This week, Kristen shifts gears and goes into personal storytelling mode. Talking about drinking her first beer at age 12 and what traumas led her to that moment in her childhood.

A few bits & pieces:

* The first beer experience

* Her background and family history

* School and the awful bullies

There are many more stories to come, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

Check out the NEWWD movement :

www.notevenwinewithdinner.com

And read her blog over at Medium:

www.medium.com/@notevenwinewithdinner

"When you shift the focus back to yourself, you're telling the speaker, "You don't matter."

Kristen talks about how the art of active listening is seemingly dead in our society. How we try to talk to someone and the first thing the listener does is flip the script back on to themselves with a "me, myself and I" perspective.

This is a topic deep to her heart and something she's actively working on herself.

A few bits & pieces:

* How active listening is no longer an automatic response

*Social media has taken our attention spans to nanoseconds

*Not listening quietly tells your loved ones they don't matter

Check out the accompanying story on Medium:

Life Isn't a Competition - The Death of Active Listening

And sign up for the NEWWD newsletter:

www.notevenwinewithdinner.com

Trigger warning - the word "suicide" is used in this episode to talk about how the awareness of long term drinking can essentially take lives.

Kristen discusses how heavy drinking can take a toll on the body that can eventually lead to death. Her sister's unexpected death from the cirrhosis she was hiding was an eye opening experience to how the body shuts down over time with continued alcohol abuse.

A few bits & pieces:

* An excerpt from her story on Medium of the same name 🗣️

* Stories about her own ER visits as well as her father's revelation about his past 🍺

* Discussions about the toll alcohol can take on the liver

If you feel you need help please don't stay silent. Reach out to a friend, family member, doctor, AA meeting, or call 911 in an emergency.

There is someone who loves you that wants to help. 💖

Links to two stories mentioned:

Heavy Drinking - The Long Slow Suicide

My Sister's Little Secret - She Drank Herself to Death

For more info:

www.notevenwinewithdinner.com

To reach Kristen:

info@notevenwinewithdinner.com

or

www.skool.com/notevenwinewithdinner

We all think we're immortal when we're young, then life happens, and we wake up in our middle years.

Kristen talks about aging and how hard alcohol is on the body and mind if you continue drinking into your senior years.

A few bits & pieces:

*How we ignore the aging "lectures" when we're young

*No one likes to deal with a drunk old person

*Alcohol and its adverse effects on an aging body

Take a listen and check out the collaborating story on Medium:

Nobody Likes a Drunk Grandma

To learn more about the NEWWD movement:

www.notevenwinewithdinner.com

or join the community at:

www.skool.com/notevenwinewithdinner

And to read Kristen's stories about life, love, loss, and liquor, check out her writings at:

www.medium.com@notevenwinewithdinner

Have you been hit hard by the reaction of a "grown adult" when you tell them you've quit drinking? Were you stunned, shocked or even offended?

Kristen talks about how peer pressure doesn't stop in the playground and how to flip the script when someone reacts negatively or defensively to your change in life.

A few bits & pieces:

* How peer pressure starts in school

* The different kinds of pressure

* Kids vs. adults in the playground of life

* How to prepare for the "adult" comments that might come your way

A few epsiodes that relate to this one are:

EP 12 - "You Drink Normal" - The lie that's killing so many

EP 1 - "No" Is a Complete Sentence

To buy NEWWD swag like the shirt Kristen's wearing:

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The NEWWD website:

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In a world where drinking is so normalized, those who struggle can slip through the cracks into addiction.

Kristen talks about how she heard many comments like "Why are you quitting? You drink normal!" when she began her sobriety journey and how dangerous this conversation can be.

A few bits & pieces covered:

* Kristen's drinking history and what became her "normal"

* Signs and symptoms of what's not normal

* A few questions from mulitiple recovery sources on how to identify AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder)

You can read the collaborating story on Medium for free here:

"You Drink Normal" - The Lie That's Killing So Many

For more information on NEWWD or to reach Kristen directly, go to:

www.notevenwinewithdinner.com

To check out the NEWWD communuity on Skool:

www.skool.com/notevenwinewithdinner

Do you identify as "sober curious?" If so, in this episode, Kristen explains where you are in the 5 stages of change - a behavioral theory that will help you navigate the steps to making change in your life.

A few bits & pieces:

* Explanations of each step and what it represents

* Examples of each stage

* Encouragement to get to step 5 and make a long-lasting change

Be sure to comment below if you're interested in a more in-depth workshop on these changes.

To sign up for the NEWWD newsletter:

www.notevenwinewithdinner.com

Info about the Let Them Theory:

https://www.melrobbins.com/book/the-let-them-theory/

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Join Kristen bi-weekly for open and candid conversations about life, love, loss, and liquor.

In this episode, Kristen talks about her observations as the sober girl at the bar and how eye-opening, cringe-worthy, and uncomfortable it can be.

She recently wrote about it here on her Medium page. Check it out for free:

What I Observed As the Sober Girl at the Bar

A few bits & pieces about this episode:

* How to plan and prepare for a night at the bar while sober

* What to say when questioned about your sobriety

* The escape plan

* Dealing with the aftermath

To get your free sobriety starter kit, go to:

www.notevenwinewithdinner.com

To follow her stories about life, love, loss, and liquor, go to:

www.medium.com/@notevenwinewithdinner

And to look hot in some NEWWD swag, go to:

www.bonfire.com/newwd