.png)
Happy AF!
Happy AF: Joyfully Living Alcohol-Free is a bold, funny, and deeply personal podcast from Irish performer Maxine Linehan and French-Canadian businesswoman Isabelle Laurier. Together, they explore the hilarious, and hard-won freedom of a chosen life without alcohol having grown up in cultures where drinking is a national sport!
Happy AF!
It's our Season One finale! 🎉 | Ep. 20
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Two Happy AF women. 20 episodes. Over one million views. Countless conversations that have challenged the way we think about alcohol, happiness, and living fully. Maxine and Isabelle reflect on the biggest lessons they've learned on their alcohol-free journeys and from the incredible Happy AF community.
They also tackle a provocative article by a journalist who quit drinking—only to conclude that alcohol is the "social glue" we all need. Is that really true? Or is alcohol simply masking a deeper issue? From luxury cruises to chatting with strangers at bars, they challenge the belief that we need alcohol to connect, have fun, or enjoy meaningful relationships.
If alcohol is the Band-Aid... what's the real wound?
Liquid Joy:
Le Petite Victoire
Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!
Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:
www.happyafpodcast.com
Hi everybody, I'm Maxine. I am happy. AF, alcohol free.
SPEAKER_01Almost forgot what it was. And I'm Isabel, and as you can tell by the flamingo covering my dresses. My dress. I'm happy as fuck.
SPEAKER_00I thought you were gonna make a flamingo joke.
SPEAKER_01No, I'm as a job.
SPEAKER_00No, it is very summary. Because you are pink and happy, and it is very summary. And friends, listeners, followers, this is our season finale. This is episode 20. Can you believe we've made 20 of these?
SPEAKER_01Is that where like the cliffhanger, like it's like like you know how the season finale, you leave a little something open, you're like, did she did she drown? Is she dead? Oh, how she shot him!
SPEAKER_00Yes, it's did Maxine or Isabel fall off the wagon?
SPEAKER_01Oh is there booze in this guy?
SPEAKER_00Is there booze in it? Has they just work on that one? Yeah, no. So uh season finale, it's been unbelievable. I when I think back to this time last year, it was almost around this time where we got in here and we're like, let's do a pilot episode.
SPEAKER_01I don't know I remember I was landing from Paris, I was landing from a trip in France where that was a different story, and I got a text from you saying, Hey, I just thought of something you could drinking, I quit drinking, we should have a podcast. And it was funny because as I was landing, my head was full of stories. It was my first time going to Europe dry. Yeah, yeah, and not not anywhere in Europe, yeah. France. So I had several stories, so that was very appropriate.
SPEAKER_00And then I remember seeing our very first pilot episode. If you go back, I mean, over the summer, feel free to go back and re-watch us. Um, the we had like this weird setup, and and then after I watched it, I was like, well, that looks like shit. Like that fold up table. And we were shooting into the light, and and then I was like, I can't, we kind of just jumped in and talked, but didn't didn't, I hadn't done any research. I mean, I've learned so much. I started watching lots of podcasts because the crazy thing is, uh, you know, podcasts now are often times people are watching them more than they're listening to them. Yes. And uh, like even Spotify now has launched uh podcast video instead of just audio. So I hadn't really watched podcasts. So I hadn't, and then when I started looking at all the top podcasts, looking up my friend Mel and Amy Polar and all of these, I was like, oh shit, we need a set, guys.
SPEAKER_01We need like, and then we put this lovely little thing together, which and because because people watch podcasts, I even exfoliated this morning.
SPEAKER_00Oh, did you which is a fancy word for shaving watching the podcast?
SPEAKER_01It's you know that's what it is, right? You're basically shaving. But you know, because that sounds so horrible, you're like exfoliating aggressively.
SPEAKER_00Oh, aggressively, exfoliating. See, I don't do the expressive skin. I like the Sill's skin. Um, I I don't, but um, yeah, and then and then you know, thinking about the things we learned only recently, we learned to stop talking over each other, which is amazing that we've been good at that. We have really, and I am parched right now. Oh my god, I'm meeting it. Can we just tell us what we're drinking?
SPEAKER_01We're drinking, we've drank that before, but why not go back in the archives over to this camera? Thank you right in front of my plentiful bosoms. This is la petite victoire, which means small victory, which and it's not just a small one, but I get where they're going with that. And it's one of our favorite. This is champagne without alcohol. They actually make champagne and remove the alcohol. Yeah, this is their de-alcoholized. And everyone I know that I've tried this, um, people don't know the sauce, people drinking, yes, couldn't believe that they were.
SPEAKER_00It is so incredibly to tasting real champagne. It's yeasty. Anyway, cheers, chin chin to our petite victoire, which was a whole season of a podcast.
SPEAKER_01I forgot how good it was.
SPEAKER_00Man, seriously, right? It really is. It really is fantastic. And I want you to, I don't know if we ever used these before with the new etched glass. There we go. Um uh here we are again, freaking segueing away from the shit we're supposed to be talking about. Right. I um I had just started watching going into the summer, I wanted um a a chunk of a TV show, a you know, a juggernaut that I've got. You were on Bridgerton for a minute. I finished Bridgerton. Oh. But then I was like, gosh, I forget how much I love period television. Oh, so guess what? I just started Downton Abbey. What? You've never watched Downton Abbey? I haven't, but now I am.
SPEAKER_01And wait, let me like, let's okay, so I thought I was the uncle one in this relationship. I'm the one who doesn't know what's out there. I don't know nothing, but I have watched all of that.
SPEAKER_00It's great. I it is so, so good. It is so so good, and it is the antidote to what I watch when I walk into the living room and my 16-year-old daughter is watching fucking Love Island. And I'm like, I need to see Maggie Smith in a gown to counteract what I'm seeing on that television right now. Her repartee. I mean, she has the best lines, she has the best lines, all of my best gays in New York when Downton came out, would say to me, What the fuck is wrong with you? Why are you not watching Downton? And at the time I was just like, I don't, it seemed like such a commitment, and I just wasn't willing to make the commitment. I also like to be able to watch it on my time whenever I want to watch it. And now I've got like eight seasons. I mean, this is gonna take me through the end of the year.
SPEAKER_01I have another one, and that one actually is delicious. And if anything, the amount of booze that's being consumed is gonna make you not want to drink. Yeah, I almost that the Mad Men.
