The Sober Mom Challenge

Have you bought my book, It’s Not About the Wine: The Loaded Truth Behind Mommy Wine Culture? Buy it here. Publishers Weekly says about the book: “stressed-out moms will find comfort.” And please leave a review on Amazon when you’re finished! I went to a play date the other day at someone's house. Almost the moment I stepped through the front door, the mom giggled "Mimosa time!" and my body froze up. I wasn't prepared for this.

Have you bought my book, It’s Not About the Wine: The Loaded Truth Behind Mommy Wine Culture? Buy it here. Publishers Weekly says about the book: “stressed-out moms will find comfort.” And please leave a review on Amazon when you’re finished! Somewhere in the multisphere lives a version of me who’s still drinking. I think about that person a lot. Two versions of me in the multisphere, both 47 years old. Both of us still have two kids, ages 10 and 12. But that’s where the similarities end.

Have you bought my book, It’s Not About the Wine: The Loaded Truth Behind Mommy Wine Culture? Buy it here. Publishers Weekly says about the book: “stressed-out moms will find comfort.” And please leave a review on Amazon when you’re finished! When people ask me when I knew it was time to quit drinking, I often share a story about a visit to my kids’ pediatrician, a month or two before I quit. We were visiting the doctor because my three-year-old had been struggling at preschool.

This is Part 2 of a series. In part 1, I described things I did that were, in fact, TERRIBLE ideas. If you find value in these emails, I hope you will consider becoming a paid subscriber. Paid subscriptions are how I’m able to make money from my writing. Five months sober, my husband and I flew to Cancun for our anniversary. All-inclusive. Drink dispensers built into the wall of our own bedroom.

If you find value in these emails, I hope you will consider becoming a paid subscriber. Paid subscriptions are how I’m able to make money from my writing. I hope I never have to go back to Day 1 in my recovery. One time was hard enough, thank you! But if I could go back and do early sobriety differently, I would. There’s an instinct in early recovery to prove you can handle it alone and without asking for help. I gave in to that instinct constantly, and looking back, I see the root of the problem.

If you find value in these emails, I hope you will consider becoming a paid subscriber. Paid subscriptions are how I’m able to make money from my writing. Last week, we packed up our SUV and hit the road to Pinecrest Lake, our annual destination over the last five years for UC Berkeley’s alumni family camp. And while my oldest is not big on bugs, dirt, and walking through the woods at night, our youngest lives for this trip to the Lair of the Golden Bear.

If you find value in these emails, I hope you will consider becoming a paid subscriber. Paid subscriptions are how I’m able to make money from my writing. This will be my ninth sober summer. Believe it or not, it’s amazing and I look forward to it more each year. My first sober summer was a season of many firsts. First sober camping trip. First sober wedding. First sober boat ride. First sober beach day. The triggers were BRUTAL. But they didn’t have to be. They were hard because I wasn’t prepared.

The Motherhood Paradox of Drinking to Cope A note before today's essay. After hearing from hundreds of you, I finally built the thing I wished existed after I quit drinking but felt depleted and dormant — a private 12-week container for five women ready to stop feeling numb and actually feel alive again. Applications are open for The Ignite Method. If your curiosity piqued, take a look here.

Pssst: Here's what you really miss... Hey, real quick: Who wants to play BINGO??? I created a 30-day pleasure BINGO card and I’m giving away a $10 Starbucks card to the first person who completes it. It’s free, so join in here. I don’t think I should drink anymore, but I miss it, and I think it was a positive asset in my life for a long time.1 The Ultimate Mom Challenge is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I’m tired. Scratch that. I’m freaking exhausted. I’m not just talking about the obvious exhaustion that comes with raising kids, an ebb-and-flow career, marriage, caregiving, and the mental load of holding everyone’s lives together while quietly trying not to unravel. The Ultimate Mom Challenge is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.