Take a Break from Drinking

Have you ever stood in front of the growing selection of non-alcoholic beverages and wondered if they're a smart choice or a slippery slope?    Non-alcoholic drinks are everywhere now: fancy mocktails at restaurants, craft NA beers at the grocery store, entire shops dedicated to alcohol-free spirits. But beneath the surface of this booming market lies a deeper question that many people wrestle with: are these drinks helping you move forward, or are they keeping you stuck in old patterns? The answer isn't as straightforward as you might think.   Tune in this week as Adriana Cloud joins me to dig into the archetypes most connected to non-alcoholic drinks, and explore how to approach these beverages with curiosity rather than rules.    Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/439

When you're standing in your kitchen with a craving, there's a moment where pouring the drink feels like the path of least resistance.    The familiar routine beckons - no thinking required, no uncomfortable feelings to navigate, just the well-worn neural pathway that promises immediate relief. But what if that sense of ease is actually an illusion?   Tune in this week as Adriana Cloud joins me to explore the hidden effort that comes with drinking on autopilot, and why the "easier" choice often creates more work on the back end. Most importantly, you'll understand why putting effort into change now saves you from the exhausting cycle of shame, self-pity, and mental obsession that comes from staying on the familiar path.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/438

Ever noticed how that evening glass of wine feels less like a drink and more like a reward? Do you pour that drink and think, “Finally, something for me?”   A reward for all the invisible work you do every day. The mental load, the scheduling, the endless to-do lists that nobody else sees.   Listen in this week to discover the connection between invisible labor and your drinking habits, and practical ways to acknowledge your labor without reaching for a drink. If you've ever felt like a drink is the only recognition you get for all you do, this episode is for you.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/437

Society has taught us a script about alcohol that keeps millions of people stuck. The story says you're either a normal drinker who can take it or leave it, or you're powerless and must quit forever.    This black-and-white narrative has been reinforced by treatment models and cultural messaging for nearly a century, leaving no room for the possibility of actually changing your relationship with alcohol.   Tune in this week to discover why the traditional all-or-nothing approach to drinking actually keeps you stuck, what happens when you shift from shame to curiosity, and a new playbook for sustainable change based on understanding and skill-building.    Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/436

Have you ever wondered why "one more drink" never quite delivers what you're hoping for?   Most people assume that when you keep reaching for more alcohol, it's a willpower problem. But there's actually a psychological and physiological phenomenon at play here called diminishing returns.    Tune in this week to hear exactly why "one more" never delivers what you're hoping for, and how understanding diminishing returns changes everything about how you approach those moments when you want just one more sip, one more glass, one more round.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/435

Have you ever found yourself lying awake at night, replaying all the "stupid" things you did while drinking? That mental highlight reel of moments you wish you could take back, the choices that make you cringe, the decisions that still make you shake your head in disbelief?   Regret about your drinking weighs you down like a heavy backpack filled with rocks. You're hauling it around everywhere, convinced that feeling bad enough about past mistakes will somehow protect you from repeating them. But that backpack isn't helping you change. It’s keeping you stuck looking backward instead of moving forward.   Sobriety coach Adriana Cloud is back on the show this week to discuss how to let go of regret about drinking, and how, when you stop wishing for a time machine and start being a detective about your past decisions, you gain the insights needed to create different outcomes.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/434

Have you ever tried to chase that perfect feeling?    You know the one - where everything feels just right. Maybe it's after that first glass of wine, during a celebration, or in those moments when you're feeling completely confident and in control. And then... it starts to fade.   Tune in this week to learn why the buzz fades and how accepting that it's supposed to can completely transform your relationship with alcohol. If you've ever found yourself trying to recapture that feeling by ordering another drink, extending the night, or telling yourself "just one more,” this week's episode is for you.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/433

