The Reason Your Approach To Staying Sober Isn’t Working
Hint: Willpower won’t work.
Do you relate to my story?
I had lots of rules about drinking. Only drink wine. Never have wine in the house. Follow each glass of wine with a glass of water. Drink more juice. Avoid brown liquor. Drink on a full stomach. Only have 3.
What do all these rules have in common?
They didn’t work.
Here’s why.
My body reacts differently to alcohol than most people’s bodies do.
When I have the first sip (actually, when I hear the bottle open), all I want is more. There is no off-switch. I fly over the land of the pleasantly buzzed so fast I don’t have time to wave.
Also, weirdly, even though I tell myself “Never again,” never again turns into yet again in some mysterious process that I can’t untangle.
It was shocking to me to find out that most people don’t experience this.
There were times that I could make myself stop after 2 or 3. And I used those rare experiences as “proof” I didn’t have a problem.
If your body reacts like mine does, rules aren’t going to help. And moderation is an illusion.
