March 10, 2025 • 48 mins
That evening glass of wine used to be such a simple pleasure. Now it comes with unwanted side effects—disrupted sleep at 3 am, morning brain fog, and inflammation showing up as puffiness or worse. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone in questioning your relationship with alcohol in midlife.
Leigh's journey with alcohol follows a path many women recognize. Growing up in a home where drinking was taboo, she didn't have her first real drink until college. That initial feeling of warmth and calm became a powerful anchor, especially for someone diagnosed with anxiety and OCD early in life. Fast forward through marriage, motherhood, and grief after losing her father in 2014, and what started as an occasional glass of wine evolved into consuming most of a bottle most nights—a progression that sneaks up quietly on so many midlife women.
The physical toll eventually became impossible to ignore. Racing heart at 3 am, constant fatigue, and the nagging sense that something wasn't right led Leigh to attempt sobriety multiple times before finally succeeding in June 2023. Her candid admission that she tried and "failed" repeatedly before finding lasting success offers tremendous hope and grace to women currently in that cycle. As she powerfully states, "The only failure is when we stop trying."
What makes this conversation particularly valuable is the science behind why alcohol affects midlife women differently. As we enter perimenopause and menopause, our bodies have less fluid volume to dilute alcohol, and our liver may not process it as efficiently. This isn't just anecdotal—it's biological. One drink now can affect us like three did in our younger years.
Beyond sobriety itself, Leigh discovered numerous underlying health issues that alcohol had either caused or masked, from gut problems to hormonal imbalances and even bone density loss. The improvements in sleep quality alone (measurable through her Apple Watch) demonstrate how profoundly alcohol was impacting her body's most essential restorative process.
Whether you identify as sober-curious or are simply seeking a greater understanding of how alcohol affects the midlife body differently, this judgment-free conversation offers valuable insights for making informed choices about your health and well-being at this stage of life.
You can find Leigh at:
_________________________________________
Are you ready to reclaim your midlife body and health? I went through my own personal journey through menopause, the struggle with midsection weight gain, and feeling run-down. Faster Way, a transformative six-week group program, set me on the path to sustainable change. I'd love to work with you! Let me help you reach your health and fitness goals.
https://www.fasterwaycoach.com/?aid=MicheleFolan
Have questions about Faster Way? Please email me at:
mfolanfasterway@gmail.com
After trying countless products that overpromised and underdelivered, RIMAN skincare finally gave me real, visible results—restoring my glow, firmness, and confidence in my skin at 61. RIMAN Korea's #1 Skincare Line - https://michelefolan.riman.com
*Transcripts are done with AI and may not be perfectly accurate.
**This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services, including the giving of medical advice. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Michele Folan (00:00):
At Asking for a Friend, we dive into the topics
that matter most to midlifewomen, because you deserve to
have these conversations.
Each episode, I bring youexpert insights, inspiring
stories and real talk about thechallenges and triumphs we face
at this stage of life.
I'm also excited to spotlighteveryday women just like you,
(00:21):
who are making waves, sharingtheir journeys and helping
others along the way.
These stories are full ofcourage, resilience and a deep
desire to connect and uplift oneanother.
So grab a cup of tea or yourwalking shoes and let's talk
about the things that trulymatter Health, wellness, fitness
(00:46):
and everything in between.
We're removing the taboo fromwhat really matters in midlife.
I'm your host, Michele Folan,and this is Asking for a Friend.
Has that evening glass of winestopped being the simple
pleasure it once was?
Yeah, I get it.
(01:07):
Back in 2018,.
I started questioning myrelationship with alcohol, but
not because of any rock bottommoment, but because my body was
sending me signals I couldn'tignore.
As perimenopause arrived, thatglass of wine came with unwanted
baggage, disrupted sleep,morning fog and inflammation
(01:28):
that, for me, showed up as bodypuffiness and horrible eye bags.
Then came the pandemic.
Like many of us, I filled thoseendless evenings with Netflix
and wine, but something felt off.
That internal enough meterseemed to have lost its
calibration and it troubled memore than I really wanted to
(01:49):
admit.
A 21-day online program in late2020 became my eye-opener.
While I didn't emerge ateetotaler, I discovered
something fascinating.
Life without alcohol hadunexpected gifts.
These days, I listen when mybody talks.
One cocktail yeah, I feel it.
Two, that's a next-day tax I'mreally rarely willing to pay
(02:15):
anymore.
Today's guest brings her owncandid story to our conversation
.
If you've ever laid awake at 3am wondering if it's time to
reimagine your relationship withalcohol, this episode is for
you.
No judgment, no pressure, justreal talk between women who get
it.
And if this show resonates withjust one of you, that is a win
(02:39):
for me.
Leigh Havelick, welcome toAsking for a Friend.
Leigh Havelick (02:44):
Thank you.
Michele Folan (02:45):
Thanks for having me, Michele.
Before we get started, becauseI always tend to jump right into
the topic and I forget to havepeople introduce themselves,
will you please tell theaudience a little bit more about
you, where you're from?
I'd love to have family detailsbecause I think that kind of
lays a path for our conversation.
Leigh Havelick (03:03):
Sure, yes.
I currently live in Portland,oregon.
I'm married and have three boys18 and twin 15-year-olds.
I originally grew up inMissouri, in the boot heel of
Missouri, on the MississippiRiver, in a really traditional
family mom and dad.
I have a brother who's threeyears younger than me and
(03:26):
drinking was pretty much tabooin our family home.
My parents didn't drink.
I was taught that good girlsdon't drink, good girls
especially, don't get drunk.
I didn't have my first sip ofalcohol until I was in college
and for many events and partiesthat was just a sip.
It wasn't until I was incollege, and for many events and
parties that was just a sip.
(03:46):
It wasn't until I was 20 or 21that I got drunk for the first
time and I had this overwhelmingfeeling of warmth and calm and
I was like, oh, this is whatI've been missing out on all
these years.
This is why all of these peopledrink, even though it tastes
(04:07):
like shit.
You know, I think I wasdiagnosed with OCD and anxiety
around the age of 10 or 12.
And I was never medicated forit.
But I went through years oftherapy and learning how to deal
with it, how to self-regulate,how to positively shift my
(04:31):
thoughts, we are in control ofour thoughts and having that
alcohol, that escape, for thefirst time, I don't think I'd
ever felt a real sense of justcalm and carelessness until that
first drink.
And so, and I remember it, Iremember where I was, I remember
(04:52):
it so very well.
Michele Folan (04:54):
Interesting.
Yes, yeah, okay, and thenwhere'd you meet your husband?
Leigh Havelick (04:59):
I met my husband at a business conference in
Arizona.
I was living in St Louis.
He was living here in Portland.
He's originally from Iowa buthad sought the Pacific Northwest
post-graduation, and so we metat this business conference and
we did the long distancerelationship for a while eight
months and then it came time tofigure out where we were going
(05:23):
to try to make this work.
Where were we going to do this?
We talked about him moving toSt Louis, me moving to Portland.
Ultimately, I was in a job thatI wasn't really happy in and
I'd never been out of theMidwest and thought this would
be a good experience livesomewhere else for a little
while, all on the two tofive-year plan.
That shouldn't work out and wedecided to have kids.
(05:44):
We would move back to theMidwest to be closer to family,
and that was 23 years ago.
So now I consider myself anOregonian.
My sons are true Oregonians andthis is where we've established
roots.
Michele Folan (05:58):
Oh, that's nice and you know what.
That's their life, that's theirhome, and so picking up
especially high school kids andtaking them back to Iowa, that
would be like ah, culture shockFor sure.
Yes, I appreciate you kind ofwalking us through that and I
know you and I connectedprobably two years ago through
(06:22):
social media, and somethingabout you just drew me to you
because I was trying to figureout what you were doing and I
think you had just become aFaster Way coach.
But I think even at that pointyou were pivoting.
You weren't really even goingto do the coaching but you
(06:44):
started talking about yourjourney with becoming sober and
I would love for you to sharewith the audience kind of what
that time in your life was likeand what was going on with you.
Leigh Havelick (06:58):
Sure, I found Faster Way, I believe in March,
April of 2023.
And it was one of the firstprograms I had done that
discouraged alcohol use.
That really said it's hard tomeet your macro goals whenever
(07:19):
you know you're incorporating ortrying to incorporate alcohol
into a healthy lifestyle.
I was really drawn to it forthat reason.
Secondly, it worked.
Yeah, there are so manyprograms out there that promise
results and overcomplicatethings or overcomplicate the
(07:40):
workouts, and Faster Way for mewas just really straightforward
and I had really good results ina short amount of time, and so
I was a believer in the program,my job.
I ended up getting laid off inJune of 2023, a job I had had
for eight years, but I couldtell the March-April timeframe
(08:02):
that there was new leadership.
It was not going as I had hopedit would be going, so I saw
that that was probably not goingto continue, at least long-term
.
Okay, and so when Amanda Tressstarted talking about becoming a
Faster Way coach, I was like Icould do that.
(08:22):
I could totally do that.
I could see myself in this role, in this coaching role, and so
I got certified as a Faster Waycoach.
I was also really wanting tostop drinking.
I wanted to stop drinking forsix years, but it was.
It was really at a point that Iknew I couldn't continue down
(08:43):
the road I was on, and so I gotcertified to become a Faster Way
coach, with the intention ofserving sober and sober curious
women Nice, because I reallyfelt like there was a need for
that whenever I started postingcontent.
The fitness nutrition piece washard for me.
(09:07):
I felt like it required and now, looking back, it didn't.
I just didn't know how to dosocial media.
At the time, I felt like Ineeded to dance or do these
silly things in order to gainfollowers and get attention.
