It started with a thud — literally.
A friend’s 40th, too many refills, a cigarette outside, and a fall that ended with blood on the pavement and bruises across my face.
The next morning, my five-year-old daughter looked at me with wide eyes and asked, “Mummy, what happened to your face?”

That question stopped me in my tracks.

For years, I’d brushed off my drinking as “normal.” I wasn’t drinking in the mornings or hiding bottles, so surely I didn’t have a problem.

But that day was my wake-up call — a moment of shame that peeled back the truth about my relationship with alcohol and forced me to confront what so many women experience in silence.

I thought a life without booze would be boring.
I thought I’d never have fun again.

For nearly three decades, my entire identity was wrapped up in being Sarah the Party Girl.
The one who was always up for a glass (or three). The one who could out-socialise anyone.
I didn’t know who I was outside of that.

But here’s the truth — at 6.6 years alcohol-free, my life is bigger, brighter, calmer, and happier than I ever imagined.

Once upon a time, the office Christmas party was synonymous with free-flowing wine, tipsy dancing, and questionable karaoke. But the next generation of workers is quietly rewriting that story.

A Harris Poll cited by Axios found that 42 % of Gen Z employees would prefer little to no alcohol at their workplace party — compared to 37 % of all workers. Add to that a post-#MeToo awareness of boundaries and a growing focus on wellbeing, and it’s clear: the “boozy bash” is losing its appeal.

I shook my head in complete astonishment as my guest speaker shared fact after fact about women and alcohol.

Despite having been alcohol-free for over five years — and deeply immersed in the sober living space — I was still taken aback by the statistics, research, and insights I had never encountered before.

As we wrapped up the interview, I looked at Ann Dowsett-Johnson — author, medical journalist, and speaker — and asked:

“But why don’t women know all of this?
How can we live in a world that isn’t shouting this from the rooftops, but instead promotes alcohol as the answer to all our problems?
Don’t women deserve the truth?”

That moment stopped me in my tracks. Because she’s right — women deserve to know.

Six years.

Sometimes I still can’t quite believe it.

What I know for sure is that quitting alcohol is a journey like no other. It takes you to the depths of who you really are — the good, the bad, and yes, the slightly messy bits too.

Over time, your world doesn’t shrink without alcohol — it expands. Time feels different. Days feel longer, richer, fuller. You notice the small things, the real moments. Getting sober is the ultimate life reset.

Six years on, I am so damn proud of how far I’ve come.

You have just finished your 30 day alcohol free challenge. You might feel proud, clear, and maybe even a little amazed at how much can change in a month. The sleep. The energy. The mornings that actually feel like mornings again.

Or maybe, you are not feeling that just yet. You have made progress, but something still feels unsettled. The cravings have eased, but the emotions have crept in. You thought you would feel lighter, but instead you are tired, flat, or wondering, what now?

In many professional workplaces, alcohol has long been part of the culture. Friday night drinks, client dinners, networking events, and team celebrations -  all built around the idea that sharing a drink helps us bond, relax, and belong.

For decades, this has gone unquestioned. But quietly, that’s beginning to change.

More professionals are starting to ask:
Why do we need alcohol to connect?
What happens to our performance when we drink regularly?
And how can we create workplaces that genuinely support wellbeing - not just pay lip service to it?

You spend the day doing everything right — protein for breakfast, good hydration, a decent, balanced lunch — and then by 3pm, you’re tearing down the pantry to get to the kids’ chocolate muesli bars (or anything sugary you can get your hands on). Sound familiar?

Whether you’re sober, trying to cut back on alcohol, or just aiming for better health, sugar cravings can feel relentless. They don’t just appear out of nowhere — they’re often driven by a combination of physiological, emotional, and habit-based triggers. The good news? Understanding what’s really going on gives you a roadmap to finally beat them.

Turning 40 is a milestone in many ways — career, family, confidence — but it also comes with some unwelcome changes to our metabolism, hormones, and energy. Suddenly, what worked for weight loss in your 20s and 30s doesn’t anymore. And that stubborn belly fat? It feels like it’s got a life of its own.

The good news: it’s not about eating less and exercising more. It’s about working with your body, not against it. Here are five practical protocols that help women over 40 feel more energetic, get their metabolism moving, and finally shift that stubborn weight.

With “Sober” October starting, I wanted to share a few things that really helped me in the early days. These are the small shifts that made the biggest difference for me, especially when I still didn’t feel 100% sure I could do it.

Because I absolutely didn’t feel “ready” when I started either.

