How Smart & Successful People Quit Drinking - Lori MassicotHow Smart & Successful People Quit Drinking - Lori Massicot
Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol free life!
Janet Gorond talks with midlife sobriety coach Lori Massicot about how her drinking escalated over the decades and the moment she chose to stop. The discussion outlines practical tools, mindset shifts and the growing appeal of alcohol-free living for smart, successful women in midlife.
46:41•13 Jul 2026
How Smart, Successful Women Finally Quit Drinking with Lori Massicot
Episode Overview
- Moderation and self-imposed drinking rules often fail once dependence has taken hold.
- Journalling can expose patterns, clarify reasons for quitting and track progress over time.
- Playing the movie forward helps highlight the long-term impact of continued drinking.
- Combining daily movement, music and simple calming practices can replace alcohol as a coping tool.
- Focusing on self-respect rather than others’ opinions makes it easier to commit to an alcohol-free life.
“"I was literally sitting on the couch drinking... it was just that alcohol was the center of my attentions."”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This conversation between Janet Gorond and midlife sobriety coach Lori Massicot speaks directly to anyone who’s smart, successful on paper, yet privately stuck in a draining drinking cycle.
You’ll hear Lori chart her drinking "by decade" – from nervy teen parties where pink champagne felt like magic, through high-earning real estate years of "work hard, play hard", into the classic mum-wine phase where stress, weight gain, depression and a toxic job all fed the habit. As Lori puts it, "alcohol was the center of my attentions" and her 40s became "very dark" after the death of her mum.
A family member’s question about whether she was an alcoholic became the jolt that made her look closer. She tried all the usual rules – switching drinks, limiting days, moderating – and found, like many, that "we just end up disappointing ourselves on repeat." Her turning point came alone on the sofa, two bottles of wine in the fridge and a chilling vision of herself in her seventies still drinking heavily.
That night she "poured the chardonnay down the sink" and chose a different path. Lori shares the practical tools that helped: detailed journalling (including notes like "you’re completely erasing days from your life"), daily movement, loud feel-good music, and becoming "a student" of perimenopause and of herself. Janet adds her own experience and stresses building a personal sober toolkit, playing the movie forward, and making the first six months a priority.
The episode speaks mainly to women in midlife, but anyone questioning their dependence will recognise the shame, the fear of what others will think, and the growing relief as alcohol fades into the background.
Lori now supports women through her podcast and coaching, focusing on what comes after quitting and the calm confidence she describes as being "free from anything that is tethering us." If you’re wondering whether the party is over but you’re still going, could this be your wake-up call too?
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