But my sober content wasresonating more, and then,
(09:27):
whenever I did decide to becomesober in June of 2023, it was
like I said this recently in oneof my posts it was like a
part-time job, and so I reallyneeded to devote my full time
and intention to that instead ofcoaching.
And then the sober piece justtook off and I really view it as
(09:52):
a ministry.
I don't think I could neverhave grasped how many women out
there are struggling with thisexact same thing.
Either they're drinking toomuch, doing things they regret,
they're drinking too much andfeeling like shit when they wake
up the next day, they're likeyou said in the intro they're
(10:13):
waking up at 3, am not able tofall back asleep, and you know,
the number of women that reachout to me is really overwhelming
in a good way, and so I reallyfeel like this has become a
ministry for me.
I don't make you know my pageisn't monetized in any way.
I will say recently I restartedFaster Way for myself because
(10:37):
for so long, I just gave myselfpermission with the whole
fitness and nutrition piece,like the only thing I could do
was focus on being sober.
It was my priority, it cameabove everything else, and so
now, now that I'm almost twoyears sober.
It's like, okay, I'm ready toget back into that.
And so I recently posted aboutyou know, would anyone be
interested in following alongwith my fitness journey?
(10:57):
And again the response was justoverwhelming.
Because I think people in thisstage of life, we want to be
healthy, we want to be healthier, and so how can we do that?
We can do that by not drinking,we can do that by increasing
our muscle mass, we can do thatby, you know, reducing our fat
loss.
We can do that by eating enoughof the right foods to really
(11:20):
nourish and fuel our body.
And so I feel like we're all insuch a similar place.
Michele Folan (11:26):
Yeah, and that's why I wanted to have you on the
show, because I know you wentdown a path that was very
difficult and you're very openabout that.
I would like for you to sharethough the progression because,
like you said, you made itthrough college drinking very
little.
When did things start to reallybecome more of an issue for you
(11:51):
with alcohol?
Leigh Havelick (11:52):
I think the tipping point was in 2014, when
my dad passed away.
I noticed a significant shiftin my drinking.
Before that, I was a little bitmore of a drinker.
I was a little bit more of a.
I would have often a glass ofwine in the evening, a hefty
pour of wine in the evening, buta bottle would last me three to
(12:13):
four nights and at the end ofmy drinking I was drinking up.
You know, two thirds to a bottle, plus on nights that I would
drink and I didn't drink everynight, but I drank most nights
and you know, for so long inearly motherhood I was just so
busy Like I could.
I could make a glass of winefit in.
I looked forward to it at theend of the day, but I needed to
(12:35):
be able to wake up at 5 am andwith toddlers I had three kids,
three and under, and I needed tobe able to be present and
beyond and have energy, and sodrinking didn't really fit into
that.
But as they got older and theywere sleeping in on the weekends
and you know it's just, and Imet more parents in the
(12:56):
community and drinking is athing that parents in the
community do.
You know we had, we would bringI remember a baseball season
for my son, that little leaguethat we would bring, instead of
bringing snacks for the kids, wewould.
Adults had a sign up where theywould bring drinks for the
adults on Saturday mornings.
You know, these are I'm talkingnine, 10, 11 o'clock games, so
(13:20):
that we would start withscrewdrivers or mimosas or
whatever people wanted to bringin the morning.
And it's such a cultural andyou know so present in our
culture and every aspect of ourculture.
And I, just I drank more andmore and it began very
innocently and before I knew it,my glass of wine at night had
(13:40):
turned into, like I said, twothirds to a bottle.
But in 2014 was when I noticeda shift and for the longest time
I justified it because I washurting and I was dealing with
stress through alcohol.
Right, I know now that itdidn't fix anything and it
probably made things a hell of alot more difficult, but at the
(14:04):
time it felt like a Band-Aid,you know, a temporary fix for
very deep pain.
Michele Folan (14:11):
Right.
Was there a physical toll thatyou feel like it was taking on
your body at that time?
Leigh Havelick (14:17):
Not, I was younger then I didn't feel the
physical toll until really mymid to late 40s, where it was.
I would wake up and my heartwould be racing, which scared me
, because my mom has AFib, mygrandfather had AFib, my husband
(14:38):
has AFib and so I know, likeonce you, you know, once you're
diagnosed and get on thatmedication, sometimes it works,
sometimes it doesn't.
And I was like I am throwingmyself into a fit, you know,
into this irregular heartbeat bydrinking wine, like what is
that doing for my heartlong-term?
And then I was exhausted, likeI was waking up every night I
(15:03):
would drink at 3 am likeclockwork, and I would lay there
and I would catastrophize, likeall of like, like the smallest
things became huge issues in my,in my racing mind at 3, 4, 5 am
.
Michele Folan (15:20):
It happens to all of us, Leigh, and I mean even
now, even nights that I don'tdrink and I wake up at 3 am, I
still will have those racingthoughts and I think some of
that is cortisol, right.
Some of it is like if you'vehad drinks the night before and
you wake up in the middle of thenight and your heart is racing.
(15:42):
I think sometimes it's just thesugar's worn off and it wakes
you up.
And part of that anxiety is I'mnever going to fall back to
sleep, right For sure, and Ihave to get up at 6 am.
I've got so many things to do.
Leigh Havelick (15:55):
Yeah, how am I going to get through the day?
And instead of recognizing likeI am going to get through the
day and then I'm going to have apeaceful night and I'm going to
sleep by not drinking, it'slike I get through the day by
two o'clock, I'm thinking aboutwhat I'm going to have a
peaceful night and I'm going tosleep by not drinking.
It's like I get through the dayby 2 o'clock.
I'm thinking about what I'mgoing to drink, how much I'm
going to drink, how many drinksI'm going to have.
By 5 o'clock, I'm opening abottle of wine.
(16:16):
By 9 o'clock, that glass ofwine or that bottle of wine is
gone, and then we're doing thesame thing again.
It was literal insanity.
Michele Folan (16:31):
Yeah, I kind way during the pandemic, honestly,
because I wasn't working and wewere kind of stuck in the house,
and so that's when I startedsaying, oh my God, if I just
leave an inch in the bottom ofthe bottle, it doesn't feel like
I didn't finish it.
There's still an inch in thebottom.
So how was your husbandresponding to your drinking at
this time?
How was it impacting yourfamily?
Leigh Havelick (16:53):
I don't think it , maybe naively, I don't think
it impacted my family untilaround 2017, where my boys
started noticing and startedmaking comments about my
drinking, and 2017 was the firsttime that I decided I was going
to take an extended break fromalcohol.
You know, we were.
My husband was drinking too,along with me at the time.
It was before he was diagnosedwith AFib and, like I said, I
(17:16):
mean, that's what everyone inour community did, that's how we
bonded, that's how wecelebrated, that's how we
grieved.
I mean, everything was anexcuse to drink.
You know, before the kids games, after the kids games, at
birthday parties, weddings, wewere still going to weddings.
You know we're kind of enteringthe next stage where we're
going to be going to ourfriends' kids' weddings.
But oh, yeah, at the time, youknow he was drinking with me and
(17:48):
there was a lot ofself-recognition there.
You know, when I would wake upand I would not remember things
from the night before and I'd belike, oh, I'm going to drink
less, I'm going to do better.
And you know he's like, yeah,just, you know, you know, just
drink like I do have.
And he never, he never,struggled with alcohol.
I think he, he didn'tunderstand my struggle.
You know he, he didn't drinkduring the week.
On the weekends he could go bigand then be done and then, but
(18:09):
he never got.
Maybe five times in ourmarriage have I seen him where
I'd be like, oh, dave was drunk,but otherwise he just he is
very in control.
I was always very out ofcontrol and so, yeah, I just
don't think he understood thestruggle.
I don't think he understood thestruggle until the very end
(18:30):
where there was some things thathappened where he was like you
don't drink like other people oryour relationship with alcohol
is different than other people.
I would take these breaks and Iwould do good during my breaks
(19:08):
and then I'd go back and itwould start slowly and
innocently where I would onlydrink on the weekends and then
I'd have a glass of wine, maybea couple nights a week to.
I'm drinking five nights a weekto.
I'm going to lunch withgirlfriends and having drinks
and drinking into the afternoon,into the evening.
It always went the exact sameway.
But 2017 was the first time, youknow, my kids had made a couple
comments my oldest son,specifically my twins I don't
think they fully graspedeverything that was going on at
the time but my older son madesome comments and those
continued and those commentsshould have.
I should have been done at thosecomments alone, but I always
(19:33):
thought I was going to do better.
You know, my husband, for along time, was encouraging in
yes, let's drink less.
You're present for them everyday, these couple times where
you've drank too much, whatever,like everybody has bad days,
kind of justifying it and so andthat was like my green light to
keep drinking.
(19:53):
And again, I'm not blaming himat all, because I should have
said from the beginning I have areal problem.
I don't drink like other peoplebecause I recognized that
pretty early on, after my dadpassed away, and I knew that I
was using alcohol as a copingmechanism.
I think once we start using itas something else, to you know,
(20:15):
to to deal with trauma, toescape, you know whatever may be
going on in our lives, once itbecomes a crutch it's really
hard to make it somethingdifferent than that, as much as
we might want to.
Michele Folan (20:31):
I agree.
Hey, leigh, we're going to takea quick break and we'll be
right back.
Are you feeling overwhelmed bythe changes that come with
midlife, struggling with weight,energy or finding time for
yourself?
You're not alone.
I get it because I've beenthere too.
Self, you're not alone.
(20:52):
I get it because I've beenthere too.
I specialize in helping midlifewomen just like you transform
their health and lives throughpersonalized nutrition and
coaching that fits your reallife Together.
