Editing Our Drinking and Our Lives

By Jolene Park & Aidan Donnelley Rowley

Personal Journals Society & Culture Self-Help

What's Editing Our Drinking and Our Lives about?

Aidan Donnelley Rowley and Jolene Park talk about their decisions to make an Early Exit from the drinking life, the gray area of drinking and the ongoing edits they make to their lives.

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Editing Our Drinking and Our Lives episodes:

03.03.2023
A Final (?) Wrap Up
Jolene and Aidan catch up after a long break in recording a podcast. Listen in as they share what they’ve been up to the past couple years and where they are focusing their attention these days. CONNECT WITH JOLENE: ...
01.12.2020
Episode 38 - Burnout
Feeling zapped, exhausted and just plain tired? Alcohol may be what you are turning or have turned to in the past to unwind and get a reprieve from the demands of modern life. So, what can you do to downshift...
01.11.2020
Episode 37 - Forgiveness
Have you been berating yourself for your drinking, either past or present? It is time to delve into the work of forgiveness and self-compassion. In this episode, Jolene and Aidan share how they approach thoughts of regret and shame around...
01.10.2020
Episode 36 - Thinking About Drinking
What happens when Jolene and Aidan have a bad day, dine at an idyllic bistro in Paris, or desire to escape tough feelings? Sometimes they feel the urge to reach for a drink - but they don’t actually follow through....
01.09.2020
Episode 35 - Intuition
Three years after giving up alcohol Aidan started having lightning thoughts about her purpose. And, as Jolene comes up on her 5th alcohol-free anniversary, she too feels deeply connected to her intuition and is able to access her inner knowing...
02.14.2019
Episode 34 - Gray Area Drinking
There is a polarizing trend around drinking labels and what constitutes as “problem drinking”. So, what is gray area drinking and where does it fall on the “problem drinking” spectrum? This is a conversation in which Aiden and Jolene invite...
02.12.2019
Episode 33 - Relationships
Drinking is often intertwined with our closest relationships. So much so that we may continue drinking, even though a voice inside is wishing to stop, so that we don’t disrupt the status quo. How do we remove drinking from these...
02.11.2019
Episode 32 - Present Moment
One of the greatest gifts of going alcohol-free is experiencing life deeply in the present moment. There is a quality of clarity and expansion that comes when we aren’t trying to escape into a drink. Yet, what do we do...
02.10.2019
Episode 31 - Grief
Grief is vast and there is no formula for how to deal with it. Often when drinking takes a turn, loss and grief are found buried under the layers of the pain numbed by alcohol. When we go begin to...
06.27.2018
Episode 30 - One Year Of EDIT Podcast
Aidan and Jolene look back on one year of podcasting together and talk about the things that have happened in their lives as a result. They both shared their bright light moments -Jolene talks about her TEDx talk that she...
06.26.2018
Episode 29 - Reality Check
While every aspect of our lives can improve sans alcohol, the reality is there are still aspects of our lives that can still be difficult after we stop drinking. Both Aidan and Jolene have found that finding their flow, purpose,...
06.25.2018
Episode 28 - Reaching Out
Jolene and Aidan talk about reaching out to a therapist, people in our lives who are supportive and we know are like-minded or communities online or in person. Opening up to people in our life versus trying to figure out...
06.24.2018
Episode 27 - Hard Moments
Jolene and Aidan share experiences they recently had with alcohol being front and center in their life. Even though they no longer drink they still encounter hard moments. These moments can be confusing, baffling and hard, no matter how good,...
04.04.2018
Episode 26 - #Dry Life + Social Media
Jolene and Aidan talk about how social media and Instagram initially brought them together to start this podcast. They discuss how online platforms have played a role in changing how we think about drinking. It has become easy to quickly form...
04.03.2018
Episode 25 - Other People's Opinions
What do others say when they are drinking or not drinking around us? How did Jolene and Aidan navigate other people's opinions early on? People will certainly have conversations and opinions, but the fear of what others will think and say...
04.02.2018
Episode 24 - The Moderation Question
Is it possible to moderate? What do Aidan and Jolene think about moderation? Aidan says she could moderate but felt miserable. It wasn't pleasant to think about and plan for all the time. It takes the joy out of her...
04.01.2018
Episode 23 - Memes + Marketing
Jolene and Aidan discuss the troubling marketing of alcohol memes toward women and moms. The promotion of excess as a way to escape and cope is what's being promoted. These memes send the message that drinking is the way to make...
01.07.2018
Episode 22 - Finding Your People
Aidan and Jolene discuss how they found alcohol-free like-minded people through blogging, Instagram, FaceBook groups, and when social media connections can turn into friendships in real life. Jolene mentions how This Naked Mind and The HOME podcast weren't available when...
01.06.2018
Episode 21 - Public or Private?
Aidan was public with her decision to not drink in 2012 with her Year Without Wine blog posts, but Jolene stayed quieter and more private in the early months of quitting drinking for good. Jolene shares how she wrote a...
01.05.2018
Episode 20 - New Year, New You?
