EP 52 Overcoming Slip-Ups and Surpassing Sober Expectations with Meg Fee

When Meg Fee first whispered to the world, "You don't have to drink," she sparked a flame in the hearts of many seeking a path to sobriety. She joins us today, sharing her story from her first year sans alcohol to the radiant glow of impending motherhood. Meg, candid and inspiring, shares the intimate details of her journey - the triumphs of being a sober bride, the kinship found within the sober community, and even the difficult moments along the way.

Navigating life's social scenes without the crutch of alcohol might seem daunting. Still, as Meg and I chat, we agree that there's beauty in the simple, daily practice of sobriety, similar to yoga or mindfulness. Whether it's savoring the delicate flavors of Italian non-alcoholic wines or basking in the support of online communities such as 1000 Hours Dry and Tempest, we illuminate the many facets of an alcohol-free life. Each step, each choice, each day is a celebration, affirming the vibrant life that awaits beyond the bottle.

Meg's personal endeavors and the warm embrace she extends through her social media and podcast, "More Than Sobriety," have given hope to so many. So raise your non-alcoholic glasses as we toast to the small changes that lead to big transformations. Here's to thriving in sobriety and the joy and freedom that await on this journey!

Get in touch with Meg!
Website | Instagram

Thanks to Giesen 0% Wines for sponsoring this podcast episode. 

Thanks to Giesen 0% Wines for being our exclusive non-alcoholic wine sponsor!

Connect with Deb: @Mocktail.Mom

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Transcript

Deb: 0:01

Welcome up, friends and welcome to the Thriving Alcohol Free podcast. I'm your host, deb, otherwise known as Mocktail Mom, a retired wine drinker that finally got sick and tired of spinning on life's broken record called Detox to Retox. Let this podcast be an encouragement to you. If alcohol is maybe a form of self-care for you or you find yourself dragging through the day waiting to pour another glass, I am excited to share with you the fun of discovering new things to drink when you aren't drinking and the joy of waking up each day without a hangover. It is an honor to serve as your sober, fun guide, so sit back and relax or keep doing whatever it is you're doing. This show is produced for you with love from the great state of Kentucky. Thanks so much for being here and big time cheers. Okay, hey, friends, it's Deb.

Deb: 0:50

Welcome back to the Thriving Alcohol Free podcast. I am so happy that you are here and I am absolutely thrilled. Today I get to make a new friend with you. We get to make a new friend all together today with Meg Fee, who has joined me in the studio today. And Meg, her Instagram is you don't have to drink and her podcast is More Than Subrani. Have I got it all right. Yes, I don't want to mess anything up. I want to make sure everybody knows where to find you, so we'll have that in the show notes, but I'm so happy you're here. How are you? Thank?

Meg: 1:19

you. Yeah, I'm really excited to be here. I'm a little rusty. It's been a while since I was a guest on a podcast, since I've been getting my own up and running, so I'm excited, a little nervous, but really mostly excited to be here and meet you. I've been, like I said before we started recording. I've been following along with Mocktail Mom for a long time. So, this is really fun for me to get to meet you and have a little chat, one on one.

Deb: 1:45

Let's have a little girls chat. Yes, I want to hear your story about becoming alcohol free. I think you and I originally got connected through Kel or Kel's is sober, that's her Instagram right, really. So she and I did an Instagram live and I feel like she said to me like oh, you need to talk to Meg, and that was like in 2021. So here we are two years later. Yes, so a lot has changed for you. You got married and now you're about to become a Mocktail Mom, is that?

Meg: 2:10

right, I am, yes, I'm about to become a Mocktail Mom.

Deb: 2:12

I want to hear oh, okay, so when are you due?

Meg: 2:15

Yes, so in your ray a lot has changed and it was probably around 2021. Emily and I we were doing some 1000 hours show I stuff together and we still chat from time to time and she's just amazing. I think she's one of the first people that I found in the sober Instagram world, so I kind of credit that to her, like just opening up this whole space to me. But, yes, since then, like you said, I got married.

Meg: 2:42

I was a sober bride, which I never, ever thought would be possible for me. Like, I was definitely one of those little girls who always dreamed of their wedding day and definitely thought that alcohol would be part of it and it wasn't, thankfully, and yeah, and then that was in 2022, february 2022. And then my husband and I bought a home, which another thing I didn't think would be possible without you know before, I quit drinking. And now, yeah, I'm expecting a little baby March, at the end of March. So I'm about six months now and just a few more months to go. So lots of exciting change over the last three years of this sobriety journey.

