115: Living an Alcohol Free Life Your Way with Mary Stuart

115: Living an Alcohol Free Life Your Way with Mary Stuart

What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This conversation with Australian artist and author Mary Stuart gives a straight-up look at what it can take. Growing up painfully shy and anxious, Mary found that alcohol seemed to give her confidence, turning an introvert into the loud life of the party. Over time, that "joy juice" became nightly bottles of wine, secret drinking, and a growing sense that her body and mind were shutting down.

Host Tamar Medford chats with Mary about three serious attempts to quit drinking before her final Boxing Day decision in 2017. Mary shares how celiac disease, a failing first marriage, dangerous blackout experiences, and her mum’s terminal cancer pushed her to question what alcohol was really doing for her.

Instead of a magic fix, she describes a long, messy process of journalling, recording voice memos, trying counselling, reading memoirs, and joining online groups to slowly build an honest picture of her drinking. Mary’s book, *Living an Alcohol-Free Life Your Way*, grew out of those journals. She’s clear that she isn’t offering a one-size-fits-all method.

Instead, she uses her story and "Mary wisdoms" alongside journal prompts to help people figure out their own reasons for drinking and their own way into an alcohol-free life. She talks openly about hiding the true amount she drank, learning to say no, dealing with insecurities, and choosing relationships that support sobriety. You’ll also hear how ditching alcohol brought her art, writing, and studies back to life, and why she thinks relapse can hold valuable lessons instead of just shame.

If you’re wondering whether you can build a fulfilling alcohol-free life on your own terms, Mary’s honest, funny, and very human journey might be exactly what you need to hear. Could it be time to start living alcohol free your way?