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Booze Free Babes is changing the narrative around sober curiosity and embracing a multi-pathway approach to recovery and, ultimately, healing. Ellen Frazier, founder of Booze Free Babes, envisioned the personal development community as a thriving “sober sisterhood” where women feel empowered to live fulfilling, alcohol-free lives.
For Frazier, the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 became a time of increased stress, unhealthy eating, alcohol consumption—and a turning point that would change her life forever.
“I’ve been a successful mortgage broker for 20 years, and during the pandemic, interest rates were less than 3%,” Frazier said. “It was a busy time for the mortgage business, and we got into some unhealthy routines.”
Turning to processed foods and alcohol to cope eventually brought Frazier to a place of readiness for change.
After hearing Elli Richter’s podcast, Frazier began working with the subconscious and somatic integration coach. She soon discovered that alcohol was holding her back from losing weight and getting healthy.
“I started to see Elli because I thought I needed help to lose weight,” Frazier said. “What I really needed was to first learn to love myself. I had to peel back the layers and address internal stuff that needed attention—and that’s the beautiful act of self-care.”
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Frazier determined her next step would be pursuing a nonsurgical weight loss procedure called endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), performed by Christopher McGowan, M.D. Triple-board-certified in internal medicine, gastroenterology and obesity medicine, McGowan is a world-renowned leader in endobariatrics—a new field of gastroenterology that aims to address the obesity epidemic without surgical intervention. As someone with pre-existing gastrointestinal concerns, Frazier felt safe in McGowan’s care.
Abstaining from alcohol for one year after the procedure is strongly recommended for those undergoing ESG.
“I had to first prove to myself that I could abstain from alcohol,” Frazier said. “One happy hour, one weekend, one week, and finally one month later without drinking, I was ready to schedule the procedure.”
A little over a month after the procedure, Frazier found herself at a birthday party with a margarita in hand—her last margarita.
“It was so good—sugary, salty, sweet, the whole thing,” she said, laughing. “I’m drinking this margarita, and in that moment, there was a voice inside my head that came through so loudly and said, ‘Nothing changes if nothing changes.’ I had just gone through this whole process, preparing for the procedure, proving I could make it without drinking—am I really going to go back to drinking after healing? The next day I decided there is no reason good enough for me to drink.”
As Frazier embraced sober living, she sought friends who would join her on the journey.
“Where are my sober girlies?” she asked. “I leaned really heavily into yoga and forged new friendships in the yoga community, and I created a little Facebook group. It was honestly just a desire to find a few girlfriends who didn’t drink to grab coffee or lunch or go shopping together. What I didn’t realize was that in Dry January 2023, we would explode overnight and become a global sensation. I was not prepared for that success, and I realized I had an opportunity to step into a future version of myself and carry this mission forward.”
Embracing the possibilities of the Booze Free Babes platform inspired Frazier to pursue Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPSS) recovery coaching training through the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services.
Since giving up alcohol for good two years ago, Frazier has developed coaching programs—including 90 Days to the Empowered Babe and The EVOLVE Method—to provide women with actionable roadmaps for transformation, self-love and resilience. In addition to her contributions in the sobriety and personal development space, Frazier continues her work as a skilled mortgage broker and real estate investor, passionate about helping women achieve financial independence through real estate.
Frazier encourages women to pay attention to their relationship with alcohol.
“Just observe it,” she said. “Just become aware of it. Being aware of your behavior is a beautiful first step.”
It takes four days for alcohol to fully leave the system, according to Frazier, which prevents the nervous system from fully recalibrating and contributes to the overwhelming stress women often experience.
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“If I’m drinking Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and it takes me four days to recover, then comes Wine-Down Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday and Friday Happy Hour. When does my body fully recover?” she said. “From a stress-response standpoint, the body that is drinking two times a week is continuously in fight or flight.”
While many women worry they won’t have much fun without alcohol, Frazier is eager to dispel that myth.
“I had more fun today, and the Booze Free Babes intentionally set out to have fun sober,” she said. “You would think that fun poured out of the bottle and the only way to access it is to pop that cork—that is so not true!”
Hanging out at the beach, getting coffee, doing yoga and enjoying arts and crafts are just some of the ways Frazier and the Booze Free Babes find joy and connection.
“I’m doing things that my younger self is so giddy about,” she said.
The Booze Free Babes are eager to make new sober friends, and Frazier is passionate about connecting with women who are sober curious or ready for a change.
“If you’re a woman finding yourself unhappy in your life, in survival mode, grasping at straws, looking for solutions—you are so worthy and deserving of so much more,” she said. “If you want to have a conversation about how you could achieve more, let’s connect.”
Learn more at www.EllenFrazier.com, and follow @boozefreebabeschs, @boozefreebabespodcast on social media.