Many of us grew up in a household where drinking looked ‘normal’. Our parents and grandparents drank and alcohol was modeled as fun or maybe even ‘necessary’. For others, we may have watched our parents ‘over drink’ and find the messiness of daily drinking spilling over into our own lives causing us to declare “I’m never drinking!”. And yet, many of us fall into those same patterns that were modeled to us as we grew up and, despite our best intentions, we end up drinking.
My guest for the podcast this week is Justin Morris, licensed therapist and This Naked Mind Coach. Justin shares his own story of growing up where alcohol was modeled as a ‘normal’ part of adult life and yet he also watched alcohol erode his parent’s marriage and create health issues for his grandfather. Justin found himself struggling with drinking in his late teens when he came out as queer at 17. Heading off to college, Justin used alcohol as a sober ‘buffer’ to blend in and remain ‘unseen’. This drinking pattern continued into a high stress job as a social worker. Justin broke up with alcohol in September of 2020 and subsequently trained as a This Naked Mind Coach.
Justin and several TNM coaches have recently connected in a coaching collective called “Living Proud AF” . He is also part of the coaching panel for the June Live Alcohol Experiment Pride Month. Justin believes that being queer and alcohol-free are two ways that he stands out in the world and two ways that he is now proud to be ‘seen’.
Justin has a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and a Master Degree in Social work as well as post graduate education in theories of the mind and human development. Justin helps individuals who are stuck in a generational cycle of drinking and over drinking break free and discover how to say ‘I don’t drink’ with ease. Feeling comfortable in his own skin for the first time, Justin now helps others discover the pleasures of living without the desire for alcohol.
You can connect with Justin on his coaching site: Alternative Direction Coaching or visit Living Proud AF