SPEAKER_00Oh, but I watched Mad Men and I loved Mad Men. But here's the difference. Oh my gosh, this again, it's a whole topic that's not done here that I can't now wait to talk about. Because the booze in Downton Abbey, people often ask us, do you miss it? Right? I get asked that question all the time. Yeah. And I will say most of the time, I do not. I do not. And anytime I do, I think about how fucking amazing I feel. I don't, I would never trade it for a million years, right? Completely set with that feeling. There are times, but I'd like to find by watching Downton Abbey has made me have a little FOMO because I realized. So I'm watching it last night and they're sitting down with their little petite glasses. Yes. And honestly, I when I when I sat down and and psycho-analyzed it with myself, I was like, do you miss what's in the glass or do you miss the glass? I miss like they have all of the beautiful crystal and those vintage glasses, which made me pull this out of my crystal cabinet today. And they have, but the thing is, they're not getting sauced. Nobody gets sauced, right? It is good. And it actually made me wish on a number of episodes, I just finished season one, I was like, I fucking wish I was the girl that had that much wine at dinner and then was like, good night. That's right. But but no, but no, I would just never stop at the one glass. No way.
SPEAKER_01Especially those little glasses.
SPEAKER_00Those little glasses, you would be like, that wasn't even a glass, darling.
SPEAKER_01Give me some. Have you not ever been, and I was telling Brooks the other day where that's happened to me before, where you go to dinner somewhere and they cut off the booze when I was drinking. Yes. Or you'd have small glasses, and you're like, you're literally inside horrified. Horrified. You're like, that's it. And and I I like and nice dinners, like a proper dinner. And you I always, it's happened to me twice that I really like distinctly remember where inside I was like, I hope it's not showing on my face. I was like, what are these people thinking? And I remember maybe we were like eight, and maybe there was five bottles of wine, and I was like, Who are these people? Like, who does that? Like five bottles of wine for me is cocktail hour if you're eight. Like you haven't even sat down for dinner yet. Yeah, right? Yeah. Or they give you these tiny little cute glasses like at Downton Abbey. Yes. And then I make sure that you're the only one refilling fucking constantly.
SPEAKER_00I mean, and I am as a hostess as well. Andrew will absolutely back me up on this. And I'm still that way. Right. When people come to my house, even when I'm not drinking, I hate people having an empty glass. Right. Right? It's it's I I don't know why. It annoys me. And when I would used to be somewhere in someone else's house, I would never have the balls to break etiquette and go and get the wine for myself. Oh. I would never do it. So I would sit there seething and be like, nobody, see, my glass is empty. And every now and again I would say to Andrew, why don't you go get the bottle of wine? But I'd say but the ends of those with, or if you're at places where it's like wrapped up before you're ready to be done, or the restaurant is like the bar is closed, that always for me led to, well, I know there are other places where I can go and then I'll call now and then it's nightcap time. And then it's downhill.
SPEAKER_01Yes, but I'm talking like in people's homes where they're like, okay, like anyone wants a coffee, and you're like, Are you fucking kidding me? I've had like three glasses of wine. Like, I like what that's it? Like, you can't and but the thing about being at places where people don't refill that, and that's happened to me many a times. And you know, I'm honest, honest to a flaw, which is good. But the bad of that is I'm the asshole who gets up and like go get some and refills their glass. Yes, right? I'm like, yes.
SPEAKER_00I mean, there's there's there's I think that's also why I love Downton Abbey, and my kids mock me all the time about I am such a stickler for table manners. Right. Like it's just a thing for me. I'm like, have any and if you don't learn it, you don't know. That's right. Right. And also I have discovered how differently we use silverware and consider table manners in Europe than we do in America. Absolutely. Like when I see Americans stabbing the food with the fork and the thing, I'm like, you look like a cave man. I need you to stop doing that. Right. But so I can't get my kids. That's it. So my kids are like, why am I putting the food on the back of the fork? I'm like, I don't know. That's just the way I want you to do it. So watching Downton Abbe and all of the napkins and the things, I'm like, oh my god, I'm so happy. Why didn't I live back then?
SPEAKER_01Um, but anyway, yeah, so that's your drinking trigger because they drink pretty. They drink pretty, they're drinking out of pretty things. Whereas in Mad Men, Don Drepper gets flushed.
SPEAKER_00So then you're like, in Mad Men, you're worried about their livers constantly.
SPEAKER_01I was cooking, like I remember the amount of smoking, and uh, you know, I was a like a fierce smoker. And you would think that I would have triggered, like, oh fuck, I re-want a cigarette, but no, they smoke so much that I was like, thank god I quit. Like, I could feel my larynx larynx, like all gunked up after a night of smoking, looking at Dun Draper. So actually, talking about this, if I ever have FOMO from Booze, I should just watch an episode of Mad Men. Right, and then you'd be like, oh my gosh. I think I'll take care of it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know what I mean? Um, I have uh, oh my gosh, so many things to catch up on. First of all, we've been all over the place, right? Both of us what we haven't seen each other. I have, I just got back, and actually I have a great story about this. I um, you know, those moments when you have the FOMO, and then maybe a few hours later or the next day, you're like, oof, I'm so glad I I do miss out on that now.
SPEAKER_01I was any parenthesis on that before you go on your cruise because that's a good point you're from business. A reminder that it that'll last as long as the next day.
SPEAKER_00Where you're like, thank the Lord. Yes, right? So it's minutes so, so much. So I was on a cruise, and and I always have to preempt this now because I used to be one of those people where I would say, Oh, I am not a cruise person. Thank you very much. I'm one of those. I'm one of those. I know. I have a but I I I I may turn you. I may turn you. I am not a cruise person if there's 5,000 people on the boat. Right, right. That's not my kind of thing. I did that once on a Disney cruise to celebrate someone's birthday, and it was hell on earth. Like you look at the pool, and I'm like, I'm going to throw up just looking at the pool. It's like a soup of children. Like it's just bone-ups. I mean, it was just like all packed in together. It was like so terrible. You had to sit in this huge place to eat dinner. Uh-uh. This is Regent Seven Seas Cruise. Right. This is the tippity toppity top. And I was working on it. I was doing two performances that were curated, two musical salons in this beautiful explorer lounge with all these velvet chairs. There's only 700 people on this ship. And every suite is around the edge, right? So there's no inside room. So every single room has a balcony. It had the most unbelievable food. And of course, you know, people say to you all the time, it's all inclusive, as most cruises are. You get on board and everything is taken care of, apart from any extras and things. And people are like, why would you do an all-inclusive cruise when you're not drinking booze? Right. Um, and let me tell you, I wasn't concerned because I often think the the higher up the chain of hospitality you go, the more likely they are catering to alcohol-free people.
SPEAKER_01They had you giving them a heads up, like at your uh resort this winter where you said, Hey, listen, could I have some non-alcoholic option? It's all inclusive.