Deb: 3:29

That's major change. Okay, so when did you become alcohol free? When did you start living an alcohol free lifestyle? Or when were you like sober curious, did you window shop for a long time sobriety.

Meg: 3:42

Yeah, so I first started, I guess, admitting to myself I think I need to take a look at this probably in 2019. I definitely recognized that alcohol was a problem in my life before that, but I think, like many people, sort of swept that questioning under the rug as much as possible. And I was I'm 32 now so that was like pretty well into my 20s and at that point I'd had many, many years since I was a teenager of drinking and binge drinking and partying and all of that and for a while thought it was normal. Yeah, so 2019 is probably when I started questioning it. That's when I, if I go back in my phone you know we screenshot things that inspire us and I go back to 2019 and I could see I don't really recall it happening until 2020. But I see myself screenshotting like alcohol free posts and stuff like that from bloggers and influencers and stuff like that.

Meg: 4:49

So that's been kind of interesting. So I'm like, oh, wait, a second. I actually it looks like I started thinking about it before then. But 2020 is when I really dove in. I think, again, like a lot of people, the pandemic things kind of got worse with my drinking before it got better, before I stopped myself, so I was doing a lot of drinking at the beginning of 2020, but definitely exploring window shopping. I like that as you called it, and it took a while to stick. It took like three years to for it to stick. I just celebrated my one year in September, my full year.

Deb: 5:25

Wow, happy soberversary, thank you.

Meg: 5:28

Yeah, and I, I got very close in 2021. I went almost 10 months and then I slipped. That was right before my wedding, at my bachelorette party. But I like to, I like to remind myself, I'm grateful that it happened at my bachelorette party and not at the wedding. That's the more important day. And it kind of solidified like, okay, I'm definitely not drinking on my wedding day, but, yeah, so did a lot of long stints of sobriety and then and then I feel like now it's finally, it's finally stuck, feels different this time around. I talk about slipping a lot on my page because I think it's such a common experience. So I like to kind of normalize that and say you know, like we hear a lot, it's not a linear journey slips, don't take away your time before that. And I like to remind myself, remind other people, but yeah, so it's been. So it's been a little over a year consecutively, but a few years in the making.

Deb: 6:28

That's amazing. I love that. Yeah, because it's been a long journey and, right, you don't wanna take away from the time that you've put in. Right, you put in a lot of time, yeah, yeah, a lot of victories along the way.

Meg: 6:40

Exactly yeah, every event, every holiday, every whatever is a milestone, whether it's consecutive or not. So yeah, feeling good now that's awesome that's so awesome.

Deb: 6:52

So you were screenshotting people back in 2019, and what inspired you to start your own Instagram about?

Meg: 7:01

not drinking, you know.

Deb: 7:02

Yeah, and I love it. Yeah, you don't have to drink Like I love that.

Meg: 7:06

Thank you. Yeah, it was kind of my mantra because the page was called a few different things. I kept changing it. I work in the creative space, brand marketing world and I really love writing, so I'm kind of always like messing with things. Like once I make something I'm like, oh, could it be a little different? So I did the same thing with my page.

Meg: 7:23

But the question you asked is like what made me start it? And it's funny because when I opened it, like I said, I was just starting to question like maybe I could be sober, maybe I could quit drinking or maybe at least stop for a step period of time. But I opened the account as a health account, like I wanted to follow health and wellness. I wanted a different space outside of my personal account to follow and share about this health journey. I was kind of on before sobriety even came into the picture. It's funny to me because I thought that I was so healthy, like when it came to food and exercise and self care, and but I was drinking so much. And so now I laugh because I'm like, oh, my God, who was I opening this page? Being like this is my health and wellness account. Yeah, come for happy hour? Yeah, exactly, it would have been like wine and yoga, but I ended up very quickly.

Deb: 8:22

I don't mean normal. That's still going on today. You see wine and yoga events. It's crazy town.

Meg: 8:28

I quickly stumbled upon the sober, other sober pages and that sort of like stopped me in my tracks and it shifted. So I was like, please, second, maybe I need to look at this, and so I really do. I have to credit Instagram as much as I said before, like it's a love hate thing with social media for me, it's really what opened my eyes to this possibility. So same.

