exhausting, overwhelming, and filled with guilt. You are constantly judging yourself and worried about your kids' future. And then you get these tiny little nuggets of good times, and it will fill you for a while, and then when you feel like you can't possibly go on and keep doing it anymore, you get another little nugget. Can you...

This week is a great episode, as I just came back from a getaway! I share my experience of not over-eating on a recent vacation and how you can have an even better time on vacation or weekends without over-drinking and overeating. It's all about being intentional and focusing on how you want to feel. Do not miss this episode; even if you don't have travel plans coming up, it will help you with weekend over-consumption, too! I also discuss the details of my 4-month coaching program, which...

One of my amazing clients shared that she turned to her journal when she was having some chatter instead of pouring wine. She wrote it would have been easier but not BETTER. And I couldn't agree more. We are programmed for easy. But easy isn't better for most things. Our society wants now, fast, and cheap, and if we don't get things now fast and cheap, we don't like it. But the growth that needs to happen when you change your relationship with alcohol is a process that takes time and...

This week, I am joined by Certified Recovery Coach Colleen Kachmann. Colleen and I share some of our stories on how we ended up as non-drinkers and the work we did to get us there. It was a casual conversation that will help open you up about your own relationship with alcohol and what might be or what might NOT be working for you.We discussed:-How to listen to your body when it comes to alcohol.-The mental load required to keep alcohol in your life.-How to add more things in your life to...

We are scared of missing out. So much so that we go to great extents to NOT feel like we are missing out.But what if we SHOULD feel like we are missing out?When you listen to this episode, it will change the way you think about it.And you won't be afraid to miss out on those extra drinks, pieces of cake, or extra social situations you really don't want to go to!Allowing yourself to feel the missing out feeling at the moment opens up yourself to not miss out on your sleep, goals of cutting...

This episode explores that we are trading off discomfort tomorrow for comfort today when we choose to drink off plan. And that the discomfort is not equal. The discomfort you will feel tomorrow is a lot bigger than the discomfort you will feel today. If you say yes to a drink today and it's not planned, you will have a little bit of comfort in that you won't have to work through your urges or feelings in that moment. But tomorrow's discomfort can last a long time, all day or many days and...

Have you heard of my mini-course, Say YES to Drinking Less? Well, if not, tune in and hear about it. It all goes down next week, Aug 21-25, 2023. You can sign up right now for it here: www.angelamascenik.com/say-yes. And hear what only people who over-drink think to themselves... sounds like 'If I don't drink, I'll worry, I'll be boring...' People who don't drink, don't think that. People who only have a drink or 2 on very special occasions don't think that. In other words, only people who...

Wow! You are in for a very special treat this week as I invited my Alive AF! clients, Amy and Emily on the podcast to share their stories.  Amy and Emily are sisters-in-law, and they are married to twin brothers! They have known each other since elementary school and ended up marrying twins!  They share what was going on with their drinking before joining Alive AF! and where they are now, it's nothing short of amazing.  They also go deep into the complexities of motherhood and marriage and...

We got home one day ago from a 6-week cross country and back road trip! Please tune in and hear my personal highlights of that trip and some of our fun activities. And how you can reacclimatize to 'normal' life that doesn't include extreme measures and restrictive dieting. I discuss how focusing on ONE thing for the first 24 hours is super helpful and will keep your mind from spinning on what you didn't do or need to do now that you have returned. Your mind will be triggered on the first...

This episode dives into the concept of Restriction. I might be a bit controversial here, but I don't think Restriction around alcohol is a bad thing. We restrict ourselves from doing all sorts of things, right? I restrict myself from yelling at my kids constantly and eating all the junk food. And I want to restrict myself from these things. The act of restricting usually comes from feeling bad about ourselves so we do extreme diets, cleanses, and programs. The feeling of restriction...

I can't wait for you to listen to this week's episode!  I just got back from an overnight in the Napa Valley Wine Region!  I haven't been there since I stopped drinking.  I share what I did, my thoughts about being sober in Napa, and more. I also expand on how when we cut back on drinking, we have more space in our lives to address unresolved issues and decide how we want to live our lives going forward.  In the episode, I explain how to do this, and it might not be what you...

This episode dives into the concept of 'pre-stressing.' You know, it's what we do when we have something coming up, and we get ourselves all freaked out about it, and then once we get to the event, we realize it wasn't such a big deal, and we wish we didn't spend so much time stressing over it? YUP, pre-stressing, it's a thing, and I'm teaching you how to manage that (very normal human condition) in this episode. Pre-stressing is unnecessary, and it's absolutely something that you can...

The episode you have been waiting for!  In this episode, I reflect on my recent trip to Las Vegas and how it differed from my previous trips when I would over-drink and party the night away.  I also discuss how to think ahead with intention when you travel and the importance of setting expectations with your family or friends you are traveling with.  And I share more details of my Sober Cancun Retreat and Coaching package; if you want to travel with me and experience an ultimate trip, as a...

In this episode, I break down the trifecta of what causes us to over-drink. 1. We are actually designed to get addicted to things; it's part of our survival programming. 2. Our societal and cultural programming plays a big part in how we view alcohol and what we think about using it. 3. And finally, our lack of skill to be with our feelings. I dive deep into each of these areas and expand on why we are over-drinking and how we can fix it. You are not broken, nothing is wrong with you,...

Coach Steph joins me today to discuss the most common setbacks women experience when working on cutting back on how much they are drinking.  These are common themes that we see over and over again when clients ask for coaching. The reasons why they are not seeing the progress that they want to see: Fear of failing Waiting for the “right” time Telling themselves they don’t have the time Believing they always have to feel motivated Listen to this casual conversation as we talk about these...

Ep. 231 Pivoting  When should I pivot?  We need to be flexible in our well-laid plans.  Like on vacation, we know that not everything will play out exactly as planned.  And when you make a drink plan or are working on your relationship with alcohol, it goes without saying that things can change, and we need to be flexible.  Tune in and listen to this week’s episode, and I will explain when you should pivot or stay the course.  And it might not be what you are expecting!  LAST CHANCE TO...

I know what it’s like to be stuck and over-drinking and not believing in myself and feeling overwhelmed and anxious and often resentful AND using alcohol for all the good times too. However, I also know what it's like to come out of that situation and let me tell you, it's absolutely worth the effort. It may take some time and uncomfortable moments as you face your urges, but trust me, being free from the constant desire to drink is truly rewarding.I wish someone had told me that it wasn't as...

What isn't working? I share some of my adventures in Ireland, AND a very important question was asked that we all need to ask ourselves regularly... What isn't working? What isn't working for you, right now, in your life? This episode explores how alcohol might not work for you and how you can get clear on that and then helps you move forward with deciding what you will do about it. The good news is that now, we have many options for support around alcohol. Deciding on what to do, is...