Episode 13: If You Have to Drink to Enjoy It - You Probably Don't - Dry July, No Drama

Dry July, No Drama: Daily Tips for a Take It or Leave It Relationship With Alcohol

Episode 13: If You Have to Drink to Enjoy It - You Probably Don't - Dry July, No Drama

If you have to drink to do something or enjoy something - you probably don't actually enjoy it.

It was only when I took a break from drinking for a year that I realised half the things I was doing in my life I didn't actually enjoy. There was something about them that wasn't really working for me - and alcohol was the thing that made them bearable.

My rule of thumb: if I have to drink, it's usually because:

• I don't like doing the thing
• I don't like the people involved
• There is something about myself I don't feel confident enough to show up as
• I am too tired to be present

This is fawning. This is people pleasing. And alcohol is the biggest mask of them all.

Because it allows us to do things we don't really want to do - while appearing to be having the time of our lives.

Unfortunately it often takes having a break to realise this. And one of the hardest things for people taking a break is:

• Advocating for themselves
• Saying no
• Taking up space
• Asking to be considered
• Risking the disapproval of others

This can feel very unsafe to our nervous system - and honestly it is the biggest reason people don't get through a month's break.

So here is the question worth sitting with:

Look at all the things you feel you can't cope with without a drink. Start asking - what would it be like to do them without drinking? What would be hard?

More often than not we have to make some changes to our lives to allow us to take a break - and it is worth working out what those changes might be before you start.

This episode is part of Dry July, No Drama - a daily MidlifeAF podcast mini series with tips for cutting back on alcohol without willpower, labels or forever.

My free watch-on-demand masterclass talks about exactly this - and will help you work out what needs to shift before your break begins. See links below:

FREE TOOLS - four beautiful resources to help you drink less and feel fabulous:

1. 7 Steps to Take Back Control of Alcohol - the exact steps I took when I started out on this journey nearly five years ago.
   https://www.hoperisingcoaching.com/7-steps
2. Awareness Worksheets - if you do nothing else, working through the answers to these questions will change your relationship with alcohol for the better.
   https://www.hoperisingcoaching.com/awareness-worksheets-opt-in
3. Your North Star Visualisation - stops your brain freaking out about doing something unfamiliar.
   https://www.hoperisingcoaching.com/northstarvisualisation
4. Grounding Meditation - you know that feeling when you have a drink and the body goes "aaaaaaaahhhhhhh" and everything seems to relax? What the body really needs is to ground - to come back home to self, and for self to feel lovely. That is what we work on in my live programs. We start every session with a grounding and connect with ourselves to find out what our body really needs when it thinks it wants to drink.
   https://www.hoperisingcoaching.com/grounding

READY TO GO DEEPER?

Ready to make alcohol a non-issue?
Watch my free one-hour masterclass: 5 Surprising Ways Taking a Break from Booze Can Be Effortless and Change Your Life. One hour. Five shifts. Your take it or leave it relationship with alcohol starts here.
WATCH NOW FOR FREE: https://www.hoperisingcoaching.com/masterclass

Are you tired of the mental back-and-forth about drinking?
I am running a FREE 3-Day Alcohol Reset on 23, 24 and 25 June, 7pm Melb/Syd (replays available). No willpower talk. No abstinence pressure. You can even drink while you do it. A judgement-free space to learn the tools to step into a take it or leave it relationship with alcohol.
REGISTER FREE: https://www.hoperisingcoaching.com/3-day-reset

Want a take it or leave it relationship with alcohol? Want to stop all the "will I, won't I" internal conflict around wine?
I am running the Great Aussie Alcohol Experiment LIVE from Wednesday 1 July. 30 days. Small group coaching. Only 25 spots. Small, intimate and private. Rewire your brain and nervous system so you no longer have to reach for a glass to quieten your busy brain, calm your overwhelmed soul or socialise when your social battery is spent. Early bird pricing open now - $500 off the full price, plus two 1:1 counselling sessions with me and 3 webinars included (worth +$1,000). We won't run this live again until October.
YOUR NEXT RIGHT MOVE STARTS HERE: https://www.hoperisingcoaching.com/the_great_aussie_alcohol_experiment

Change happens in a moment, my friends - the preparation for change takes a little bit of time. Take the time. You will be amazed at the difference it makes.