Deb: 8:57

Yeah, I did not. Yeah, it was like. It was like, oh wow, oh well, she looks normal, she doesn't drink, you know. I mean that sounds so silly, but I think, because it's so ingrained that it's just like it's normal, Like you know, you just you go out after work and you have drinks, or you meet up and you have a drink, or you bring a drink with you. You know, it's just so normalized. Or you go to yoga and then you have wine afterwards, Like what are we doing, I know? And you realize like wow, there's people who've got off the crazy train, you know.

Meg: 9:23

It's everywhere. It's really unavoidable and you don't really notice it until you stop, like until you stop and you're questioning it, then you're like, whoa, okay, no wonder I'm brainwashed, no wonder nobody really stops to look at this. It's just everywhere. But yeah, I had that same feeling. Like you know, I didn't necessarily think I needed to quit drinking altogether or be sober, like that was never even in my vocabulary. It was more like I need to look at this and I need to slow down. I need to learn how to drink like a normal person, I need to learn how to pace myself, I need to cut back, and those are all great things to do if you're somebody who can do it. But I quickly realized like, oh wait, no, I can't do that. That's actually harder for me than just stopping altogether.

Deb: 10:17

So you know it's so interesting you say that because I was the exact same way, like I thought, like I just want to be able to moderate, I just want to be able to drink, like drink, have a glass of wine and not be thinking about the next one or thinking about what do I have at home? You know, and I think, a lot of women, a lot of people who are listening, men and women, you know who are listening maybe you're in the exact same boat. You know, right now it's the beginning of the year, new goals. You know, maybe they're doing dry January or, you know, dry February or whatever. Dry, maybe taking 2024 off or just trying to take a little break and it's like it's okay to just. You know, you don't have to say forever, you don't have to declare sobriety to maybe just take a look at it, to evaluate your relationship with alcohol.

Meg: 10:54

Yes, I love that point. I think sobriety sounds unachievable for a lot of people.

Meg: 11:02

Agree, totally, it's scary and intimidating and forever is a really long thing. Like I don't. That's a very long time. I don't even know what forever is. So I totally agree you don't have to commit. I wrote a post recently, you know it's like you don't need to commit to quitting drinking forever right now. Like just look at it, follow your curiosity, but don't ignore it. Like don't ignore that voice just because you're afraid of what's on the other side, because maybe and maybe you can, maybe you'll find that you are someone who just benefits from taking a break. That's totally fine. Maybe you find that you are someone who can cut back and moderate. But you won't know until you take a little bit of a hiatus.

Deb: 11:47

That's very true. That's very true. But there's that little voice like you had and I had for years, you know scrolling, you know I'd be drinking my wine. I'd be looking at these people like, wow, how does he do it? He hasn't had a drink in two years. Like I just couldn't even imagine, like you said, like couldn't imagine being at your wedding and not drinking. You know you can't imagine it. But, like you said, like just follow that curiosity, lean into that and just be like you know how. Just try it today. Try on sobriety. Like go test test drive it, see what it is, you know. Or test drive moderating, you know, test drive freaking less.

Meg: 12:19

You know how people say oh, I practice yoga or I practice mindfulness. I like to say practice sobriety for a week or two or three, like just practice. Give it a, give it a shot, just take the pressure off.

Deb: 12:33

That's brilliant. Take the pressure off right. There's no. Like you don't have to like suddenly take this weighted vest of you know foreverness with sobriety. Yeah, I was like you, like I would never want to say the word sober. I would have thought, like why would I say that I just don't want to drink as much? Yeah, no, no.

Meg: 12:47

Yeah, I think a lot of people feel that way too, and even for people like you and I who have been practicing sobriety for a very, very long time, for several years, whatever it may be, it's still hard for me to look 20 years, 15 years, five years into the future and say forever. That's why, you know, they say one day at a time. But I have those moments, too, where I'm like I've never been to Italy. How am I going to go to Italy and not drink the wine? But then I'm like just slow down, like I've done so many things without it. Italy is beautiful without the wine.

Deb: 13:23

Yeah, they have a lot of good alcohol-free wines there too. Yeah, they have a lot of those. I did hear that. Yeah, they do. Yeah, yeah, it's so. I started laughing when you said Italy, only because it's so funny, I think, for whatever reason, all of us, we all have this like Italian vacation in our mind. Like I have the same thing, like what, if I go to Italy, like I want to go to the vineyard. Same thing my daughter's wedding, which now my daughter's engaged, my 22 year old daughter's engaged, you know. But it's like I'm going to bring joyous Thank you, thank you, you know I'm going to bring, you know, the geese and sparkling fruit Like I'm going to have.

