The holiday season is upon us, and with it a whirlwind of social events – including the infamous the office Christmas party. If you’re heading into this one sober, it’s completely normal to feel nervous and apprehensive. Between the free drinks, and the social expectations that drinking is the main event, staying alcohol-free can seem daunting.

Here’s the good news: you can enjoy the party without a drink in hand. In fact, embracing sobriety might make the experience better than you imagined.

As the festive season gets closer, many women are confronted by triggers that make staying alcohol-free especially challenging. The stretch from Christmas through New Year’s is filled with unique pressures - whether it's reconnecting with old friends or managing family dynamics, the temptation to drink can feel overwhelming. Here’s a look at five common triggers during this time and effective strategies to navigate them...

The holiday season is packed with parties, family gatherings, and social events - and, for many of us, the expectation to drink comes right along with them. But if you're heading into your first alcohol-free Christmas, know that you can navigate the festivities with confidence, enjoy the benefits of sobriety, and create meaningful connections - all without alcohol. Here’s how to embrace – and LOVE - the season while sticking to your AF goals.

It’s Christmas morning, you’re up bright and early, no pounding headache, no regrets about questionable choices from the night before and you actually feel excited to jump into the holiday festivities. It sounds like magic, right? Welcome to the magical world of an alcohol-free Christmas!

Many women start noticing how drinking affects them differently, and understanding why is the first step to making empowering changes. For me, I noticed a distinct difference in how alcohol impacted me after I turned 40 – it was one of the biggest reasons for me deciding to quit drinking in April 2019. Since then I’ve support thousands of women to change their relationship with alcohol.

Here are five ways alcohol impacts us more during perimenopause, along with some tips for navigating these changes.

SARAH RUSBATCH

As the festive season gets closer, many women are confronted by triggers that make staying alcohol-free especially challenging. The stretch from Christmas through New Year’s is filled with unique pressures - whether it's reconnecting with old friends or managing family dynamics (anything drive us to want a drink more than an entire day with our extended family?!), the temptation to drink can feel overwhelming. Here’s a look at five common triggers during this time and effective strategies to navigate them...

Picture this: a 15-year-old me, grimacing as I sipped my first alcoholic drink. I hated it. But like a trooper (or a fool, depending on your perspective), I persevered. After all, isn't that what we're supposed to do? Acquire a taste for something that tastes like fermented shoe polish? Ah, cheers to youth.

Sugar cravings can feel like an overwhelming challenge for many women, especially when we are tired, hormonal, or on the roller coaster of addiction. A stressful day at work, a long afternoon with the kids, or simply the irresistible temptation of dessert… Sugar calls to us like a siren song. But understanding the reasons behind cravings and learning how to manage them can empower us to make healthier choices. Here are some strategies for lasting control.

As I sit here reflecting on 2000 days alcohol free, I’m experiencing both a level of absolute marvel combined with a level of complete nonchalance I just wasn’t expecting. Rewind 5.5 years and Early Sober Sarah would only have dared to dream of reaching this incredible milestone, at a time where all thoughts, energy and emotion were tied up in simply not drinking that day. I thought I’d be popping balloons, eating cake and treating it like all of life’s big milestones. But in all honesty, I don’t feel the huge momentous celebration bubbling up in me like I expected. It just feels normal. Like any other day. Because I no longer celebrate my sobriety like I used to. It’s just who I am now. I used to drink. And now I don’t. No big deal.

When it comes to nutrition, there are many things we think we know—until we dig a little deeper. There's the staggering rise in sugar consumption, the hidden science behind ultra-processed foods, and the direct connection between diet and mental health. Here’s a look at what you might not know about the food we eat, and why it matters more than ever.

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and while awareness campaigns and pink ribbons fly, there’s a glaring truth that’s being overlooked: alcohol is directly linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. A recent study by Flinders University revealed that only 1 in 5 women in Australia are aware of this link. That means 80% of women are completely unaware of the risks they face when they reach for a glass of wine, beer, or a cocktail.

During a recent Zoom session for my group coaching program, Rediscovering Me, one of my clients shared a profound realisation. She said, "Sarah, it’s so much more than just not drinking. I can’t believe how my life has transformed in ways I never expected just from giving up alcohol."

Moments like these are why I love my job—witnessing how women’s lives shift beyond their wildest dreams simply by choosing sobriety.

We often overlook how alcohol affects brain health - in both the short and the long term. We think of liver damage, and the impact on our kidneys… When we look at the brain in relation to drinking, it quickly becomes clear that direct consequences include brain function, cognition, and overall neurological health.

Since qualifying as a Health and Wellbeing coach in 2020, a Grey Area Drinking Coach in 2021 and a Menopause Coach in 2023, I learnt a LOT about women’s health and ways to optimize it. But in all honesty, I’ve learnt even more from the incredible guest experts I have interviewed in my women’s health programs over the last 4 years. The information I’ve been able to learn from them has been mind-blowing. And it’s too important not to share. As we come off the back of Women’s Health Week, I want to share my top 10 women’s health hacks for optimal mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.

I am the woman you see at the grocery store with her toddler in the racecar shopping cart, purchasing the week’s groceries while having a Starbucks latte. I was also the same woman at the very same grocery store laying in the parking lot, fallen down drunk, waiting for my husband to kindly come and retrieve me as the cop on patrol was willing to let me go home if someone could take me there. Apparently, I was stumbling out of the store, started falling, and could not stand back up. A concerned bystander tried to help me and then determined to enlist the help of a policeman. I vaguely remember bits of this scene. Sadly, there were more of these incidents when I was incapacitated by alcohol, some I can barely recall and some I only know about from being told secondhand.

Hot Summer days for me used to mean afternoons with friends drinking chilled wine. I’d think, “Go without wine on a hot afternoon? No way!” In Winter, nights would mean red wine, for extra comfort, and an escape. The weather is a powerful and often overlooked trigger. These seasonal cues can prompt drinking in ways that are all about habits and social conditioning. There is a way to break free from weather triggers.

“Hobbies” I scoffed. “What mid life woman who’s raising kids, working full time, and running a busy home has time for hobbies! And besides – I have my favourite hobby right here.” I reached for my wine, gave an over-the-top sniff, and took a generous gulp. I could feel my body and mind relax and switch off as the depressant effects of the alcohol took hold. All I wanted was a way to switch off and unwind, momentary oblivion from a life where it felt I rarely had a moment to myself, where someone always wanted a piece of me.

Do hangovers get worse as we age? Yes! The days of bouncing back after a night out are replaced by prolonged headaches, nausea, and fatigue. Several factors are at play here, including changes in our liver function, enzyme activity, cumulative effects of long-term drinking, and hormonal shifts in women. Alcohol exacerbates the symptoms of menopause, making it almost impossible to drink even the smallest amount and not feel the effects.

There is absolutely no denying it – the early part of sobriety is the hardest in terms of those physical cravings. It’s a time of headaches, cravings, and feeling like alcohol is all you can think about. This is Stage One of sobriety, and it’s exhausting. However, Stage One passes. It gets easier. There are three distinct stages of sobriety. Understanding these stages can help you navigate the path to a healthier, alcohol-free life.

Let me show you the three stages of sobriety and how to get through each one.

As July fast approaches and many Australians brace themselves for a month off alcohol, maybe we need to shift the focus to not just taking a month off from drinking, but using that month to reflect on our habits, behaviour patterns, and mindset around alcohol.