Take a Break from Drinking

The right book at the right moment can change everything. I've put together a list of my favorite books for all my podcast listeners. They cover everything from addiction, habit change, food, sex, love, money, creativity, productivity and more. Text your email address in all lowercase letters to 415-275-6589 and reply BOOKS if you want to grab a copy.

In today's episode, we're talking all about being wrong, why we cling so hard to being right, and how to build up your capacity for being wrong about yourself. I'll share some of the reasons why your brain likes to be right and how this can get in the way of changing your drinking and other habits. And we'll look forward into the future at what lies on the other side of being willing to be wrong a...

In this episode I dig into how we can create motivation to stop drinking, and why the idea that you have to hit rock bottom in order to create change can be so harmful. I talk about this thought "I just like to drink" and how I dealt with it when I realized my relationship with alcohol was having increasingly negative consequences. And I share what it's really like on the other side of drinking an...

How to reduce drama, create more neutral thoughts, and slowly but surely create a less dramatic existence. I provide a lot of real-life examples in this episode that you can apply right away. They cover everything from drama about time, to drama about to do lists, to fears and anxieties about our appearance and relationships. Get full show notes and more information here:  https://www.rachelhart.c...

In this episode, I focus on what drama is, why we create it, and how to tell if you're creating drama for yourself. I talk about how to slow down your brain's dramatic tendencies and retrain your brain to have more neutral thoughts. I'll tell you all about how drama connects to the habit of drinking, and next week we'll do a deep dive on a tool that will help you create less drama. Get full show n...

How compare and despair may be keeping you from changing your habit of drinking. Compare and despair comes up in all areas of life, so it's important to understand how this thought pattern makes you feel isolated, worthless, and disempowered when you're actually the opposite. I share some examples of compare and despair, how to recognize when you're in this mindset, and how to get off this mental...

Listen in as I review the Rolodex of Excuses and talk about the tenets of the work I do with clients. Then we'll dive into these next-level excuses, why your brain is so good at coming up with them and how to deal with these sneaky justifications. Get full show notes and more information here:  https://www.rachelhart.com/126

In this episode, I talk about how alcohol affects your sleep, two of the common instances where I see people drinking to fall asleep, and why it's actually totally normal to be unable to sleep sometimes. I also dive into the thoughts and emotions that often accompany insomnia and why your thoughts about sleep are probably compounding your physical tiredness. Get full show notes and more informatio...

In today's episode, I'm breaking down the take-it-or-leave-it mindset so you can assess whether it's really something you want to work toward. I talk about creating an indifference to alcohol and what that will look and feel like, and how you can get there. And we'll talk about why it's so important to examine the thoughts and feelings underpinning your relationship to alcohol, rather than focusin...

This episode is about why things may seem to get worse when you take a break from drinking. Spoiler: things aren't actually getting worse - you're just finally seeing them for what they really are. Once you stop numbing your feelings with alcohol, you may realize that things aren't pretty. Tools like the think-feel-act cycle can not only help you move through this uncomfortable, difficult transiti...

This episode walks you through the process of understanding  why  you overdrank the night before and how you can react differently the next time your urge to drink arises. We'll explore how the Think Feel Act cycle interacts with your desires and how to press pause on that urge to drink. And I'll give you a list of questions to ask yourself so you can better understand your actions and change them...

This week, I'm discussing how you can picture a future version of yourself who doesn't have the desire to reach for a drink. This may seem dubious, and I'm sure many of you are going to question this concept, but honing the practice of imagination, to step out of the current box you're in, will transform the way you think about the habit. Get full show notes and more information here:  https://www...

Tune in as I analyze the four comments from others that my featured listener struggles with and how you can formulate a response when faced with similar questions. This will not only help you apply the work more deeply to changing the habit, but it will also transform any area of your life that you're working to better. Get full show notes and more information here:  https://www.rachelhart.com/120

In this episode, I talk about why "it doesn't matter" is such a sneaky, detrimental thought. I walk through some of the situations where it's most common for this thought to crop up, and what you should say to yourself instead. And I breakdown exactly what message you're sending yourself when you negate all of your efforts by telling yourself that they don't matter. Get full show notes and more in...

Listen in as I dive deep into the concept of commitment and explain why it plays a crucial role in changing your relationship with alcohol. I talk about why so many of us are ready to commit to others but not ourselves, and how this affects your relationship with yourself. Get full show notes and more information here:  https://www.rachelhart.com/118

Join me today to learn how using alcohol to numb feelings perpetuates the cycle of avoidance and sickness of your emotional immune system. Harm itself is not the problem here; the thoughts you have, the emotional distress that you experience when you are unable to tolerate how you feel, is what's harmful. Get full show notes and more information here:  https://www.rachelhart.com/117

Join me today as I break down why we stop daring ourselves and pushing the limits of what we think is possible after childhood and how you can start adding dares back into your life. You'll learn the number one question you need to answer to figure out what you need to start doing - over and over again - to finally disprove your brain! Get full show notes and more information here:  https://www.ra...

Today, we're going to do something a little different here on the podcast: I'm doing my very first Listener Q&A! I receive so many questions from you all, I want to start answering them on the podcast so everyone who listens can benefit from my answers. To start us off, I'm answering a question about surrender . Is surrendering the answer to walking away from alcohol?  Get full show notes and more...

I'm talking all about relationship manuals and how we use them as a way to avoid taking responsibility for our own thoughts, feelings, and actions. I'll tell you how your brain will always find something new to complain about, even if people in your life do change in the way you want them to. And I'll share how this tactic is ultimately pointless because you  are the key to changing your drinking...

I discuss boredom, what's "wrong" with it, and what it has to offer us. Boredom provides a window into our minds, which is precisely why it's so beneficial yet so terrifying. I'll ask you to examine why you think it's such a problem to be bored and whether you like to be alone with your own mind. And I'll also share some of the benefits of boredom that come along once you get through the initial d...

Listen to this episode as I describe catastrophizing, why the brain does it, how it connects to overdrinking, and what you can do to start changing this pattern. I walk through the process of catastrophizing and discuss the effects it can have on your brain and your body. I also share some helpful tips for raising awareness of this behavior and gently guiding yourself to stop jumping to the worst...

On this week's episode, I talk about how worrying what other people will think is hardwired into our brain as a survival tool. I also cover why it feels like everyone drinks and why it seems like drinking is "normal." Once you realize that your brain is just trying to help you, you can begin to talk back to your mind and create new evidence that will support your new habit of not drinking. Get ful...

Join me on this week's episode as I talk about why shame is never a productive or useful approach to changing our habits. "I should know better" is a lie that prevents us from practicing new behaviors and changing our brains. You need to leave the judgment behind, put on your scientist hat, and observe your brain and emotions if you want to create lasting change. Get full show notes and more infor...

Listen in to this week's episode as I talk about how people often use learning as a way to avoid uncomfortable emotions. I talk about how learning often feels like a great excuse for why we're not taking action - e.g. "I don't know enough yet to change" - and how you can shift this mindset. Get full show notes and more information here:  https://www.rachelhart.com/109

This is a quick episode but a really important exercise. Join me as I talk about how I changed the narrative around my drinking and realized that I didn't actually love to drink. I'll also share several questions I want you to ask yourself, and we'll challenge the belief that often underlies this pattern: that your life won't be as good if you stop drinking. Get full show notes and more informatio...