The shame spiral around drinking often starts with something that seems completely logical. You know alcohol isn't serving you, yet you still genuinely enjoy it. This creates a mental tug-of-war where you're constantly battling against your own desires, telling yourself you shouldn't want what you clearly do want.    Most people spend years stuck in this exhausting cycle, believing that if they just feel bad enough about their cravings, they'll finally change. The solution here isn't about convincing yourself not to like something. It’s about uncovering the deeper reasons behind your desire.   Tune in this week to discover how treating your cravings with curiosity instead of judgment opens up a completely different path forward. You’ll learn why trying to talk yourself out of liking alcohol actually keeps you stuck, and what happens when you flip the script entirely.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/432

The floodgates metaphor captures exactly how it feels when you reintroduce alcohol after a break - like you've lost all control and are being swept downstream.    You watch your progress unravel, find yourself right back in old patterns, and wonder why you keep making the same mistakes. This experience leaves many people trapped in an exhausting on-again, off-again relationship with alcohol, convinced that something must be wrong with them or their brain.   Tune in this week to learn why reintroducing alcohol after periods of abstinence can feel so overwhelming and out of control. You’ll hear how to break free from this cycle by completely resetting your approach to periods of abstinence, and how to use curiosity to understand what your brain has learned from drinking.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/431

You've made the list. You have all the reasons why drinking less is a smart choice. You know all the benefits and you really do want to change. So why isn't that enough in the moment? Why does your motivation disappear the second a craving shows up or as soon as you've finished your first drink?   Many people spend years believing that their long list of good reasons should be enough to change my drinking habits. They’re bursting at the seams with benefits and regrets, convinced they should just know better by now. The mistake here? Trying to logic yourself out of desire, waiting for all your good reasons to rewire your brain.   Join me this week to learn how desire really works, why you find yourself on autopilot the moment a craving hits, and what to do about it.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/430

What’s the difference between having fun and chasing it? As kids, most people have a good 15 years of life when they knew how to have fun without a drink in their hand. Back then, your brain had no idea that the perception of fun could be outsourced to something external. You just went out and created your own enjoyment.   When you get in the habit of drinking to have fun, you start expecting things to be fun with little to no effort. You sit there passively waiting for fun to happen to you, turning to your external environment and saying, "Okay, now you're in charge of my ability to have a good time."   When you primarily consume fun through drinking, eating, watching TV, or scrolling online, you're looking for that easy dopamine hit that keeps you in a cycle you’re probably not super happy with. So, tune in this week to discover how to stop chasing fun, and how to start actually having fun.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/429

When contemplating taking a break from drinking or cutting back, most people focus on how hard it will be. They anticipate struggle, discomfort, and missing out on fun.    Our brains are actually designed to avoid hard things. We’re wired to seek pleasure, avoid pain, and expend the least amount of energy possible. This motivational triad helped humans survive thousands of years ago when daily life required immense effort just to find food and shelter. But in today's world, where survival is relatively easy, this same wiring can keep you stuck in patterns that no longer serve you.   This week, you’ll hear how, whether it’s changing your relationship with alcohol or any other challenging goal, choosing to do hard things forces you to grow and stretch beyond what you think you're capable of.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/428

Ever felt like you just need a drink to handle discomfort? In this episode, you’ll hear how a terrifying bus ride through Alaska’s Denali National Park helped me realize that discomfort isn’t the enemy – it’s the chaos we create around it that trips us up.   Through a narrow, winding road perched over sheer cliffs, fear consumed me. I reacted, resisted, and distracted myself, escalating the discomfort into a mental spiral. But when the journey turned back, I chose a different approach: staying present, feeling the discomfort, and observing it. That’s when everything changed.   Tune in to learn how you can apply the skill of staying present through discomfort to urges, whether it's alcohol or any challenging emotion. The key to breaking habits is focusing on the discomfort, not escalating it into chaos. Letting the discomfort be there without reacting is the first step to regaining control and shifting your relationship with alcohol – and life.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/427