Deb: 13:54

we're going to still celebrate, there's going to still be a celebratory you know, popping of the cork, but it's just not going to have any alcohol, I'm not going to have a hangover. But all that to say yes, just take it one day at a time. You don't have to decide now what you're going to do your daughters. You're pregnant. You don't need to decide right now what you're doing at your child's wedding, right, exactly. Yeah, it's okay, there's no pressure. Exactly.

Meg: 14:13

Oh, that's so exciting. Yeah, I mean weddings. Weddings were so tough at first, Like I had like five weddings leading up to ours in the year leading up to ours, which hit that age where we have Like everybody's getting married.

Deb: 14:24

So many weddings.

Meg: 14:25

And I at first was a little shaky, but then now I'm like I firmly believe they are so much better without alcohol for me, like I would be blacked out before the speeches, Like I. Now I get to actually enjoy them and remember them and it's so much better so yeah, yeah, the gift that keeps on giving.

Deb: 14:49

Yes, so, finding people on Instagram, I was the same. It was like that was the. That was the greatest thing that ever happened to me on social media was finding sober people being encouraged. What did you do? Like not that you have to say the program or whatever Did you do a program? Did you sign up for something? Because I know there's tons which I love, there's so many sober communities, alcohol free communities or moderating communities, so was that something that you kind of plugged yourself into? I don't know. I'm literally just asking you.

Meg: 15:15

Yeah. So 1000 hours dry was the first, one of the first pages I stumbled across and I like threw myself into that community. I always liked to caveat for people now like 1000 hours dry isn't, as it's not what it was when I found it. At that point it was much more of an active challenge and community, and now they still have the page for inspiration and all of that. But when I found it, there was a lot of people involved and daily encouragement, daily prompts If it's a 42 day challenge is what it was created to be and that seemed like the longest. That 42 days was like oh my God, that's a lot of time. So I did that and then I ended up becoming a host, like one of the co-hosts for the page and connecting with Kelly and Kevin like the Silver Ginger on.

Meg: 16:10

Instagram and so many other people that still connected with now, and there were group chats on and off Instagram group chats, and so that camaraderie and like collective mission was everyone likes to be part of a team and that's how it felt and the accountability of like showing up and posting and encouraging other people and encouraging each other, like that was really really helpful. So I did that and then slipped, you know, found myself slipping. I think it was like the summer or the fall, and oh, we got engaged. That's what it was and you know, everybody wants to throw alcohol at you when you get engaged. So I kind of like stumbled a little bit and I was like, oh, wait, a second, I might need more support.

Meg: 17:03

So I tried on AA meetings and then I ended up joining Tempest, which is like Holly Whitaker founded originally. Okay, yeah. So I read quit like a woman by her and then realized oh, she has a, she kind of has like a program community and Went to meetings and they have a full like four week intensive. So I did that, I Tried anything I could really. That's another thing I always tell people to like try whatever, try.

Deb: 17:33

I agree. I agree, mm-hmm.

Meg: 17:36

So that, and then I really did try. Their monument is another. They've actually merged with Tempest out, but they were separate at the time. I went to their meetings and so just try to hold bunch of things. I'm also in a local group called sober IRL here.

Deb: 17:53

Oh, I love that IRL.

Meg: 17:55

I love that and it's cool to have people near you because everything with the pandemic was virtual and I think it's amazing and I love virtual meetings, but it's nice to have people close geographically if you need some in-person.

Deb: 18:09

Yeah, yeah so yeah done a lot.

Deb: 18:11

I love that. Okay, so I was in a sober community when I first started and there was a gal locally and we met up IRL. She's like, oh, do you want to meet IRL? Like everything was virtual, though right. And I was like, oh sure, I had no idea what IRL meant and I all I could imagine was, you know, like those little like bumper stickers that says IRL, like for Ireland, and I was like, what does she mean? Like, are we meeting for? Like Irish food? What are we doing, you know?

Meg: 18:33

Just having on a plane's a Dublin right now. Where are we going?

