Is Alcohol Keeping You Stuck? The Questions Every Woman Who Drinks Should Ask | Jen Hirst

<p>Feeling like alcohol has quietly become your default way to unwind, reward yourself, or take the edge off?</p><p><br /></p><p>Join my October Reset Challenge, a supportive, guided reset to help you break the daily drinking habit, reconnect with yourself, and prove you can feel good without the glass of wine.</p><p><br /></p><p>Join the October Reset → <a href="https://programs.sarahrusbatch.com/sales-page-alcohol-reset-october-2026?utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=program+launch&amp;utmc_placement=show+notes&amp;utmc_funnel_stage=consideration&amp;utmc_offer_type=online+program&amp;utmc_offer_name=alcohol+reset+challenge+live+&amp;utmc_content_pillar=promotional&amp;utmc_messaging=program+sign+up+or+purchase" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://bit.ly/4gJyKSY</a></p><p><br /></p><p>What does it really take to walk out of the "sober closet" and let go of the shame we carry around drinking? In this episode of Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, I sit down with sobriety coach Jen Hirst to trace her journey from hidden, high-functioning drinking to lasting recovery, and to talk about the tools that actually work.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jen shares how her drinking escalated from teenage experimentation to using alcohol to numb heartbreak, anxiety and the weight of perfectionism, and how wedding stress pushed her to rock bottom. She walks us through the secrecy, the failed attempts at moderation and recovery, the mouthwash and dangerous substitutes, the two DWIs, hospitalisation and detox, and the day she finally surrendered. We talk about how alcohol fuels anxiety, how perimenopause and hormones shape our vulnerability, and the practical tools that ease cravings and stress, from breathwork, walking and affirmations to protein, blood-sugar stabilisation and her bedtime "protein pudding" trick for those 3am wake-ups.</p><p><br /></p><p>Key Topics Covered</p><ul><li><p>How Jen's drinking escalated from teenage experimentation to hidden, high-functioning dependence</p></li><li><p>Why perfectionism, heartbreak and wedding stress fuelled the drinking</p></li><li><p>What "coming out of the sober closet" meant, and how sharing her story dissolved shame</p></li><li><p>How alcohol worsens anxiety, and the role of perimenopause and hormones in midlife</p></li></ul><ul><li><p>Why blood-sugar stabilisation and a bedtime protein snack ease 3am wake-ups</p></li><li><p>The warning signs of cross addiction and why moderation so often fails</p></li></ul><p>Jen Hirst is