Thriving Alcohol-Free with Mocktail Mom

EP 83 Big Announcements + A Few Lessons For Starting Your Alcohol-Free Journey

• Deb, Mocktail Mom • Season 1 • Episode 83

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Hey friends! It's just me today, popping in for a quick catch-up as we wrap up summer and get ready for a new season. So, I've been on a little personal mission—challenging myself to hit 10k steps a day for 100 days. (Yep, that's 1 million steps if you're doing the math!) And let me tell you, just a few weeks in, I've already uncovered some big lessons that totally reminded me of those early days when I quit drinking. I can’t wait to share them with you because I know they’ll make your alcohol-free journey a whole lot easier!

Oh, and speaking of exciting things—I've got some major news coming up! The biggest one? My new book, The Happiest Hour, is dropping on November 5, 2024! This has been such a blast to put together, and it's jam-packed with amazing recipes that are perfect for a cozy night in. It’s available for pre-order now wherever books are sold, so check it out - I’d love to day-drink with you November 5th!!

Pre-order now! The Happiest Hour

Registration is now open for The Mocktail Summit (January 14-16)!

Order a copy of The Happiest Hour: Delicious Mocktails for a Fabulous Moms' Night In

A huge thank you to the sponsor of the Thriving Alcohol-Free podcast!
Giesen 0% Wines

You are loved. Big Time Cheers!

Deb:

Buckle 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, where 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, friends, it's Deb. Welcome back to Thriving Alcohol-Free. How are you? I am so happy you're here.

Deb:

It is actually after midnight and this is going to be an episode just you and me. We're having a solo episode. Oh wait, and Coco, she is here under my desk, sound asleep. I'm in Hannah's old room, that's to say she's off at college. She's not off at college, she's married, living in her college town where she went to school and married a guy that went to the same school that she went to. So that's wonderful. But I'm here in her room, coco sound asleep. You may hear her snoring. She's very confused why we are not in bed right now. I'm a little confused myself.

Deb:

Actually, I needed to record this like three days ago and I didn't. And you know what? I am committed to a podcast coming out every single Tuesday and, for those of you who are faithful listeners, it means so much to me because it takes effort, right, it takes a lot of effort to, you know, coordinate with guests to come up with questions, or try to come up with questions, or try not to always sound like an idiot, like I do sometimes, but just to keep it fun and light and let people know, let you know that life is not over if you're not drinking or you're drinking less or trying to moderate. For me, I did try to moderate and then I was like, wow, I actually feel really good and I want to just keep not drinking. And that's what I've been doing for over three and a half years and I'm so incredibly grateful and I'm so thankful for the opportunities that I've had, just from 10 days into my alcohol-free journey when I started my Instagram account Just wanted to share the fun of Well, at the time I wasn't really having so much fun. I was a little stressful at the time because I was like I really wanted to drink. I was trying to find non-alcoholic options and that was how I started my account. So different opportunities have come up, so I wanted to just share a little bit about some of the things that have been happening, what's been going on, and bring you a little bit like behind the scenes, so to speak.

Deb:

Big news I have a book coming out. It's called the Happiest Hour. If you haven't pre-ordered it, it's available now. Wherever books are sold or wherever you can pre-order I should say Local bookstores and things like that will have it when it comes out. November 5th is the day the book is coming out. It's called the Happiest Hour Delicious mocktails for a fabulous mom's night in. You don't have to be a mom, you can be a mom of pets, you can be an auntie or dad, whatever. It's just some mocktails. Okay, whatever, it's a subtitle, but I am definitely a mom who loves to be in, so it's kind of perfect. So perhaps I'll just make some recipes in my robe, share with you about the recipes in the book once I start doing that on Instagram. But anyway, I wanted to share a little bit about the book, a tiny bit about the book today. I won't get into too much of it because I'm going to talk more about it in September.

Deb:

It comes out November 5th, which is election day. I don't know if you are living under a rock. Maybe you didn't know that November 5th is election day and so that's actually the day that the book comes out, which is so ironic. I actually thought I started laughing when I realized that was the day. I was like that's really a funny day for a book to come out. But I think it's really appropriate because people are going to probably want to drink, right? No matter who you're voting for, whatever you can see me. Maybe people want to day drink. I don't know what you're going to be doing. Whatever, we're not going to go there, but I will say I think it'd be a perfect day for mocktails. I think it's a great day for all of us to day drink together and have mocktails. I'm actually super, super excited about the book coming out on election day, even though it's probably like marketing wise. Maybe it's the absolute worst thing to ever happen, but I don't know. I just think it's ironic.

