Stop Over-drinking and Start Living

Scared to stop drinking because you don't know what happens next? We'll cover what actually happens when you stop drinking, what happens to your friendships when you're the one who changes first, and why Dry January was never a preview of anything. If you're afraid to quit drinking because of everyone else, this one's for you.

In this episode I'm walking you through why your brain is so bad at determining the future. Why it freezes your entire life in place and only takes away the wine. What really happens to the people around you when you're the one who moves first.
And why that Dry January you white-knuckled through was never a preview of anything.

In this week's episode I'm covering:

Why your worries about the future are accurate and still not useful

Focalism, and how your brain edits out every single good part

What happens to your relationships when you change from the inside out

Why you can't do ten years of white-knuckling, and why that's fine

The only thing you actually have to do today

About Angela:
I'm Angela Mascenik, a certified life coach helping women stop over-drinking without shame, willpower, or a label. I over-drank for 20 years while raising three kids, building a career, and keeping a good marriage and a nice home together. Functional on the outside, falling apart on the inside. Coaching changed all of it, and I've been alcohol free for eight years.
The Stop Over-Drinking and Start Living podcast is for high-achieving women who are tired of the cycle. Drinking more than you meant to. Waking up at 3am. Promising yourself tomorrow will be different. This isn't about white-knuckling your way through Dry January. We get underneath it. Why you're drinking in the first place, what you're actually feeling at 5pm, and how to build a life you don't need to escape from.
Every week I'm talking about boundaries, emotions, mind management, and putting yourself at the top of your own priority list, which is the part most women skip.

Ways to work with me:

The Magic House My retreat center in Lisbon, Portugal. https://www.angelamascenik.com/magichousefounderscircle

Private coaching One on One, for women who want to go deep and go fast. https://form.typeform.com

Transformation Program, small group, 6 months of weekly meetings and materials, includes a trip to The Magic House at the end! https://www.angelamascenik.com/transformationprogram

Subscribe wherever you listen, and if this episode helped, a review helps another woman find it.

Quick update episode before I head out to walk the Camino! A few episodes ago, I told you about coming off my medication and sleep aids, the brain zaps, and the nights I barely slept.

Here's where things landed: I'm fully off everything, sleeping better than I have in months, and I'm sharing exactly what worked.

I'm also telling you about the day I broke my own rule, paid for it until 12:30am, and what I did the next morning — because that part is the whole lesson. If you've ever blown a boundary with alcohol and used it as a reason to give up on the whole thing, this one's for you.

In this episode, you'll learn:

The full update on coming off sleep aids and medication, including the last little crutch I didn't even realize I was using

The two simple changes that made the biggest difference in my sleep

What happened the day I broke my own caffeine boundary (and why it felt exactly like drinking)

How to get back to a boundary after you break it, without the shame spiral or the "I'll start Monday" trap

Why your body knows how to get back to baseline when you stop interfering

Quick reminder: this is my personal experience with medication. Always talk to your doctor before starting or stopping anything.

Also, I recommend you listen to 'How to Stop Talking Yourself Out of It When It Gets Uncomfortable' before you listen to this one, to get the full context! Listen to that here:
https://www.angelamascenik.com/podcasts/stop-over-drinking-and-start-living/episodes/2149227702

Now accepting applications for the next cohort of the Transformation Program, check that out here: https://www.angelamascenik.com

ABOUT ANGELA:
Angela Mascenik is a certified stop over-drinking coach for women and the host of the Stop Over-Drinking and Start Living podcast. She helps high-achieving women get to the root of why they drink and change their relationship with alcohol from the inside out — without white-knuckling it or relying on willpower. Angela is the creator of the 6-month Transformation Program, the Alive AF! membership, and The Magic House Retreat Center in Lisbon, Portugal.

If you've ever thought "I've wasted so many years drinking," this episode is going to change how you see your entire story.

It started with Madonna- a line about how the deepest darkness holds the greatest light. And it perfectly captures something psychologists have been studying for decades: post-traumatic growth.