SPEAKER_00Bountless beaches, I did. Right. Thanks to you, we called them in advance. I did nothing with with reaching. Right. Also, I was working. So I was going on board as a performer. Now my family came with me because it was in Alaska. Sure. We all wanted to see Alaska. So presumably you weren't paying because you were. Yes, no, no, no. I mean, part of my contract was I perform and you know, but um the non-alcoholic options were incredible. You're kidding. Incredible. Even non-alcoholic wines, champagne, what white champagne poured at dinner, white wine, and once the first night I sat down and said I was alcohol free, my in-laws are also alcohol free. Are yes, yes. They listened to this podcast and they stopped drinking. Oh no. What do you mean oh no? I didn't know that. Oh, yes.
SPEAKER_01We actually are influencers.
SPEAKER_00We are influencers. Um we are fiest influencers. Wow. Um yes, no, absolutely. So once they once we had our first meal, then the the team on the on the catering side, on the hospitality side of the cruise, had noted that in our accounts. So every time we went to dinner, they started us off with the non-alcoholic champagne. Andrew had a regular chip. So the bland of alcohol-free champagne was Pierre. I'd never heard it before. Never heard of it. So I need to look at how it was it was. It wasn't quite good. It wasn't petite victoire. But it was okay. It was it was absolutely good. The their Chardonnay was fantastic. Well, same brand. Way prand. I don't know. So clearly they have a contract with Regent that they supply the alcohol-free liquor on board. Pierre. Pierre. I'm gonna do that. As in the French names. Yes. And they had another um, oh gosh, I'm gonna do a post about it because the red. The red was we've seen it. It's got the beautiful flowers on the bottle. Is it Luminara? No, no, no. New I'll have to look it up. Okay. But I'm gonna do a social media post about it because they really did an amazing job. But on top of that, every single cocktail, I mean, there's restaurants. One of the restaurants was called Pacific Rim, and it was like no boo. Like it was Asian fusion. It was so, so delicious. But their main observatory lounge has uh a mixologist. And every night he was like, What do you want? And he made me a different alcohol-free drink at any moment I wanted. He was like, even if the if the mocktails, if there's something on there that you don't want, tell me what you do want and I'll make it for you. So they had one drink, their alcohol drink was called Navigator, and he made me an alcohol-free one with liars alcohol-free gin. Oh, it was like a gimlet. No, and in the beautiful glass, and me sitting, they had an alcohol-free spritz that was yeah, I don't know if it was made with Wilfrid's, but it was so delicious. So it was incredible. The alcohol-free experience on board this ship was amazing. The food was amazing, the staff were amazing. Now, I know that you have said also the sustainability, right? I'm a tree hugger or so. There's an issue for that, but let me tell you again, all the shout outs to Region 7 Seas Cruise Line. No plastic, no paper. For them. So you got a water bottle in your suite when you arrived, and there's water uh stations all over the ship where you fill with sparkling, ambient, right, chilled water. When you go to the coffee dock to get your coffee, no paper cups, it's a ceramic cup, and you bring it back or you leave it in your room. Um, so there was a real awareness about sustainability. Here is the thing, though, that I found heartwarming for me because I also, because I'm Irish and raised as an Irish Catholic, I constantly have guilt. Right. Whether or not I it's deserved. Where I'm like, oh my God, this luxury, this level of privilege in a world where people are starving. I mean, I really do, I do think about that. And I am very aware of it. And what was so lovely in this experience was both the the staff and the crew on the ship, but also all the towns that we stopped in along the way, Sitka and um Juno and Skagway, these tiny towns, remote towns along the Alaskan sea line, they said our livelihoods wouldn't exist without the cruise industry. Oh wow. And when you think for me, it was like, I don't know. Again, I all I keep thinking about now is our is our um our hater white privileged bitches from Vermont. Right. But it's it's I'm mindful of it. And that made me, you know, the the staff on board the ship gave a performance at the end and they said, Thank you for choosing to make this trip because we have this job because of you, and we love our work. And everyone was so happy. It was amazing.
SPEAKER_01But I just wish they found a way to float boats that didn't discharge in the ocean, yeah, and yeah, maybe electric. But that's a different story. But it sounds like so speaking, you had a good gimlet, and just coincidentally, I went with on your gimlet story. So two days ago, I was in Brooklyn, and a friend of mine, she was so sweet, she's like, Oh yeah, I'd like to see you, but I have dinner at seven. Do you want to meet in a park? And I remember going, huh? Sure. You know, not far from dinner. I'm like, meeting in a park. I'm like a 55-year-old woman, like I can. I get we're smoking pot, like what's going on? But I didn't say anything. So closer to the. So closer to the time, she's like, okay, I'm I can be there in 20 minutes. So, like, is this park okay? So I'm like, let me suggest something else, right? So I'm like, it's perfect, but how about the lobby of my hotel, right? Because I'm also down the street. She was like, I was like, there's a bar. So she goes, Oh, that's a bit further from where I'm going. But she's like, wait, a bar, are you okay with that? So she was just concerned about my drinking, which I thought was so endearing. I don't want to go sit in a park. And I love bars. So, like, that's okay. Like, she was, she was, I was endeared by her sensitive sensitivity, right? So we went to a bar. I was like, I love bars. So we went to a bar, and since I was gonna have dinner by myself, I brought my NA wine for like a quest to a nice dinner by myself with NA wine after. But we sat in this this is a kind of bar that I was like, I'm not gonna pop my wine here because it's gonna be a fucking thing. It's a pop, like it's a old school bar, nothing fancy about it. Yeah, so much showed them like, hey, can you make like non-alcolic cocktail? And he's like, Yeah, sure, I can make your gimlet. And I was like, great. So he did put in an ice glass, he did put a wedged lemon, but I told Brooks, and I was like, I have like a stomach made out of steel, but I walked out of there with like six peps a day. So it was basically like lime juice with like sugar, you know. And I was like, buddy, come on. If you knew you were gonna do that, I would have been like, give me fucking like Perrier, give me sparkling water, like if you're not gonna even try, you know. So for me, any charge.
SPEAKER_00And if they don't have the alcohol-free spirit to put in the streets, they don't know. You would hope this is Brooklyn in the middle of cool central Brooklyn. I know you would hope. Cool central Brooklyn should know better.
SPEAKER_01But then I went in. This is the area. The most famous bars, alcohol-free bars in New York is in Brooklyn. That's true. Oh, which one is that?
