How Hadley Found Her Joy After Letting Go of Social Drinking

Welcome back to another episode of Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads! We’re not just any podcast—we’re the 2024 People's Choice Podcast Award Winner for Health and the 2024 Women in Podcasting Best Mental Health Podcast 🏆💥 With over 1 million downloads, we’re here to normalize honest conversations about mental health, healing, and hope.

In this episode, we sit down with writer, mom, and sobriety advocate Hadley Sorensen to discuss what happens when you step away from “mommy wine culture” and start listening to your mental health. We’re talking about gray area drinking, anxiety, antidepressants, and the internal shift that happens when you stop numbing out and start showing up. Hadley’s story is for anyone who thought, “I’m not that bad... so I must be fine,” while silently struggling.

💬 Got thoughts or feedback on this episode? Leave us a voice message or written note here: https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

💬 Quote of the Episode: "If it’s worsening your life, you don’t need to keep doing it. You don’t need a rock bottom to make a change." — Hadley Sorensen

💁‍♀️ Meet Our Guest – Hadley Sorensen Hadley is a mom of three boys, a passionate distance runner, and the author of The Dirty Truth on Social Drinking: “Everything in Moderation” and Other BS, which was released in 2024 and is available now.

After years of participating in social drinking culture—and silently questioning her relationship with alcohol—Hadley decided to stop ignoring her intuition. Now three and a half years sober, she’s helping others realize that sobriety isn’t just for rock bottoms—it’s for anyone who wants to feel better.

Find Hadley online: Website: http://www.hadleysorensen.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hadley_sorensen/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hadley-sorensen-3bbb979/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HadleySorensenWellnessHypeGirl

🔑 Key Takeaways

1. You don’t have to look like you have a drinking problem for it to be impacting your mental health.
2. Alcohol can dull the effectiveness of antidepressants like Lexapro or Zoloft.
3. Self-care starts with self-honesty—when you stop pretending everything’s fine, healing can begin.

✅ Actionable Tips

1. Start a “feel log” – note how you feel physically/emotionally after drinking vs. when you don’t.
2. Swap your 5PM drink for a fun, alcohol-free ritual like kombucha, tea, or mocktails.
3. Be honest with your support circle—what would change if you told them the truth?

⏱️ Chapter Timestamps

00:02:10 – Hadley’s wake-up moment: “I’m doing this to myself” 00:10:21 – The mental health-medication-alcohol triangle 00:16:21 – Writing The Dirty Truth for gray area drinkers 00:19:47 – Breaking up with wine culture and reclaiming her peace 00:28:37 – Talking to teens about drinking in an honest, shame-free way 00:39:13 – Hadley’s real self-care toolkit (spoiler: no bubble baths)