“Everyone drinks at this time of year.”

“I’m going to be the odd one out… If I don’t drink, I won’t have any fun.”
When I was trying (and failing) to quit drinking, these thoughts played on repeat in my head. I just couldn’t imagine an alcohol-free festive season.
It was a long time before I realised that the contents of my glass didn’t actually matter – it was my mindset that would make the difference.
I explain all in this video:

Key points

Is it true that “everyone drinks”?

In the UK alone, 1 in 5 adults are teetotal. Yet when you’re drinking, it doesn’t feel like this is true, because you tend to be on the lookout for other heavy drinkers. So when you quit, you might well notice that other people don’t drink as much as you thought!
 

What are you really worried about?

I used to think that people who didn’t drink were boring and I didn’t want people to decide I was too. That’s what I was worried about, deep down. Once you start to identify what you really think, you can explore whether it’s really true or not. 
We’d never declare someone ‘boring’ because they didn’t smoke. If someone said that to you, I bet you’d think it was a pretty silly thing to say! Some of the most interesting people on the planet don’t drink (here’s a list of them). 
 

How do you behave when you’re not drinking? 

Do you show up as your normal, amazing self? Are you part of the conversation or are you up in your own head, wondering what other people think and whether they’ve noticed? Are you busy telling yourself that you can’t relax and you’re not having fun?
Your thoughts create your experience. If you don’t like what you’re thinking, don’t drink over it – look at your thoughts instead. You have no problem going for coffee or a walk with friends, so you can socialise sober! It’s all about your mindset, not what’s in your glass.
Looking for help to quit drinking and feel great about it? Click here for details of my online course.