127 - Control the Amount of Alcohol You Drink

This is session number 127 of the Absolute Mind podcast and this show is all about how to Control the Amount of Alcohol You Drink. As most of you know Paula and I are therapists and deal with people's one-to-one issues on a regular basis. Drinking is something that comes up frequently because it can be so detrimental whenever a person relies upon alcohol. The purpose of this podcast though, is to give you some tips and insights on ways you can control the amount of alcohol you drink. The reason I think this is important is because our society uses alcohol in many ways to celebrate and be joyful, and in the right amounts, is not harmful or dangerous to most people. So the aim of this podcast is to allow you to regain your control over alcohol. It's also for those who feel that you have a dependence on alcohol, and for those of you who not only drink alcohol when you're happy, but also do when you're sad, stressed, excited, celebrating and even drowning sorrows. So here are 7 quick tips to allow you to regain control over drinking alcohol. Tip 1: Write down your reasons Even though we all know the general reasons around wanting to control alcohol, putting down on paper what personally important to you can be massively beneficial. It's been documented that when a goal is written it is far more likely to be achieved. The same goes for when a problem is scribed, it's far more likely to feel real in your mind, and most importantly, give you the motivation to make changes. Things like; you'll feel healthier, happier, more relaxed, more in control are just some of the things that you may discover. But make your list, and really hone in on your reasons to want to control the amount of alcohol you drink. Tip 2: How much is too much? In order to achieve any goal, or make any change, you need to understand exactly what the boundaries are. For example if you say that you want to reduce the amount of alcohol that you drink, by how much, what will change? etc. It’s time to get clear on what is the actually want. You need to get specific here because if you say things like I only want to drink twice a week, the creative side of you may think, I'll drink once for three days and once for four days. Specificity that you might look something like I will allow myself a bottle of wine on a Saturday night and two cans of lager on a Friday night. Tip 3: Make it real and keep track It's a fact, we lie to ourselves all of the time. Therefore, it's very important that you begin to keep a record of how much and how often you are drinking. It doesn't need to be a full-blown diary. When you keep track, you are able to understand the reality, rather than a jaded perception built over time. Documenting and journalling is a fantastic way to understand your habitual patterns, which will ultimately allow you to feel more empowered going forward. Tip 4: When is willpower required? I hear this all the time, from people telling me that they feel that the alcohol just calls them from the cupboard whenever they've had a bad or stressful day. My response to that is simple, who puts in the cupboard in the first place? Willpower has been proven to be like a muscle, we have far more willpower at the start of the day when the feeling more energetic, but as we use our decision-making process throughout the day, our willpower wanes. So now you know this there is no problem, you're now able to make the right choices whenever your shopping, because your shop at the right time, with a focus on all the things that you want, all your reasons for wanting to reduce alcohol consumption. Don't wait for your willpower to fail you, make sure you make those right choices when you're shopping first. Tip 5: Nature fills a vacuum Basically, this means that whenever you remove something from your life, you're more than likely replace it with something else. This could be fine, but it also could be problematic. The issue with nature filling a vacuum is that you can never quite be sure what it will fill it with. Unless you plan to. My suggestion here would be to actively planned to drink something like sparkling water, or an Artisan water in replacement for alcohol. So when you're going to the shops you can actively go and purchase a bottle of liquid that you can drink, just as you done so over the years but this time you're replacing the alcohol with something far more healthier and more conducive to your goals. Tip 6: There is no wagon and you can't fall off it Metaphors can be extremely helpful to understand the given situation. But they can also be massively problematic as they can cause blockages that we cannot metaphorically undo. Metaphors can make us believe something is true even when it isn't. Take “falling off the wagon” as an example for those of you who have tried to reduce drinking before. This is simply an excuse for when you do fail once you carry on failing. There is simply no valid reason to drink more on the days following a time that you failed. You can see this as a reset point and a clean sheet to start on the journey once more. Just because you've had a blowout one time, doesn't mean that you're more likely to do that again. Tip 7: Buy-In For those of you with families at home you need to get those people to buy into your goals too. If you let those around you know what you're on a mission to achieve, then they can help you along the way. It's easy to loved ones to treat you with alcohol if they think you've had a busy week. Just make sure you set the scene and get the buy-in from those around you who may push you off the metaphorical wagon. I hope these tips and insights will be useful for you. It's all about commitment though, it will be absolutely useless to you unless you adopt some of the ideas and run with them. Remember, if you fail after three or four days, there is no wagon, you haven't fallen off, and therefore you just carry on with your plan as you set out. As you go you'll find it's more easy to stick to this because what you practice does become permanent. For those of you who can listen, check out the podcast audio at the bottom of this and enjoy. But do remember do not listen to this part any time you're driving, operating any machinery, or at any other time you need to remain fully alert for you wake. So only listen to this podcast hypnotherapy part if you're in a safe and comfortable place to do so.