SPEAKER_00I can't remember.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah, I know, that's true. And then on my way home, I've tried this as the area where I used to live. And I, a couple of places will let me drink my stuff, and a couple of places was like, no problem, we'll charge you $55 scorking fee, which is absolutely ridiculous. Outrageous. Especially that those places, the food's not that expensive, right? Yeah. So I try my hand at a French place called Chemois, right? And I'm like, I'll go, I'll I'll sit at a bar, and before I order anything, I'll ask the guy. And if he says no, I'm like, fuck it, I'm going to my sushi place that they always like, hey, here's your glass. Here's a bucket of ice, no worries, right? So being French, are like they're gonna be obnoxious about it. So I come in, I'm like, listen, I have a weird ass before I have dinner. I have my non-alcoholic wine. Is it okay if I drink it here? I'm willing to pay a corking fee as long as it's reasonable. And the guy's like, yeah, no. I'm like, all right. He's like, no, no, no corking fee. I'm like, oh, okay. So no problem. Let me drink. And then the lady next to me was like, Can I taste it? So this has happened to me three times. And it made me think of that article we're gonna talk about in a minute that talks about alcohol and social glue, which gave me FOMO for a minute. And then I realized that when I go to the bars not drinking, I still talk to random people.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes. Um Top us off. So you sent me the the the a video, right? A social media video. Right. I was on Instagram of this guy. Look, there has to be an article. I'm going to, but there has to be push and pull, which is why you see more of this. Um I'm I I get really triggered by the the wine mom culture now that's stepping up and saying, fuck all these bitches who are not drinking, you know, it's my sanity, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, again, where you're not looking at the bigger picture. So this guy, you know, it was a GQ article, and I guess the guy is a writer for GQ. I don't remember his name, never heard of him before. But of course, you know, the algorithm I think sometimes just wants to like trigger you.
SPEAKER_01He's the health writer. He's a health writer. Right. So he's he's the guy just to make apprentices. I think his rage was misdirected, but he's the guy who writes about counting your steps and having a water, like a that ring on your finger and checking your sleep quality and all that stuff, which I don't want to do.
SPEAKER_00Right. So he's just you know, a journalist writing about health in a men's magazine. But but but an article that is headlined my resolution is to drink more is such, first of all, bullshit rage baiting and clickbaiting or whatever it is. Sure enough, it got me. When you sent me the sure the the reel, I immediately went to read the whole article. I didn't have enough eye rolls left in me to get through the article. Maybe that's why I had dry eye yesterday.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yesterday I drive, I drove back on, my eyes were so dry, and I thought I think I've eye rolling too much.
SPEAKER_00I mean, eye rolling, I was like, oh, uh, uh. I'm like every single paragraph, I was rolling my eyes more. And and you know, the idea behind this is which we're hearing more and more of, and I've had interactions with lots of people personally and online about this, which is well, it's the social glue, right? Alcohol is the thing that allows us to go to a bar and talk to strangers.
SPEAKER_01And to go furthermore, he was saying that after he had quit drinking for four months, he got into a deep depression from the lack of interaction.
SPEAKER_00He wasn't hanging out with his friends, and people were thinking he was boring. So the first thing I wanted to say to this guy is like, I don't think you have the right friend circle. Okay. If if you if you're if you're not willing to hang out with your friends unless you've got a a couple of then, I I feel like maybe you're not aligned with the people. Right. Okay. And I and we both learned that when we stopped drinking, our friendships changed. Some people completely fell off the cliff, some people we see much less of, and we realize that those relationships were grounded in alcohol, or there was a foundation of of boozing. That's what kept us coming back to each other. And when that's gone, then you're like, oh, interesting. That was the glue that was holding us together. Right. This guy is talking about being depressed and not being able to go to a bar when he wasn't drunk.
SPEAKER_01But and also one of the things in and he gave me FOMO for two seconds, and then I went over and we'll talk about it in a minute. But he added to that, or what I understood anyway, that uh one of the parts of the depression was that he no longer could, according to him, go to a bar and have these random conversations with strangers. Yes, right. And that that affected him deeply in his social interactions to not have that.
SPEAKER_00Yes. And I understand that when I started thinking about my drunken interactions with strangers, those who remember, most of them could have ended up with me dead. Right. So I'm really glad I don't have those conversations anymore at four o'clock in the morning at a New York bar with some guy that could easily have just like can, you know, but but but I also disagree because I have listen, had the most amazing conversation in the hot tub with this fabulous gay couple on the cruise. There you go. Where, you know, they were drinking and I was not. And and we started chatting and they were like, oh, and one of them, one of them talked about how he doesn't, he hardly drinks anymore. Uh-huh. And the other one is like, oh, you know, I drink too much. But so we ended up talking about alcohol, and I talked about how I quit drinking. Right. And but we had a fabulous conversation. And look, it depends on it depends on how you put yourself out there. I also know that you and I are not wallflowers, so we're not afraid to talk to people. And I know some people have social anxiety, and a lot of a lot of times people are looking at the alcohol as being the crutch that you use to get in the door to open a conversation. But but I think the problem with that is we're not addressing the root of it. Right. We're not, you know, if you're saying I'm too anxious and depressed without alcohol, then I feel like you need to take a step.
SPEAKER_01A different tool, maybe, or use a different tool.
SPEAKER_00What is it that, you know, and I just don't think that pushing alcohol is the right thing anymore. I just don't think it is. And I really believe that in all of my experience as just being better informed. I am not a doctor, may I say it a thousand times.
SPEAKER_01No, and if people are listening, I think we need to stop apologizing that we're not doctors. Because if anyone's looking at us for medical advice and they haven't gotten it yet that we're not doctors, then I can't help people that are stupid, right?
SPEAKER_00Again, but I'd love to remind people that we're not here to tell you what to do. But I, my opinion is that a guy like that pushing alcohol is bullshit in this day and age.
SPEAKER_01Well, there's I will tell you that for one second he gave me a little FOMO. Okay, for one second I was like, because then I was like, the part about randomly going to bars and meeting people, because I do remember that when I was on the sauce, Brooks and I would have dinner at a bar. I like we liked to sit at bars. Yes, yes, and uh inevitably drink too much because that's what I did every single day. And we would random talk to people. Now, this wouldn't carry in the rest of our lives. We probably wouldn't keep talking to these people ever again, but they would be these fun, silly conversations. But and I was like, oh God, we don't do that anymore. And just as I started feeling bad about myself from robbing Brooks of this beautiful experience of random drunkenness interactions, I went to with my NA wine at the bar in Brooklyn, and this lady started talking to me, right? Like right next to me. Like she was like, Oh my god, I didn't know they made an NA wine. Can I taste it? Yeah, of course. And then we started talking. Uh and but I was like, ooh, but Brooks is not, and then I started thinking also, then it made me realize wait, I travel a lot by myself and I sit at bars by myself, traveling, drinking non-alcoholic or not drinking. And I've been speaking to people all the time. So this guy is full of shit. I still do it. And in the context of not doing it with Brooks, I was like, I think it's because now we're in our 50s and it's less interesting. Yes, because he's still drinks. That's a hundred percent.
