Life is too short...to be Wasted with Sara Kaufman Bradstreet
Episode 236
My guest this week is Sara Kaufman-Bradstreet from No More Wasted Days
- In this Episode:-
- Sara's drinking escalated slowly over the years, starting in her twenties and continuing into her forties, with rules and moderation attempts that failed over time.
- She struggled with Mommy Juice Culture: Sara discusses how alcohol was normalized in social settings with other moms, making it hard to quit drinking without feeling isolated.
- Sara worried about how quitting drinking would impact her relationship with her husband since drinking was such a shared activity.
- It was a heavy drinking cruise experience which served as a wake-up call, making her realize the unsustainable nature of her drinking lifestyle
- Even moderate drinking resulted in constant low-level hangovers, impairing her productivity and energy levels. It was only when she quit that she realized how much alcohol was affecting her daily life.
- These realisations led Sara to commit to a 30-day alcohol break that ultimately turned into permanent sobriety.
- She found that quitting drinking freed up mental space and energy, improving her focus on family, work, and personal growth.
- She no longer had to set or break drinking rules, which gave her a sense of liberation.
- Quitting alcohol also led to increased confidence - her self-esteem improved, and she became more secure in living life on her own terms, not worrying about others' opinions
- After quitting drinking, Sara found herself enjoying food more freely, no longer restricting calories or saving them for alcohol, which led to physical improvements like losing belly bloat.
- After quitting, Sara noticed a significant increase in productivity. She tackled long-neglected household tasks and even started building a house, something she never would have taken on while drinking.
- Early sobriety felt awkward at social events, but over time, she learned to embrace being more present and listening more in conversations.
- Sara adopted daily gratitude journaling and affirmations as tools to shift her mindset from deprivation to empowerment, helping her maintain a positive outlook in sobriety.
I asked Sara for some tips for people in early sobriety…
- Sara advises people to start by making a deal with themselves to go for a set number of days without alcohol, such as 30 days. If 30 feels too long, she recommends starting with shorter goals and gradually increasing the duration.
- We agreed that we have to replace the Alcohol Buzz Naturally: Activities like exercise, making lists, listening to music, and doing personal tasks became replacements for the buzz she used to seek from alcohol.
- Like many of us in this space Sara became passionate about sobriety and she launched her “No More Wasted Days” website where she guides people through a 30 day challenge and also offers coaching