Your friendship with alcohol?

Summer’s all about sunshine and play, relaxing with your toes in the sand, hitting the BBQ circuit, and going all in on pleasure.

We used to think that also meant drinking as many glasses of rosé as we wanted by the pool. Or after a long mtn bike ride. Or because it was 5 pm. Or because we felt boring if we didn’t. Or because everyone else was. Or because we needed relief. Or…. 

It’s easy to see why we thought that way. 

Alcohol is everywhere. Shopping, yoga, the spa, friends’ backyards, concerts, sporting events, actually come to think of it, pretty much any event.  Brunch, late lunch, apres, cocktail hour, dinner. It doesn’t matter what time of day or setting. 

We celebrate with drinks, we unwind with drinks, we relieve pain, we reduce anxiety, we gain courage, we’re more sophisticated, we’re more fun, life is more fun…

But is it really? Is life really more fun with alcohol or does it just seem like it? 

Think about it. If we have this one life to live, do we want to spend the time we have numbing our senses? Maybe even feeling out of control?

For me, once I hit my late thirties, it became much harder for me to drink alcohol and feel the way I wanted to feel, both that night and the next day.  If I had more than one and a half glasses, I would feel fuzzy, forget what I was talking about, forget what the person I was with was talking about, eat more than I wanted, say things I didn’t mean/want to say. I’d have a hangover the next day, I was tired, I didn’t have any energy, I felt bloated, and sometimes I had trouble remembering what even happened. Ugh. Just thinking about it gives me an icky feeling in my stomach. 

And even when we vow to have only one glass, somehow it becomes more than one, are we right?  

Maybe we want to be able to stop at one, or stop altogether. Maybe we want to keep it to 2 nights of the week or only drink on the weekends. 

For us, we had to really dig into our WHY here.  Why do we over-drink? Or simply, why do we drink at all? 

This is where we need to start. Just getting curious. 

Nina and I both have conflicted relationships with alcohol mostly from family members being affected by alcoholism.  My father owns a bar in my hometown that was started by my grandfather well before I was born. As a kid we would go play pool on weekend mornings while Dad was opening up for the day.  It’s safe to say I’ve been around alcohol my whole life. 

Now to be clear, I don’t have plans to give up alcohol entirely. I still have a drink 1-2 times a week, maybe more on vacation. But I do it in a conscious way.  Like anything, the more I practiced drinking consciously, the easier it became. I learned what works for me in this season of life. 

Is it time for you to re-evaluate your relationship with alcohol? Is it something that’s taking up a lot of space in your life? Like other toxic relationships? Obsessing? Negotiating? Worrying? 

Who could you be without it? With less but so much more? 

Whatever you decide, know this: there's no normal. It's all about how it feels to you and your body.

We work with clients on this all the time. And, we’re going to continue to unpack this idea of over-consuming more in the coming weeks.

We know how hard it can be to change habits, so we want you to know we’ve got you. Tune in next week to continue this conversation.

XO Kelle and Nina