SPEAKER_00He still drinks, and I was like, This guy is probably in his 30s. He is in his 30s, yeah. He may not be married, he may be needing.
SPEAKER_01He was blaming his non-drinking for having less sex and less fun with his wife. So the other thing that I found about this article, so so the the thing I was like, yeah, so then that discredited this guy about his experience. And the second thing, I felt I know you can't responsibilize a GQ writer, but I felt it was somewhat almost irresponsible. It was 100% irresponsible. All the people that are trying to quit drinking, quit smoking, quit heroin, quit cooking, to be like, you know, you might like you're going down the road of isolation, buddy. And I like that's what the message was. It was, it was.
SPEAKER_00It's if you quit drinking, you're gonna have less sex, you're gonna meet less people, you're gonna feel depressed, you're gonna and I'm like, listen, and he's talking about his lived experience. Right. So fair play to him. That is what happened to him. My point is, do you not think, gentlemen? I can't remember his name. Do you not think maybe you should look a little deeper as to why you need alcohol to have a date night with your wife? Maybe look a little deeper as to why you're not seeing your friends on those three months that you weren't drinking. Like, I I feel like he's not addressing the bigger issue.
SPEAKER_01Right. And the thing that I thought was interesting that helped me with the like I had a knee-jerk from our reaction, right? It's a knee-jerk because that's been always one of my fear. Okay, I'm not gonna be fun. That's my thing, right? And but that's true when I quit smoking, I was afraid of that. That's like my thing. So that that went straight to that. Yeah, uh, but one other thing that made me realize maybe his article was a little bit of bullshit and clickbait, like you're saying, he made an ex that, for instance, got me. He goes, and you know, when I was playing pool sobers and pubs, I realized I don't even like playing pool. He just likes it drunk. So, well, maybe why are you doing so? Basically, wait, you're doing something drunk that you usually wouldn't like doing, and that's a good thing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I actually really wanted to say to this guy, I want you to sit down with a therapist. I want you to sit down and tell someone all of these things, and maybe you're gonna uncover things like I hate pool.
SPEAKER_01Oh, and by the way, the other thing too, this guy's a half-writer. And the other good thing about drinking that he was mentioning is if they have enough fun, sometimes they'll even have a couple of cigarettes. And I was like, wait, now everybody agrees that's there's no qualities on having a cigarette, there's there's no positive, but all of a sudden, that's the hallmark of having a good evening.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you're drinking and smoking, so you're thinking if you're having a couple of cigarettes, a couple of lines of coke's not gonna hurt anybody.
SPEAKER_01But coke is the way to be able to drink more, too. So I'm like, oh, wait a minute. So yeah, so but I'm glad I read the whole article because when I just read the snippet on Instagram, I had that knee-jerk FOMO. And then when I read the whole article, I was like, exhibit.
SPEAKER_00That's what happened to me too. I was like, the the the Instagram reel made me angry, but then when I went to read it, I was like, oh, all right, listen, whatever. Yeah, I was clinging. Um but it's always it's it is a hot topic because it is often most people in the world now, unless you are refusing to listen to the information, the scientific evidence. Everybody accepts that there is zero health benefits to consuming alcohol.
SPEAKER_01And this guy agreed with that. But what he was saying is that that, and he even went as far as getting an anthropologist to verify his theory. Yeah, I've seen those that that you know, uh alcohol help emotionally connect with other humans, right? So, oh because there was something to be said about doing something together that's dangerous and bad for you, that makes it that you're like, okay, so we're like kind of like saying we're gonna cross the fire together. So all of a sudden you and I are more bonded because we're doing something very risky together, right? So that was a theory. So I was like, okay, so basically, if I want to have true human interaction, I need to do something very dangerous with that person. So you, I guess you could drink or you could do something else dangerous and go fucking skydiving. I don't know. You know what I mean? That's like as no elf consequences, you're not gonna get your car. And you're not gonna get addicted, right?
SPEAKER_00So yeah, but anyways, like it was very wonky science. No, but but but like I'm saying, is that it is a hot topic and it's something that people use as an argument all the time. So even if people accept, as most of us do, that it has now been proven that it is bad for you, any quantity of it. There was another uh reel that we shared with each other the other day, which was zero, zero alcohol is what is what is now recommended, right? Right from a physical aspect health standpoint. The argument now, when hat people have to accept that that it is a carcinogenic and you shouldn't consume it, now they're saying yes, but these other health benefits should not be ruled out. And I get that. Your social emotional health is really important. But my point is if your social emotional health is dependent on you having alcohol, then I think there's other things that you need to explain. That's true.
SPEAKER_01And what I that's absolutely true. And what I like, so uh there's this lady doctor, I forget her name. She's amazing, she's an addiction specialist, she's a physical doctor, I forget. She has a PhD in all kinds of things, but she's great. And she's been on really bad at name. She's been on Mel's podcast and other podcasts, but I love what she said because then it showed like we're not being extremists, like we're not, we haven't joined a sect where like alcohol is the devil, okay? No, and this person just explains in layman's term alcohol, like you are that it is nothing good for you, and blah, blah, blah. And then she does say, she's like, listen, every behavior of risk, right? If you go downhill skiing, there's a risk associated to that. You go horse riding, you go skydiving. Right. Those things have risk. But the difference with alcohol, she's like, those things, like if we go paragliding, we know there's a risk. And we accept it because the fun of paragliding, we're like, I'll sign up for that. Downhill skiing, I'm a skier, same thing. I'll sign up. I can break a late, I know that, but I'll sign up for it. Right? Don't want to live in a bubble. She's like, same with alcohol. Yes. There's a risk, and if you choose to do it, it's okay. So she's like, you know, the people that are like, they feel that the like science now is saying two glasses of wine a week is neutral, doesn't do anything to your health. You don't, you're not really hurting your physicality with two glasses of wine a week. Okay. But no, I think they've debugged. Well, they it's I've heard it both ways. But think about it, two glasses of wine a week. If I could drink two glasses of wine a week without just wanting more, I would just see the positive. I'd be like, enjoy it'd be like skiing. There's a risk, but it's so little. Yeah, screw it. Now I can't. But what this woman was saying is that, you know, with alcohol, it it's there's a risk as long as you're okay with it, and as long as you can drink within that threshold where this is it's like skiing. It's not like now you're downhill the the addiction slope where now your risk is you know 10 times full, right? So, but she's like, but that's been the problem with the industry, is that they're trying to erase that risk. Like there's no risk, and it's only benefits, and that's not true. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, I mean we should probably fact-check this, but I have seen uh anything I have ever seen now says any quantity, right? Any quantity is not good for you.
