The Alcohol Free Alchemist

25/05/2026

Usually by Memorial Day I’d be on day 3 of a long weekend bender… anxious, exhausted, sick, and calling it “celebrating.”

And honestly, it’s always felt strange that a day meant to honor people who died in war somehow became synonymous with getting wasted.

Today I’m just… present.
No hangover. No shame spiral. No trying to piece together the weekend tomorrow morning.

Turns out a day off doesn’t actually require alcohol.

17/05/2026

700 days alcohol free today. 🤍

And I was the DD at a baby shower with an open bar, which honestly feels very on brand for our culture at this point. 😅

But here’s the beautiful part:
I still laughed without a drink.
I still connected without a drink.
I still had fun without a drink.
And I got to come home feeling completely like myself and not wanting to continue drinking the Sunday scaries away.

No regret. No replaying conversations. No anxiety waiting for me tomorrow morning.

Just confidence, gratitude, and a life I actually get to remember.

14/05/2026

13/05/2026

✨ Wander Women Feature #5: The Alchemy of Enough ✨
We often think we need a "crash and burn" tragedy to justify making a change. But for Kristen, the Alcohol-Free Alchemist, the weight wasn't an explosion—it was the quiet realization that she was tired of digging a hole she no longer wanted to be in.

On a quiet Father’s Day morning in 2024, the awakening didn't come with sirens. It arrived over a simple family breakfast when Kristen realized she was more focused on her next mixer than the conversation with her six-year-old son. In that moment, she didn't just cut back—she decided she was finished with the cycle of moderation.

In this feature, we discuss:
⚗️ From Pharmacist to Alchemist: Why Kristen shifted from "formulating" for the body to refining the soul.
🍷 Disrupting "Mommy Wine Culture": How she traded the chemical "off switch" for a grounded, present way of parenting.
🗽 Queen City Sober: Bringing a bold new kind of connection to the "shot and a beer" town of Buffalo.
🌅 Hushpitality: Redefining travel as a way to wake up to life rather than escape from it.

Kristen’s story is a beautiful reminder that transformation isn't about being "fixed"—it’s about being refined. Like the art of Kintsugi, she is filling the cracks of her story with a clarity that finally shines.

Read the full story - Link in comments

"The more we can meet ourselves with compassion instead of pressure, the lighter everything starts to feel." — Kristen

I'd love to know: Have you ever had a "quiet awakening" where you realized you deserved a life that didn't require an off switch?

13/05/2026

A lot of people in the comments wanted to debate whether I was “that drunk.”

Or whether that moment made me a bad mom.

But that’s not really the point.

The point is:
I was drunk while taking care of my child…
and at the time, that felt normal to me.

That’s the part that hurts to admit.

The video wasn’t even my worst moment.
It was just one of the few that got recorded.

And I think that’s why so many people connected with it.

Not because shame is entertaining —
but because a lot of people quietly saw themselves in it.

10/05/2026

Mother’s Day looks a lot different for me now.

I used to think alcohol made me more fun, more relaxed, more present. But watching old videos back sober, I can see how disconnected I really was.

This one is hard to post.
But if another mom sees herself in it, it’s worth it.

Sobriety didn’t make me a perfect mother.
It made me an available one.

693 days alcohol free this Mother’s Day 🤍

08/05/2026

Usually after a funeral I’d be looking for a drink.
Today I’m just standing here like… so… water?