Do you make New Year's Resolutions? What happens when, if you fall off course or routine? In this episode, Jolene and Aidan discuss The Four Tendencies (the upholder, the obliger, the questioner, and the rebel) by Gretchen Rubin. They also discuss how...
01.04.2018
Episode 19 - Special Occasions
There will always be a holiday, a special event, anniversary, or celebration during the calendar year. It doesn't matter if it's December, April, July or any other month. Aidan talks about her recent holiday party that she hosted and Jolene...
10.30.2017
Episode 18 - Anxiety Part Two
Jolene talks about the role GABA plays in anxiety and how she used lemon balm, passion flower, holy basil, inositol, and L-theanine in the early days of quitting drinking to help regulate her own anxiety. She talks about how yoga...
10.27.2017
Episode 17 - Anxiety Part One
Aidan and Jolene talk about their early anxiety stories. Aidan didn't think of herself as an anxious kid, but Jolene did identify as an anxious kid early on and had panic attacks in Junior High. They both resonate with being...
10.26.2017
Episode 16 - Should You Stop Drinking?
If you're asking the question, it's probably something you'll want to pay attention to. Sometimes just asking the internal question is more important than getting an external answer from others. Also, if you're questioning your drinking it might be prudent to...
10.25.2017
Episode 15 - Introvert Or Extrovert?
Aidan and Jolene talk about how they view their own introvert and extrovert personalities. How they feel about being alone vs with others as a way to recharge and regenerate. Aidan mentions the book Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In...
09.15.2017
Episode 14 - The Count Or Not To Count
The decision to count or not count alcohol-free days is different for everyone. Jolene and Aidan discuss why they both like counting days and which apps they use. Aidan uses NOMO and Jolene used Good Habits and Quit That. Counting days...
09.14.2017
Episode 13 - Sleep + Drinking Dreams
This episode explores the havoc that alcohol plays on sleep and dreams. Alcohol can contribute to hormone, blood sugar and cortisol imbalances which disrupts sleep patterns in the middle of the night. Jolene mentions the Chinese Medicine theory of why we...
09.13.2017
Episode 12 - The Forever Question
Aidan and Jolene talk about why they committed to not drinking when they could get away with continuing to drink. Aidan wrote about her long-term commitment/decision in her blog post, Saying I Do To A Life Without Alcohol. But let's be honest, when...
09.12.2017
Episode 11 - Kids/No Kids + Drinking
Does parenthood or lack of parenthood impact our drinking? Jolene and Aidan discuss how their personal desires to have children intersected with their own drinking. Whether it's the loss of the dream of having a child, the loss of an identity, or...
07.25.2017
Episode 10 - Socializing Without Alcohol
Jolene and Aidan talk about how they engage in their social lives without drinking. Both admit they are more of introverts than they once thought. They share some of the phrases they have ready if someone offers them a drink such...
07.24.2017
Episode 9 - F-It Moments
The evening hours are often a hard time to stick to the resolve of not drinking alcohol. Especially after a full, stressful day, you might say, “Why am I being so hard on myself? I can have a treat, I can have one...
07.23.2017
Episode 8 - Hangovers
Aidan looks back on her drinking days and talks about the surprisingly positive mental, emotional, existential aspects of her hangovers. Jolene shares the negative physical effects of her hangovers and how they ultimately motivated her to stop drinking. Jolene talks about the histamine,...
07.22.2017
Episode 7 - The Power Of Vulnerability
Jolene and Aidan debrief what it feels like to have the first six episodes of their podcast out into the world. They talk about the vulnerability hangover of sharing their stories along with the overwhelmingly positive response they’ve received from thousands...
05.31.2017
Episode 6 - Life Without Alcohol
Aidan and Jolene talk about what life without alcohol has been like so far for them. They share what the best parts of the dry life have been as well as acknowledge the tougher parts. This episode is an honest,...
05.30.2017
Episode 5 - Jolene's Stop Story
Jolene talks about dancing back and forth between drinking and not drinking for many years and about how she reached her quiet tipping point on December 14, 2014. It wasn't planned and she didn't think of this as her last...
05.29.2017
Episode 4 - Aidan's Stop Story
Aidan talks about her "dance" between drinking and not drinking. She recently heard Elizabeth Vargas, author of Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction, speak at the She Recovers Conference. Vargas said, "when you start to drink to numb, that's...
05.28.2017
Episode 3 - Jolene's Drinking Story
Jolene gives a glimpse of what her drinking looked like in the beginning. She didn't grow up around a lot of drinking and rarely drank in high school or college, but there was a pivotal point in her late 20's...
05.27.2017
Episode 2 - Aidan's Drinking Story
Aidan gives a glimpse of what her drinking looked like in the beginning. She talks about coming from a family where alcohol is often celebrated and acknowledges that she has many good memories associated with drinking. She talks about getting accepted...
05.26.2017
Episode 1 - Welcome To Edit Podcast
Aidan and Jolene introduce themselves and talk about their decision to make an Early Exit from the drinking life. They also discuss whom they hope to reach with their podcast about the gray area of drinking and explore how they...

