Ep 99: Is Drinking More Than A Habit?

Is Drinking More than a Habit?

The short answer is yes, but because drinking falls into a habitual pattern, we want to harness the power of habits and breaking habits as part of our toolkit.

From the work of Charles Duhigg we find that all habits follow a predictable pattern; cue, routine, reward.

When it comes to changing our habits around alcohol, we first want to find the cue. It can be person, place, time or thing. . Once we have identified the cue, we have some options of changing the routine, or changing the reward. By interrupting the routine, the reward changes. Neuroscientists have traced our habit-making behaviors to a part of the brain called the basal ganglia, which also plays a key role in the development of emotions, memories and pattern recognition. Decisions, meanwhile, are made in a different part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex. But as soon as a behavior becomes automatic, the decision-making part of your brain goes into a sleep mode of sorts. This is exactly why people might find themselves pouring themselves a drink without any conscious thought.

The other part of the habit loop is awareness. Changing our relationship with alcohol always requires awareness – awareness about the reasons we drink, when we drink, how we feel when we drink. You can see that this aligns with noticing the cue, routine, reward pattern. The work of Dr. Jud Brewer on cravings also focuses on ‘high value’ rewards. In this video, he helps us understand the meaning we make about the ‘value’ of drinking. When we evaluate the pros and cons of drinking we want to be mindful that we are focused on the present. If we are stuck believing that alcohol helps us socialize, it might be helpful to make sure it is a current belief and not one left over from that awkward high school dance.

And beyond habits, alcohol also creates a reaction by releasing a number of chemicals into the blood stream and by altering our response time to stimuli. This is beyond a ‘habit’. We also find that alcohol is touted as a legal and even necessary way to cut loose or reward ourselves. And, let’s not forget that alcohol builds a tolerance to itself which is part of it’s addictive properties. All of this put together means we must address alcohol as more than ‘just a habit’.

We can now take a multi-pronged approach to breaking up with booze. And that, is a reward worth celebrating!

Wait List for my new program: Quit drinking in your 50’s and beyond!

Watch this video by Dr. Jud Brewer about habits

 

 

To hear more inspirational stories like these, hit subscribe so you never miss out!

Latest Episodes

Ep 105: The Art of Not Fitting In with Chrissy Janiga

Ep 105: The Art of Not Fitting In with Chrissy Janiga

  My recent podcast guest, Chrissy Janiga is a coach, a clinical social worker and an author. “Miranda learns the Art of Not Fitting In”, Chrissy’s first book, is a children’s book but as my guest and I discuss, it has implications into this alcohol-free...

Ep 104: Finding Your Strength in Sobriety with Sally Magee

Ep 104: Finding Your Strength in Sobriety with Sally Magee

What if we focused on what we are doing RIGHT on this alcohol free journey? This is the question that my guest, Sally Magee and I explore on this podcast. The Clifton Strengths framework has existed as a way to help leaders build better teams; it's also a way to...

Ep: 103: Birthdays, Boundaries and Bingo

Ep: 103: Birthdays, Boundaries and Bingo

Birthdays I  believe birthdays can be a great time for looking forward. My daughter shared a birthday ritual with me a few years ago and I want to share it with you. It involves setting a theme or intention for the year. I like to use a rhyme because it helps me...

Ep 102: What To Do With Regret

Ep 102: What To Do With Regret

Regret is a tricky emotion. It can leave us with shame and guilt about things we have done or not done. Or, it might lead us to false bravado, thinking that we should live life with no regrets. The truth is, (almost) every human experiences  regrets; children under...

Ep 101: 3 Steps to Move Out of ‘The Miserable Maybe’

Ep 101: 3 Steps to Move Out of ‘The Miserable Maybe’

Do you ever feel stuck in this journey called ‘life’? For me, the most challenging sticking point I have faced (so far) was changing my relationship with alcohol. I stayed stuck for a long time, partly because of the addictive nature of alcohol, partly because of the...

100 Episodes: Milestone Moments and Sober Reflections

100 Episodes: Milestone Moments and Sober Reflections

Wow! I am celebrating my 100th episode of The Sober Edge podcast and I am so grateful and proud. Today, I wanted to share some of the stats around these (nearly) two years and what has been featured on the podcast. Out of 100 episodes, 71 were with guests! One of the...

Ep 98: Self Compassion or Tough Love?

Ep 98: Self Compassion or Tough Love?

This solo episode addresses the tricky part of self-compassion and tough love. We know beating ourselves up doesn't work but can we rely too much on self-compassion? Highlights include: How to do know if the Pause is moving you forward Are you drinking less over time?...

Ep 97: Do I Have to Hit Rock Bottom?

Ep 97: Do I Have to Hit Rock Bottom?

Today, I want to connect with those of you who might still be in the beginning of your journey to change your relationship with alcohol. And, you might be wondering, ‘do I really need to quit?’. You might even find yourself comparing your drinking with others and...

Ep 96: Lessons from Wholehearted Living

Ep 96: Lessons from Wholehearted Living

Brene Brown has a chart of how to cultivate ‘wholehearted’ living. Here are her top 10 markers of wholehearted living: Authenticity Self-Compassion A ‘resilient’ Spirit Gratitude and Joy Intuition and Trusting Faith Creativity Rest & Play Calm and Stillness...

Looking for more?

Let’s connect on Social Media!