Send us a text Holiday parties, family tables, and New Year countdowns can feel like a maze when you’re choosing not to drink. We open up about what actually helps: the tiny moves that protect your peace, the scripts that end awkward pressure, and the plans that turn a long season into something you might finally enjoy. From the first work do to Boxing Day, we unpack real moments—food truck delays, sugar swaps, old triggers—and show how a simple plan can keep you grounded, social, and home sa...
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Send us a text Holiday parties, family tables, and New Year countdowns can feel like a maze when you’re choosing not to drink. We open up about what actually helps: the tiny moves that protect your peace, the scripts that end awkward pressure, and the plans that turn a long season into something you might finally enjoy. From the first work do to Boxing Day, we unpack real moments—food truck delays, sugar swaps, old triggers—and show how a simple plan can keep you grounded, social, and home sa...
Send us a text Holiday parties, family tables, and New Year countdowns can feel like a maze when you’re choosing not to drink. We open up about what actually helps: the tiny moves that protect your peace, the scripts that end awkward pressure, and the plans that turn a long season into something you might finally enjoy. From the first work do to Boxing Day, we unpack real moments—food truck delays, sugar swaps, old triggers—and show how a simple plan can keep you grounded, social, and home sa...
Send us a text We unpack how alcohol glued unhealthy friendships together, why sobriety exposed toxic patterns, and how learning to respond instead of react rebuilt our boundaries and our circles. Some ties faded, stronger ones deepened, and we found new friends who match our values, not our pour. • booze-bonded friendships and enabling • toxic comments normalized by drinking • fear of confrontation and people-pleasing • shifting from reacting to responding • accountability and letting go of...
Send us a text What happens when you take the mic, skip the “liquid courage,” and tell the truth anyway? We open up about two moments that reshaped our confidence: MCing a 90th birthday with shaking hands and a full heart, and saying yes to a day at the races with people we barely knew. No shortcuts, no numbing—just the kind of presence that turns fear into evidence that you can handle more than you thought. The stories are small and seismic. A speech becomes a bridge between mother and daug...
Send us a text What if the ache you feel when life moves on isn’t a problem to fix, but a compass pointing you back to what matters? That question sits at the heart of this solo story from Meg, where nostalgia, fear of loss, and the bittersweet nature of change collide with the choice to live fully—without alcohol. We trace the hidden logic that once drove her to drink: the unbearable awareness that moments pass, kids grow up, and chapters close. Meg shares how a lifelong love of photographs...
Send us a text What if the school holidays weren’t a blur of recovery but a season you actually remember? We get honest about how alcohol once ran the schedule—stacking holiday programs to make space for hangovers, leaning on sleepovers and grandparents, and calling it “normal.” Then we map the upgrade: sober camping trips that count even when it’s just one night, late-night teen pickups without the panic, and family milestones—like a 90th birthday—where every laugh lands because we’re truly ...
Send us a text A bag of manure, a wrong funeral procession, and two friends laughing so hard their faces hurt—this is a story about how fun didn’t vanish when the wine did. We crack open the invisible rules that used to run our lives: the bar tab at weddings, the “you deserve it” drinks after pregnancy, the designated‑driver resentment, the “check your texts” dread. Instead of preaching, we talk honestly about what changed: connection got louder, shame got quieter, and ordinary Sundays starte...
Send us a text Alcohol freedom doesn't mean the end of fun—it's the beginning of something far more authentic and expansive. In this eye-opening conversation with Kim Raysmith, founder of Sober Party People and retreat host, we dive deep into what it really takes to reclaim joy without liquid courage. Kim's journey begins with a familiar struggle: "I wanted to be sober like I wanted a hole in my head." For years, she chased the elusive "moderation fairy," convinced that her inability to cont...
Send us a text Valentine's Day typically conjures images of romantic love, but for Faye Hughes, it became the day she finally chose self-love over self-destruction. Flying back to Australia after a family wedding gone wrong, shame and regret weighing heavy on her shoulders, Faye made a life-altering decision to commit to sobriety that would transform every aspect of her life. Faye's story begins with childhood impressions of alcohol as the centerpiece of fun and connection, watching her moth...
