Being a mindful drinker isn’t about rules or labels. It’s about asking yourself one simple question: What role do I really want alcohol to play in my life?
Everything from the obscure lifetime anomaly of the pandemic and its lingering impacts to the mundanity of day-to-day life affects our mental state. Whether it’s the big stuff or the daily grind, life just feels a bit mental sometimes.
For centuries, humans have sought various coping strategies to navigate those difficult times. From adult colouring books to other forms of “adult” entertainment, some of these have been harmless, while others have been more questionable (no judgment, you do you).
In the last few decades, however, alcohol seems to have become the predominant coping mechanism for so many people that it has become almost the height of fashion.
But Does It Make You Happy?
Birthdays, work-dos, bottomless Sunday brunches and picnics in the park have all become synonymous with drinking, and turning your back on these rituals can feel akin to rejecting your friends and even your whole way of life up to this point.
And that kind of radical change can be downright terrifying!
Sure, at the time, the drinks are flowing, and so too are the laughs. But for some, that soon changes, and as the liquor pours, the effects of your libations can take an equally downward turn.
Whether it’s that you’re fed up with not remembering what you said or did last night (don’t worry, Instagram will kindly remind you), embarrassed by what you do recall, bored of the hangovers, or you’ve had enough of the empty bank balance in the morning, the effects of alcohol are far more long-reaching than a few rough mornings praying to the porcelain gods to make it all go away.
Not to mention the feelings of unproductiveness, low mood and general lethargy that can last for days – who’s got that kind of time in midlife?!
If any of this sounds like you and you’ve found yourself wondering what life could be like if you just drank a little less booze a little less often, then you, my dear, are ready for mindful drinking.
Abstinence Is A Big Ask
The idea of giving up the juice from now until forever is a daunting prospect, particularly if you don’t feel that you have a real “problem”.
A lot of people considering living a mindful drinking life don’t consider their drinking to be problematic, but there’s an internal dialogue occurring that makes them question if they’re making the best choices for the life they want to live.
Questions like:
- Why do I always end up drinking more than I intended?
- Does alcohol actually make me happier — or just numb?
- What would change if I cut back, even just a little?
Or the one that was the soundtrack to my life
- Why do I always say “just one”, but end up on the shots? (I don’t even like tequila unless it’s inside a marg!)
Drinking On Autopilot
What’s been the best thing for me about drinking mindfully? It’s taking the automation out of drinking.
Allowing myself time to really think about when I’m drinking and why I’m drinking has been a powerful tool in starting my journey to a life less intoxicated and taking back the power of choice from alcohol.
Instead of the weekly Monday morning proclamation of “I am NEVER drinking again”, you can instead ask yourself in the moment, “Do I really want this drink?”, “Am I just drinking it to please others?”, or even “Is this drink/situation really worth the hangover/the calories/the money/the hangxiety?”
It’s About Choices
A mindful drinking life doesn’t have to mean one of complete abstinence. It’s not about living a teetotal existence where every social night out is fraught with the inner turmoil of denying yourself one of life’s few pleasures.
Instead, it’s about choosing to live a life where alcohol no longer plays a starring role. Where a bottle is not a prerequisite for a good time and where, on occasion, if you do choose to enjoy a glass of wine or a beer, it’s just that – your choice. And you really can stop before you’ve had too much.
It’s about creating a life where you no longer need a drink as a ‘reward’ just for showing up.
It’s about making the choice to make a choice and not just following along with the herd because it’s what you’re supposed to do, what you’ve always done. After all, if what you’ve been doing all this time was still working for you, you wouldn’t be here now.
Someone once told me that a good life is about having choices: I choose not to let booze be the defining character in my story anymore.
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