Self-confessed party lover Claire Addiscott loved a drink.

Whether it was a gin and tonic or a glass – or more – of home-brewed red and white wine, rarely a day passed without a tipple.

But this was more than a tipple.

The mother of three, pictured left, was getting through a bottle of wine every day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile her weight was ballooning – she put on an extra three stone – and her health deteriorating.

Aches, pains, depression and anxiety.

Claire, 45, said: “A voice in my head was saying ‘you need to shape up’.

“I was fast approaching a point of no return.

“My drinking had turned into a habit.”

It didn’t take Claire long to join up the dots and find the cause of her ailments.

Alcohol.

She said: “I delved into how alcohol affects the human body.

“The more I read, the more I began to realise what alcohol was doing to me and how it had increasingly affected me over time.”

Claire, who lives in Verwood, resolved to give up drinking.

That was last March – and not a sip of alcohol has touched her lips since.

“I’ve lost one and a half stone and my health has returned.

“Retrospectively I see so many of the things that were affecting me, both mentally and physically, were down to alcohol.

“I wasn’t an alcoholic but I most certainly was overdrinking,” she said.

Claire carried on her research into the issue.

It soon became clear that she was not alone in her struggles.

She said: “There are so many women out there in the world that have the same feelings as me.

“That faced the same struggles, were asking the same questions and looking for solutions.

“I made it my mission to find a way of helping them to navigate through the maze of overdrinking.

“To become mindful about the decisions they make around alcohol.”

Claire, who also runs her own dog food business, Addiscott Dog Foods, has now launched a website ‘Mindful Sips’ – www.mindfulsips.co.uk.

Her mission is to help 10,000 women change their lives.

Why 10,000?

Claire said: “It’s a figure I’ve come up with but I think it could just represent the tip of the iceberg.”

As part of Mindful Sips, Claire has established a free Facebook community offering support, tips and a safe place to ask questions.

She’s also offering a ‘Kick Start Your Curiosity’ course based on keeping a journal for 30 days and 1:1 mentoring.

But her main initiative is the Mindful Mixology Membership Experience.

Costing £15 a month, or £150 for annual membership, it includes each month:

• A mixology masterclass featuring a different botanical drink or alcoholic alternative.
• Tea masterclass showcasing a different speciality tea.
• Recommended ready-to-drink alternative, pre-mixed and kept in the fridge.
• Monthly planner with an overview of social events.
• Question and answer session.

Claire, who is married to Mark, 43, said: “I’ve not come across anyone else offering this.

“It’s all about taking a holistic approach and baby steps to a big change.

“I want to help women reset their relationship with alcohol using compassion, kindness and language.

“Being a mindful drinker will improve mental health, emotional wellbeing and happiness.

“I know it works because I’m the proof.”