This week I’m sharing part of the conversation I had with Maz Compton on her podcast Last Drinks, which was released this week.
We talked about my decision to take a three-month break from alcohol (which ended up being a complete break-up with booze) and my biggest fears around doing that.
Maz: You tried to moderate and that didn’t get the result you wanted. What was it about deciding on three months off alcohol that was the biggest thing for you?
Me: When I decided to take that three-month break, I knew that I couldn’t do it just by habit change. I had to change my way of thinking around alcohol.
I had to stop thinking of it in terms of:
- “I can’t do anything without drinking.”
- “I can’t socialise without drinking.”
- “I can’t unwind after a stressful day without drinking.”
For me that three months was mainly a way of explaining it to people because it was so big in my head in terms of what people would think. Would they think I had a problem?
Taking three months off, I could say:
- “It’s for health reasons.”
- “I want to see how it affects my perimenopause symptoms.”
- “I want to see how it affects my health, my sleeping.”
To me it (taking a break from drinking) seemed extreme. That’s just a reflection of how we see alcohol in our society.
I work now as an alcohol coach and I know that’s one of the big things that people worry about – what others will think.
Maz: But, I absolutely understand how scary it is looking down the barrel of sobriety.
Especially when it’s after a long day, a hard day, a bad week, a good week, a celebration, a commiseration. Whatever it is, there is alcohol involved.
I understand that thought of “what do I do if I’m not drinking and how are people going to judge me for that?”.
Then you can get caught in this really negative feedback loop and that entraps you.
The benefits of taking a break
Maz: When you get down a certain period of time in sobriety you go “this is a no brainer”.
This is the key to an incredible life.
I’ve found my purpose, I’ve found joy, I have clarity.
“Sobriety is the best life hack.”
Maz Compton, Last Drinks Podcast
Rachael: It’s a rebel move.
Maz: What did you do in those critical first days and weeks of the three months? How did you overcome that fear of what people would think?
You can hear my response and listen to the full episode wherever you listen to your podcasts or on the Last Drinks website.
If you interested in knowing more about coaching and how it can help you take back control of your drinking, you can book in for a free 30-minute discussion call or read the Q&A about coaching on my blog.