We'll tackle those uniquechallenges, whether it's
balancing your hormones, dealingwith cravings or boosting your
energy.
It's not just about diets.
It's about reclaiming yourstrength and confidence, one
(21:13):
step at a time.
Check out the show notes ofthis episode and shoot me an
email.
I'd love to learn more aboutyou and your challenges.
Okay, we are back.
So you quit several times, yes,quit several times, attempted
(21:34):
to quit, right, yeah, and thenthere was.
Was there an incident?
Was there something thathappened that finally you said I
got it?
I got to do it this time.
Leigh Havelick (21:47):
No, strangely no , 2020 was bad, really bad.
I was drinking.
I was buying wine by the box.
I thought there were threebottles of wine in a box.
A box would last me a couplenights.
Then I learned there were fourbottles of wine in a box and I
was going down.
(22:08):
I had it.
We have a fridge in our garageand I was going down
progressively earlier every daypouring wine.
And so, in June of 2020, Ijoined a program through This
Naked Mind called the Path, andit was supposed to be a
year-long program.
I joined it.
I met people that I'm still incontact with today.
(22:29):
We still cheer each other ontoday.
More than a handful that arestill sober from when they quit
in 2020.
A lot of people in our groupwere bowing out around the
September timeframe, and so Ihad been sober for three months.
By that point, I thought that Iwas cured and could do this on
(22:51):
my own, and so I quit the pathand I stayed sober until January
.
That's pretty good, yeah, seven, almost seven months.
And then took another long breakin September of 2022, rejoined
(23:11):
the path.
It had changed.
It was no longer a year longprogram, it had changed to 90
days.
So did 90 days through the path, stayed sober, started drinking
again four months later, againaround in December, like holiday
December.
January was always hard for me.
And then in June 2023, I wasjust like I can't do this.
(23:32):
I was just so sick and tired ofbeing sick and tired, just like
I can't do this anymore.
I can't do this.
And when I quit again, I had noreason to believe it would be
any different than my otherprevious failed attempts to quit
drinking.
But I knew I was more done thanI ever had been.
I knew alcohol wasn't going tochange, so I had to change.
(23:55):
It took a long time for me tofigure that out.
I accepted the fact that Icouldn't moderate my drinking
and I started this Instagramaccount.
I started this Instagramaccount a week into being sober
and I acted like I had beensober for a really long time.
I didn't.
I didn't mislead people by anymeans.
(24:16):
I was very honest about howlong I'd been sober, but I was
giving advice, like I had beensober for a long time because I
had done all these programs.
I knew all of the information.
I had all the resources andtools at my disposal to be
successful and to help otherpeople be successful.
It was just a matter of doingit.
It's kind of like talking aboutrecently restarting my health
(24:38):
and wellness journey.
It's like I'm a certifiedfitness and nutrition coach.
I know exactly what to do andhow to do it.
It's just a matter of I haveall the tools.
Just a matter of doing it.
Michele Folan (24:50):
When those first let's say, two, three weeks of
your sobriety at this point,what were those like?
I always wonder how you'refeeling.
Did you feel differently?
Were you sleeping better?
Was there anything that standsout in your mind during that
(25:12):
time where you were saying gosh,I love how I feel.
Leigh Havelick (25:17):
This time yes, because I had done it for so
many.
This time yes, because I haddone it for so many times that
there is rewiring.
That happens every time.
We have long breaks fromalcohol where we don't have to
relearn how to be sober, wedon't have to relearn coping
mechanisms.
They're back there, we justhave to access that information
(25:40):
in our brains.
And so this time I was all in.
I only viewed sobriety as apositive thing and knew that it
was going to change my life.
Previous attempts were soincredibly hard and there wasn't
a whole lot of joy.
It was, you know.
(26:00):
I felt that I was beingdeprived, and especially those
times that I took where it wasgoing to be a timed break, like
I was going to do it for 30 days, or I was going to do it for 75
days, where it was just likegetting through the day until I
could drink again.
And that was.
You know, that was a differentmindset.
But I remember, you know.
I remember standing in front ofthe refrigerator one night
(26:25):
throwing a temper tantrumbecause my husband had had wine
the night before and there washalf a bottle in there and I
couldn't drink it.
I remember my first sobervacation.
We went with another family tothe beach and I remember
everyone was playing games anddrinking and I just went up to
my room and sobbed like a kidbecause I was having myself a
(26:50):
pity party.
But I knew that it was theright choice for me.
So it was definitely.
It was progress, right we talk alot about in Faster Way,
progress over perfection, and soall those failed attempts.
I don't really like the wordfailure in sobriety, because I
(27:11):
always tell people that whetheryou do it for a day or whether
you do it for a hundred days,it's all part of the work and if
your ultimate goal is to quitdrinking, eventually most people
will get there.
You know, I thought somethingwas inherently broken in me
because I was following all ofthese sober accounts and I
(27:33):
couldn't figure it out and Iwould get up some mornings just
pissed off and unfollow them,and then I'd unfollow them and
then I'd re-follow them.
But it was all.
I mean, looking back, it wasall part of the work.
It was never for naught, and sowhen people reach out I failed,
(27:56):
I failed, you didn't fail.
The only failure is when westop trying.
So I try to remind people ofthat a lot.
Michele Folan (28:05):
And I like to say too, Leigh, that you're not
starting over at day one again,right?
I hate that, that the clockthen all of a sudden starts over
again.
No, no, no, no, no, you're notstarting over, right, you're
starting from a place ofexperience.
I really and I do this evenwith my clients they're like oh,
(28:27):
I was really bad this weekend.
I'm like so You're fine, justpick back up where you left off
and let's move on, right,there's no lamenting.
You know that you ate fourcookies, Okay, fine, right, yeah
, and we learn from thoseexperiences and it's just human
(28:49):
nature, right?
So I appreciate you tellingthat piece of the story, because
it's so important to kind ofwhere you are today.
I would love to know how, whereyou are today.
I would love to know how, like,looking back now, how you're
feeling mentally.
What kind of work did you haveto do?
(29:11):
Because I know the mindset workis huge.
Was being out there onInstagram?
Was that part of your therapy?
Leigh Havelick (29:21):
Oh for sure I tell people all the time that
anytime people are like you'rehelping me, Thank you, Like you
are helping me in return.
All of these conversations I'mhaving in my DMs, all of these
conversations I'm having in thecomments of my posts, it is
helpful to me, it is liketherapy to me.
And there was so much work forso long.
(29:44):
I mean, I read every quit litbook available.
Quit lit some people don't knowit's books about sobriety and I
read every book out there.
I couldn't consume thatliterature fast enough.
I've read a few of them and Ilistened to so many podcasts
(30:06):
about by sober people, how toget sober.
There were coaches through thisNaked Mind the Path who had
their own podcast.
I listened to those and justabsorbed all the information I
could, because information ispower at the end of the day, the
more we know, even you know,like if you think about blood
sugar spikes, right, so you'regoing to eat the four cookies
(30:29):
and there's no harm in eatingfour cookies.
Like you said, it's fourcookies.
But also we know that when weeat four cookies, our blood
sugar spikes, and we know bloodsugar spikes cause inflammation
in our body and so we neverquite look at it the same way,
Even though we still might havethe four cookies.
We know what it's doing to ourbody, and the same thing happens
(30:50):
.
You know, the more we knowabout alcohol.
We know it's linked to seventypes of cancer.
We know that it premature agesus.
We know that it's stored asbelly fat around our middles.
We know all of these things,and so it makes drinking less
attractive.
The more we consume thatinformation, the more we believe
(31:12):
it, and when we believe it, itmakes letting go a heck of a lot
easier.
Michele Folan (31:18):
Absolutely and I'm there right.
So I never have said I'm ateetotaler, because anybody that
is in my life knows that's nottrue.
But my ability to moderatemyself has proven to me that I'm
not broken, right, yeah, andbecause I thought for so long
(31:40):
I'm like God, what is wrong withme?
I, you know, I like gave me abourbon and then I want three.
You know, it was like I wasfeeding the beast a little bit.
Leigh Havelick (31:56):
And one is too many, and a thousand is never
enough.
Michele Folan (32:01):
That is such a great saying.
When it comes to that, you know.
One thing that you have talkedabout on your Instagram is kind
of your self-care routine.
Has that been something thatyou have embraced after you quit
drinking?
Oh, for sure.
Leigh Havelick (32:18):
For sure.
I think routine is stability,and stability is the opposite of
my chaos when I was drinking,and so it's such a privilege to
be able to wake up every morning.
I mean, I have, I wake up.
I sleep with a night guard.
I put my night guard insolution.
(32:40):
I take my hormone replacementtherapy.
I put on my weighted vest, I godown and walk on the treadmill.
I put my night guard insolution.
I take my hormone replacementtherapy.
I put on my weighted vest, I godown and walk on the treadmill.
I drink my coffee.
I you know I'm very routinedand it is.
I remember Holly Whitakerwriting about how excited and
how much joy she got fromflossing her teeth, because it's
something that was completelyneglected during her drinking
(33:01):
days, and so, getting sober, Iaddressed all of these
underlying health issues.
I had some serious gut issuesthat needed to be resolved that
I worked on for the past year.
I had gone through menopauseand didn't even know it because
I had an IUD in, and so Iaddressed all of these hormonal
(33:22):
issues.
When I went, I went to myprimary care physician and she
was like oh yeah, I think you'veprobably gone through menopause
.
If you cause, I'd have my IUDin and then I never got my
period.
After that it had been a yearand she said, well, if you got a
period now, I would beconcerned.
I would consider yourselfthrough menopause.
