Why Did HGTV Star Mina Starsiak Hawk Completely Change Her Drinking Habits?

HGTV's "Good Bones" star Mina Starsiak Hawk is no stranger to living her life like an open book. "They've seen me get engaged, get married, be a foster parent to my niece, have Jack, go through IVF, have Charlie, and then all just the regular daily struggles," Mina said of her production team during an August 2023 episode of her podcast, "Mina AF." And now she's sharing something else — her choice to completely transform her relationship with alcohol. 

Mina and her husband, Steve Hawk, got candid during an emotional August 2023 podcast episode titled "Why We Went Sober." Within the confines of the show, Steve revealed that he had chosen to be "completely sober" more than two years ago following the deaths of his mother, father, and sister Stephanie. While his father's death was due to a fall, Steve said his mother's and sister's deaths were alcohol-related. "But what really did it for me was when... this can be hard to say... but when I realized that I don't want to give my children a reason to not have a relationship with me," he said as he choked back tears.

What about Mina? While her journey with alcohol hasn't been quite as straightforward as she admitted she probably consumed "a dozen drinks in the last two years," she maintains that she opted to reassess her drinking habits for similar reasons to her husband.

As it turns out, home renovation extraordinaire and television personality Mina Starsiak Hawk also wanted to break some familial and generational trauma patterns. "I think in my family, it was again that term 'functioning alcoholic,'" she divulged during the revelatory "Why We Went Sober" episode of her podcast. "There was tons of problems. There was emotional stuff, physical stuff, mental stuff that was all ever-present, and I didn't really think anything of it because it was just normal."

As you may recall, Hawk has never been shy about the toll working with family — namely, her mother, Karen Laine — has taken on her. During the Season 8 premiere episode, Hawk revealed during a demolition that she and Laine had gotten into "a knockdown drag-out [fight]. Hawk later told People, "There were definitely some challenging [moments] because my mom and I were in some of the most challenging places I felt we've been."

However, it wasn't until Mina Starsiak Hawk embarked on her sober-curious journey that she realized just how heavily she had been relying on alcohol to cope with all of life's pressures. "For me, these last five years of my life have been very tumultuous for a lot of reasons, and there were so many days where I'd come home, and it was like... I could probably do a whole bottle of Rosé on my own," she recalled. "And, although I didn't see it being used as a coping mechanism, it is." 

According to Hawk, for the first three or so months of her sober-curious journey, she had to learn all new behaviors and coping mechanisms. Fortunately, however, by six months, choosing not to drink had become "second nature" to her. These days, she and her husband opt for a ginger beer, sugar-free ginger ale, or soda water when they want something besides plain water to wet their whistle. Cheers!

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).