I Quit Wine - how to stop drinking and have a much better life

About I Quit Wine - how to stop drinking and have a much better life

Sarah Louise Leather has been working with women for over 30 years and is passionate about helping them to live much better lives. For the past 15 years, she's explored her relationship with alcohol and the effects it has on women, especially in menopause, with ADHD and beyond. Ready to stop thinking about drinking, or recovering from drinking? Book a complimentary call to plan your path to freedom from alcohol: https://tidycal.com/sarahleather/iqwconnect Email: iqwwithsarah@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iquitwine.withsarah/

Publisher

Sarah Louise Leather

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Feb 2022

Latest episode

11 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

53 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   11 Oct 2026

   053 Stop Negotiating with Alcohol: The Freedom of Making It Non-Negotiable

   Are you exhausted from constantly thinking about drinking? Telling yourself you'll stop, taking a break, then finding yourself back in the same old patterns? I've been there, and I know how much mental energy that constant negotiation can take. In this episode, I'm talking about what happens when you make changing your relationship with alcohol a non-negotiable. No more debating whether you'll drink at the wedding, on holiday or when you've had a stressful day. No more thinking about drinking, drinking, recovering and starting the whole cycle again. I'll share how making this decision gave me freedom and peace of mind, as well as a client story about a woman in her late 40s who rediscovered the ambition she'd had after college. She realised alcohol had been holding her back for decades. The key is changing the underlying belief that life is better with alcohol. Instead of seeing sobriety as deprivation, what if you approached it with curiosity about what's possible without drinking? In this episode, I explore why information alone often isn't enough to break old patterns, why getting support matters, and how taking 90 days away from alcohol can be a starting point for creating lasting change. You don't have to spend another year negotiating with yourself about drinking. Imagine what you could do with all that mental energy back! If you're ready for support, visit iquitwine.com (https://iquitwine.com) to explore your options or book a complimentary call. You can also email me at iqwwithsarah@gmail.com (mailto:iqwwithsarah@gmail.com)

2. 

   3 Oct 2026

   052 From Constantly Thinking About Drinking to Joyfully Alcohol Free

   What if you're not drinking every day, but alcohol is taking up far too much space in your head? That's what I mean by grey area drinking. In this episode, I'm sharing the story of a client who was caught in that grey area — and what happened when she finally decided to do something about it. One of the moments I share happened at a gallery opening. Before she arrived, she had a large glass of wine because she wanted to feel prepared. Once she was there, she wasn't really focused on the art or the people around her. She was thinking about when she could get another drink, how she could get a refill without it being obvious, and whether anyone was noticing how much she was drinking. Afterwards, despite already having had several glasses, she stopped to buy a bottle of wine. She described it as a “new low.” This is what grey area drinking can look like. Alcohol doesn't necessarily create a dramatic crisis, but it can quietly take over your thoughts, your choices and your enjoyment of life. I've seen so many women take a break from alcohol and feel fantastic — only to return to exactly the same drinking patterns afterwards. For me, lasting change isn't about white-knuckling your way through Sober October or Dry January. It's about changing your beliefs about alcohol and the role you believe it plays in your life. That's where emotional sobriety comes in. My goal isn't simply to help women stop drinking. It's to help them reach a place where they genuinely don't want to drink. The part of this client's story I love most is what happened a year later. She went back to the same gallery event. But this time she arrived with a non-alcoholic drink, and she wasn't thinking about wine. She was looking at the art. Talking to the artists. Connecting with her friends. And actually enjoying herself. She discovered something she hadn't believed was possible: Life without alcohol wasn't something she had to endure. It could actually be joyful. And that's the transformation I want for the women I work with. Not just “I don't drink anymore.” But: “I love my life without alcohol.” If you're constantly thinking about drinking, taking breaks but always returning to the same patterns, or wondering whether alcohol is taking more from your life than it's giving you, you don't have to figure it out alone. Email me at iqwwithsarah@gmail.com (mailto:iqwsarah@gmail.com) with “HELP” in the subject line, or book a complimentary call at iquitwine.com https://tidycal.com/sarahleather/iqwconnect (https://tidycal.com/sarahleather/iqwconnect) A genuinely joyful alcohol-free life is possible.

