Do you need to go black and white

August 16, 2023 in Business Coaching, Goal Setting, Mindset

I was chatting to a fellow coach yesterday about alcohol. We both love a good drink, but we’re a similar age and we’ve both come to the same conclusion:

We can’t afford to drink because it takes away too much of our energy.

We both have lots of exciting plans for the future, and drinking regularly - even in moderation - makes us feel a little bit shit. 

I’ve never been a big drinker day-to-day (I have been known to go very large on occasions!) but I’ve found that allowing myself to drink moderately on a regular basis only leads in one direction - to drinking more. 

And drinking more, especially in the evenings, leads to snacking on crap in the evenings, another element that contributes to lack of energy the following day. 

So I’ve had to go black and white on it and stop boozing.

I’m wise enough to know I can’t say I’ll never ever drink again because I’m human and I may need to course-correct at some time, and I certainly don’t want to count my days sober because that makes me feels like I’m a recovering alcoholic, but I know the only way I can stay off the slippery slope of poor drinking habits is to give myself some clear boundaries. 

I don’t know how many days I haven’t had a drink, but I know I don’t need to make a choice between wine and soft drinks after work today because that choice has already been made. 

That in itself helps me feel relaxed, which is weird because I used to have a glass of wine to help me relax!

If you find yourself in a perpetual struggle with alcohol, would going black and white on it help you? 

You might not be as sensitive to booze as me, so maybe a clear rule such as only drinking at parties could be the way to go.

It’s really easy to find alcohol-free alternatives these days, and I hear more and more young people don’t drink, which is encouraging. 

I’m looking forward to a world where there isn’t social pressure to drink, and that everyone feels it’s a genuine choice rather than something they feel guilty about not doing, so I’m happy to be part of the new movement away from booze. 

So, cheers to you if you feel the same! (with alcohol free beer, of course)

The author 

Vicki LaBouchardiere

>