so you want to drink less
Congratulations on getting here
Do you need to quit drinking?
… is the question you’re probably asking yourself. Your habit seems a bit out of control, yet you want to fit into normal mainstream society where alcohol is accepted with little question.
Alcohol is the only drug that you have to justify and explain not drinking. It has become so ubiquitous in our lives as a form of celebration, commiseration, community, solitariness, fun and self-sabotage.
This program is not about not drinking. It’s not about alcohol being the devil and turning you into a saint. It is about you being in control of your habits around alcohol so that it isn’t in control of you.
Drink if it serves you. Stop if it doesn’t. It needs to be your choice. I want to help give you back that choice.
how did i get here?
You’re a grown person who has made it this far in life so you’re obviously doing something right. Life is hard. Being an adult isn’t as much fun as it looked when we were smaller. On the outside, responsibilities, risks, relationships combine with a racing mind, a pained heart and lost soul within the inner world. Often there is a deep sense of loneliness and aloneness that can’t be escaped no matter how many people we surround ourselves with.
am i an alcoholic?
The question comes with shame, guilt, curiosity… what does it really mean to be an alcoholic and how did I find myself here? What started as letting off as perhaps teenage rebellion, letting off steam in college, after-work drinks with the girls /guys… can morph into a different beast over time.
The National Institute for Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse defines alcoholism as “the inability to control drinking due to both a physical and emotional dependence on alcohol” and defines heavy drinking for men as consuming four or more drinks per day or 14 drinks per week. For women that number is three per day and 7 per week. Ok, let’s give everyone a diagnosis right now… I think that most people I know easily drink this much, particularly women. That’s 1.5 bottles of wine and they’re ready to stage an intervention for you! Maybe I’m surrounded by (functional) alcoholics or maybe standard measurements don’t fit into real lives.
The medical establishment is built around diagnosis, real life is built around what works and what doesn’t work. It’s when the behavior doesn’t serve you that you then become aware of it. You get to decide whether your behavior is serving you and bringing you and your family the life that you desire. From that place you get to act accordingly.
But my alcoholic uncle /parent /friend is an alcoholic and doesn’t think they have a problem
They. Know. It. And they’re in denial. If this is you, you know it. We all know whether a behavior serves us or not, often times we don’t have an alternative behavior to replace the habit with so we do the only thing we know to do to cope. This program will help you to find alternate ways of coping and dealing with whatever is making you want to drink.
do i need to stop drinking?
I’m not going to make you quit alcohol. I’m not even pretending. This isn’t a trojan horse strategy of mine to purify you without you knowing. What this is all about is the freedom for you to choose whether you want to drink or whether you’d prefer to not drink. You can choose to be a moderate drinker. You can choose to become an occasional drinker. You can choose to abstain and get your thrills another way. These are all your possibilities and if you don’t think that that is possible then this is the place for you.
who is this program for?
This program is for anyone who wants to drink less. It is not designed for those who are in the midst of severe life-threatening addiction (See next paragraph if this is you). I treat drinking as a habit that you’d prefer to be without and we work from there. If you’re willing to identify and remove the reasons why you drink, you’ll be able to create better decisions and better habits in each moment, not just with alcohol but every area of your life. You’ll be back in control.
who is this program not for?
The program is not ideally suited towards are those who experience physical withdrawals from alcohol due to sustained heavy use over time. Withdrawal symptoms can include sweating, tremors, severe sleep problems, rapid heartbeat, nausea and vomiting, hallucinations, acute anxiety, intense restlessness, and possibly even seizures. If this is you, please find a substance abuse facility or counsellor who can assist you on the physical aspects of detoxing. This is outside of the scope of what is offered. If you are in the USA, SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration can help you find resources near you. You may join the program at a safer stage of your recovery with the approval of your counsellor.
About Alcoholism
Alcoholism, also known as alcohol use disorder (AUD), is a chronic disease characterized by a problematic pattern of alcohol consumption that leads to significant impairment or distress. The symptoms of alcoholism can vary from person to person, but common signs and symptoms include:
Craving or a strong urge to drink alcohol
Difficulty controlling the amount or frequency of alcohol consumption
Continued drinking despite negative consequences, such as health problems, job loss, or relationship issues
Withdrawal symptoms when attempting to stop or cut back on drinking, including anxiety, sweating, shakiness, and nausea
Tolerance, or the need to drink increasing amounts of alcohol to achieve the desired effect
Spending a lot of time drinking or recovering from the effects of alcohol
Neglecting responsibilities at work, school, or home due to drinking
Giving up activities that were once enjoyed in order to drink
Continued drinking despite knowing the harmful effects on one's health or life
Drinking alone or in secret
You need to decide the best course for you.
What you get from the
‘i want to drink less’ program
Weekly calls and support in order to help you to want to drink less
Permission to drink or not to drink without shame or judgement
Understanding your drinking habits from a neutral place
Help identifying the triggers and rewards of your habits so you can start to replace them
Identify which of the three addiction patterns you carry around your drinking
Techniques to overcome cravings and urges to drink
Resilience and emotional intelligence building
Community healing because we’re not meant to do everything alone.
Methodologies include hypnosis, coaching, breathwork, meditation, energy work, body work
What is not included:
1:1 sessions of any kind including coaching, hypnotherapy and breathwork
Books for recommended reading
Various suggested purchases along your journey
What commitment I need from you
An open heart and mind
Radical responsibility for yourself
Willingness to change and be uncomfortable
Permission for me to call shit when /if I see it, always from a place of truth and kindness
Showing up on a continued basis. This shift doesn’t happen overnight.
A basic belief that you can be a moderate drinker
If you need more, I am available for 1:1 hypnotherapy and more. See the FAQs here
I appreciate you
Thank you for trusting me to help you
It is a huge honor and privilege for me to do this work.
With deepest grace and gratitude
~ Moyra Michelle