SPEAKER_01Physically cannot she wasn't saying that two glasses a week is good for you or that any benefits.
SPEAKER_00She worked at a place where two glasses of wine a day was being away.
SPEAKER_01No, but this is like I I she's more of a scientist, scientist, and I've seen that on other um publication too, that two glasses a week, the risks were slightly so low that they were all they were being mitigated by okay. That the real thing is it was being mitigated with good diet, exercising. Right, right, right. If you were doing all the good things and you had two glasses a week, it evened out. Kind of like you're downhill skiing, but you're wearing a helmet and you're not doing the double diamonds, you're evening out like your risks are much lower of getting hurt. So that's what I think they were talking about the two glasses a week. I see. Okay.
SPEAKER_00But but honestly, you know, the whole thing. Like you said, two glasses. If you could do two glasses a week, that wouldn't, it wouldn't be an issue. I wouldn't be on this podcast. How how many? Oh, that would be terrible.
SPEAKER_01No, if I could do only two glasses a week, I'll be on a two glasses a week podcast.
SPEAKER_00You'd be on the how to moderate podcast. That's right. Listen, most of us don't moderate alcohol well. Like we just don't. I mean, there's very few people in the world that I think can can can do.
SPEAKER_01And but the thing is what made me not happy, but what's normalized? Right. Well, they are, but those people, so that's the thing. There are tons of people like that. But you know what? And we had a conversation with someone you know not long ago. That's my crutch. But then those people that don't have the alcohol issue have a food thing, right? Or a sweet tooth thing. So my mother, for instance, like the only way I can make it real for her is if I'm like, can you just have half a piece of cake? She's like, Oh, no. She's like, I can, but then I'm just gonna stare at it all night. I was like, okay, that's me with a glass of wine. I can have a glass of wine. Yes. I can, but I'm gonna spend the rest of the evening suffering because I want more. Do I want to spend the rest of the evening suffering? I really don't. It's just it's just easier if I don't know anything. No. So, and so the thing is that now I'm realizing that my wine addiction, whatever you want to call it, is actually widespread. Other people, it's not wine, it's sweets, or it's whatever else, right? That they have a hard time. Shopping, that'll be. You know, food is a big one. I've never had this issue. It's for me, I'm not hungry anymore, I stop eating. They could in our house, there's Brooks has a sweet tooth, there's ice cream, there's chocolate, there's everything. I'll have a piece of chocolate, I won't even finish it because it's not my thing. Yeah, right. So, my point is like the alcohol thing is part of a much broader conversation. It's what is your dopamine dopamine trigger? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00And how do you live with that? Is really what it is. No, it's it's absolutely the bigger question. Right. It's like what why are you reliant on this thing to make you feel good? Well or or make you feel like you can do all of these things only if you have it. I mean, the the point that you made there is one of my favorite benefits to not drinking anymore. Because I did have massive periods of my life where I wasn't binge drinking. Right. But I spent a lot of time thinking about it. Thinking about it, the times I spent about spent thinking about drinking and then thinking about not drinking.
SPEAKER_01So, what you're saying is that even though you're actively participating in the act of drinking, basically you were still wrapped up in alcohol because you just had it in your brain all the time. Almost every day.
SPEAKER_00Am I gonna have a drink tonight? No, tonight I should not drink bullshit. Why do I have to have that thought? Or on a Friday night, okay, I'm going out tonight, I'm gonna have one drink before dinner, then I'm only gonna share the wine, then I'm not gonna have a night. Think exhausting for me and me, and like you said, there's probably tons and tons of people who never think about it. They go there and they have a drink and they leave. That's it. But there is a massive amount of people that I know and that clearly we know from this podcast who have these problems.
SPEAKER_01And you know what makes it difficult? And maybe I talked about this on this podcast before, uh, I don't know. But those thoughts you're talking about, we weren't carrying them outwards. So people don't realize. So they'll tend to be not malattention, but be like, are you sure you couldn't just have a glass? I mean, I've never seen you drunk, Isabel. But they don't know the amount how many times I set out for a glass and I ended up drinking a bottle and a half, how many times I was like, okay, Monday I'm not drinking. And all of Sunday, I was like, how am I gonna do that? And by Monday at noon, I was like, fuck that. And they don't know that I started drinking at two in the afternoon and worked at the same time. Yeah. Because I wouldn't have lied about it, but nobody was asking, right? So I and that's like at first I was like, why are people like insisting that I could moderate? And I'm like, because then then I realized because they want your head, they don't know these battles like you're talking about.
SPEAKER_00It's so true, it's so true. And that internal battle, I I come back to that statement that my I told you my aunt made many years ago. Right. If you ask the question of yourself, am I drinking too much? the answer is yes. Right. There's you know, that it's such a simple litmus test for what role alcohol plays in your life. Right. If you think you need to moderate, the answer is you have a relationship with that substance that's not good. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And and the thing that's I find a little bit more difficult about quitting alcohol than I would imagine would be moderating food or something, which I never had to do, but is that people understand if you're like, oh, you know what? I I'm trying to lose 10 pounds, or uh if I have sweets, like I don't see the bottom of it. Like people understand and they'll respect that. Yes. Whereas I feel as though there's a still a stigma around not drinking, you know, not like it's way more accepted, but there's still a stigma like this, like this article. You would never see an article, I don't think, of someone that said, you know, I went to lose 10 pounds and that's bullshit. I'm getting off the GLP one, I'm having anything I want to eat. I was far up here when I was 100 pounds heavy. Like they wouldn't publish that. Or would they?
SPEAKER_00I mean, I don't know. I don't know. I don't think so. It's it's every single one of these topics is so loaded and and polarized when at the end of the day, uh, when people say to me, uh, oh, so would you just like a a world to be alcohol free? I'm like, no, absolutely not. And my husband still drinks. I uh so many of my friends drink alcohol. I have no problem with it. Right. But what I'm saying is, I I I know how I feel, I know what now. Almost two years without it in my life, I know the positives, I know the benefit of it. And it's really interesting. I wish I could find the clip where someone um it was it was on one of those sobriety podcasts and um or or TV stuff, it was on Instagram. Right. And the guy uh was saying he'd been sober for 15, 20 years, and he was like, I I it's like the gym. You never do you ever see someone coming out of the gym and and having worked out and having great success, go, oh God, I wish I never did this. You know, he's like, I have turning final. And he said he said, I have never, ever, ever met a friend or an acquaintance or someone on this alcohol-free journey that looks back and goes, you know what, I wish I never quit. Right. Except for this guy. That's true, right? Except for this guy. That's so funny. Right, that's so funny. Um, so and and we've talked about this often too. It's it's getting through the white knuckle part phase that I think is is is hard for people.
