To 50 and Beyond podcast Lori Massicot

Episode 294
In this episode, I’m answering a question from a To 50 and Beyond listener, Maggie.
Maggie sent me an email and said: I’ve heard you talk about your social anxiety when you were 14 and started drinking as you got older. Did having anxiety hold you back from quitting drinking? And how did you manage it once you stopped drinking? 

Anxiety has been one of the most difficult things I’ve had to experience and manage throughout my life. I didn’t talk to a doctor about my anxiety until I was in my 40s. I wanted to hide it. Pretend like I had everything together, and even during public panic attacks in my 20’s and 30’s, I would say, “I’m fine.” 
I wasn’t anything but fine for decades, and I used alcohol to take away my anxiety so I would feel better.
In this episode, you will hear: When and why did my anxiety start at eleven after losing my dad.
Why I first started drinking at the age of 14 - to fit in and lessen my social shyness.
Where my anxiety comes from (hint: I was trying to control my anxiety, not manage it with drinking).
How I approached the “anxiety roadblock” that held me back from going alcohol-free.
The basics that I stuck to in early sobriety, and today, that help me manage my anxiety.
 
If you are someone who experiences anxiety and using alcohol to cope, I understand how you feel.
Alcohol is not a sustainable approach to anxiety. I learned this after I quit drinking.
There is help for you and support. You are not alone.
I felt alone in my anxiety for far too long. I’m with you.
Thank you for listening!
 
Mentioned in this episode:
The Daily Sobriety Toolkit
Join Team Alcohol-Free
Please contact me if you have a topic for the podcast or need a friend.
 
Q & A Series
The Hardest Part of Getting Sober
Wondering if Your Drinking Isn’t “Bad Enough” to Quit?
The Benefits of Staying Sober When You’re Alone
Starting Over on Day One
 
Help me spread the word! There is another option besides drinking in midlife. If you liked this episode and want to take a few minutes to support the podcast, I encourage you to leave a positive rating and review on Apple Podcasts.
So many women out there don’t know there is an “alcohol-free” option and are struggling with their drinking.
Your support will help these women find the podcast this week and learn about an alcohol-free lifestyle later in life.
➡️Click here, scroll to the bottom of the page, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”
I read my reviews and will hug you when I see yours.
Make sure to “follow” To 50 and Beyond to get all the wonderful episodes coming your way. If you don’t click “follow," you will miss hearing what’s coming up.
Thank you!

Episode 293 
Day One. There is so much possibility there. I love day one!
I don’t love how “starting over” can make you feel when you are working so hard at staying sober in midlife.
In this episode, I discuss the feeling of starting over and how you can feel and reframe it. I also share my experience of starting over on Day One for the last time.
If you are in a program where resetting your clock is required, stick to your program. This episode is for the gal who is DIYing sobriety like I did.
If you’re tired of going back and forth with your drinking, I understand how you feel. I’ve got you!
 
During this episode, you’ll hear:
How to track your progress in a way that feels good to you and helps you stay sober
Why tracking didn’t work for me, and how some of the women I know and have worked with track their sobriety progress
What to do the day after a “slip” to make sure you don’t drink (and why this matters)
My story about having 45 days of sobriety and going back to drinking during a family brunch
Lots of love and encouragement for persevering on your road to alcohol freedom!
 
Mentioned in this episode:
TAF sobriety app suggestions: I am Sober, Recovery Path, Since, Try Dry, Reframe.
The Daily Sobriety Toolkit
Join Team Alcohol-Free
Plan A Private Coaching
  Q & A episodes:
The Hardest Part of Getting Sober
Wondering if Your Drinking Isn’t “Bad Enough” to Quit?
The Benefits of Staying Sober when You’re Alone
 
Thank you for listening! Wanna help me spread the word!  There is another option besides drinking in midlife. If you liked this episode and want to take a few minutes to support the podcast, I want to encourage you to leave a positive rating and review on Apple Podcasts.
So many women out there don’t know there is an “alcohol-free” option and are struggling with their drinking.
Your support will help these women find the podcast this week and learn about an alcohol-free lifestyle later in life.
➡️Click here, scroll to the bottom of the page, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”
I read my reviews and will hug you when I see yours.
Make sure to “follow” To 50 and Beyond to get all of the wonderful episodes coming your way. If you don’t click “follow," you will miss hearing what’s coming up.
Thank you!
 














 

 

Episode 292 
I enjoyed drinking alone, and I know that being alone can be a challenge when you stop drinking. 
Whether you live alone or find drinking alone an enjoyable “reward,” but you don’t want to continue drinking, this episode is for you.
Today, I’m answering a question from a To 50 and Beyond listener, Kim, as part of my six-week Q&A series. 
Kim sent me an email saying: 
I go about 30 days without drinking but find it hard to keep it going, mainly because I live alone. No one will know if I drink, so I often give in and tell myself—I’ll have just a little (you know how this goes) or just because I’m bored or miss my nightly glasses of wine. How do I break this habit of giving in because of feeling this way? 
In this episode, I discuss the benefits of staying sober alone in midlife: building more trust, pride, confidence, and patience with yourself when you stay true to what you want more than alcohol. 
I share suggestions to help you if you’re feeling lonely, bored, or in the habit of rewarding yourself with alcohol to create new rituals for yourself.
My message to you is that you are not the only one who feels like drinking alone is enjoyable or lives alone and finds it hard not to give in. “I’ll just have one.”
Give yourself time and lots of love and kindness to help you find new ways to manage your daily life without drinking alcohol.
I’m with you 100%! 
Please contact me if you have a topic for the podcast or need a friend.
Thank you for listening!
 
