“I'll just have one.”
What's the saying? "One drink is too many, and a thousand is never enough."
Most of us who struggle with alcohol or moderating don't have an "off switch". Once we start, we keep chasing that first initial buzz, leading us to drink more and more to get there. Our inhibitions are loosened, our anxiety, sadness, and whatever thoughts we were having are gone, and we feel free. No worries, right?
Except we lied to ourselves again.
We try so hard to have just one or moderate time and time again, and it just never works out the way we had planned. Leading to more frustration. More thoughts of what is wrong with me. And feeling like an utter failure once again.
What it comes down to is acceptance—accepting that we can't just have one here or there. That's just not how our brain works. And throw into the mix that alcohol is an addictive substance. Its main objective is to reel you in and trick you into believing that you can moderate. Trick you into believing that all your problems will go away as soon as it enters your bloodstream.
But you and I know that the problems are still there when we wake up in the morning. Yet, we keep punishing ourselves. We keep trying to keep this toxic substance in our life because it's become our lifeline. Our tool for survival and our source of comfort.
It's like a toxic ex who you know you shouldn't be talking to, or you know you deserve better than them, but you don't want to cut the cord because you're scared of being alone. Afraid of the uncertainty and how life will pan out without the one person or, in this case, thing you've relied on for so long.
The more you keep telling yourself the lie of just one. The more you're setting yourself up for disappointment. The more sadness you will have when you have no other choice but to let alcohol go. Acceptance is freedom.
Looking for a listening ear and a mentor on your alcohol-free journey? Click the link in our bio and apply for the 90 Day 1:1 Coaching Program. As with all the 1:1 programs, there is very limited availability, and it's first-come, first-serve.