I said, okay, do I need to bethinking about hormone
(33:44):
replacement therapy?
And she said you know, ifyou're not having any big issues
, there's no need to considerthat.
And I was like, oh, okay, andjust took her word for it.
Well then I was talking to myclient who was a functional
medicine nutritionist, and Isaid this is what my you know
primary care physician is saying.
And she said, oh, at minimum Iwould recommend a DEXA scan to
(34:07):
see what your bone density is,to see, because if your bone
density is not good, then weshould consider hormone
replacement therapy.
So I had a DEXA scan and I haveosteopenia, which makes sense
because my mom had osteopenia.
My mom went through menopausevery early and drinking and
drinking contributes to boneloss.
Yes, yes, it does.
(34:28):
So there's been all of thesethings that letting go of
alcohol has helped me embrace.
So I'm not only healthierbecause I quit drinking, but I'm
healthier because I'maddressing all of these
underlying issues, many causedby alcohol my gut dysbiosis
probably alcohol played a bigpart of that.
(34:48):
My bone loss, all these thingsgo back to alcohol.
And so when we tell women thatyou don't have to have a rock
bottom to recognize that alcoholis no longer serving you, it
negatively impacts every organin our body and every aspect of
(35:08):
our health.
And, you know, for a lot ofpeople, I know, that's not
reason enough to quit drinking,especially if people can manage
their alcohol.
You know, it's like deciding tohave cake at night.
Right, I'm just going to haveyou only live once.
Yolo, that was my excuse for solong you only live once I could
die tomorrow, why would I notdrink the wine when I could be
(35:32):
hit by a car tomorrow?
Well, I hope I'm not going tobe hit by a car tomorrow and,
like you said, we have 20, 30,40 years left and we have this
one body and I want to take careof it.
Michele Folan (35:43):
Yeah, you know, there is a stigma to even having
this conversation and Imentioned this in another
podcast recording here recentlyis that I lose followers
whenever I talk about it.
I think I've turned people offby bringing it up on the podcast
(36:04):
as often as I do, but the datadoesn't lie and I feel like I am
not doing my due diligence inbringing this forward if I don't
talk about it.
I'm a health and wellnesspodcast.
I am a fitness and nutritioncoach.
I have 26 plus years in thehealth industry.
(36:25):
I am not going to put my headin the sand and pretend like
this doesn't exist as an issuein our society.
The facts and then you can makeyour decision.
(36:46):
I still have friends that drink.
I sometimes will have a drinkwith them.
Sometimes I don't.
They've quit questioning me.
They've quit asking what's inmy glass and I feel very
comfortable with that.
I don't feel like I miss out.
As a matter of fact, Leigh, I'mwittier, funnier, when I don't
(37:08):
drink, right?
And the other thing, in beingalmost 61, it just makes me
effing tired.
Yeah, I have a cocktail and I'mlike ready to go to bed.
I'm tired at 9.30 anyway.
You know, when you're dozingoff at 8, you're really
(37:30):
rip-roaring fun at that point.
So, and the other thing is thatI did have a liver specialist
on my show and I asked her whyis it that midlife women we
don't handle alcohol as well aswe did when we were younger?
As with everything, we're alldrying up.
(37:50):
You know our vaginas, ourjoints, you know our eyes
everything dries up.
Leigh Havelick (37:57):
Our brains.
Michele Folan (37:58):
Right, and we don't have the fluid volume, the
load that we had before todilute the alcohol, and our
livers may not be working aswell as they did either, but
there is a scientific reason whyone cocktail is enough for many
of us now, whereas we couldhave three or four in the past
(38:20):
and still be fine.
So, anyway, I wouldn't say thatI know you have felt this
amazing community around you,with a sober community, with
your presence out there onInstagram, which I just again so
proud of you for your bravery,and talking about some of your
(38:41):
low moments, and your goodmoments too, with this journey.
I'm really curious, though,what future plans you have to
expand your reach.
Leigh Havelick (38:54):
Oh, that's a hard question.
I saw that in the notes yousent.
I'm like I don't I don't have agood answer for that, michelle.
There's days that I don't.
I don't want to be a sobercoach, because I really there
are times I need downtime.
I love, love this community andI wouldn't be where I am without
(39:17):
it today.
But sometimes it it becomes alot because I'm an Enneagram 2,
and I'm extremely empathetic andI really carry the emotional
load of other people's storiesand I think that's a gift
because it enables me to helpthem.
But also there's times whereI'm like I need to dial it back,
(39:39):
I need to take a few months off, and so I really felt that at
the end of the summer, in August, my mom was coming out, we were
going on a family vacation.
I'm like I'm going to, I'mgoing to take a little bit of a
break, and I did and I loved itand I needed it.
And I even moved my account toprivate where I wasn't getting
(40:00):
new followers and having newquestions, but I could just
really minister to the peoplewho are already following me.
And then, with everythinghappening around the election, I
found myself really gettinginto a dark place where I was
consuming the wrong things andI'm like the best way to get out
of this funk is to give back.
(40:22):
And so, in you know, theNovember timeframe, I moved my
account back to public and Istarted posting again and it
feels really good to be a lightand help people and even, like
you said at the beginning, likeif one person is impacted it's
(40:45):
worth it.
Yeah, and there will be.
There's women who have messagedme from the beginning, who are
still struggling.
You know they'll have, they'llDM and be like I'm on day 24 and
then I failed, and then I'm onday 46 and you know, and then or
they'll unfollow me and comeback and they'll be like I'm
sorry, I unfollowed you.
I'm like I didn't, I didn'tnotice that you unfollowed me.
(41:08):
I only noticed because you'retelling me.
But it's okay, because I didthe same thing.
You know I, I was you, I am you,I get it.
So I like being able to takethose breaks.
But I was really surprised,like I said, about how many
people were excited about thishealth and wellness journey.
So maybe I will do a couple sixweek rounds of faster way for
(41:33):
sober and sober, curious women.
Yeah, if there's interest there, because that's something you
know.
We can kind of start and stopon our own schedule, which is
another thing I love aboutFaster Way and the Faster Way
coaching program.
It's on our timeline, which Ineed right now with, you know,
my three boys on three differentbasketball teams and, like I
said, sending one off to college.
Michele Folan (41:54):
Oh yeah, you got a lot on your plate, but I'm in
the thick of it.
Yeah, but you know it's funny.
I don't know if you rememberthis, but I messaged you because
you had disappeared.
Leigh Havelick (42:07):
Yes, you did, and I mean, there are people
that I consider true friendsthrough this platform Lots of
women, actually, and you are oneof those, michelle, and so that
was a push that I needed.
I feel like this whole thinghas been a calling something
(42:27):
bigger for me and I've neverreally had a calling, and that's
a story for a different day butit was those little nudges from
people checking in on me,making sure I'm still sober, you
know, but also, are you okay?
The thought did cross my mind,right, you know, are you okay?
And so I mean that's, that'spretty incredible when people,
(42:51):
people notice I'm gone, I it'shumbling.
Michele Folan (42:55):
Yeah, I think I just was used to seeing your
posts and I find them veryinspiring for someone in my you
know my position who is, I meanI'm beyond sober curious.
I mean I've been sober curiousfor a million years at this
point, but I, you know, I likeseeing those posts because it
(43:17):
keeps me honest with myself too.
Really.
Quickly back to self-care whatis the most important thing you
do for yourself every day?
Leigh Havelick (43:27):
Sleep.
I think I mean we cannot, wecan't, underestimate the impact
of sleep.
I think it is the single mostimportant thing, aside from not
drinking, that we can do for ouroverall health and wellness.
It comes before my exerciseroutine.
(43:48):
It comes before most thingswhere I try to be very
regimented.
My lights are off at a certainpoint every night and my alarm's
set.
I get up at the same time everyday, but I think that's
definitely the most importantthing that I do and I can tell
whenever I haven't had enoughsleep.
But it really impacts me nowand my sleep is so much better
(44:13):
since I quit drinking.
I tracked it on my Apple Watch.
The before and after is sotelling the quality of sleep,
the amount of deep sleep, and Ifelt like in early sobriety I
it's like I could not.
It took six months, I feel like, to get out of this incredibly
(44:37):
deep state of fatigue.
And I don't know if it was just.
You know my body was finallylike, oh my gosh, I can finally
rest, like it's been on, youknow, so overdrive, driven by
all of these artificial hits ofdopamine.
And you know like theprocessing our bodies have to do
(45:01):
to get alcohol out of oursystems and I wasn't even
getting out of my system beforeI would start the next day and
have more drinks, and it took along time before I felt like I
was on a good, normal sleeppattern.
And I think for a lot of peopleand this happened to me in the
years that I had tried to quitit takes a long time for our
sleep to get back to a normalstate in general, and it took me
(45:25):
a long time to be able to sleep, to fall asleep, because I'm so
used to falling asleep underthe influence of alcohol.
And so I was talking to one ofmy good friends and she's like I
don't know why you say notdrinking helps you sleep.
Every time I take breaks fromalcohol, I just I just lay there
awake at night.
I'm like well, you got to takea long enough break that your
(45:47):
body can get used to not havingalcohol in your system and
relying on alcohol to sleep, andthat usually takes more than 30
days.
Michele Folan (45:57):
You know what, besides sleep, Leigh is?
You know, alcohol is adepressant and just because you
may not have the alcohol stillin your system, those depressive
effects still exist.
And so if people are feeling alittle down or moody or whatever
(46:20):
, it can be the alcohol, eventhough maybe you haven't had a
drink in a day.
We have to be very aware of thefact that those are very
long-lasting effects and thealcohol takes us days and days
to get all of that processthrough.
