Podcaster and writer, Jenny Kelly, started to question the role alcohol played in her hectic life as a mother and broadcaster eight years ago. There was a recurring thought in her mind, telling her that alcohol was no ally.
During a conversation with host Róisín Ingle, Kelly shared that she couldn’t dismiss this persistent inner voice and felt the need to examine its validity.
Upon evaluating what she believed alcohol provided her versus its actual effects, she came to a startling realisation that it added no value to her life – the perceived benefits were nothing more than a huge misconception.
Kelly explained that all alcohol really caused her was debilitating anxiety. Consuming even one or two glasses of wine would result in an overwhelming sensation of unease the following day. Each encounter with alcohol would negatively affect her interactions with her children and her daily routine. She then began questioning the sanity behind maintaining this habit for a lifetime.
Six years on from renouncing alcohol completely, Kelly indicates that her life has become significantly more effervescent and joyful. However, it took some individuals in her life a while to accept her decision to be sober. She recounted her friend’s shock during an event roughly six months following her transition to sobriety due to the realisation that she would not be joining in on the boisterous fun.
In full transparency, she herself worried about the possible backlash she might face for being the dull teetotaller – the kind of person folks seem to evade. When friends would plea, “Could we just have the old Jenny back for a single day?” it seemed to hit a nerve with her.
Mairead, her best mate and podcast co-host on ‘Jenny and Mairead Now’, insists that Jenny’s decision hasn’t shaken their relationship at all, and that she wholly comprehends her mate’s choice.
Mairead clarifies, “The dynamics remain the same. Jenny has never given me a lecture, and I’m not a heavy drinker…sometimes, I might emulate Jenny and opt for some fizzy water during our dinners, and other times, a glass of wine will be in my hands.”
Their bonding dates back more than twenty years when they were both part of the work crew for the Ray D’Arcy show on Today FM – interestingly, D’Arcy is Kelly’s husband. Kelly and Ronan have recently launched their latest work, ‘What We Know Now: Lessons on Love, Life, Loss and Friendship’. The book elucidates their individual triumphs and failures, bits of goof-ups and their own bits of wisdom on tackling the highs and lows of life.
In their podcast, which can be readily accessed above or at any podcast hub, they divulge the secret recipe behind their enduring friendship of two decades, the underlying reasons that made each of them scale down their broadcasting pursuits, and their top ten recommendations for a fulfilling life.