SOBER with Dani Medrano: On women, drinking, and building a life you don't need to escape from
Julie and Casey sit down with Dani Medrano, a San Francisco based writer, community builder and sober lady to talk about all drinking, and the joy of a sober life. The pandemic has increased our collective alcohol intake pretty significantly, so if you are questioning your relationship with alcohol (whatever stage) this discussion is for you.
TOP TAKEAWAYS
Women are drinking more during the pandemic, to the detriment of their health.
Alcohol is marketed to us as a catch all for celebration, connection, stress relief, etc. etc. Yet, questioning your drinking is considered a “you” problem.
You don’t need to hit “rock bottom” to question your drinking, and questioning your drinking does NOT automatically make you an alcoholic.
Alcohol is marketed to women in a way that takes advantage of the incredible stresses and double binds women live under.
12 Step programs are only one option—for women, the rhetoric of powerlessness and breaking down of the ego may be the exact opposite of what they need to recover.
Recovery isn’t a set of rules to live by; it’s a process unique to you to build a life you don’t need to escape from.
Community is critical.
Sober does not equal boring.
Resources:
Recovery options besides AA (these are just a few)
Tempest: jointempest.com
The Luckiest Club: theluckiestclub.com
Forever 35 Sober: Find them on Facebook
Book Recommendations:
This Naked Mind by Annie Grace
Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker
Nothing Good Can Come From This by Kristi Coulter
We Are the Luckiest by Laura McKowen
Podcasts:
Edit with Aidan Donnelly Rowley and Jolene Park
Recovery Happy Hour with Trisha
Instagram Follows:
@urbansage
@teedoodler
@recoveryhappyhour
@soberisthenewblack
Dani Medrano is a writer, program manager, recovery coach and pep-talk provider in San Francisco, CA. When she’s not working, writing, or lifting weights, you can find her walking her dog, Tater, or in the kitchen eating homemade mochi muffins with her roommates.
Are you sober? Sobercurious? Check out Dani's newsletter at http://slowmotionsober.substack.com/ to learn more about The Sober from Bullshit Recovery Club and to join the community. She'd so love to hear from you.