The research shows that women who go through hard seasons — including years of over-drinking, and actually process them, come out the other side with deeper relationships, more appreciation for life, and a strength they never had before.

The growth comes from processing the pain, and just time alone won't do it.

In this episode, I break down the five research-backed ways post-traumatic growth shows up and I share the tips for actually getting there.

I promise your drinking years aren't wasted years. They're the material for the best years of your life.

Now accepting applications for the next cohort of the Transformation Program, check that out here: https://www.angelamascenik.com/transformationprogram

I've updated my website, check out my new about me page: www.angelamascenik.com/

ABOUT ANGELA:
Angela Mascenik is a certified stop over-drinking coach for women and the host of the Stop Over-Drinking and Start Living podcast. She helps high-achieving women get to the root of why they drink and change their relationship with alcohol from the inside out — without white-knuckling it or relying on willpower. Angela is the creator of the 6-month Transformation Program, the Alive AF! membership, and The Magic House Retreat Center in Lisbon, Portugal.

Let's discuss intuition.

In this episode, I'm telling you the full story of how one small decision to listen to my body last fall led to the biggest, most magical thing in my business and my life.

Last year I had a two week trip planned with my friend Sarah. On paper it was a dream. But as it got closer, something in my body kept whispering, this is too much. And instead of pushing through like I would have during my drinking years, I said it out loud.

Then Sarah asked me one question that changed everything.

In this episode, we're talking about intuition. What it actually feels like in your body, what science says about when you can trust it, and why twenty years of over-drinking teaches you to mute the very signals that are trying to guide you.

You'll learn:

Why gut feelings are literal (your body sends way more information to your brain than your brain sends back)

The one question to ask yourself when you can't tell what you really want

Why your intuition about your own needs is the most reliable kind, according to research

How wine becomes the tool we use to drown out the "something's off" whisper

What honoring your intuition actually gives you (hint: I'm keeping this honest, no fairy tales)

www.angelamascenik.com << check out my new and refreshed website!
www.angelamascenik.com/magichousefounderscircle << 1 shared spot left! Grab it before it's gone!

ABOUT ANGELA:
Angela Mascenik is a certified stop over-drinking coach for women and the host of the Stop Over-Drinking and Start Living podcast. She helps high-achieving women get to the root of why they drink and change their relationship with alcohol from the inside out — without white-knuckling it or relying on willpower. Angela is the creator of the 6-month Transformation Program, the Alive AF! membership, and The Magic House Retreat Center in Lisbon, Portugal.

You decided this morning you weren't drinking tonight. Then 5pm rolls around, the day was long, and the debate starts: "Maybe just one. I don't want to be left out. I'll start fresh Monday."

In this episode, I'm sharing a very personal story about coming off anti-anxiety medication and sleep aids during our move to Lisbon, the brutal side effects nobody warned me about, and the two nights I barely slept at all.

What got me through was one skill: allowing the discomfort WHILE my brain also wanted to talk me out of it.

In this episode, you'll learn:

My experience stopping a low-dose anti-anxiety and what the withdrawal was actually like (brain zaps, body aches, sleepless nights, stomach issues.. all of it)

Why I decided to come off everything before walking the Camino, including sleep aids

The difference between allowing discomfort and white-knuckling through it

Why deciding ahead of time changes everything, and how the 2 am moment becomes just following through

Quick note: this is my personal experience with medication. Always talk to your doctor before starting or stopping anything. This is not medical advice.

www.angelamascenik.com << check out my new and refreshed website!
Magic House Founders Circle www.angelamascenik.com/magichousefounderscircle << 1 shared spot left! Grab it before it's gone! [5:05 AM]

ABOUT ANGELA:
Angela Mascenik is a certified stop over-drinking coach for women and the host of the Stop Over-Drinking and Start Living podcast. She helps high-achieving women get to the root of why they drink and change their relationship with alcohol from the inside out — without white-knuckling it or relying on willpower. Angela is the creator of the 6-month Transformation Program, the Alive AF! membership, and The Magic House Retreat Center in Lisbon, Portugal.