How I Surfed a Surprise Wine Craving & Stayed Alcohol-Free at 60+

Spoiler: a 15-minute car ride, Mel Robbins at full volume, and my 20-Minute Rescue Plan saved the day—and my streak.

---

The Sneaky Mid-Week Slump

Hey friend, it’s Lisa Renee from The Lisa Renee Project—your resident life-renovator after 60. Four months into my alcohol-free adventure I thought I’d left cravings in the rear-view mirror…until last week.

I woke up three mornings in a row feeling groggy and wondering, What’s the point of all this self-improvement stuff? My smartwatch swore I’d slept great (liar!), but the exhaustion was real. Turns out the valerian in my “sleepy-time” supplement was leaving me with a faux hangover. Before I figured that out, the old “just buy some wine” gremlin pounced—hard.

---

Enter the 20-Minute Rescue Plan

Neuroscientists say most urges crest and fade within 20–30 minutes if we don’t feed them.¹ I keep a simple timeline in my back pocket for moments exactly like this:

Minute	Action	Why It Works
0-2	Name It – “Whoa, big wine craving!”	Labeling flips on the logical brain.
2-5	Breathe & Body-Scan – three belly breaths, notice tension.	Calms nervous system, gathers intel.
5-7	Hydrate + Protein – sparkling water with cucumber & lime + grass-fed chili scoop.	Balances blood sugar, signals safety.
7-10	Move – normally a brisk walk… but I was driving, so hold that thought.	Physical activity burns adrenaline.
10-15	Motivation Hit – podcast or video that lights me up.	Floods brain with new stimulus, crowds out craving.

---

My Real-Time Play-By-Play

1. Name It – Out loud in the car: “Okay, craving, I see you.”
2. Breathe – Three deep inhales while gripping the steering wheel.
3. Hydrate – Sipped fizzy water from my trusty tumbler.
4. Motivation Hit – Synced my phone to the car speakers, cranked up Mel Robbins’ brand-new pep talk: “If You’re Feeling Behind in Life, Watch This.” Five minutes of Mel’s signature “get-up-and-go” and—POOF—Chardonnay fantasies gone.

By the 15-minute mark the urge had shrunk from a roaring freight train to a bored house cat. Pride rushed in: every time we ride a craving wave, we lay fresh neural track—trigger → healthy action → reward that isn’t booze. That’s literal brain renovation.

---

Backup Tools for Funky Days

You bet I keep extras in my toolbox:

• Gratitude sprint – jot three wins in my journal.
• Fresh air fix – leash up Ollie and Abby or cruise the property in my golf cart.
• Power nap – 20–30 minutes resets hormones better than caffeine.

---

Quick Nerd Note

A 2023 review in Addictive Behaviors confirms that urge-surfing—mindfully observing cravings without acting—significantly reduces relapse risk.² Translation: surf the wave, don’t wrestle the shark.

---

The Craving-Crusher Checklist (Copy & Stick on the Fridge)

1. Name it out loud.
2. Breathe like you mean it.
3. Hydrate + protein snack.
4. Move your body—even 60 seconds helps.
5. Motivation Hit – Mel Robbins, Huberman Lab, School of Greatness… pick your hype.

---

Your Turn

Next time that “just one glass” (or bottle) voice whispers, remember: feelings aren’t facts and urges aren’t commands. You’ve got a surfboard built from tools, research, and pure midlife grit.

What’s your fastest craving crusher? Drop a comment—I’m always collecting new tricks!

Need a tasty distraction? Grab my FREE 5-Recipe Mocktail Mini-Guide and prove fancy drinks don’t need booze to feel special.

If this post helped, hit Like, share it with a friend teetering on wine-o’clock, and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more self-renovation after 60. Saturday Reset is up next—Sunday had to surrender its spotlight. 😉

Stay strong, and keep renovating.
With all my LOVE, Lisa Renee!

Here’s the Youtube to go with this post: