Rethinking Drinking with Fiona Hepher

The Allsorts Podcast

We all know - and perhaps dabble with - not drinking during Dry January or Sober October but the rise of the “sober curious” movement over the last few years has really invited us to start the conversation about our relationship with alcohol and how we use it - and abuse it - across all aspects of life, from “mommy wine” culture to quarantine cocktails.

When the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction released their updated alcohol guidelines earlier this year, it rocked a lot of people to their core. Even for me as a dietitian, who has long been quoting far more liberal guidelines in her education and practice, it’s a sharp about face in how we advise others about what safe drinking looks like.

Alcohol is deeply entrenched in our culture and so it can be difficult to accept the messaging that drinking isn’t good for you…especially as many of us have feasted on past headlines (now debunked) that drinking has health benefits.

…but this episode isn’t about the science of alcohol (we’ll have one, don’t worry!). It’s about the very personal conversations we have with ourselves and others about our alcohol use. I’m speaking with Fiona Hepher, Co-Founder of Sansorium, an alcohol free beverage business about her personal experience with alcohol and how not drinking has unlocked a new way of being (in addition to a new career!) for her and her family.

This is also not a conversation about alcoholism. We both acknowledge the deep privilege we have in rethinking drinking habits without having to battle addiction. But it is an open and honest conversation about alcohol, how we relate to it in our lives and what different can look like. I hope you’ll join us!

About Fiona Hepher:

Fiona is the CEO & Co-Founder of Sansorium, a North American alcohol-free beverage importer and consumer online marketplace. For the past decade, between Dubai and Vancouver, she's dedicated herself to disrupting social norms, helping people find meaningful change and greater wellbeing. Today, she's challenging traditions affixed by a multi-billion dollar industry and paving a new path; one where alcohol isn't at the centre of every occasion. She's also a mother, birth doula and aspiring writer.

On this episode we chat about:

• The very defining moment that changed Fiona’s perspective on alcohol forever
• Breaking with your family’s - or culture’s - drinking norms
• The unexpected self-work required when you release drinking
• Navigating the tricky territory of not drinking when others are drinking
• Coming to terms with the fact that alcohol is not good for you
• The ritual of a drink…and what to replace it with
• Mindful drinking vs sober-curious
• How Fiona created Sansorium with her mom and sister
• How we can be more inclusive party hosts
• Making the power of placebo work for you

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