Deb: 18:37

Are we having a Guinness? What's happening here? So, yes, irl, in real life. For those of you who are listening to the podcast, who are over 50 like me and have no idea what that means, sober IRL, that is so cool, I love that. Okay, as you guys know I Giesen zero Giesen percent wines. Their Savoyum block is my go-to on a regular basis, but they recently launched a delicious sparkling brute, zero percent, which is quickly becoming a fan favorite. I am proud proud have as the exclusive non-alcohol wine sponsor of the thriving alcohol free podcast.

Deb: 19:08

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Deb: 20:02

Give Giesen a try and let me know how much you love it. And if you want to meet their winemaker, go back to episode 33 of the podcast, where Duncan Shuler joined me to share about the Giesen story. Yeah, I think like what you said, meg. It's just like like try on different communities. You try on different programs. Find what works for you, whether it's a or it's a Virtual meeting or it's in-person meeting or just connecting, but find your community. You'll feel encouraged. There's people who you're gonna feel so encouraged by, yeah, yeah, so fight, find your people.

Meg: 20:30

Yeah, and people. I used to hear that, like community makes sobriety easier and you have to find community and I was like what is this community that everybody's talking about? Like, once you try meetings, try groups, it doesn't have to be that's. That's another thing that meetings sometimes, I think, scare people because they picture Something in a church basement.

Meg: 20:51

You know, that's a stereotype and that's not how it is anymore. I'm here to say like not at all, and you'll find, you'll find friends. So who are these groups and these meetings or these book clubs? And, like you said, there's so much now, you just got to got to find it.

Deb: 21:10

It's amazing how much is out there. I mean, right, men's groups, women's groups, co-ed. I mean, yeah, I love it. I love that there's so many opportunities and that sobriety is becoming Normalized, like you don't have to go to a, you don't, you can go to a meeting, like I have nothing against it, but like you can just go online to something or you know connected people. So yeah, it's been. I had no idea how I'm, how vital that was. It's been everything so Okay. So you start a podcast, they start a podcast. Yes, more than so, brighty, I love it. You're good with the names.

Meg: 21:43

Thank you. Yeah, I actually worked with a Spiritual business coach like Interesting, but she helped me come up with that name. She was like what would it be here? And I think Beth Bowen, I was on her podcast and she was like what would your memoir be?

Meg: 22:00

And these questions got me being like I think it'd be more than sobriety, because it's kind of cheesy, but there is so much more than just putting down the drink. There's so much more that's come with it for me. I talk about how it has overlapped with. I struggled with an eating disorder for a very long time, and Cannabis is another topic that I talk about a lot, and THC use, and so there's just like a lot that's not even specifically related to alcohol that has kind of Come to the forefront in my life or that I've had to work on addressing my mental health, anxiety, depression, and so I'm just more than all of that stuff. So I want to bring in other topics to the podcast at some point. It's a it's very focused on sobriety so far, but I want to expand a little bit, talk about other topics, and so that's why it's I love that called that.

Deb: 22:59

Well, yes, you start this up right now. You're gonna go to the more part, exactly.

Meg: 23:03

Baby steps.

Deb: 23:05

Yes, I love that. Yeah, and it's like just to be able to share. And there is, it's like putting down that one thing is not everything, right? Yeah, so what things have come into your life that you didn't expect. What's part of the more since putting down the alcohol.

Meg: 23:20

Yeah, I think, like I said the first thing, as soon as I started taking a break from alcohol, I realized I still had a lot of work to do. I think I was like I was like 28 ish at the time and realized I still had a lot to do, a Lot of work to do when it, when it came to addressing my Disordered eating and kind of going back to how I'm like, oh, I'm, I'm health, I'm I'm the definition of health and wellness, but some of my habits that I had since a teenager around food and body and exercise, as soon as I removed alcohol, which was one big coping mechanism, I realized very quickly that food and exercise and control over my body was another coping mechanism, you know, controlling how I look, what I ate. And that was like a couple of weeks into I think I hit like two weeks alcohol free and I was already like, ooh, the way that I journaled about it. When I look back at my journals I kept saying I think my eating disorder is back, but now it never went away. I was just sort of using alcohol as another distraction from it.

Meg: 24:39

So, true recovery from all of that disordered eating has come into my life since, and quitting drinking has been the best thing that I've done for that recovery journey. I would be in a very different place with food and body if I was still drinking, because it just overlapped in so many ways and they both fueled each other, those problems. So it's a tricky topic to talk about but I think a lot of women especially can relate and have some, whether again it's like you don't want to say addict or alcoholic, or you know, I struggle with an eating disorder, it's kind of a scary word, but I think we can all relate to having a little bit of friction with food and body.

