Since my teenage years, I’ve been a drinker. Unless I was pregnant or breastfeeding, the option of not drinking had never crossed my mind.
It wasn’t like I was pouring vodka on my cornflakes in the morning or racking up countless drink driving offences – I was just a ‘normal’ drinker.
Everyone I knew drank and it was part of everyday life from socialising to winding down at the end of the day.
So, if I wasn’t a problem drinker why was drinking becoming a problem for me?
My relationship with alcohol took many years to change but I gradually realised that wine was not doing me any favours.
Hangovers were getting worse, waking up in the middle of the night was becoming more frequent and my tolerance levels were increasing.
However most of the people I knew drank the same, so surely it couldn’t be a problem?
Chilling out with a glass of wine at the end of the day or socialising with a drink in hand was the way everyone manages the stresses of a busy life. Right?
Moderation – why is it so difficult?
It was only when I decided to cut back on my drinking that I really started to worry.
Moderating your drinking is a lot like going on a strict diet. The minute you say you can’t have ice-cream or chocolate; you want ice-cream and chocolates.
It was the same with drinking. Putting restrictions around how much I drank or when I drank only made me want to rebel against my self-imposed rules. And rebel I did.
Even though I was having this love / hate relationship with wine, the thought of simply not drinking didn’t cross my mind.
I later learned that I wasn’t the only one finding it difficult to moderate and there are very good reasons why.
You can download my free guide “Four reasons why moderation is so difficult” if you want to find out more.
Having difficulty moderating?
If you’re trying to moderate your drinking but finding it difficult, I support people to change their relationship with alcohol … without feeling like they’re missing out.
If you would like to learn more about the support I provide, visit the My Services page on my website.