Welcome (or welcome back!) to the Alcohol Minimalist Podcast with your host, Molly Watts, coming to you from salubrious Oregon!

In this final episode for Alcohol Awareness Month, Molly gets personal and shares the three major ways her drinking habits — and more importantly, her thinking about alcohol — have evolved over the years.

This isn’t just about counting drinks or cutting back to a “magical low number.” It's about creating peace with alcohol and living intentionally. Molly dives into how shifting from automatic drinking to intentional, mindful drinking has been the cornerstone of her transformation.

She also introduces her brand-new mini-program, Just One More, designed to help you rewire the "binge brain" for vacations, weekends, and parties where overdrinking used to sneak in.

If you're looking for inspiration and actionable strategies to rethink your relationship with alcohol, you won’t want to miss this episode.

Key Takeaways:

• Intentionality over Autopilot:
  Molly explains how she shifted from drinking mindlessly to making conscious, purposeful decisions about alcohol.
• Alcohol as an Option, Not a Solution:
  She no longer uses alcohol to solve problems or enhance experiences — vacations and celebrations are about the moments, not the drinks.
• Freedom Through Planning:
  Rather than feeling restrictive, planning her alcohol consumption ahead of time actually brings freedom and protects her long-term goals.
• New Program Launch!
  Get the inside scoop on the upcoming mini-program, Just One More, launching May 6th — perfect for anyone who struggles with binge drinking during "special occasions."

Resources Mentioned:

• Just One More
• Website: www.mollywatts.com
• Instagram: @alcoholminimalist
• Facebook Group: Alcohol Minimalists: Change Your Alcohol Habits

Low risk drinking guidelines from the NIAAA:

Healthy men under 65:

No more than 4 drinks in one day and no more than 14 drinks per week.

Healthy women (all ages) and healthy men 65 and older:
No more than 3 drinks in one day and no more than 7 drinks per week.

One drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor. So remember that a mixed drink or full glass of wine are probably more than one drink.

Abstinence from alcohol
Abstinence from alcohol is the best choice for people who take medication(s) that interact with alcohol, have health conditions that could be exacerbated by alcohol (e.g. liver disease), are pregnant or may become pregnant or have had a problem with alcohol or another substance in the past.

Benefits of “low-risk” drinking
Following these guidelines reduces the risk of health problems such as cancer, liver disease, reduced immunity, ulcers, sleep problems, complications of existing conditions, and more. It also reduces the risk of depression, social problems, and difficulties at school or work.