It was after our second ‘lock down’ that I realised I hadn’t had an alcohol free day in over 6 months. I wanted to be able to not drink during the week but just couldn’t find the willpower. Every Monday morning I made the decision to not drink that week and by 5pm I was craving my glass of wine to wind down from the day and give my brain a rest from the worry and chaos.
‘Was I becoming an alcoholic’ I wondered? So whilst researching ‘what makes you an alcoholic’ I came across this program that claimed to help you ‘reduce your drinking in just 7-days’. ‘Perfect’ I thought, ‘that is just what I need’. My fear had been that, in order to get out of my alcohol habit I would have to quit drinking completely (according to numerous articles I came across). I didn’t want to quit…. I liked my glass of wine whilst out with friends or over dinner with my partner, I just didn’t want to feel out of control with my drinking.
So maybe you are finding it hard to control your alcohol intake.
Maybe you are noticing that extra tyre around your middle is starting to get uncomfortable, which you know is directly related to the excessive drinking.
Maybe it's the fear that, like me, you have become alcohol reliant or in other words…
The 'alcohol is managing you, rather than you are managing it!
Maybe you have been told that you need to drink less by your spouse sibling or, even worse, one of your children!
Maybe you thought that alcohol is the only way to escape the pressures of life, the only way to find a moment of calm in your mind and not live in constant fear of what our rapidly changing world is going to present us with next.
Maybe you thought the only way to change was to quit completely either through shear willpower or a 12-step program or therapy.
I'm guessing you've tried to drink less before without success, and that's why you're reading this now. Or, maybe, you had some success, but eventually, you wound up going back to your old ways, and you feel awful about it?