Deb:

Okay, so it's called the Happiest Hour. I know I mentioned that, but it's all the buzz without the booze. The picture that's on the front cover is actually a drink that's called. I call it the wind beneath my wings. It's a Cosmo and I named it wind beneath my wings. It's named after my mom. My gosh was not expecting to even cry, just saying her name, but you're saying mom.

Deb:

But I have such a funny memory of being in New York City with my mom. I grew up in Philadelphia and so I don't know. We'd go up to New York City every once in a while to see a show, or not even that often, but whatever, every once in a while we'd go up there a couple of times to do something like that. But we went up to see Kristen Chenoweth was on Broadway and Kristen Chenoweth was on Broadway and we were going to see her and beforehand we went to, as my older sister was with us. It was the three of us and we went to. I think it was like the bar at like the Marriott Times Square. Yeah, marriott Times Square. Big, huge bar, big, huge lobby.

Deb:

My mom had one Cosmo. My mom liked Cosmos. She wasn't really a big drinker, she would drink wine or whatever. Growing up my parents didn't drink at all, but later on in life my mom would drink a Cosmo or she would drink wine. Anyway, she ordered a Cosmo and it was one Cosmo. And I swear to you I don't know how much alcohol was in that Cosmo or it was just whatever top shelf, I don't know what it was. But my mom, who was not really a drink, you know she wasn't a drinker we almost had to carry her to the theater. I remember standing on the corner and she was just, you know, like, like we were like almost, I don't wanna say holding her up. It wasn't that bad, but it was just like she was loopy, which was funny, because my mom never got loopy, she was not, that was not how she was. So she was fun she. She wasn't like drinking and walking around loopy normally. So anyway, it was a very funny memory of being with my mom in New York City having her Cosmo. But she did love Cosmos, like sometimes we'd go out to eat dinner or whatever. She'd order a Cosmo.

Deb:

So anyway, that's actually the picture that's on the front cover. I didn't pick that, the publisher picked that, so I was very excited to see that. And on the back cover it's called Lily's Lavender Royale. It's named after my daughter, lily, who actually just started her senior year of high school. Today she's now a senior in high school, which I can't even believe. It literally just feels like yesterday.

Deb:

Yesterday that she was handed to me by her foster mom in China and I just cannot even believe it. She's driving a car. She named her car Carol. Yesterday we picked out the picture that's going to be in the yearbook, like her little baby picture we're going to put in the yearbook. We actually picked her referral picture that China sent to us. This referral picture you would think it was cut out from like a baby magazine, a parenting magazine. They sent us this picture of this most perfect child and I was like how, how is this possible? They are handing me their most beautiful, most beautiful child of all a billion people. Here you go, have her Anyway. So that's the picture we're using.

Deb:

Anyway, all that to say the back cover. The photo on the back cover of the book is Lily's Lavender Royale, which Lily loves lavender, and it's a French 75, a little fun French 75, named in honor of Lily. She absolutely loves this drink. So, again, publisher picked that out to put on the back cover. So I feel like it's really just fun to honor my mom and my youngest daughter. There's drinks in there I mentioned. I have a drink in there in memory of my father. I have a drink in there in honor of my daughter, hannah, who's 22. So, anyway, very, very fun.

Deb:

So I will share more about the book, but what I wanted to talk to you about specifically though, today sorry, we're eight minutes in and I'm a rambling house. I'm sorry it's midnight. Should I just go to bed? Should we just end now? Or do you want me to tell you what I really came on here to tell you? I hope you're all having a good time. Okay, this is not going to be.

Deb:

I have so much fun with this podcast. I was very, very stressed originally when I thought about starting a podcast. It made me very nervous, but I wanted to do it. I'm so thankful and I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to hear from you as a listener. Sometimes I'll get DMs. If you've sent me a DM, thank you If you've reached out or made a comment, or just said that the podcast encourages your heart. That is my goal. I just want you to be encouraged. The fun's not over.

Deb:

There are still good things to drink, whether you're drinking less. Whether you're drinking, you know, cutting back, whether you're not drinking at all Obviously, I think I know I've shared it, but I'm accidentally sober. I just wanted to moderate. But it has worked out great and I'm so, so thankful. Okay, some of you know that I accidentally stopped drinking when I did a challenge to take a month off from alcohol my BFF Chardonnay. And now I live an alcohol-free lifestyle and I absolutely love it. But I also realized that's not for everybody. Originally, my goal was just to moderate. I wanted to learn how to moderate. So you might be thinking I would love to cut back a bit, but I am not ready to quit cold turkey, so you don't have to.