The hidden influence of "drinking the good stuff" is shaping your relationship with alcohol in surprising ways. As you upgrade your drink choices to fancy wines, craft beers, or top-shelf spirits, you might notice thought patterns around waste and value that are driving overconsumption.   Our beliefs about what constitutes "good" alcohol trace back to ancient times, when Greeks first established wine as an elite drink compared to the beer consumed by common people. These age-old status distinctions continue influencing modern drinking habits, as many of you feel compelled to finish expensive or rare drinks rather than "waste" them – even when you've had enough.   Listen in this week to learn how labeling certain drinks as special, rare, or healthy impacts your consumption patterns and makes changing your drinking habits more challenging. Understanding this is what allows you to question whether the "good stuff" narrative truly serves you, or if it's simply marketing and social conditioning getting in the way of mindful drinking.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/426

When you’re out with friends and everyone orders drinks, you might have thoughts like, “Well, you only live once. I want to enjoy it!” Despite wanting to drink less (or not at all), you order yourself a drink too.   You might think that having more discipline in moments like these would help you resist, but I'm here to tell you that discipline, willpower, and scare tactics aren’t the solution.   In this episode, I break down two essential steps to help you navigate social situations without alcohol. We explore how to work with your specific Drink Archetype to understand the deeper desires behind your cravings, and I show you exactly what your brain learns when you consistently use alcohol in social settings.    Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/425

When someone successfully moderates their drinking or says no to alcohol in situations where they previously would have reached for a drink, they tend to view it as a fluke and go back to worrying about when they'll slip up again. But was it a fluke?   As humans, we often attribute our wins to external factors - the circumstances, other people, or pure luck - rather than acknowledging our own role in making better choices. However, this mindset of not taking credit for your achievements actually makes it harder to create lasting change. So, it’s time to start recognizing the agency you exercised in these moments, even if it didn’t feel present in the moment.   Sobriety coach Adriana Cloud is back on the show this week, helping you explore the thoughts and feelings that drive successful choices around alcohol, so you can create a blueprint for repeating those results over and over, instead of dismissing your progress as a fluke.    Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/424

Have you ever woken up after drinking too much and immediately thought either, “I f*cked up” or “I must be f*cked up?” These two seemingly similar thoughts actually reveal deep-rooted societal beliefs about drinking problems that might be keeping you stuck.   It doesn't matter your age, gender, education level, or socioeconomic status – these thoughts show up consistently and create major roadblocks to changing your drinking habits.    In this episode, you’ll learn where these thoughts come from, why they're so harmful, and what you need to understand instead. This line of thinking leads to shame and self-blame that make lasting change nearly impossible, and it’s time to break free from this vicious cycle of pathologizing your behavior around alcohol.    Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/423

Have you ever set a firm intention not to drink, only to find your good intentions fall apart later in the day? It's a frustrating cycle that can leave you wondering what's wrong with you. But here's the truth: your good intentions aren't failing because of some personal flaw. They're failing because they're missing a crucial element.   On last week’s show, you learned why good intentions are just visions without plans. Today, you’ll learn the exact practice you need when temptation strikes—and it's probably not like anything you’ve been told before.   Tune in to discover why simply having good intentions isn't enough when it comes to changing your drinking habits. Rather than fighting temptation, you’ll get a technique to interrupt the habit cycle by simply acknowledging it with curiosity, and you'll gain the awareness needed to create lasting change in your relationship with alcohol.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/422

Do you start each morning with the best of intentions for your drinking only to watch them crumble by evening? That frustrating cycle isn't a sign of personal failure—it's evidence that you're missing a crucial element in your approach to change.   The truth is, those morning intentions aren't the problem. They're genuine and meaningful, but when you tell yourself "I won't drink tonight" or "I'll stop after two glasses," you're creating a vision without a roadmap to get there.    Listen in this week to learn how you might be trapped in the "I should know better" mindset, how it’s sabotaging your progress, and how to finally break free from this frustrating cycle.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/421

Do you set strict rules about when and how much you can drink, only to break them and feel worse than before?    When most people try to change their drinking habits, they immediately look for external parameters—only drinking on weekends, limiting to two drinks, or never drinking before 6PM. But these arbitrary rules completely bypass the most important question: why do you want to drink in the first place?    So, what would change if you dropped the rules and actually put yourself in charge? Sobriety coach Adriana Cloud is back on the show this week to discuss why real transformation happens when you shift from rule-following to self-awareness.   Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/   Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/   Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/420