Feeling like alcohol has quietly become your default way to unwind, reward yourself, or take the edge off? Join my October Reset Challenge, a supportive, guided reset to help you break the daily drinking habit, reconnect with yourself, and prove you can feel good without the glass of wine. Join the October Reset → https://bit.ly/4gJyKSY What does it really take to walk out of the "sober closet" and let go of the shame we carry around drinking? In this episode of Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, I sit down with sobriety coach Jen Hirst to trace her journey from hidden, high-functioning drinking to lasting recovery, and to talk about the tools that actually work. Jen shares how her drinking escalated from teenage experimentation to using alcohol to numb heartbreak, anxiety and the weight of perfectionism, and how wedding stress pushed her to rock bottom. She walks us through the secrecy, the failed attempts at moderation and recovery, the mouthwash and dangerous substitutes, the two DWIs, hospitalisation and detox, and the day she finally surrendered. We talk about how alcohol fuels anxiety, how perimenopause and hormones shape our vulnerability, and the practical tools that ease cravings and stress, from breathwork, walking and affirmations to protein, blood-sugar stabilisation and her bedtime "protein pudding" trick for those 3am wake-ups. Key Topics Covered How Jen's drinking escalated from teenage experimentation to hidden, high-functioning dependence Why perfectionism, heartbreak and wedding stress fuelled the drinking What "coming out of the sober closet" meant, and how sharing her story dissolved shame How alcohol worsens anxiety, and the role of perimenopause and hormones in midlife Why blood-sugar stabilisation and a bedtime protein snack ease 3am wake-ups The warning signs of cross addiction and why moderation so often fails Jen Hirst is a sobriety coach who has been alcohol-free since 24 April 2013. After years of hidden, high-functioning drinking that escalated to job loss, two DWIs, hospitalisation and detox, she surrendered and rebuilt her life, then publicly "came out of the sober closet" on 7 September 2017. Website: https://www.jenhirst.com/ Timestamps: Getting sober and breaking out of the sober closet with coach Jen Hirst (00:00) Using alcohol to self medicate heartbreak, anxiety and wedding stress (04:23) Hiding drinking in marriage and early failed attempts to get sober (09:17) Two DWIs, hospitalisation and detox as the drinking spirals (14:12) Surrendering to sobriety and rebuilding life after rock bottom (18:29) How alcohol worsens anxiety and how perimenopause affects cravings (22:11) Building an early sobriety toolkit to handle cravings (28:07) Overcoming shame, labels and alcohol culture around drinking (31:59) How sharing your sobriety story kills shame (37:04) Why moderation fails and how alcohol changes brain chemistry (45:08) How protein and blood sugar balance reduce alcohol cravings (52:04) Cross addiction warning signs to watch for in sobriety (58:53) Regulating your nervous system without alcohol (01:05:00) *** Download my free guide "100 Things to Do Instead of Drinking", a toolkit for sitting with those feelings instead of reaching for a glass of wine. Get your free guide → https://sarahrusbatch.com/free-guide-100-things-to-do-instead-of-drinking?utm_source=sbw&utm_medium=ep28&utm_campaign=100+things&utm_content=list+building Find out more about my other programs here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/ If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don't always say out loud and connect with others going through the same, join my free Facebook group, Women's Wellbeing Collective here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/342319476897067 And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/beyond-booze