I know a woman who drank two light beers a night, and decided that was too much and it was time to quit drinking.
Her reasoning was simple. “It wasn’t making my life better anymore.”
And even at two light beers a day, quitting was really hard for her. Those thoughts of, “Maybe I can just have a couple on the weekends,” and “But life won’t be as fun without it,” still tugged at her, trying to get her to go back. Even drinking just two beers a day, she had to fight like hell to stop.
We have this idea, as a society, that a person with an alcohol problem 1) starts drinking in the morning and drinks all day; 2) drinks hard liquor by the bottle every night; or 3) has lost their job, their family, and their home and are living on the streets drinking cheap whiskey out of a paper bag.
That belief keeps people drinking.
The real question you should be asking yourself is, “Is alcohol making my life mostly better, or mostly worse?” And if the answer is “mostly worse,” then it’s time to reconsider your relationship with alcohol.
And I think it’s worth mentioning that her life has significantly improved.
Because you see, drinking any amount of alcohol is escaping. And when you stop escaping, you’re forced to deal with the things you were running from.
You have to learn how to deal with stress by taking care of yourself. You have to face your difficult relationships and make decisions about them. You have to sit with boredom and find productive ways to spend your time. You have to discover what really feels fun, and do more of that.
When you remove alcohol from your life – no matter how little you were drinking to begin with – you’re then forced to start making your life better.
And that’s not a bad thing.
Julie Miller, RCP is a certified recovery coach. After a decade of too much drinking, she found her way into an alcohol free life and is now thriving. Her recovery is founded in overcoming shame, finding her authentic self, and creating a life so full there’s no space left for alcohol. Through her coaching, podcasting, and the recovery community she has built, Julie has found her purpose in helping others find their way out of addiction and into a meaningful, purpose filled life of freedom.