Deb: 25:28

Just as women in the world, absolutely, absolutely, always comparing ourselves, always feeling, yeah, absolutely, that's so important, meg, so important so many women are struggling with exactly that. It's really important to shine a light on that, to talk about it.

Meg: 25:45

Yeah, like I said, it's kind of hard to talk about, but people get a little bit like nervous about it, I think, or they're like oh no, that's not me, but I mean same thing with alcohol, right, like none of us want to look under the rug, but that and then cannabis too was something that I had used since I was a teenager.

Meg: 26:04

Pretty much around the time I started using alcohol, cannabis was kind of in and out of my life and I started leaning into it more heavily when I stopped drinking, kind of as a crutch, and quickly was like wait a second, this is a problem too, I think. So now I've also quit cannabis and starting to talk a little bit about that. I think I'm on like 250 days or something. For that that's huge Congratulations, thank you. And I also say like, even though I'm pregnant, that doesn't mean the cravings or like the urges go away. I think that's another scary thing that people don't want to admit, but I know plenty of women who have had the odd glass of wine while they're pregnant and I think it's more relatable than people like to believe.

Deb: 26:54

So just all of these topics are like just a lot, yeah, and I think that's the kind of thing that people can handle. The cravings are the urges, like when they do come, like when you're thinking like okay it'd be really nice to have something right now.

Meg: 27:06

Yeah, usually texting a sober friend. You know, I have like three or four girls on speed dial.

Deb: 27:14

Yeah, good, good, good, good Good.

Meg: 27:17

That's so key. That's so key, that's so good. Yeah, one of them is also pregnant and for the last couple of days actually, we've been going back and forth like we're just normalizing it, being like, what is this, we don't have to act on it, and just like talking to each other and having someone who gets it and is not judging you is huge, so usually that fixes it. Or hopping on a meeting I did that last night, just listening in and you're reminded of, you know why life is so much better without it and why you don't need it. So definitely, texting a friend and meetings are always really helpful.

Deb: 27:57

Yeah, I think like what you said, like somebody who just gets it, you don't even have to explain it. And that was how, like I felt when I first met other sober women who were exploring their relationship with alcohol. It was like, oh, I'm not the only one Like you know, like I'm sure, like right now you're like I'm not the only pregnant woman thinking like I really, like some, you know something to drink right now, or whatever. Yeah, you know. So, yeah, to have that is invaluable, absolutely yes.

Meg: 28:20

There's always that instant connection, like are we best friends now? Yes, yes, yes, we are yes.

Deb: 28:25

Exactly yes. How does it feel to be free from the alcohol and from the eating disorder? What do you call it exactly Like? Do you say eating disorder? How would you say it?

Meg: 28:35

Yeah, I say eating disorder, I say disordered eating because that's a little softer. Sometimes people can relate more to it, but I mean, it's everything I don't. It's hard to even put into words how much of my life used to revolve around drinking and planning my next drink, or making up for mistakes that I made when I was drinking, or asking people if I have a problem, or counting calories or exercising to work off this food I ate. You know, it's just, it was both of those things were so they just ran my life and there's so much space Like it opens up so much space in your life when you finally let go and it's a process I don't want to, you know, make it sound like it's like just turn it off.

Deb: 29:28

Right, right, right, yep.

Meg: 29:30

It is so freeing and it's like a weight lifts Like I I didn't. There were times where I just I did not like myself when it came to the end of my drinking or my peak of my drinking. And now it's like I'm content with myself and I'm at peace with myself and I know who I am and I'm not questioning myself all the time or feeling like I have two different personalities. There's like this drunk version of me and this other version, and it just feels so calm and peaceful now and Sure, like you'll have the odd day or night where you're like ugh, I have phone call.

Meg: 30:15

I wish I could especially like you said, during the holidays, certain times of year, certain events, but overall, like nothing can outweigh the freedom that comes with this decision and the work that goes into it. So it feels good.

Deb: 30:32

Yeah, I'm so glad, I'm so glad, yeah, it feels good, yeah, to take off and put it down, put down that weight. You know all the headspace that it takes up and all the noise. It's like to be at peace, like you said, with yourself, and to just feel like that quietness. Okay, ms Meg, when you're not drinking, what are you drinking? Do you have like a favorite mocktailer? Do you have a favorite non-alcohol beer or wine? What is it that you drink? Before I let you go, I do wanna touch on that.