SPEAKER_01And and also realizing, like, for instance, like you do the podcast to to help out. I do the podcast, it's like free, it's free therapy. Again, my friend Kim the other day is like, how's the podcast doing? I was like, I don't know, but I know it feels great for me. And she's like, she's like, you don't know. And so I was like, I don't have no fucking idea, but like it's like, thank God it's saving me. Like, you know, uh, it's very helpful. And the point is, like, even almost two years into it, yeah, we still like like when that article, for instance, came out, it gave me a little FOMO. And I was like, I can't wait to debunk that with you know, Maxine, or or there'll be instances like family can be a big trigger. Yes, yes, you know, like, and I was telling that to a friend of mine, I was like, you know, I never, never feel bad that I don't drink, ever. But around family, that's the only time that I'll feel judged, and I don't even think they do anything. Yeah, you know, it's in your head, like is a tough one.
SPEAKER_00And listen, the the this is free therapy for me too. Right. But what we have done, which is perfect that we're talking about it in episode 20, season one finale, is I thought when we started this, uh, the catalyst for me was oh my gosh, we have all of these stories that will help other people on this journey, right? That that yeah, and that is believe it or not, in a massive way, which I didn't realize was going to happen. Um, we just had our monthly team meeting and we crossed the million views Rubicon. A million, there have been a million views collectively. And actually, we launched the podcast in November of 2025, right? That was our pilot episode, and we were kind of figuring our shit out and didn't have, I wasn't tracking anything. Actually, we didn't have it, was just me, you and Andrew at that point. We hadn't even brought on anyone else. Um, and and so we didn't actually start tracking numbers data until January of this year. So it's not even the whole season, but a million views and and a really high click-through rate, and people are engaging, and so many of the comments are amazing. Someone wrote the other day, which is not our demographic, by the way, okay. Because this person, or else I look way older than I think I do. Um, the this girl wrote on on one of the episodes, oh god, I wish she was my mom. Oh, but I mean so sweet. It was so sweet. And then someone below that went, right?
SPEAKER_01You?
SPEAKER_00Yes. Nobody wants me to be their mothers, man.
SPEAKER_01I'm very motherly, y'all. But I gotta guard it.
SPEAKER_00Our demographic is 45 to 65. So I'm hoping this was a 20-something that said that. But anyway, those comments or the or or the people, like the other thing is when you look at uh who's listening to us, right? 85% are women. Um, they're in the 45 to 65 age bracket, largest percentage. Obviously, there's outliers on all of these. Um, biggest following is in not surprisingly, the US and Canada, but we have listeners in Ireland, we have listeners in the UK, we have listeners in Australia, which I love Australia. Um, amazing, and and oh my gosh, the connection. So so it's a perfect segue. Did I tell you the story about my Irish cousin who wasn't at my wedding, who wrote to us on the podcast? Yes, you did. But I'm not sure if I talked about it on the podcast. I haven't seen her in 20 years. Maybe you did not talk, maybe it's when I run into you at the theater play.
SPEAKER_01Maybe. Right. Yes, which by the way was funny because we we have a little theater in town, and I go to the theater play, and they have a little cute little bar, right? Just before, and people gather there and socialize, and they give you a cup with a cup, a lid, a reusable plastic cup that you should wash and take home. So and I'd used it before for NA wine, and I brought it back with me full of Brooks was like, Don't forget your poison, so sweet, right? So I bring my cup full of NA wine, and I ran into you right at the theater, and I remember for a minute, I was like, I wonder if she thinks I'm on the sauce, like in hiding, because it looks like so much and I was hilarious. I was like, first of all, I'm like this wine.
SPEAKER_00I know you are as secure as I am in our alcohol-free commitment ever again drinking alcohol. Um, but first of all, it's not a little theater, it's the Dorset Theater Festival. But I call it theater because it's the same. It's a small theater, but it is the Dorset Theater Festival. It is run by two adorable friends of mine. Um, it is it is high-level summer theater. Oh, yeah. But I mean it's a small structure, which is, but um, if you're listening, Ryan uh and and Will, I don't know, do they not have alcohol-free wine behind that bar? Because I don't think they do.
SPEAKER_01I bring my own.
SPEAKER_00That is the theater that I credit to bringing me back to dramatic acting because I performed in it in a show a few pieces.
SPEAKER_01Let's talk about a random. So there was a man sitting next to me as I'm with his wife, and I'm uh sipping non-alcoholic beverages. We got deep into conversation, and next thing we know, we're exchanging emails about bird watching. I'm not even a bird watcher. Like, how did that happen? And it could have been a drunken conversation, yeah. Okay, and we like got into it for like 25 minutes, like and it went sideways from birds to like everything else, right? So and I like I didn't thought about that, but there goes a random, like complete random guy. I don't know, from his wife, and we're texting each other. So there you go, it can happen. Yeah, we need to write back to that fucking JQ guy.
SPEAKER_00Oh, please. Let him let him do it, let him drink. Um, what were we talking about before the theater festival? Um, uh all the demographics are working on it. Oh, yes, yes, yes. Oh, so my cousins. Oh, gosh. Oh, your cousins. Yeah, so she and I don't didn't have each other's numbers. She's not on social media. So she wrote on the Buzz Sprout, which is the host for our podcast, a note that I don't check, but our amazing Priscilla, marketing director, checks. And she was like, Here's a screenshot of a of a message from a cousin of yours called Janet. And I read it. I wish I had it on my phone because it was she's from Cork where I grew up. Right. And she is the archetypal Cork woman. And which is she's got this lovely cork accent. She talks like this, and she wasn't, and she was like, Jesus, I wasn't at your wedding, but I do remember the stories now being told about it. And she was like, Listen, I listened to the podcast because I quit the sauce three years ago. No, and I crack up listening to you, and and I was like, Oh my! And do you know why she quit? Uh she was like, I and I quote, I had to quit the fucking sauce now because it was going to kill me. So it has the same reason as me. Uh Janet is maybe a couple of years older than me. I want to meet Janet. Yeah, we just I want to go to Ireland. So my She's gonna be listening to this now. I mean, we're like, it was so because it was also the reason for us to connect. So then I was like, Oh my god, Priscilla gave her my my cell phone number. We connected on WhatsApp, and now we chat like once a week. What? And it's so amazing because that relationship to me, I knew her as a as a kid, right? Right. And then I went off to London and then I came to America. And I have a huge family. I think I've told you this. I have 62 first cousins. Right, right. So I do, I'm not in touch with everyone. And this, so I was like being alcohol free reconnected me with one of my cousins who I used to love so much and completely lost. That is so cool. So it was a it was it was a really funny story of how not drinking reignited a relationship. And that's not the only one. Like I've bumped into people recently who have said either said, Oh my god, I also quit a year ago, or I also just, you know, or people who are like, Yeah, I try now to only drink on special occasions, or blah, blah, blah.
