BTW - If you didn't already know, I'm Sarah - Drink Less; Live Better founder, best-selling author, expert speaker, life coach and, as you already know, podcast host!
We don't have to hit rock bottom, we're allowed to want something different and we can CHOOSE to improve our lives from this point onwards.
I work in the magic space where doubt, hope and action meet... oh.... and
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Transcripts
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At the end of January, we do this. Hello and welcome to this episode of the Drink Less, Live Better podcast. I'm your host, Sarah Williamson, and I'm glad you're here today. I'm really glad because this episode is for right now, this moment. Not the shiny, optimistic version of you that existed on the 1st of January. Not the future version who has it all figured out, but the real, present, right-now you. Standing at the end of January, holding a slightly crumpled list of intentions, wondering quietly, where did my motivation go? Is that you?
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At the start of the year, many of us arrived with big energy, bold resolutions, ambitious goals, a sense that this would be the year we finally sorted everything out, and now here we are. Maybe you declared, "This is going to be my year." I had an appalling end to 2025, and I was not loudly declaring 2026 to be the opposite, but I was hoping it would take a little uptick. Anyway, I spent some time in the dentist's chair last week, swearing loudly at some bad news she imparted, and then when she had her hand in my mouth, I resorted to crying as she removed a tooth. I told her I was feeling like 2026 was now having a rubbish start, and we both agreed that 2026 could start in February. If that needs to be you too, welcome to my club. Let's see, what else might have happened to you? Dry January may have become mostly dry January. That beautifully colour-coded planner is already looking, hmm, kind of optimistic. The gym membership has been used twice. The juicer has already been relegated to the back of the cupboard.
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If that's you, I want you to hear this clearly. Nothing has gone wrong. Nothing has been derailed. January and social media have a way of selling us a fantasy that we can reinvent decades of habits in 31 days, that willpower alone can outpace exhaustion, hormones, busy lives, caring responsibilities, work stress, and the simple fact that we're human. So if your New Year's resolutions have faded, or your goals have been quietly downgraded, this episode is not about pushing harder. It's about choosing wiser.
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At the end of January, we do something different. We stop trying to win the year in one month, and we start planning for the long term, because sustainable change builds slowly, quietly, almost unremarkably. And we are not starting from scratch. We are, of course, starting from a place of experience. We've lived enough life to know that extreme plans rarely survive real life. We've also lived enough life to know that when something doesn't stick, it's usually because it fits us, not because it impressed everyone else. So instead of asking, "Why didn't I stick to my resolutions, plans, goals, or whatever?" I want you to ask yourself a kinder question. What did I learn this January?
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Me, I've learnt that broken teeth have to be extracted. Oh, and I also learnt I love winter more and more with every passing year. The more I'm surrounded by people saying to me, "Oh my God, January goes on forever and ever," the more I'm saying, "Yes, isn't it brilliant?" Maybe it taught you something else. That your energy isn't what it used to be, and pretending otherwise just creates guilt. Maybe it showed you that evenings are your danger zone for wine, not because you lack discipline, but because you're depleted by then. Maybe it revealed that your goals were borrowed from someone else's life, not built for your own. And this is valuable information. And at the end of January, we use information, not criticism.
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Here's a reframe I love. January is not the month for mastery. January is the month for just noticing. Noticing what feels heavy. Noticing what feels supportive. Noticing where you keep trying to override yourself instead of listening to yourself. The Drink Less, Live Better philosophy. We don't aim for perfection. We aim for a bit of progress. So instead of doubling down on a plan that already feels tight and joyless, this is the moment to soften it. Zoom out. Ask yourself, "If I cared really well for myself over the next six months and not six weeks, what would that look like?"
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Longer-term thinking changes everything. It shifts us away from all-or-nothing behaviour. It makes space for consistency over intensity. It allows room for rest, pleasure, and flexibility without the constant feeling of falling behind. And when it comes to drinking, this really matters. So many women decide in January that they will fix their relationship with alcohol through sheer force, and when life inevitably gets a bit lifey, they then talk about failure. But a longer view asks different questions. What role has alcohol been playing in my life? What do I actually need more of in the evenings? How do I want to feel in my body and mind as I move through this next chapter? What does you, version 2.0, want and need? These might not be questions with quick answers. They're questions that perhaps deserve time.
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So at the end of January, we don't quit. We recalibrate. We loosen our grip on unrealistic timelines. We release the idea that change has to be dramatic, to be meaningful. And maybe the most important thing we do at the end of January is this. We stop using the calendar as a weapon against ourselves. You are not late. You are not behind. You are exactly where you need to be to make changes that might actually last. So take a breath. Fold January up gently. This year doesn't need to be conquered. It wants to be lived.
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Check out Instagram at Drink Less, Live Better. And on the internet, drinklesslivebetter.com. You'll find some useful resources there. Have a look at the podcast show notes today for a link to a hidden podcast episode that will help you with your 5 PM cravings and details about my one-to-one life coaching and sober coaching programmes. And P.S. I believe in you.
