For years, Maureen Benkovich reached for a martini to get through dinners with friends, hiding the pain of being childless not by choice in a world that constantly talked about kids. It wasn't until 2021 — after decades of quietly drinking more than she wanted to — that she found coaching, and within two months, alcohol was no longer part of her life.
In this episode, Maureen, an alcohol freedom coach, breaks down exactly what alcohol does to your brain chemistry when you're grieving — why it gives you a quick hit of relief and then leaves you more dysregulated than before. She explains the difference between traditional 12-step approaches and coaching, what gray area drinking actually looks like, and why reaching for a drink doesn't help you process grief — it just keeps you stuck in it. She also opens up about disenfranchised grief, the unique pain of being childless not by choice, and the unforgettable thing her father said on his deathbed that changed the course of her life.
Her message is simple: it's not about willpower, and it's not about deprivation. It's chemistry — and once you understand it, you can make a different choice.
Listen on your favorite podcast platform or watch on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/5wUScp02S_w