SPEAKER_01It's funny you'd say that because I'd have to ask her, so I don't want to put words in our mouth, but there's a friend of mine who is very is a is uh not a healer, but she's an acupuncturist, she works with um essential oil. She's she's a healer, I would say, like, or body worker, like someone who works with she works with energy and all that. She's really, really good, like one of the best ones I know. Uh, we actually we met because of that, and then we came became friends. And I've known her for a really long time. And she had quit drinking a long time ago. She will only drink when she goes to France, or her husband is a chef for ultra-net worth individual. And when they go to south of France, she'll have Rose there, and then that's it. That's once a year for a month. She can do that. I cannot. She can. And then she comes back, and that's she's off the sauce. And for a while, we had distanced ourselves, and I I didn't know why, and I never asked. Okay. Uh, I just felt there was a reticence to hang out with me, but I figured I'd let it, I'll let it ride. And then I moved to Vermont, and so she found out, she's like, let's have, you know, a lunch. So, you know, since you're moving out of Brooklyn, I'd like to find out why you're going to Vermont and all that. So we did. I was still drinking. And that kind of rekindled it a little bit. But then when I quit drinking, I feel as though it really rekindled. And I wonder if I might ask her, I wonder if there wasn't a little bit of she's doing energy work, she's off the sauce, and I was drinking heavily. Yeah. Like, you know, we'd go out to dinner, I'd be having four glasses of wine at least. And that's after I've already had wines at home, right? And she so, and I I think they might I, you know, I was feeling a disconnect, and now that I'm not drinking anymore, I'm like, shit, I think that might have been part of the disconnect anyway. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. So it does rekindle friendship.
SPEAKER_00No, it does. And and and we've, you know, to go back to as we wrap up this episode, the the motivation to keep going, because it's a lot. This has been a huge undertaking, and it it took on a massive life that I was not prepared for either schedule-wise, or all of the things that we had to learn. Um, but every time we get a comment from someone somewhere in the world that that says they enjoy it, or they love listening to us, or we made them laugh, or we we made them feel part of a community. Community is everything as human beings, right? And the fact that we are building this community means everything to me. And it means that during this period um that we're off, uh, we're not off, but we're not filming new episodes over the next couple of months, is we're going to continue to build the community in different ways. So here's to our listeners: what we need from you is while we're away, first of all, follow us on all of our socials because that's where we're getting all of our new listeners from. They see a clip and then they're like, oh, I would love to listen to the rest of that, or I would love to watch the rest of that. So you can find us on YouTube, you can subscribe to us. We would love you to do that. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok. We're on all of those platforms. Um, we, of course, you can listen to us traditionally, like a podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Um, but our website, which is happyafpodcast.com, that's where this summer we're going to do a questionnaire because we want to know what we should do differently next week. Right. Um, we're definitely going to be launching a guest program. So we'd love to know who you'd love to have us uh talk to on the show. We've got a couple of really exciting um guests coming in for season two. We're gonna be working with partners for Liquid Joy, but we want to know from our listeners what you loved, what you hated, um, and and share that with us. So you can do that on the podcast, and we're gonna be launching a newsletter. So it'll be a monthly newsletter that talks about everything that we're doing and guests, and you'll have links to the Liquid Joy. We're gonna share photos um throughout the summer of things that we're doing. Um, so that's happy if podcast.com. Um that's it. This has been amazing. It is, it's been it's been a really fun experience. Um, somebody told me the other day, you know, my email signature says singer, actor, and someone was like, You gotta put podcaster in there now. Oh, and influencers now. I don't know about influencer. I don't consider it.
SPEAKER_01You've influenced you you influence your in-laws to stop drinking. Well, that is true. That is true.
SPEAKER_00Um, but uh I've loved every single one of these episodes. We have to give a shout out to um our numero Uno guy who's never on C. Andrew, but he's always behind the glass over there.
SPEAKER_01Um and by the way, so he's gonna hate my saying saying that, but I walked in this morning and Andrew has been working out and eating healthy, and he fucking looks hot.
unknownThank you.
SPEAKER_01That's I noticed, remember? And by the way, thank you for not falling asleep like my old therapist used to. I have never fallen asleep since on you. I mean, I don't even know. I told you that's anybody can fall asleep on you. My therapist used to not off. Yes, I remember you telling you.
SPEAKER_00No, I've never fallen asleep on you. Thank you for doing this with me. It's been it's been such a great experience. So thanking Andrew, who's just been just the pillar of strength back there, and doing countless uh hours of audio editing to make it all sound good. To um our new team member, Andrew Walker, who's gonna say helping um my Andrew with the workload of editing the videos, which is such a big undertaking. Um, our amazing Priscilla. Priscilla, who is now a little bit lighter than she used to be because she got her appendix. She did, and apparently she has a story for you.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, same. We shared that appendix nightmare.
SPEAKER_00She um she works on the social media, she does all of these, all of the clipping and posting and um collects all of the data uh along with um Christopher, who who helps wrangle all the information together so we do things better going forward. Right. We're all about growing. We're such newbies. Season one, another very, very, very successful podcaster told me the other day. She was like, Do you know I can't I think she said like 60% of podcasts fail after like five or six episodes. Really? So that we're 20 episodes and one whole season in is a big accomplishment. It is a petite victory. It's a petite victory for sure. But guess what? If nobody was listening to this shit, we wouldn't be doing a season two.
SPEAKER_01Well, that would suck for me because I don't know who I would talk about all my problems. Jesus Christ, we're still friends outside the world.
SPEAKER_00I know, but it's so much better to just put it all out there in a microphone. It is, it is. I love it. I love you so much. Thank you for our our listeners. Thank you for making season one such a special experience and such a success. Because of you, we'll be back for season two in November. So don't forget to uh sign up to happyafpodcast.com, sign on for the newsletter, follow us on socials. I'm Maxine.
SPEAKER_01I am happy, happy, happy alcohol f oh and I'm Isabel, and I'm happy as a flamingo. That's where I knew there was an AF on my flamingo dress. Yay! I knew it. Happy as fuck. See you in season two summer.
SPEAKER_00Wanna be happy.