So it's just something thatI've learned here.
Leigh Havelick (46:42):
Yeah, 10 days is what Annie Grace, who founded
this Naked Mind, says.
10 days and how many people aregoing 10 days in between drinks
Not.
Michele Folan (46:53):
And I get it right.
I am not judging, and that'sthe thing I just want people to
know and I want to this lastthing I'll say about this I am
not judging.
I want people to have theinformation so that they can
make smartest choice for them.
Yes, not for anyone else, butfor them, so for sure.
(47:13):
Lee Havelick, where can thelisteners find you?
Leigh Havelick (47:18):
I am at macrosandmocktails on Instagram,
okay.
Michele Folan (47:21):
And I will put that in the show notes.
Lee Havelick, this was a lot offun.
I really appreciate you beinghere today and telling your
story.
Leigh Havelick (47:29):
Thank you for covering this topic.
It's so important, especiallyin the health and wellness space
, and the fact that you're doingit and using your voice of
influence to draw attention toit is incredible.
So thank you.
Thank you, Leigh.
Michele Folan (47:45):
Hey, thanks for tuning in.
Please rate and review the showwhere you listen to the podcast
.
And did you know that Askingfor a Friend is available now to
listen on YouTube?
You can subscribe to thepodcast there as well.
Your support is appreciated andit helps others find the show.
(48:07):
Thank you.
At Asking for a Friend, we dive into the topics
that matter most to midlifewomen, because you deserve to
have these conversations.
Each episode, I bring youexpert insights, inspiring
stories and real talk about thechallenges and triumphs we face
at this stage of life.
I'm also excited to spotlighteveryday women just like you,
(00:21):
who are making waves, sharingtheir journeys and helping
others along the way.
These stories are full ofcourage, resilience and a deep
desire to connect and uplift oneanother.
So grab a cup of tea or yourwalking shoes and let's talk
about the things that trulymatter Health, wellness, fitness
(00:46):
and everything in between.
We're removing the taboo fromwhat really matters in midlife.
I'm your host, Michele Folan,and this is Asking for a Friend.
Has that evening glass of winestopped being the simple
pleasure it once was?
Yeah, I get it.
(01:07):
Back in 2018,.
I started questioning myrelationship with alcohol, but
not because of any rock bottommoment, but because my body was
sending me signals I couldn'tignore.
As perimenopause arrived, thatglass of wine came with unwanted
baggage, disrupted sleep,morning fog and inflammation
(01:28):
that, for me, showed up as bodypuffiness and horrible eye bags.
Then came the pandemic.
Like many of us, I filled thoseendless evenings with Netflix
and wine, but something felt off.
That internal enough meterseemed to have lost its
calibration and it troubled memore than I really wanted to
(01:49):
admit.
A 21-day online program in late2020 became my eye-opener.
While I didn't emerge ateetotaler, I discovered
something fascinating.
Life without alcohol hadunexpected gifts.
These days, I listen when mybody talks.
One cocktail yeah, I feel it.
Two, that's a next-day tax I'mreally rarely willing to pay
(02:15):
anymore.
Today's guest brings her owncandid story to our conversation
.
If you've ever laid awake at 3am wondering if it's time to
reimagine your relationship withalcohol, this episode is for
you.
No judgment, no pressure, justreal talk between women who get
it.
And if this show resonates withjust one of you, that is a win
(02:39):
for me.
Leigh Havelick, welcome toAsking for a Friend.
Leigh Havelick (02:44):
Thank you.
Michele Folan (02:45):
Thanks for having me, Michele.
Before we get started, becauseI always tend to jump right into
the topic and I forget to havepeople introduce themselves,
will you please tell theaudience a little bit more about
you, where you're from?
I'd love to have family detailsbecause I think that kind of
lays a path for our conversation.
Leigh Havelick (03:03):
Sure, yes.
I currently live in Portland,oregon.
I'm married and have three boys18 and twin 15-year-olds.
I originally grew up inMissouri, in the boot heel of
Missouri, on the MississippiRiver, in a really traditional
family mom and dad.
I have a brother who's threeyears younger than me and
(03:26):
drinking was pretty much tabooin our family home.
My parents didn't drink.
I was taught that good girlsdon't drink, good girls
especially, don't get drunk.
I didn't have my first sip ofalcohol until I was in college
and for many events and partiesthat was just a sip.
It wasn't until I was incollege, and for many events and
parties that was just a sip.
(03:46):
It wasn't until I was 20 or 21that I got drunk for the first
time and I had this overwhelmingfeeling of warmth and calm and
I was like, oh, this is whatI've been missing out on all
these years.
This is why all of these peopledrink, even though it tastes
(04:07):
like shit.
You know, I think I wasdiagnosed with OCD and anxiety
around the age of 10 or 12.
And I was never medicated forit.
But I went through years oftherapy and learning how to deal
with it, how to self-regulate,how to positively shift my
(04:31):
thoughts, we are in control ofour thoughts and having that
alcohol, that escape, for thefirst time, I don't think I'd
ever felt a real sense of justcalm and carelessness until that
first drink.
And so, and I remember it, Iremember where I was, I remember
(04:52):
it so very well.
Michele Folan (04:54):
Interesting.
Yes, yeah, okay, and thenwhere'd you meet your husband?
Leigh Havelick (04:59):
I met my husband at a business conference in
Arizona.
I was living in St Louis.
He was living here in Portland.
He's originally from Iowa buthad sought the Pacific Northwest
post-graduation, and so we metat this business conference and
we did the long distancerelationship for a while eight
months and then it came time tofigure out where we were going
(05:23):
to try to make this work.
Where were we going to do this?
We talked about him moving toSt Louis, me moving to Portland.
Ultimately, I was in a job thatI wasn't really happy in and
I'd never been out of theMidwest and thought this would
be a good experience livesomewhere else for a little
while, all on the two tofive-year plan.
That shouldn't work out and wedecided to have kids.
(05:44):
We would move back to theMidwest to be closer to family,
and that was 23 years ago.
So now I consider myself anOregonian.
My sons are true Oregonians andthis is where we've established
roots.
Michele Folan (05:58):
Oh, that's nice and you know what.
That's their life, that's theirhome, and so picking up
especially high school kids andtaking them back to Iowa, that
would be like ah, culture shockFor sure.
Yes, I appreciate you kind ofwalking us through that and I
know you and I connectedprobably two years ago through
(06:22):
social media, and somethingabout you just drew me to you
because I was trying to figureout what you were doing and I
think you had just become aFaster Way coach.
But I think even at that pointyou were pivoting.
You weren't really even goingto do the coaching but you
(06:44):
started talking about yourjourney with becoming sober and
I would love for you to sharewith the audience kind of what
that time in your life was likeand what was going on with you.
Leigh Havelick (06:58):
Sure, I found Faster Way, I believe in March,
April of 2023.
And it was one of the firstprograms I had done that
discouraged alcohol use.
That really said it's hard tomeet your macro goals whenever
(07:19):
you know you're incorporating ortrying to incorporate alcohol
into a healthy lifestyle.
I was really drawn to it forthat reason.
Secondly, it worked.
Yeah, there are so manyprograms out there that promise
results and overcomplicatethings or overcomplicate the
(07:40):
workouts, and Faster Way for mewas just really straightforward
and I had really good results ina short amount of time, and so
I was a believer in the program,my job.
I ended up getting laid off inJune of 2023, a job I had had
for eight years, but I couldtell the March-April timeframe
(08:02):
that there was new leadership.
It was not going as I had hopedit would be going, so I saw
that that was probably not goingto continue, at least long-term
.
Okay, and so when Amanda Tressstarted talking about becoming a
Faster Way coach, I was like Icould do that.
(08:22):
I could totally do that.
I could see myself in this role, in this coaching role, and so
I got certified as a Faster Waycoach.
I was also really wanting tostop drinking.
I wanted to stop drinking forsix years, but it was.
It was really at a point that Iknew I couldn't continue down
(08:43):
the road I was on, and so I gotcertified to become a Faster Way
coach, with the intention ofserving sober and sober curious
women Nice, because I reallyfelt like there was a need for
that whenever I started postingcontent.
The fitness nutrition piece washard for me.
(09:07):
I felt like it required and now, looking back, it didn't.
I just didn't know how to dosocial media.
At the time, I felt like Ineeded to dance or do these
silly things in order to gainfollowers and get attention.
But my sober content wasresonating more, and then,
(09:27):
whenever I did decide to becomesober in June of 2023, it was
like I said this recently in oneof my posts it was like a
part-time job, and so I reallyneeded to devote my full time
and intention to that instead ofcoaching.
And then the sober piece justtook off and I really view it as
(09:52):
a ministry.
I don't think I could neverhave grasped how many women out
there are struggling with thisexact same thing.
Either they're drinking toomuch, doing things they regret,
they're drinking too much andfeeling like shit when they wake
up the next day, they're likeyou said in the intro they're
(10:13):
waking up at 3, am not able tofall back asleep, and you know,
the number of women that reachout to me is really overwhelming
in a good way, and so I reallyfeel like this has become a
ministry for me.
I don't make you know my pageisn't monetized in any way.
I will say recently I restartedFaster Way for myself because
(10:37):
for so long, I just gave myselfpermission with the whole
fitness and nutrition piece,like the only thing I could do
was focus on being sober.
It was my priority, it cameabove everything else, and so
now, now that I'm almost twoyears sober.
It's like, okay, I'm ready toget back into that.
And so I recently posted aboutyou know, would anyone be
interested in following alongwith my fitness journey?
(10:57):
And again the response was justoverwhelming.
Because I think people in thisstage of life, we want to be
healthy, we want to be healthier, and so how can we do that?