What's Editing Our Drinking and Our Lives about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Editing Our Drinking and Our Lives episodes:

A Final (?) Wrap Up

Episode 38 - Burnout

Episode 37 - Forgiveness

Episode 36 - Thinking About Drinking

Episode 35 - Intuition

Episode 34 - Gray Area Drinking

Episode 33 - Relationships

Episode 32 - Present Moment

Episode 31 - Grief

Episode 30 - One Year Of EDIT Podcast

Episode 29 - Reality Check

Episode 28 - Reaching Out

Episode 27 - Hard Moments

Episode 26 - #Dry Life + Social Media

Episode 25 - Other People's Opinions

Episode 24 - The Moderation Question

Episode 23 - Memes + Marketing

Episode 22 - Finding Your People

Episode 21 - Public or Private?

Episode 20 - New Year, New You?

Episode 19 - Special Occasions

Episode 18 - Anxiety Part Two

Episode 17 - Anxiety Part One

Episode 16 - Should You Stop Drinking?

Episode 15 - Introvert Or Extrovert?

Episode 14 - The Count Or Not To Count

Episode 13 - Sleep + Drinking Dreams

Episode 12 - The Forever Question

Episode 11 - Kids/No Kids + Drinking

Episode 10 - Socializing Without Alcohol

Episode 9 - F-It Moments

Episode 8 - Hangovers

Episode 7 - The Power Of Vulnerability

Episode 6 - Life Without Alcohol

Episode 5 - Jolene's Stop Story

Episode 4 - Aidan's Stop Story

Episode 3 - Jolene's Drinking Story

Episode 2 - Aidan's Drinking Story

Episode 1 - Welcome To Edit Podcast