Meg: 31:00

Yes, I was prepared for this question, so I my absolute favorite. I like to keep it simple. I love that you do that too. You're always like this is not gonna be complicated, because everything looks so complicated.

Deb: 31:14

Seriously, everything on Instagram is so perfect. It's so perfect I'm like, and here I am in my robe.

Meg: 31:18

Like okay, let's throw something together. Yeah, no, it's great. So I like really simple things and my everyday go-to is a mixture of seltzer and kombucha.

Meg: 31:30

I'll just do like one part kombucha, usually a fruity flavor and a fun seltzer flavor, and that's like cheap, it's accept, you could find that anywhere, yeah, but when it comes to the fancy stuff, I really love Tilden the brand. I don't know if you've tried them yet. I don't think so. It's so good. What is it? It's a non-alcoholic cocktail. Ready to drink. Okay, I love a good RTD. Yeah, they're really really good. They have two flavors right now, and the lace-wing flavor in the green bottle is my hands-down favorite thing I've ever tried. And other ready to drink I like Gia, I like flyers, and then I don't really drink too much non-alcoholic beer. I was never a huge beer girl. The non-alcoholic spirits I get a little bit nervous about too, because I'm like, oh, I have to mix this and then I is it gonna taste like alcohol, so I don't do too much of those either.

Meg: 32:27

But in any wines I do like I like Starla Naughty I had at my wedding like you said it's nice to have like bubbles for celebration and null wines there's so many, so many now.

Deb: 32:43

yeah, there's so many now, right Like a couple of years ago. There weren't that many.

Meg: 32:47

Yes, there weren't that many non-alcoholic they're everywhere.

Deb: 32:50

Yeah, it's so great, it's so great. I feel like we're like in the candy land of you know, non-alcoholic drinks, like the RTDs, ready to drink. Actually, lily said to me, my 16 year old said to me last night because we have two little beverage refrigerators with like a cube cans in there and different stuff, and she's like, oh, she was drinking. She was drinking one of my kombucha and I was. It was the second one she's drinking and I was like you're drinking my kombucha. And she's like, well, we don't have any more, we need more RTDs. Yeah, she said. I'm like I gotta go to the store. Same, I need more RTDs. Yeah, yeah, she loves it, even like Zebia. She likes the Zebia. She'll drink those cans, which, not that that's like an RTD, but you know, just the little pop, open a can and have something is nice to have. So it's Tilden. What is it that, tilden? You called it. What's it called? The one that you really like?

Meg: 33:32

Whenever I'm with it Tilden, the flavor I love is lacewing.

Deb: 33:36

Lacewing okay.

Meg: 33:38

It's one word lacewing, just lacewing. I'll just check it out. They're simple, simple ingredients. You just pour it, no mixing Sometimes cause to make the bottle last longer. I'll like mix it with salt, yeah, salt yep, yep, yep, but it doesn't need.

Meg: 33:56

it doesn't need anything and it also doesn't have any. You know, a lot of the brands that are popping up now, which are also amazing, are CBD and Nutropix and Ashwagandha and all of these like adaptogens and crazy ingredients that people are probably like I don't even know what this is. So what I love about Tilden is they don't have any. It's just a ready to drink.

Meg: 34:17

Yeah, it's just a drink yeah, so don't worry about, like, whatever this has in it. So I really I love them. I actually had one of the founders on my podcast and they're great couple of gals that founded it and like you said, there's so much to explore. Like so many things, yeah, so many good things to drink when we're not drinking.

Deb: 34:36

Yeah, yeah, okay, meg, it was so fun to meet you today, thank you. Thank you for coming on Thriving Alcohol Free. Thank you for coming to my podcast, love chatting with you. I really mean it and I just encourage everybody to follow you. You don't have to drink, is Meg's Instagram and her podcast is more than sobriety, so check her out in all places, thank you thank you Big time.

Deb: 34:59

Cheers, yes, to you and your baby. Thank you, marge. Thank you for coming. 2024. Yes, absolutely, absolutely. It was great meeting you Big time. Cheers to you for tuning in to the Thriving Alcohol Free podcast. I hope you will take something from today's episode and make one small change that will help you to thrive and have fun in life without alcohol. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social, send up a flare or leave a rating and a review. I am cheering for you as you discover the world of non-alcoholic drinks and as you journey towards authentic freedom. See you in the next episode.