We can do that by not drinking,we can do that by increasing
our muscle mass, we can do thatby, you know, reducing our fat
loss.
We can do that by eating enoughof the right foods to really
(11:20):
nourish and fuel our body.
And so I feel like we're all insuch a similar place.
Michele Folan (11:26):
Yeah, and that's why I wanted to have you on the
show, because I know you wentdown a path that was very
difficult and you're very openabout that.
I would like for you to sharethough the progression because,
like you said, you made itthrough college drinking very
little.
When did things start to reallybecome more of an issue for you
(11:51):
with alcohol?
Leigh Havelick (11:52):
I think the tipping point was in 2014, when
my dad passed away.
I noticed a significant shiftin my drinking.
Before that, I was a little bitmore of a drinker.
I was a little bit more of a.
I would have often a glass ofwine in the evening, a hefty
pour of wine in the evening, buta bottle would last me three to
(12:13):
four nights and at the end ofmy drinking I was drinking up.
You know, two thirds to a bottle, plus on nights that I would
drink and I didn't drink everynight, but I drank most nights
and you know, for so long inearly motherhood I was just so
busy Like I could.
I could make a glass of winefit in.
I looked forward to it at theend of the day, but I needed to
(12:35):
be able to wake up at 5 am andwith toddlers I had three kids,
three and under, and I needed tobe able to be present and
beyond and have energy, and sodrinking didn't really fit into
that.
But as they got older and theywere sleeping in on the weekends
and you know it's just, and Imet more parents in the
(12:56):
community and drinking is athing that parents in the
community do.
You know we had, we would bringI remember a baseball season
for my son, that little leaguethat we would bring, instead of
bringing snacks for the kids, wewould.
Adults had a sign up where theywould bring drinks for the
adults on Saturday mornings.
You know, these are I'm talkingnine, 10, 11 o'clock games, so
(13:20):
that we would start withscrewdrivers or mimosas or
whatever people wanted to bringin the morning.
And it's such a cultural andyou know so present in our
culture and every aspect of ourculture.
And I, just I drank more andmore and it began very
innocently and before I knew it,my glass of wine at night had
(13:40):
turned into, like I said, twothirds to a bottle.
But in 2014 was when I noticeda shift and for the longest time
I justified it because I washurting and I was dealing with
stress through alcohol.
Right, I know now that itdidn't fix anything and it
probably made things a hell of alot more difficult, but at the
(14:04):
time it felt like a Band-Aid,you know, a temporary fix for
very deep pain.
Michele Folan (14:11):
Right.
Was there a physical toll thatyou feel like it was taking on
your body at that time?
Leigh Havelick (14:17):
Not, I was younger then I didn't feel the
physical toll until really mymid to late 40s, where it was.
I would wake up and my heartwould be racing, which scared me
, because my mom has AFib, mygrandfather had AFib, my husband
(14:38):
has AFib and so I know, likeonce you, you know, once you're
diagnosed and get on thatmedication, sometimes it works,
sometimes it doesn't.
And I was like I am throwingmyself into a fit, you know,
into this irregular heartbeat bydrinking wine, like what is
that doing for my heartlong-term?
And then I was exhausted, likeI was waking up every night I
(15:03):
would drink at 3 am likeclockwork, and I would lay there
and I would catastrophize, likeall of like, like the smallest
things became huge issues in my,in my racing mind at 3, 4, 5 am
.
Michele Folan (15:20):
It happens to all of us, Leigh, and I mean even
now, even nights that I don'tdrink and I wake up at 3 am, I
still will have those racingthoughts and I think some of
that is cortisol, right.
Some of it is like if you'vehad drinks the night before and
you wake up in the middle of thenight and your heart is racing.
(15:42):
I think sometimes it's just thesugar's worn off and it wakes
you up.
And part of that anxiety is I'mnever going to fall back to
sleep, right For sure, and Ihave to get up at 6 am.
I've got so many things to do.
Leigh Havelick (15:55):
Yeah, how am I going to get through the day?
And instead of recognizing likeI am going to get through the
day and then I'm going to have apeaceful night and I'm going to
sleep by not drinking, it'slike I get through the day by
two o'clock, I'm thinking aboutwhat I'm going to have a
peaceful night and I'm going tosleep by not drinking.
It's like I get through the dayby 2 o'clock.
I'm thinking about what I'mgoing to drink, how much I'm
going to drink, how many drinksI'm going to have.
By 5 o'clock, I'm opening abottle of wine.
(16:16):
By 9 o'clock, that glass ofwine or that bottle of wine is
gone, and then we're doing thesame thing again.
It was literal insanity.
Michele Folan (16:31):
Yeah, I kind way during the pandemic, honestly,
because I wasn't working and wewere kind of stuck in the house,
and so that's when I startedsaying, oh my God, if I just
leave an inch in the bottom ofthe bottle, it doesn't feel like
I didn't finish it.
There's still an inch in thebottom.
So how was your husbandresponding to your drinking at
this time?
How was it impacting yourfamily?
Leigh Havelick (16:53):
I don't think it , maybe naively, I don't think
it impacted my family untilaround 2017, where my boys
started noticing and startedmaking comments about my
drinking, and 2017 was the firsttime that I decided I was going
to take an extended break fromalcohol.
You know, we were.
My husband was drinking too,along with me at the time.
It was before he was diagnosedwith AFib and, like I said, I
(17:16):
mean, that's what everyone inour community did, that's how we
bonded, that's how wecelebrated, that's how we
grieved.
I mean, everything was anexcuse to drink.
You know, before the kids games, after the kids games, at
birthday parties, weddings, wewere still going to weddings.
You know we're kind of enteringthe next stage where we're
going to be going to ourfriends' kids' weddings.
But oh, yeah, at the time, youknow he was drinking with me and
(17:48):
there was a lot ofself-recognition there.
You know, when I would wake upand I would not remember things
from the night before and I'd belike, oh, I'm going to drink
less, I'm going to do better.
And you know he's like, yeah,just, you know, you know, just
drink like I do have.
And he never, he never,struggled with alcohol.
I think he, he didn'tunderstand my struggle.
You know he, he didn't drinkduring the week.
On the weekends he could go bigand then be done and then, but
(18:09):
he never got.
Maybe five times in ourmarriage have I seen him where
I'd be like, oh, dave was drunk,but otherwise he just he is
very in control.
I was always very out ofcontrol and so, yeah, I just
don't think he understood thestruggle.
I don't think he understood thestruggle until the very end
(18:30):
where there was some things thathappened where he was like you
don't drink like other people oryour relationship with alcohol
is different than other people.
I would take these breaks and Iwould do good during my breaks
(19:08):
and then I'd go back and itwould start slowly and
innocently where I would onlydrink on the weekends and then
I'd have a glass of wine, maybea couple nights a week to.
I'm drinking five nights a weekto.
I'm going to lunch withgirlfriends and having drinks
and drinking into the afternoon,into the evening.
It always went the exact sameway.
But 2017 was the first time, youknow, my kids had made a couple
comments my oldest son,specifically my twins I don't
think they fully graspedeverything that was going on at
the time but my older son madesome comments and those
continued and those commentsshould have.
I should have been done at thosecomments alone, but I always
(19:33):
thought I was going to do better.
You know, my husband, for along time, was encouraging in
yes, let's drink less.
You're present for them everyday, these couple times where
you've drank too much, whatever,like everybody has bad days,
kind of justifying it and so andthat was like my green light to
keep drinking.
(19:53):
And again, I'm not blaming himat all, because I should have
said from the beginning I have areal problem.
I don't drink like other peoplebecause I recognized that
pretty early on, after my dadpassed away, and I knew that I
was using alcohol as a copingmechanism.
I think once we start using itas something else, to you know,
(20:15):
to to deal with trauma, toescape, you know whatever may be
going on in our lives, once itbecomes a crutch it's really
hard to make it somethingdifferent than that, as much as
we might want to.
Michele Folan (20:31):
I agree.
Hey, leigh, we're going to takea quick break and we'll be
right back.
Are you feeling overwhelmed bythe changes that come with
midlife, struggling with weight,energy or finding time for
yourself?
You're not alone.
I get it because I've beenthere too.
Self, you're not alone.
(20:52):
I get it because I've beenthere too.
I specialize in helping midlifewomen just like you transform
their health and lives throughpersonalized nutrition and
coaching that fits your reallife Together.
We'll tackle those uniquechallenges, whether it's
balancing your hormones, dealingwith cravings or boosting your
energy.
It's not just about diets.
It's about reclaiming yourstrength and confidence, one
(21:13):
step at a time.
Check out the show notes ofthis episode and shoot me an
email.
I'd love to learn more aboutyou and your challenges.
Okay, we are back.
So you quit several times, yes,quit several times, attempted
(21:34):
to quit, right, yeah, and thenthere was.
Was there an incident?
Was there something thathappened that finally you said I
got it?
I got to do it this time.
Leigh Havelick (21:47):
No, strangely no , 2020 was bad, really bad.
I was drinking.
I was buying wine by the box.
I thought there were threebottles of wine in a box.
A box would last me a couplenights.
Then I learned there were fourbottles of wine in a box and I
was going down.
(22:08):
I had it.
We have a fridge in our garageand I was going down
progressively earlier every daypouring wine.
And so, in June of 2020, Ijoined a program through This
Naked Mind called the Path, andit was supposed to be a
year-long program.
I joined it.
I met people that I'm still incontact with today.
(22:29):
We still cheer each other ontoday.
More than a handful that arestill sober from when they quit
in 2020.
A lot of people in our groupwere bowing out around the
September timeframe, and so Ihad been sober for three months.
