Have you ever felt like you should take a break from drinking, but then you talked yourself out of it, because the timing just didn’t feel quite right?

I used to do that too.

I kept waiting for this one perfect, Hollywood-style moment where everything would line up and I’d know it was officially The. Right. Time.

With the benefit of hindsight, I can see that line of thinking was a bit of an excuse which, annoyingly, kept me stuck for ages.

In this week’s video, I’m talking about why you’ll never feel truly ready (and why that’s actually ok!) 

Key points

Your brain will always find reasons why it’s not the right time

You can’t figure out your relationship with alcohol while you’re still in it – you do need to take a complete break from booze in order to experience alcohol-free living properly and start doing the mindset work that makes sobriety stick. But your brain won’t like this.

Your brain loves doing the same thing over and over. It would rather you stay stuck in familiar discomfort than risk the uncertainty of something new. This means it will always be able to find reasons why this isn’t the right time! And the more you think about whether you’re ready, the more likely you are to find evidence that you’re not. 

There’s never actually a “right” time (lockdown proved that)

The funny thing is, the only time in recent history when we were all pretty much at home with nowhere to go, holidays cancelled, and no social events to attend was during lockdown. But guess what happened then? Most people drank more than ever. It just goes to show – there’s always a reason to put things off if you look for it.

What else have you done without waiting to feel ready?

Think about other things you’ve done in life that worked out brilliantly, but you weren’t sure you were ready for at the time. Maybe it was moving to a new area, applying for that job, having children. All things you weren’t totally ready for – yet you decided to move forward anyway and it all worked out. It’s worth reflecting on the thinking and logic we apply elsewhere in our lives.

How will you feel if nothing changes by the end of 2025?

If you finish the year in exactly the same place you are now with your drinking, how will you feel about that? We’re halfway through 2025 right now. These six months have gone fast and the next six will go quickly too. What would it be like for nothing to change? For you to close out the year in exactly the same place, or maybe worse? I think you might be disappointed with that, and that means there’s going to need to be a time, fairly soon, when you take action. 

Get the help and support you need

Because most of us never feel ready to do stuff like this, getting the right help and support can make all the difference. If you’re tired of figuring this out on your own, come and join my free Take A Break From Booze Masterclass. I’ll show you how to stop drinking in a way that doesn’t feel scary or overwhelming, and actually feels really good and empowering. Here’s the link to register – we start on Thursday 26th June. I hope you can join me for a fun couple of days 😊