Send us a text Have you ever woken up after a night of drinking with no memory of how you got home? Those aren't just fuzzy memories—they're scientifically proven to be memories that never formed at all. Welcome to the neurological phenomenon of blackouts. Megsie and Ali take you on a deeply personal journey through their experiences with alcohol-induced blackouts, exploring both the science and emotional impact of these memory gaps. As Megsie poignantly shares, "I was a photographer who cre...
Send us a text Have you ever wondered if those small, seemingly insignificant moments from your past might be driving your drinking habits today? In this powerful conversation with Meg, we uncover the hidden connections between what she calls "invisible trauma" and alcohol dependency. Meg's journey began with a single trembling moment in front of her high school class that triggered an anxiety disorder. When she discovered at 18 that alcohol stopped her shaking hands, it became her medicine—...
Send us a text Imagine standing in a store, debating whether to spend $75 on a massage gun for chronic pain relief, while never once questioning dropping $200 on weekend alcohol. This jarring realization sparked our deep dive into the strange financial double standards we create before and after sobriety. We unpack how society normalizes spending on harmful habits while scrutinizing healthier choices. "$15,500 saved in 3.5 years of sobriety" isn't just an impressive number—it represents free...
Send us a text Ever wonder if those nagging concerns about your drinking might actually be important warning signs? Join Ali and Megsy as they candidly unpack the red flags they ignored on their paths to alcohol dependence—and eventual sobriety. With unflinching honesty, they explore how society's narrow definition of "alcoholism" allowed them to dismiss serious warning signs simply because they were "high-functioning." From bringing backup booze to every social event to eagerly awaiting the...
Send us a text Ever found yourself swearing off alcohol only to cave in a moment of weakness? That dreaded "fuck it button" moment is something both of us know intimately—and it's exactly what we're tackling in this raw, unfiltered conversation about the cycle of drinking, quitting, and drinking again. Ali opens up about her journey through hypnotherapy to address the root causes of her drinking—feelings of unworthiness and abandonment—only to face a critical test at a colleague's wedding wh...
Send us a text The question arrived in our inbox from a listener with a familiar fear: "Will I lose my friends if I stop drinking?" It's a concern that keeps countless people trapped in cycles of alcohol use despite wanting to quit. After all, drinking culture permeates nearly every social gathering—from parent meetups to barbecues, Friday celebrations to weekend festivities. Drawing from our combined eight years of sobriety, we explore how friendship landscapes truly transform when alcohol ...
Send us a text Ever wondered when to tell people you've stopped drinking? That seemingly simple question leads us down a fascinating rabbit hole of social expectations, personal growth, and the unexpected gifts of sobriety. As two women with over seven combined years of alcohol-free living, we've navigated countless awkward explanations, invented excuses, and eventually found our authentic voices. From Ali's clever "one-year no beer challenge" deflection to Megsy's podcast revelation, we sha...
Send us a text Remember when special occasions meant inevitable hangovers? When Mother's Day was just another excuse to pop champagne at breakfast and keep drinking until you crashed on the couch by dinner time? We've been there, and in this raw, honest conversation, we're pulling back the curtain on how celebrations transform when alcohol no longer takes center stage. The "mummy wine culture" phenomenon continues to dominate greeting cards, gifts, and social expectations—teaching even young...
Send us a text Welcome to Laughs without Lager, the podcast about freedom from alcohol, self-discovery, and a whole lot of laughs. In our first episode, we’re kicking things off by introducing ourselves—Ali and Meg—two Aussie's who ditched the booze and found something better: clarity, connection, and freedom. We’ll share a bit about our journeys to alcohol-free living, what this podcast is all about, and why going sober doesn’t mean going boring. Whether you’re sober-curious or already AF, p...
Send us a text Holiday parties, family tables, and New Year countdowns can feel like a maze when you’re choosing not to drink. We open up about what actually helps: the tiny moves that protect your peace, the scripts that end awkward pressure, and the plans that turn a long season into something you might finally enjoy. From the first work do to Boxing Day, we unpack real moments—food truck delays, sugar swaps, old triggers—and show how a simple plan can keep you grounded, social, and home sa...