Deb:

I have a little tip for you. It's called Sunnyside. It's the number one alcohol moderation app in the United States and maybe it would be a fit for you if you're looking for no pressure, just support and tools to help you actually drink less. With Sunnyside, you set your own pace, track your drinks and connect with a community of people who get it. You pick a plan that fits your goals. And the best part, 96% of people who use Sunnyside drink less after just 90 days. That's huge. So if you're ready to cut back your drinking without feeling overwhelmed, maybe give Sunnyside a shot. Visit the link in the show notes to get a free 15-day trial and check out Sunnyside for yourself.

Deb:

As you guys know, I love Giesen 0% wines. Their Sauvignon Blanc is my go-to on a regular basis, but they recently launched a delicious sparkling brute 0%, which is quickly becoming a fan favorite. I am so proud to have Giesen as the exclusive non-alcoholic wine sponsor of the Thriving Alcohol-Free Podcast. Giesen 0% wines are created through the magic of advanced spinning cone technology to remove the alcohol from their full-leaded wines. The award-winning winemaker Duncan Sh and his team have done wonders in Marlborough, new Zealand, by creating an entire family of 0% wines with all the flavor and deliciousness you expect from traditional quote full-leaded wine. Their non-alcoholic wines maintain the aroma and the body to create a low-calorie wine that never contains more than 0.5 ABV. Globally available, look for G Giesen 0% wines wherever you shop for your non-alcoholic options. Their family of alcohol-free wines include the most effervescent member of the family, the sparkling brute 0%, which is absolutely delicious for any celebration. My personal favorite although I do love them all is the Sauvignon Blanc coming in at only 100 calories for the entire bottle and, not to be missed, the other members of their 0% family the Riesling, the Premium Red Blend, the Rosé, the Pinot Gris. With Giesen 0% wines, there's a de-alcoholized wine for everyone and every occasion. 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.

Deb:

Okay, the whole reason I came on tonight is to tell you that I started this challenge to do a million steps the hundred days up to election day, which is the day the book comes out, the happiest hour, delicious mocktails for fabulous moms night in or whoever's night in. 10,000 steps a day is what I'm doing, so I literally had to get out the calculator like three times to be like 10,000 times a hundred days is actually a million steps. I want to make sure I was doing it right. I'm not a mathematician. Doing this challenge of 10,000 steps a day has reminded me so much of how hard it was to stop drinking in the very beginning.

Deb:

I did not expect this. This is the surprise of it all. I thought I'm going to walk 10,000 steps a day. I'm going to focus on, you know, get just my steps in. Be healthier, I want to just feel better and it'll give me something to focus on at the same time as ramping up to sharing about the book and marketing and getting myself out there, which I'm great at selling everybody else's stuff. I have no problem. I could tell you all day long about all the brands that I like, products I like buy this, buy that, go order this, go order that. But then when it comes to my own stuff, I'm like, oh, I feel so funny. So I'm going to try not to feel funny because I have nothing to feel funny about.

Deb:

This book is an extension of everything else that I've done. Of everything I've done. It's to be of encouragement. The fun's not over and gosh darn it. There are still good things to drink and you don't have to be a mixologist, you don't have to be a proctologist, a mockatologist, a whatever. You can just be at home, have some simple things, make some drinks, have some fun, live your life, have a great time with some cocktails.

Deb:

So anyway, all that to say the 10,000 steps a day was like okay, just to take a little bit of this nervous energy that I have about the book and every day channel into walking 10,000 steps a day. I didn't expect it to be hard. Now, that sounds so silly, right? But I just thought like, well, 10,000 steps a day, I'm just going to do 10,000 steps a day. Well, actually it takes a lot of time. You don't just wake up and your watch says you hit 10,000 steps by getting up from your desk and walking to the kitchen. It doesn't happen. You have to plan it. It's hard. You actually have to be committed to it and I have been committed to it. I've done it. I think it's now 17 days. So I'm 170,000 steps in 17% of my goal.

