A Big, Beautiful, (Sober) Life: My Conversation with Maryann Minck

20 Minutes with Bronwyn

The past 18 months have brought a LOT of change and adaptation.

Some of the ways we adapted during the pandemic have been incredibly useful. We took a long, hard look at what we say yes to. What we say no to. If we weren’t already great at washing our hands, we sure as hell are now.

But there is one adaptation that makes me nervous.

That my friends … is our increased consumption of alcohol.

And when I say “our” I really mean MY relationship to alcohol, and perhaps you can relate. It went from a weekend funtime activity to a daily unwind ritual. That’s a major jump in consumption.

Apparently, I’m not alone in this. This specific adaptation—leaning on alcohol to get through the past year and a half—has disproportionately affected women.

According to a RAND Corporation survey on alcohol consumption, during the Covid-19 pandemic, women have upped their “heavy drinking days” (that’s defined by 4 or more glasses a day) by 41% compared to pre-pandemic.

Here’s the thing : Not all of us are “alcoholics,” but a LOT of us are drinking alcoholically.

I’m worried about us. And I wanted to talk to someone about their journey dealing with alcohol and addiction, and what a life of sobriety could look like.

And I could think of no better guide, no better teacher than my dear friend Maryann Minck. Maryann Minck is a treasure. She’s on Instagram (if you don’t already follow her, you really should), and she is a private chef to some VERY fancy people in Laguna Beach california. Think big wigs. Think celebs. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know Maryann because during the pandemic 1.0, she and I did an IG live most Sundays called Cooking with Coco. (She and I have known each other since we were 6 years old, and have called each other Coco for decades, hence the name of the IG lives.)

Here are quick links to the resources she mentioned during the conversation:

The Promises Poem

The AA “Big Book”

How to find a chapter near you.

So sit back, pour yourself a “decompression Perrier” as Maryann says, and enjoy my dear friend Maryann Minck.

Shine on … we need your light.

B