I was tired, overwhelmed, and quietly wondering if maybe alcohol was playing a bigger role in my life than I wanted it to. But I still hesitated. I waited for a time when things would be quieter, calmer, less chaotic.

That time never came.

Eventually, I just said yes. I gave it a go and that’s when everything started to shift.

If you’ve ever found yourself pouring “just one glass” of wine after a long day - only to finish the bottle - you’re not alone. You might even be questioning yourself: “Am I an alcoholic?”

Here’s the truth: you don’t have to hit rock bottom, or lose control completely, to be in the grey area. Grey area drinking is a real and growing phenomenon, particularly among women in midlife. And it doesn’t automatically mean you have alcohol use disorder - it means something else entirely.

I hear this question all the time: “Sarah, is it really a problem if I have a bottle of wine a night, but I wake up feeling fine?” On the surface, it can feel like a ‘socially accepted’ habit. After all, you manage work, kids, household, social life - and a glass (or bottle) of wine seems to help you unwind.

But here’s the thing: just because your body tolerates alcohol doesn’t mean it’s harmless. And the idea that a bottle of wine a night is “normal” is a relatively modern invention - one that has been carefully marketed and normalized over the past few decades.

I remember sitting on the fence for months.

I would follow women doing alcohol free challenges, read their stories, feel the pull… and then talk myself out of it. “Now’s not the right time”. “Things are too busy”. “I’ll wait until after this holiday, that birthday, this stressful week…”

I kept waiting to feel ready.

But I never did. What actually happened is that I reached a point where staying the same felt harder than trying something different. Once I started, that was when things began to shift.

I was not sure if or how I wanted to share this. It feels a little raw and still new. But the more I speak to other women who are thinking about taking a break from alcohol, the more I realise how many of us have been quietly struggling, not knowing why things feel harder than they should. If this helps even one woman feel less alone or finally start putting the pieces together, then it is worth it.

When we think about alcohol, we often picture two groups: those who drink socially and responsibly, and those who have a clear alcohol problem or addiction. But what if there’s a middle ground - a vast, often overlooked grey area where many women find themselves? This is the space known as grey area drinking, and it’s more common than you might think.

There’s a quiet shift that often happens somewhere in our 40s. From the outside, life may look full - work, family, routines - but inside, many women begin to feel flat, restless, or disconnected from themselves. The roles we've taken on - mother, partner, colleague, friend - start to feel heavy, and we wonder: Where did I go?

This isn’t a crisis.
It’s a crossroads.
And it’s more common than you think.

For many, Winter can quietly become the hardest season to navigate alcohol-free. The chill settles in, the days shorten, and suddenly that glass of red by the fire or a mulled wine on a rainy Friday night feels less like a “treat” and more like a lifeline. If you’ve ever found yourself drinking more during the Winter months - or struggling with cravings even after a long break - you’re not alone. Winter is a major trigger, and knowing what to watch out for can make all the difference.

So, you are thinking about pressing pause on the Pinot for the month? Brilliant move. Whether you are doing it to feel better, sleep better, have more energy, prove something to yourself or just finally see what the fuss is all about, I promise you, it is worth it.

Now, let’s be real. Saying goodbye to your evening glass of wine can feel a bit like breaking up with a very clingy ex. But just like that ex, it does not take long before you start to see that you are actually better off.

If you are joining us in the alcohol free club this July, here are 10 practical (and honest) tips to help you make the most of your month… and maybe even enjoy it.

For ambitious, health-conscious women, going alcohol-free isn’t about missing out - it’s about getting it all back.

We’re talking clarity, calm, steady moods, real energy, and the return of your intuition - the kind that whispers the truth in a way no wine-fuelled haze ever could. What’s emerging now is a quiet revolution: more women than ever are choosing to ditch alcohol, not because they have to, but because they want to feel better.

From hormonal balance to mental clarity, alcohol-free living is proving to be one of the most underrated wellness upgrades out there - especially for women navigating perimenopause, motherhood, and the relentless pressure of modern life.

Once upon a time, a glass of wine might have been your signal to unwind. A way to ease stress after a long day, soften the edges of motherhood, or reclaim a sliver of “me time.” But now, in your 40s, it’s starting to feel… different.

You’re not alone.

More and more women in their 40s are quietly waking up to the realisation that alcohol is no longer doing what it used to. In fact, it’s making things worse  -  from sleep to anxiety to weight gain and that mysterious perimenopausal fog that no one warned you about.

So, what’s really going on?