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What if you didn’t have to “hit rock bottom” to decide alcohol isn’t serving you anymore?

In this episode of The Motion of Gratitude Podcast, Shannon sits down with Abby Calabrese (aka Alcohol Free Abby) for an honest, real-life conversation about what it actually looks like to shift out of drinking culture—without judgment, preaching, or perfection.

Abby shares her story of how alcohol was woven into everything: college, NYC work culture, marriage, motherhood, suburb life… until the anxiety, shame spirals, and “this isn’t who I want to be” moments became too loud to ignore. From blackouts that were normalized by culture to a defining Halloween night that planted a seed, Abby takes us behind the scenes of what led her to stop drinking on 11/11/23—and what happened next.

Together, Shannon and Abby talk about:

• Why so many women feel stuck in the “wine = relief / wine = fun” loop
• The surprising physical detox symptoms Abby experienced—even without “daily” drinking
• The social pressure and awkwardness of not drinking (and why it can make other people uncomfortable)
• How to navigate questions like “Are you pregnant?” and “Why aren’t you drinking?”
• Why “Dry January” doesn’t create true change if you isolate instead of integrate
• How alcohol impacts your nervous system baseline—and why anxiety can feel like “just who you are”
• The biggest unexpected gift of not drinking: mornings, peace, presence, and real ease
• Simple tools that help when you’re in autopilot (including Abby’s morning pages + slowing down)

This conversation is for you if you’ve been curious about exploring an alcohol-free season, feel like alcohol isn’t “a problem” but also isn’t helping, or you want to feel more present in your life without losing your sense of fun.

Connect with Abby

• Instagram: @alcoholfreeabby
• Podcast: Alcohol Free Rebellion (video available on Spotify)

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