Achieving alcohol freedom, part I
If you told me five years ago that I would be writing a blog about my experience with overconsumption of alcohol I would have given you a confused look with an awkward head tilt. I’m a Wisconsinite after all! We value many things, but chief among them is (in no particular order) our love for the Green Bay Packers, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Bucks, Bloody Mary’s, Old Fashioneds, and ice cold beer… Stouts, IPAs, Pilsners, Sours, Lagers, Porters, Belgian, German, Irish, English, Scottish… you get the drift. In fact we even pair our Bloody Mary’s with a beer (aka sidecar, chaser, pony, snit). Why have one drink when you can have two and call it one, am I right?
Work hard, play hard
While I will always be a Wisconsinite through and through, I worked extra hard over the years to balance out my alcohol consumption with extremely clean eating and LOTS of exercise in order to stay in shape. My health and athletic performance have always been extremely important to me, so while the balancing act was sometimes tricky, it was essential.
Covid 19: A slippery alcohol slope
Something changed, however, when the pandemic hit. I don’t have to remind anyone of the way our world shut down, how we were forced indoors and away from our friends and family. During that time, my alcohol consumption increased and became a nightly ritual. To be honest, sometimes night didn’t have to come for the ritual to begin. I know I am not alone. Alcohol use soared during the pandemic. In the first year alone, sales of alcohol in the United States jumped 2.9%, the largest increase in over 50 years. We used alcohol as a coping mechanism for anxiety, boredom and loneliness among many other things. Personally, I found myself no longer able to train for races (they were canceled), no longer able to go to the very gym I owned without the potential of getting fined, drinking more and breaking that balance I had carefully curated in years past.
2021 came around and Hallelujia!! The world threw open its shutters and life could return to normal! And for the most part things slowly did for me… except the amount and frequency with which I was drinking. Like an alarm set to go off at a certain time, I had become programmed to pour myself a drink every evening, and continue to refill my glass as the night moved on. So I did exactly what I felt I needed to do, and made the decision to stop. But the vow I would make every morning became more like a suggestion by noon, and fleeting thought by afternoon, and totally out the door by evening. It was maddening. I’d trained for and completed nearly 15 marathons and 3 ultramarathons, started and built my own business (and gritted my teeth while barely holding onto it during the pandemic), dealt with unbelievable loss and grief, and yet I couldn’t do this?
This Naked Mind
Fast forward, this girl picked up a copy of This Naked Mind by Annie Grace, a book that completely changed my relationship with alcohol by helping me to understand the psychological and neurological reasons I was drinking. My nightly “decision” to drink was not something I could control consciously until I understood the power of our unconscious mind. It no longer became hard to turn down a glass of wine or beer, because I could see through the false narratives about why we drink. I could finally decide what was right for me without feeling deprived. With the book as a foundation, I went one step further by reaching out to a coach certified through This Naked Mind Institute. Her advice and support has even further empowered me to completely change my relationship with alcohol. Now, do I still drink? Yes. But do I have the ability to choose when and how much without it living rent free in my brain? That’s a Hell Yes!
If you can relate to my story in any way, and hope to achieve alcohol freedom, I strongly recommend picking up a copy of Annie’s book, and welcome you to contact me with any questions or thoughts you may have about her approach. I will continue to blog about changes I am making, the products and tools I use to support my healthier lifestyle, and “aha” moments that I have along the way. Until then, one quote and then a suggested assignment from the book.
“Anything unconscious dissolves when you shine the light of consciousness on it.” Eckhart Tolle
Assignment: Over the course of the next day, count how many times you are exposed to messages about the pleasures and benefits of alcohol. Look around – from billboards to television to our social circles, almost everything that society tells us, both consciously and unconsciously, is that alcohol is the answer to life’s problems, and we “deserve” to have it.