Deb:

I'm there, but it's hard and it has really very much surprised me how much it is reminding me of the very beginning of my alcohol free journey, because in the very beginning it was very hard. So if you are new on this journey, if you are new, I just got a DM from somebody yesterday. She's like I'm 50 days. So if that's you and you're listening right now, I am so happy for you and she's like it's not much. I'm like, yes, it is, the beginning is so hard. There's other times it can be very hard, but I'm telling you that on ramp the getting started is the hardest Doesn't mean the rest is all rainbows and sunshine, but the getting started is hard. So it's been hard, 10,000 steps a day, but I'm doing it. I'm doing it. I'm like so excited.

Deb:

So I wanted to just share, though as well, things I've learned, and how it relates to not drinking, because when you are taking a break from alcohol or you're doing a 30 day off challenge, or you want to quit altogether, whatever, whatever you want to do, you need to prepare yourself mentally. You need to realize it's not always going to be easy. There's going to be challenges. I mean, one day we were, I think I went to oh yeah, I went down to Murray, kentucky. I was in the car like three and a half hour, four, I actually think it was four and a half hours, because the traffic, whatever. I didn't have time to walk. So, literally, I'm at the hotel walking laps. We're watching Olympics. I'm walking laps in the hotel room. Well then, like I wasn't walking fast enough, it wasn't a very big hotel room. So I was like Lil, I got to go out down the hallway, up and down the hallway and I got my 10,000 steps in before midnight. Before midnight I was like I'm committed, I'm making it happen. But that day it was a huge challenge and there was an obstacle and I was like I am not letting this stop me. I'm not letting it stop me.

Deb:

So all that to say, prepare yourself mentally. If you are taking a break, or you're cutting back, or you're not drinking, you're in the very beginning or you're just going through a hard time, just prepare yourself. There are these challenges. So, okay, the other thing, plan ahead. Plan ahead. So plan your day. Plan like, okay, hey, I can stop here, I can take a walk for 20 minutes. Planning ahead has helped me be successful on days where I get my steps in by 8 pm or 6 pm and I'm not walking laps to my house or at a hotel at 10 o'clock, 11 o'clock at night, just planning ahead. And so I want to say the same thing to you on your alcohol-free journey Plan ahead, prepare yourself for having alcohol-free options. Plan ahead, look at the menu. What do they have? If you're going out, going to a friend's house, maybe bring something for yourself. Plan ahead, prepare yourself for success, because it is possible.

Deb:

If I can stop drinking me, if I can stop drinking, anyone can stop drinking. There is hope for all. I cannot tell you how many times I would say to myself I'd wake up in the morning. It's like I did it again. I did it again. I used to look at myself in the mirror and I feel such shame. I felt such shame. So it'd be three and a half years later, never a million years. I didn't even think I would make it to the first weekend when I was first trying to stop. So if you are just trying to stop, if you are just getting started, I want you to borrow my belief, because I believe in you, because I know I was like there's no way I could ever stop and that's what's going on in your head, maybe. And I believe in you, I know you can stop. I know you can drink less. If I can, if I can, anyone can and you might look at me like, oh well, you're three and a half years. No, you have no idea how bad it was at the end, how bad it was at the end of 2020 when I was like planning out okay, I have another bottle there. Okay, I have another bottle. Okay, let me stop at the store. I mean all the gymnastics to get my wine, okay, all right.

Deb:

The next thing that walking 10,000 steps a day has reminded me of when I first stopped drinking and my alcohol-free journey is get your toolbox ready. Get your toolbox ready, whether it's get connected to a community. Just put things in your toolbox alcohol-free options, things in your mocktail kit, podcasts that you listen to, quitlet get yourself connected, whether again like, find a community, whether you're just window shopping sobriety or you're scrolling on Instagram, get that stuff in your feed so that you get that positive energy in your mind from other people. Borrow other people's belief. Watch other people who are on an alcohol-free journey if that's your goal and use that as part of your toolbox, because we're all here cheering you on. That's what we're all. Anybody that is sharing their alcohol-free journey or their sober journey. They're sharing it to be of encouragement to you.

Deb:

There were people that I watched when I was window shopping sobriety on Instagram instagram, drinking my wine. Two in the morning. I'd be sitting there scrolling away and I would like purposely not go on facebook because I knew if I went on facebook Then I would comment on people's things. I was like, if I'm on instagram and I'm looking at these strangers, I'm not going to comment on anything. So, anyway, I stayed off facebook, but I did Scroll a lot on instagram and I was window shopping. Sobriety and those people who shared their story, who were sharing their stories, continue to some of them. It was such an encouragement to me. So, anyway, fill your toolbox. Fill your toolbox.

