Clare Pooley in conversation with Janey - A Re-spin.Clare Pooley in conversation with Janey - A Re-spin.
Alcohol Free Life - Janey Lee Grace
Janey Lee Grace and Clare Pooley share candid stories about drinking, quitting and the early challenges of sobriety, alongside practical ideas for self-care and support. The conversation also touches on Clare’s novels, ageing alcohol-free, and how connection and honesty can reshape life after booze.
56:41•29 May 2026
Rewriting Life After Wine with Clare Pooley and Janey Lee Grace
Episode Overview
- Treat the first four to six weeks alcohol-free as a priority and practise what Janey calls “extreme self-care,” rather than trying to keep life exactly the same minus booze.
- Support your changing brain chemistry with good nutrition, appropriate supplements such as quality magnesium, and a focus on sleep.
- Actively reframe your thinking, focus on what you’re gaining, and drop the language of “giving up” to reduce feelings of deprivation.
- Build accountability by telling at least one person who understands, joining supportive communities, or seeking coaching rather than relying solely on family or partners.
- Use tools like journalling or blogging to process emotions, record progress, and remind yourself later why moderating alcohol didn’t work for you.
“There is genuinely nothing to give up. There is nothing to lose. You are only gaining.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This replayed live conversation between Janey Lee Grace and author Clare Pooley gives a very human, often funny answer. Aimed at anyone who’s quit drinking, is sober curious, or quietly worrying about their wine habit, the episode mixes Janey’s practical coaching advice with Clare’s honest story of going from a bottle-of-wine-a-day mum to bestselling writer.
Clare shares the now-famous moment she drank red wine from a ‘World’s Best Mum’ mug at 11.30am and realised, “That was the last drink I ever had.” She talks about hiding behind her anonymous blog ‘Mummy was a Secret Drinker’, the terror of going public with The Sober Diaries, and the unexpected freedom that followed: “If you tell everybody the worst things about your life, then nobody has anything they can throw at you.” The chat also wanders into Clare’s novels, from The Authenticity Project to How to Age Disgracefully, all threaded with themes of community, honesty, and second chances.
Janey talks straight about those risky first four to six weeks alcohol-free, stressing that trying to “keep everything the same and just remove booze” is, as she puts it, “a recipe for disaster.” Instead, she urges “extreme self-care”: eating well, supporting brain chemistry with nutrients and good magnesium, protecting sleep, and consciously choosing more helpful thoughts.
Both women keep circling back to connection – live events, sober clubs, and simply telling one other person – as the antidote to shame and isolation. If you’re wondering what might be possible once alcohol is out of the way, this warm, funny conversation shows how ditching the booze can make you braver than you ever expected. So, what could your alcohol-free second act look like?
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