By that point, I thought that Iwas cured and could do this on
(22:51):
my own, and so I quit the pathand I stayed sober until January
.
That's pretty good, yeah, seven, almost seven months.
And then took another long breakin September of 2022, rejoined
(23:11):
the path.
It had changed.
It was no longer a year longprogram, it had changed to 90
days.
So did 90 days through the path, stayed sober, started drinking
again four months later, againaround in December, like holiday
December.
January was always hard for me.
And then in June 2023, I wasjust like I can't do this.
(23:32):
I was just so sick and tired ofbeing sick and tired, just like
I can't do this anymore.
I can't do this.
And when I quit again, I had noreason to believe it would be
any different than my otherprevious failed attempts to quit
drinking.
But I knew I was more done thanI ever had been.
I knew alcohol wasn't going tochange, so I had to change.
(23:55):
It took a long time for me tofigure that out.
I accepted the fact that Icouldn't moderate my drinking
and I started this Instagramaccount.
I started this Instagramaccount a week into being sober
and I acted like I had beensober for a really long time.
I didn't.
I didn't mislead people by anymeans.
(24:16):
I was very honest about howlong I'd been sober, but I was
giving advice, like I had beensober for a long time because I
had done all these programs.
I knew all of the information.
I had all the resources andtools at my disposal to be
successful and to help otherpeople be successful.
It was just a matter of doingit.
It's kind of like talking aboutrecently restarting my health
(24:38):
and wellness journey.
It's like I'm a certifiedfitness and nutrition coach.
I know exactly what to do andhow to do it.
It's just a matter of I haveall the tools.
Just a matter of doing it.
Michele Folan (24:50):
When those first let's say, two, three weeks of
your sobriety at this point,what were those like?
I always wonder how you'refeeling.
Did you feel differently?
Were you sleeping better?
Was there anything that standsout in your mind during that
(25:12):
time where you were saying gosh,I love how I feel.
Leigh Havelick (25:17):
This time yes, because I had done it for so
many.
This time yes, because I haddone it for so many times that
there is rewiring.
That happens every time.
We have long breaks fromalcohol where we don't have to
relearn how to be sober, wedon't have to relearn coping
mechanisms.
They're back there, we justhave to access that information
(25:40):
in our brains.
And so this time I was all in.
I only viewed sobriety as apositive thing and knew that it
was going to change my life.
Previous attempts were soincredibly hard and there wasn't
a whole lot of joy.
It was, you know.
(26:00):
I felt that I was beingdeprived, and especially those
times that I took where it wasgoing to be a timed break, like
I was going to do it for 30 days, or I was going to do it for 75
days, where it was just likegetting through the day until I
could drink again.
And that was.
You know, that was a differentmindset.
But I remember, you know.
I remember standing in front ofthe refrigerator one night
(26:25):
throwing a temper tantrumbecause my husband had had wine
the night before and there washalf a bottle in there and I
couldn't drink it.
I remember my first sobervacation.
We went with another family tothe beach and I remember
everyone was playing games anddrinking and I just went up to
my room and sobbed like a kidbecause I was having myself a
(26:50):
pity party.
But I knew that it was theright choice for me.
So it was definitely.
It was progress, right we talk alot about in Faster Way,
progress over perfection, and soall those failed attempts.
I don't really like the wordfailure in sobriety, because I
(27:11):
always tell people that whetheryou do it for a day or whether
you do it for a hundred days,it's all part of the work and if
your ultimate goal is to quitdrinking, eventually most people
will get there.
You know, I thought somethingwas inherently broken in me
because I was following all ofthese sober accounts and I
(27:33):
couldn't figure it out and Iwould get up some mornings just
pissed off and unfollow them,and then I'd unfollow them and
then I'd re-follow them.
But it was all.
I mean, looking back, it wasall part of the work.
It was never for naught, and sowhen people reach out I failed,
(27:56):
I failed, you didn't fail.
The only failure is when westop trying.
So I try to remind people ofthat a lot.
Michele Folan (28:05):
And I like to say too, Leigh, that you're not
starting over at day one again,right?
I hate that, that the clockthen all of a sudden starts over
again.
No, no, no, no, no, you're notstarting over, right, you're
starting from a place ofexperience.
I really and I do this evenwith my clients they're like oh,
(28:27):
I was really bad this weekend.
I'm like so You're fine, justpick back up where you left off
and let's move on, right,there's no lamenting.
You know that you ate fourcookies, Okay, fine, right, yeah
, and we learn from thoseexperiences and it's just human
(28:49):
nature, right?
So I appreciate you tellingthat piece of the story, because
it's so important to kind ofwhere you are today.
I would love to know how, whereyou are today.
I would love to know how, like,looking back now, how you're
feeling mentally.
What kind of work did you haveto do?
(29:11):
Because I know the mindset workis huge.
Was being out there onInstagram?
Was that part of your therapy?
Leigh Havelick (29:21):
Oh for sure I tell people all the time that
anytime people are like you'rehelping me, Thank you, Like you
are helping me in return.
All of these conversations I'mhaving in my DMs, all of these
conversations I'm having in thecomments of my posts, it is
helpful to me, it is liketherapy to me.
And there was so much work forso long.
(29:44):
I mean, I read every quit litbook available.
Quit lit some people don't knowit's books about sobriety and I
read every book out there.
I couldn't consume thatliterature fast enough.
I've read a few of them and Ilistened to so many podcasts
(30:06):
about by sober people, how toget sober.
There were coaches through thisNaked Mind the Path who had
their own podcast.
I listened to those and justabsorbed all the information I
could, because information ispower at the end of the day, the
more we know, even you know,like if you think about blood
sugar spikes, right, so you'regoing to eat the four cookies
(30:29):
and there's no harm in eatingfour cookies.
Like you said, it's fourcookies.
But also we know that when weeat four cookies, our blood
sugar spikes, and we know bloodsugar spikes cause inflammation
in our body and so we neverquite look at it the same way,
Even though we still might havethe four cookies.
We know what it's doing to ourbody, and the same thing happens
(30:50):
.
You know, the more we knowabout alcohol.
We know it's linked to seventypes of cancer.
We know that it premature agesus.
We know that it's stored asbelly fat around our middles.
We know all of these things,and so it makes drinking less
attractive.
The more we consume thatinformation, the more we believe
(31:12):
it, and when we believe it, itmakes letting go a heck of a lot
easier.
Michele Folan (31:18):
Absolutely and I'm there right.
So I never have said I'm ateetotaler, because anybody that
is in my life knows that's nottrue.
But my ability to moderatemyself has proven to me that I'm
not broken, right, yeah, andbecause I thought for so long
(31:40):
I'm like God, what is wrong withme?
I, you know, I like gave me abourbon and then I want three.
You know, it was like I wasfeeding the beast a little bit.
Leigh Havelick (31:56):
And one is too many, and a thousand is never
enough.
Michele Folan (32:01):
That is such a great saying.
When it comes to that, you know.
One thing that you have talkedabout on your Instagram is kind
of your self-care routine.
Has that been something thatyou have embraced after you quit
drinking?
Oh, for sure.
Leigh Havelick (32:18):
For sure.
I think routine is stability,and stability is the opposite of
my chaos when I was drinking,and so it's such a privilege to
be able to wake up every morning.
I mean, I have, I wake up.
I sleep with a night guard.
I put my night guard insolution.
(32:40):
I take my hormone replacementtherapy.
I put on my weighted vest, I godown and walk on the treadmill.
I put my night guard insolution.
I take my hormone replacementtherapy.
I put on my weighted vest, I godown and walk on the treadmill.
I drink my coffee.
I you know I'm very routinedand it is.
I remember Holly Whitakerwriting about how excited and
how much joy she got fromflossing her teeth, because it's
something that was completelyneglected during her drinking
(33:01):
days, and so, getting sober, Iaddressed all of these
underlying health issues.
I had some serious gut issuesthat needed to be resolved that
I worked on for the past year.
I had gone through menopauseand didn't even know it because
I had an IUD in, and so Iaddressed all of these hormonal
(33:22):
issues.
When I went, I went to myprimary care physician and she
was like oh yeah, I think you'veprobably gone through menopause
.
If you cause, I'd have my IUDin and then I never got my
period.
After that it had been a yearand she said, well, if you got a
period now, I would beconcerned.
I would consider yourselfthrough menopause.
I said, okay, do I need to bethinking about hormone
(33:44):
replacement therapy?
And she said you know, ifyou're not having any big issues
, there's no need to considerthat.
And I was like, oh, okay, andjust took her word for it.
Well then I was talking to myclient who was a functional
medicine nutritionist, and Isaid this is what my you know
primary care physician is saying.
And she said, oh, at minimum Iwould recommend a DEXA scan to
(34:07):
see what your bone density is,to see, because if your bone
density is not good, then weshould consider hormone
replacement therapy.
So I had a DEXA scan and I haveosteopenia, which makes sense
because my mom had osteopenia.
My mom went through menopausevery early and drinking and
drinking contributes to boneloss.
Yes, yes, it does.
(34:28):
So there's been all of thesethings that letting go of
alcohol has helped me embrace.
So I'm not only healthierbecause I quit drinking, but I'm
healthier because I'maddressing all of these
underlying issues, many causedby alcohol my gut dysbiosis
probably alcohol played a bigpart of that.
(34:48):
My bone loss, all these thingsgo back to alcohol.
And so when we tell women thatyou don't have to have a rock
bottom to recognize that alcoholis no longer serving you, it
negatively impacts every organin our body and every aspect of
(35:08):
our health.
And, you know, for a lot ofpeople, I know, that's not
reason enough to quit drinking,especially if people can manage
their alcohol.