Deb:

But for me, I have had to fill my toolbox because it's reminded me, uh, I had to get new shoes. I didn't have to. My feet were hurting them. I'm so old, I'm 52. I'm falling apart. I need knee replacement. Anyway, I got new shoes and it's helped. It's really, really helped.

Deb:

I got these Brooks what are they called? Ghost Max or something like that, ghost Rider, what are they? I don't even know what they're called. Whatever they're peach. I liked the color of them. I liked the color of them. They were on sale and they were super comfortable. They matched the Strawberry, passion, wild Wonder, which is my favorite of those flavors. So I thought that's kind of ironic. But anyway, for me I've had to get my little walking toolbox together and that has been buying new shoes, investing in my goal, getting better socks, making sure I'm not using old socks so they don't roll down the back and I'm getting blisters. You don't need to be getting blisters, you know. I guess I'm taking it one day at a time, but I don't need to be getting blisters. So, get your toolbox ready.

Deb:

On my walking journey, on this 10,000 steps a day challenge has really reminded me of just, you know, having my sober toolbox, having your sober toolbox ready and packing it. Pack yourself, you know. Get things packed up. Make sure you have what you need for your journey. And as you continue to go, you're going to need different things. Your needs are going to change. Like in the beginning, my little hokas that I had were just fine, but now I'm like two weeks in, I'm like you know what I need some real squishy walking shoes and I don't feel bad about that. Okay, so there's that.

Deb:

That was what I wanted to share with you mostly how it's been a huge challenge to do this 10,000 steps a day, just so many different ways and how it has completely brought me back when I go out and walk. It really brings me back to just mentally how hard it was in the beginning. It's been such a good reminder of how hard it was in the beginning. It's been such a good reminder of how hard it was in the beginning of my alcohol-free journey. Just the commitment, doing it one day at a time, not getting overwhelmed, like if I sat here and looked at 1 million steps. 1 million steps. I don't say that to myself when I'm walking. I'm like, okay, 10,000 steps. Or if I'm just going out for like 45 minutes, I'm like okay, 5,000 steps, and I'm just like one little, literally one step at a time, no joke. So there you go, but it's hard, it's hard. But you know what, choose your hard, right, choose your hard, because waking up with a hangover most mornings was really hard, but now, waking up and not having hangover, it's not hard, it is not hard. There are times walking past the wine or being tempted or whatever, being like, oh, that would be fun, or I'm having a really bad day, or whatever. It's like, oh, glass of wine sounds really nice. You know what? That's a lot less of a hard than waking up with a hangover, let me tell you. So there you go, that's it.

Deb:

Some exciting things coming. The book is coming out, the Happiest Hour. I'm going to get into it more. In September we're going to have some guests on make mocktails from the book together, so I'm super excited about that. And then October, all kinds of things.

Deb:

I have a box coming out, a Mocktail Mom box Very excited about that. So you'll see stuff on social about. If you're on my email list or whatever, you'll get an email about it. But there's a box coming out, super fun has a Mocktail Mom Moscow Mule Cup in it. Has free samples from Ritual, of all their different you know, like the tequila rum, the gin, the whiskey and the aperitif. Has Q mixers in it for flavors of their ginger beer. So excited about that. And well, other little fun things too. But I will say I think what I'm probably one of the things I'm most excited about in the box is a muddler and it's engraved with muddle like a mother, because we have to muddle like a mother. So I think that's very fun.

Deb:

We're having fun things happening, always fun, keep it fun. Life is so, so short, so let's just have a good time. Let's have a good time. The Mocktail Summit 2025 will be coming your way during National Mocktail Week, which Marnie Ray shout out to her If you're not following her on Instagram, please do. She is the founder of National Mocktail Week and that will be coming again. We're going to do a Mocktail Summit January 2025. So a lot of fun things happening.

Deb:

The Happiest Hour the book by Debbie Podlogger. So it says it on the cover. It says Debbie, creator of mock to mom. The reason I had them put Debbie is I grew up Debbie. It literally doesn't matter to me. I don't care, it does not make any difference to me, deb or Debbie, but I really wanted to put Debbie because that's why my parents used to call me. That's why my parents called me. I don't have my parents anymore, so anyway. So it says Debbie pod logger. But if you know me as Deb, this is me. It's still me Podlogger. It sounds like a beer, so maybe I should come out with like a non-alcoholic beer called the Podlogger beers. Okay, that's all I'm going to stop now.

Deb:

I love you guys. I'm cheering you on. Keep going. You're doing a great, great job. Lots of love. Talk to you guys later. 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.