3. 

   17 Sept 2026

   051 You Stop Drinking, Crave Sugar & Put on Weight. Here's What to Do.

   In this episode of I Quit Wine, I’m talking about something I see so often in women who stop drinking: the “sugar monster.” You give up the wine, but suddenly you’re reaching for chocolate, biscuits, bread or anything else that gives you that quick hit of comfort. And there’s a reason this can happen. When alcohol has been your go-to way of changing how you feel, removing it can leave you looking for something else to fill that emotional gap. Sugar, processed foods, scrolling, Netflix, exercise — even constantly reaching for AI — can become new ways of distracting, soothing or stimulating ourselves. For me, this is where emotional sobriety comes in. And that takes more than information. I can give you all the information in the world about alcohol, sugar, dopamine, food and habits — but information alone doesn’t create change. Implementation does. One of the biggest mistakes I see is trying to change everything at once. In the early days of sobriety, particularly those first 30 days, my priority is simple: don’t drink. That’s it. Eat properly. Get enough protein and healthy fats. Have nutritious snacks available. If fruit helps satisfy the sweet cravings, have the fruit. I don’t believe you need to be perfect with your food while you’re learning to live without alcohol. Then, once you’ve got some solid sober time behind you — around 90 days is a useful point to reassess — you can start looking at the other things that may be keeping you stuck, including sugar and highly processed foods. This is one of the questions I come back to again and again. Sometimes I think I’m hungry for food when what I’m actually hungry for is connection, purpose, rest, fun, reassurance or something meaningful to look forward to. That’s where journaling can be incredibly useful. Instead of automatically reaching for food, pause and ask: What am I really hungry for right now? The answer can tell you a lot. Emotional sobriety isn’t about making life complicated. Walking every day. Getting morning sunlight. Prioritising good sleep. Eating nourishing food. Creating connection. Paying attention to what you’re feeling rather than immediately trying to escape it. These simple things can make a huge difference. And if you’re struggling, please don’t feel that you have to do this alone. Having support, accountability and someone to help you actually implement the changes can be transformational. There’s a hard that comes with drinking — and, for me, that hard never gave anything back. Then there’s the hard of becoming sober and learning to manage your emotions, your habits and your life differently. So if you’ve stopped drinking and now you’re battling sugar cravings, weight gain or a whole new collection of compulsive habits, don’t assume you’ve failed. You may simply have reached the next stage of the journey. And that’s where the real work — and the real freedom — can begin. If you’re a woman in your 40s, 50s or 60s who knows you’re drinking more than you want to but doesn’t necessarily identify as “dependent,” I’d love to help. You can get in touch with me at iqwsarah@gmail.com (mailto:iqwsarah@gmail.com) or book a complimentary call here (https://tidycal.com/sarahleather/iqwconnect): https://tidycal.com/sarahleather/iqwconnect In this episode, I talk about: Why sugar cravings can increase after giving up alcohol The idea of transferring addictive or compulsive behaviours Why weight loss isn’t necessarily automatic after sobriety How ADHD and perimenopause/menopause can add another layer What I mean by emotional sobriety Why the first 30 days should be about not drinking When and how to start looking at sugar and processed foods Emotional eating and asking what you’re really hungry for Journaling and identifying unmet emotional needs The importance of sleep, movement and morning sunlight Why information isn’t enough — implementation is key Why support can make such a difference And why sometimes you simply have to choose your hard So what’s actually going on? Speak soon: https://tidycal.com/sarahleather/iqwconnect

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

14 ratings

Spotify

4.8 / 5

13 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 49 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

64

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

85

Contact I Quit Wine - how to stop drinking and have a much better life

Guest appearances

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