Mentioned in this episode:
The Daily Sobriety Toolkit
Join Team Alcohol-Free
 
Help me spread the word! There is another option besides drinking in midlife. If you liked this episode and want to take a few minutes to support the podcast, I encourage you to leave a positive rating and review on Apple Podcasts.
So many women out there don’t know there is an “alcohol-free” option and are struggling with their drinking.
Your support will help these women find the podcast this week and learn about an alcohol-free lifestyle later in life.
➡️Click here, scroll to the bottom of the page, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”
Make sure to “follow” To 50 and Beyond to get all the wonderful episodes coming your way. If you don’t click “follow," you will miss hearing what’s coming up.
Thank you!
 

Episode 291
Today, I’m answering the question: What if my drinking isn’t “bad enough” to quit? 
I’ve heard this question from midlife women for years and asked myself this question for two years.
f you are on the verge of going alcohol-free but aren’t 100% certain that your drinking is at a place where you “need” to remove alcohol completely, this is the episode for you.
Even though my drinking was considered “bad enough” to quit on paper and in my heart, it didn’t mean that I stopped. For two years, I tried to justify and compare my drinking to others whose drinking was worse than mine.
The purpose of this episode is to share some good news - you don’t have to measure your drinking by “bad” to go alcohol-free.
I've got you, friend! 
 
During this episode, you’ll hear:
My story and reasons why I was trying to moderate my drinking and make alcohol “work”
What I envisioned of someone who had to quit drinking, and why I resisted being a sober woman
Why the consequences of my drinking and others doesn’t make it easier to quit drinking
The good news! Why you don’t have to measure your choice to quit drinking by labels or by comparing yourself to others
How Gray Area drinking plays a role in our choice to stop drinking on our own accord
The questions you can ask yourself if you are wondering if your drinking isn’t “bad enough” to quit
 
Ask yourself these questions to learn more about where you are with your drinking and where you want to be:
Why are you wondering if your drinking isn’t bad enough to quit? Is it to validate quitting or continuing to drink?
If my drinking is not bad enough, how bad does it have to get? When is enough enough? 
What is holding you back from going alcohol-free?
What if you allow yourself to create an alcohol-free lifestyle not because your drinking is bad but because YOU want better and different than what alcohol gives you? 
Don’t compare how you feel about alcohol and your drinking to anyone else - including me. Stay in your lane because that is where you will figure it out. 👊🏻
 
Mentioned in this episode:
The Hardest Part of Getting Sober
Email me with a question you would like me to answer. 
 
How I can help you:

The Daily Sobriety Toolkit
Join Team Alcohol-Free

Plan A Private Coaching

 
Help me spread the word! There is another option besides drinking in midlife. If you liked this episode and want to take a few minutes to support the podcast, I want to encourage you to leave a positive rating and review on Apple Podcasts.
So many women out there don’t know there is an “alcohol-free” option and are struggling with their drinking.
Your support will help these women find the podcast this week and learn about an alcohol-free lifestyle later in life.
➡️Click here, scroll to the bottom of the page, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”
I read my reviews and will hug you when I see yours.
Make sure to “follow” To 50 and Beyond to receive all the wonderful episodes. If you don’t click “follow," you will miss out on what’s coming up.
Thank you!
 

If you have a question you would like answered on the podcast, send me an email!
Episode 290
If you are a gal in midlife who is questioning her drinking and having a hard time getting sober, I’m with you.
In this episode, I answer a client's question: What was the hardest part of getting sober for you?
After she asked me this question, I didn’t hesitate. The hardest part for me was deciding to stop drinking.
I spent two years feeling stuck in decision fatigue and putting in lots of effort to make alcohol work. On August 11, 2013, I decided to go all in on what I wanted more than drinking alcohol.
In this episode, you will hear:
How and why I decided to stop drinking
My take on what it means to “get sober”
Why it’s difficult to decide to quit drinking (spoiler alert: it’s not you, it’s alcohol)
The fears that I faced in going alcohol-free, which are shared among many women in midlife
What it takes to go “all-in” on freeing yourself from alcohol
My message to you…
If you are having difficulty deciding right now, take a walk with yourself and map out a plan. Maybe now isn’t the time to take this on, and that’s okay - you can’t force yourself to get sober - you will figure it out, and you're on your way. I
If you’re ready to go all in, you can do it. I believe in you. Be kind and patient with yourself and take it day to day.
Thank you for listening!
 
Mentioned in this episode: 
The Daily Sobriety Toolkit 
Join Team Alcohol-Free 
 

Episode 289 
Hey there, friend! 
This episode comes straight from my heart and is for the moms and grandmas of the world who feel regretful about their drinking. 
I share what becoming a mom was like, how I started drinking the day I came home from the hospital, and why I quit drinking for myself, not my son, but stay sober for him today. 
I also talk about how I'm living with the regret of my drinking as a mom. 
In honor of Mother's Day and where I am today on my motherhood road, I wanted to talk about this topic to let you know you are not alone. 
My favorite thing I said in this episode (yes, I'm quoting myself) is: I have never regretted the decision to stop drinking.
Thank you for being here. 
I appreciate you! 
 
How I can help you: 
Download The Daily Sobriety Toolkit. 
Schedule a Discovery Session to enroll in private coaching. 
Get coaching and make new friends inside Team Alcohol-Free.