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Last week I had a few moments where I could easily have picked up a glass and partaken in a beverage if I was not fully conscious of my actions. That has caused me to ask how long do I have to abstain before the habit loop is broken and the urge to drink finally […]

What to do instead of drinking alcohol – The Eye-Stabbing Reality of Google Advice Have you ever Googled something, just to be completely underwhelmed by the response?  I Googled ‘what to do instead of drinking alcohol’, and while the results were many and diverse, and began with links to “the Alcohol helpline”,  a large number

I decided to delay Saturday’s post in order to provide a thorough assessment of the week that has been, whilst still basking in its glory (or at least before the shine wears off). It was supposed to be done yesterday, but life got in the way. So, here is my belated ‘dear diary’—the week that

  Before I get into it, I am just going to say today was hard. It was the first day I have felt cravings, badly. And to make it worse, I didn’t even have the kids at the time, so I can’t blame them! I don’t know why or what caused it, but it definitely

This week, I’m looking closely at the purpose of alcohol in my life. What did it actually do for me—or more accurately, what did I think it did? I’ve read This Naked Mind by Annie Grace and Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Quit Smoking. The core lesson of both is simple: the drug creates the

It’s Saturday! That means it’s check-in day, and what a first week it has been. I have simultaneously quit drinking, started “walking” again, and returned to work. Because why tackle one major life change when you can raw-dog three at the same time? Maybe I should have thought that timeline through a little better, but

Long, long ago on the Ahuriri waterfront where ‘Closing Time’ could be heard signalling the lights are about to go on, you would find me—10 tequilas, a few vodka sunrises, and god knows what else deep—hailing a taxi to take me to town for a kebab before deciding the next stage of the journey, which

The Origin Story: When Exactly Did the Booze Become the Boss? Wine and I have a long-standing relationship. It wasn’t my first drink—that honor goes to Midori RTD’s, and a bottle of Kristov vodka so harsh it still makes my stomach turn. But in my early teens, I started working at a prestigious winery restaurant.

Before I start implementing habits, protocols, challenges and whatever other self-improvement rabbit holes I decide to disappear down, it’s probably worth introducing the test subject. I’m Tracey.  I’m 42 years old, live in rural Hawke’s Bay (New Zealand), have three boys, a fiancé I’ve been engaged to for nine years, two Labrador retrievers, some sheep,

This is what box sliding should look like… On Mother’s Day 2026, my partner and I took our three boys box sliding.For those unfamiliar with this elite recreational activity, the concept is simple: cardboard box + steep grassy hill = fun. Unfortunately, at one point I removed the cardboard box from the equation but continued