You know, it's like deciding tohave cake at night.
Right, I'm just going to haveyou only live once.
Yolo, that was my excuse for solong you only live once I could
die tomorrow, why would I notdrink the wine when I could be
(35:32):
hit by a car tomorrow?
Well, I hope I'm not going tobe hit by a car tomorrow and,
like you said, we have 20, 30,40 years left and we have this
one body and I want to take careof it.
Michele Folan (35:43):
Yeah, you know, there is a stigma to even having
this conversation and Imentioned this in another
podcast recording here recentlyis that I lose followers
whenever I talk about it.
I think I've turned people offby bringing it up on the podcast
(36:04):
as often as I do, but the datadoesn't lie and I feel like I am
not doing my due diligence inbringing this forward if I don't
talk about it.
I'm a health and wellnesspodcast.
I am a fitness and nutritioncoach.
I have 26 plus years in thehealth industry.
(36:25):
I am not going to put my headin the sand and pretend like
this doesn't exist as an issuein our society.
The facts and then you can makeyour decision.
(36:46):
I still have friends that drink.
I sometimes will have a drinkwith them.
Sometimes I don't.
They've quit questioning me.
They've quit asking what's inmy glass and I feel very
comfortable with that.
I don't feel like I miss out.
As a matter of fact, Leigh, I'mwittier, funnier, when I don't
(37:08):
drink, right?
And the other thing, in beingalmost 61, it just makes me
effing tired.
Yeah, I have a cocktail and I'mlike ready to go to bed.
I'm tired at 9.30 anyway.
You know, when you're dozingoff at 8, you're really
(37:30):
rip-roaring fun at that point.
So, and the other thing is thatI did have a liver specialist
on my show and I asked her whyis it that midlife women we
don't handle alcohol as well aswe did when we were younger?
As with everything, we're alldrying up.
(37:50):
You know our vaginas, ourjoints, you know our eyes
everything dries up.
Leigh Havelick (37:57):
Our brains.
Michele Folan (37:58):
Right, and we don't have the fluid volume, the
load that we had before todilute the alcohol, and our
livers may not be working aswell as they did either, but
there is a scientific reason whyone cocktail is enough for many
of us now, whereas we couldhave three or four in the past
(38:20):
and still be fine.
So, anyway, I wouldn't say thatI know you have felt this
amazing community around you,with a sober community, with
your presence out there onInstagram, which I just again so
proud of you for your bravery,and talking about some of your
(38:41):
low moments, and your goodmoments too, with this journey.
I'm really curious, though,what future plans you have to
expand your reach.
Leigh Havelick (38:54):
Oh, that's a hard question.
I saw that in the notes yousent.
I'm like I don't I don't have agood answer for that, michelle.
There's days that I don't.
I don't want to be a sobercoach, because I really there
are times I need downtime.
I love, love this community andI wouldn't be where I am without
(39:17):
it today.
But sometimes it it becomes alot because I'm an Enneagram 2,
and I'm extremely empathetic andI really carry the emotional
load of other people's storiesand I think that's a gift
because it enables me to helpthem.
But also there's times whereI'm like I need to dial it back,
(39:39):
I need to take a few months off, and so I really felt that at
the end of the summer, in August, my mom was coming out, we were
going on a family vacation.
I'm like I'm going to, I'mgoing to take a little bit of a
break, and I did and I loved itand I needed it.
And I even moved my account toprivate where I wasn't getting
(40:00):
new followers and having newquestions, but I could just
really minister to the peoplewho are already following me.
And then, with everythinghappening around the election, I
found myself really gettinginto a dark place where I was
consuming the wrong things andI'm like the best way to get out
of this funk is to give back.
(40:22):
And so, in you know, theNovember timeframe, I moved my
account back to public and Istarted posting again and it
feels really good to be a lightand help people and even, like
you said at the beginning, likeif one person is impacted it's
(40:45):
worth it.
Yeah, and there will be.
There's women who have messagedme from the beginning, who are
still struggling.
You know they'll have, they'llDM and be like I'm on day 24 and
then I failed, and then I'm onday 46 and you know, and then or
they'll unfollow me and comeback and they'll be like I'm
sorry, I unfollowed you.
I'm like I didn't, I didn'tnotice that you unfollowed me.
(41:08):
I only noticed because you'retelling me.
But it's okay, because I didthe same thing.
You know I, I was you, I am you,I get it.
So I like being able to takethose breaks.
But I was really surprised,like I said, about how many
people were excited about thishealth and wellness journey.
So maybe I will do a couple sixweek rounds of faster way for
(41:33):
sober and sober, curious women.
Yeah, if there's interest there, because that's something you
know.
We can kind of start and stopon our own schedule, which is
another thing I love aboutFaster Way and the Faster Way
coaching program.
It's on our timeline, which Ineed right now with, you know,
my three boys on three differentbasketball teams and, like I
said, sending one off to college.
Michele Folan (41:54):
Oh yeah, you got a lot on your plate, but I'm in
the thick of it.
Yeah, but you know it's funny.
I don't know if you rememberthis, but I messaged you because
you had disappeared.
Leigh Havelick (42:07):
Yes, you did, and I mean, there are people
that I consider true friendsthrough this platform Lots of
women, actually, and you are oneof those, michelle, and so that
was a push that I needed.
I feel like this whole thinghas been a calling something
(42:27):
bigger for me and I've neverreally had a calling, and that's
a story for a different day butit was those little nudges from
people checking in on me,making sure I'm still sober, you
know, but also, are you okay?
The thought did cross my mind,right, you know, are you okay?
And so I mean that's, that'spretty incredible when people,
(42:51):
people notice I'm gone, I it'shumbling.
Michele Folan (42:55):
Yeah, I think I just was used to seeing your
posts and I find them veryinspiring for someone in my you
know my position who is, I meanI'm beyond sober curious.
I mean I've been sober curiousfor a million years at this
point, but I, you know, I likeseeing those posts because it
(43:17):
keeps me honest with myself too.
Really.
Quickly back to self-care whatis the most important thing you
do for yourself every day?
Leigh Havelick (43:27):
Sleep.
I think I mean we cannot, wecan't, underestimate the impact
of sleep.
I think it is the single mostimportant thing, aside from not
drinking, that we can do for ouroverall health and wellness.
It comes before my exerciseroutine.
(43:48):
It comes before most thingswhere I try to be very
regimented.
My lights are off at a certainpoint every night and my alarm's
set.
I get up at the same time everyday, but I think that's
definitely the most importantthing that I do and I can tell
whenever I haven't had enoughsleep.
But it really impacts me nowand my sleep is so much better
(44:13):
since I quit drinking.
I tracked it on my Apple Watch.
The before and after is sotelling the quality of sleep,
the amount of deep sleep, and Ifelt like in early sobriety I
it's like I could not.
It took six months, I feel like, to get out of this incredibly
(44:37):
deep state of fatigue.
And I don't know if it was just.
You know my body was finallylike, oh my gosh, I can finally
rest, like it's been on, youknow, so overdrive, driven by
all of these artificial hits ofdopamine.
And you know like theprocessing our bodies have to do
(45:01):
to get alcohol out of oursystems and I wasn't even
getting out of my system beforeI would start the next day and
have more drinks, and it took along time before I felt like I
was on a good, normal sleeppattern.
And I think for a lot of peopleand this happened to me in the
years that I had tried to quitit takes a long time for our
sleep to get back to a normalstate in general, and it took me
(45:25):
a long time to be able to sleep, to fall asleep, because I'm so
used to falling asleep underthe influence of alcohol.
And so I was talking to one ofmy good friends and she's like I
don't know why you say notdrinking helps you sleep.
Every time I take breaks fromalcohol, I just I just lay there
awake at night.
I'm like well, you got to takea long enough break that your
(45:47):
body can get used to not havingalcohol in your system and
relying on alcohol to sleep, andthat usually takes more than 30
days.
Michele Folan (45:57):
You know what, besides sleep, Leigh is?
You know, alcohol is adepressant and just because you
may not have the alcohol stillin your system, those depressive
effects still exist.
And so if people are feeling alittle down or moody or whatever
(46:20):
, it can be the alcohol, eventhough maybe you haven't had a
drink in a day.
We have to be very aware of thefact that those are very
long-lasting effects and thealcohol takes us days and days
to get all of that processthrough.
So it's just something thatI've learned here.
Leigh Havelick (46:42):
Yeah, 10 days is what Annie Grace, who founded
this Naked Mind, says.
10 days and how many people aregoing 10 days in between drinks
Not.
Michele Folan (46:53):
And I get it right.
I am not judging, and that'sthe thing I just want people to
know and I want to this lastthing I'll say about this I am
not judging.
I want people to have theinformation so that they can
make smartest choice for them.
Yes, not for anyone else, butfor them, so for sure.
(47:13):
Lee Havelick, where can thelisteners find you?
Leigh Havelick (47:18):
I am at macrosandmocktails on Instagram,
okay.
Michele Folan (47:21):
And I will put that in the show notes.
Lee Havelick, this was a lot offun.
I really appreciate you beinghere today and telling your
story.
Leigh Havelick (47:29):
Thank you for covering this topic.
It's so important, especiallyin the health and wellness space
, and the fact that you're doingit and using your voice of
influence to draw attention toit is incredible.
So thank you.
Thank you, Leigh.
Michele Folan (47:45):
Hey, thanks for tuning in.
Please rate and review the showwhere you listen to the podcast
.
And did you know that Askingfor a Friend is available now to
listen on YouTube?
You can subscribe to thepodcast there as well.
Your support is appreciated andit helps others find the show.
(48:07):
Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!