This Naked Mind

How To Practice Gratitude During Times of Trouble

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 07:30:00 GMT

Gratitude – we hear how important it is to practice gratitude. During times of trouble it can be difficult to find anything to be grateful for. Often these times are when we most need to flex our gratitude muscle. Practicing gratitude regularly offers many of the same health benefits that alcohol free living does – more positive emotions, feeling more alive, sleeping better, expressing more compassion and kindness, and even stronger immune systems. No wonder those who are both alcohol free and practicing gratitude feel so good!

When we encounter troubling times it seems only natural to see all of the negatives around us. The last thing we want to do is cheer up when we’re consumed by grief, anxiety, depression, and the other emotions that accompany times of trouble. Thank goodness practicing gratitude is not about cheering up! You can be in the pits of despair and still practice gratitude. Gratitude is really about awareness. It’s tuning into yourself and finding things to be thankful for while still acknowledging that current circumstances might suck.

So how do you practice gratitude during times of trouble?

1) Remember that practicing gratitude and feeling grateful are two separate things.

You can practice gratitude during times of trouble without actually feeling grateful. While you can’t force yourself to feel something, you can do the practice (even reluctantly) and still benefit from it. Gratitude is a practice. It is training your mind to look for the positive among the negativity we are surrounded by each day. So even if you don’t FEEL grateful, be observant and find just three things you appreciate that day. That simple daily exercise continues to reshape your mindset and attitude towards making gratitude an almost automatic response.

2) Adversity Isn’t Apocalyptic

When we face troubling times it can be difficult to imagine that anything good can come from it. Whatever loss we’re currently enduring leaves us feeling as if this adversity might be the end of the world. I know I’ve often emerged from those moments wondering how it was possible that around me the world was still spinning and everyone was still just living their normal daily lives. Didn’t they realize the suffering going on around them? Yet those experiences, however awful at the time, reshaped me. Adversity isn’t apocalyptic – it is the precursor to prosperity.

I’m grateful for adversity like being downsized at work because it forced me to pursue my big dream of publishing a book. Losing loved ones made me aware of the relationships I’d been neglecting and needed to work on. Every challenging event in my life brought about a change that I’m now super grateful for. So sometimes in adversity practicing gratitude can be as simple as expressing the hope that something good will emerge from a seemingly hopeless situation.

Need Help to Practice Gratitude Right Now?

Are you finding it difficult to practice gratitude? Does it seem like like there’s nothing to look forward to? Join us in The PATH where you can connect with others who are also working to overcome adversity and find gratitude in the process. Sign up here!

3) Occasionally it’s a treasure hunt

I’m not going to tell you to count your blessings or that things will look brighter tomorrow as a mantra to practicing gratitude in times of trouble. That’s probably the most unhelpful advice ever. My advice instead is to work on reframing a negative experience. Yes, life has its share of downs and we shouldn’t discount that. What we can do is go on a treasure hunt and look for any seeds of positivity that exist among our troubles. Have we learned from the experience? Have we found a new appreciation for things we previously took for granted? Gratitude isn’t always big grand gestures. Sometimes finding a small morsel of gratitude within a mountain of disaster is what sustains us.

My Gratitude For You

Today, as we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States during a most troubled time, I need to express my gratitude for you. I’m grateful each day for those of you brave enough to share your stories, read my books, join The Alcohol Experiment, or whatever it is you’re all doing to push the needle. Thanks to each one of you, questioning our relationships with alcohol is shifting from a “what’s wrong with you” conversation to a “what’s right with you” mindset. I can’t even express the gratitude I feel over that.

Understanding Why I Drank – Matt’s Naked Life

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 07:30:00 GMT

Matt says “Understanding why I drank was crucial in finally being able to stop.” With a family history of drinking, rehab, and many attempts to stop under his belt, Matt found understanding and the ability to stop drinking in This Naked Mind.

Early Exposure

Parents separated when I was 10.

Mom has a substance abuse problem. I went to Alateen meetings supporting her during her good times and bad. My father raised us three kids. We moved around a bit, back and forth from FL to NY. I even tried living with my mom a couple times; it never worked out well.

Never A Good Fit

Growing up I never felt like I fit in well. I was always shorter and smaller than the other boys. But, when I got to high school, smoking pot gave me a crew of guys and an identity. Then we bought alcohol occasionally and I was a fun dude but my grades suffered. I lost some long time friends because of that and I learned how not to be in a healthy relationship.

But at least I was not my family problems. Or at least, I didn’t think I was the product of them. I was living my life the way I wanted. Not the result of my parents. Unfortunately, I was doing just that, replicating then more than anything. Not fully understanding why I drank, so I just kept doing it.

Rehab Round 1

I was heading to college after graduating high school. We went to my sibling’s summer camp visiting day. I ended up staying there as a counselor. Only to be kicked out due to drinking. Drinking because I felt like I needed that to be social.

At that point, my mom told me I needed to go to rehab. Or else I’d have nothing in life. So, I went. Moving to Florida and not pursuing my college plans. Rehab taught me nothing but how scary my life could end up if I started doing hard drugs. I learned more about drugs than anything else. I went in hoping to gain understanding into why I drank.

Rehab was not for me. It worked for my mom. I was just told “I have the gene.”

Long story short, there was never any long term sobriety.

Finally Fitting In

Time goes on. I move back to NY. Become a bartender. I take breaks from drinking but now all my friends are older. Well established drinkers. Classy drinkers. With excellent taste in IPAs. I was their bartender in a beer haven.

That was a “good” identity. Now I fit in. Finally.

2008. I go back to school. Move to Alabama. I become an RN. Could’ve been an NP but drinking got in my way. I didn’t have the confidence I needed to continue my studies.

I find myself in my first long term relationship. And we drank.

Struggling

I started to struggle. My anger issues came back. My instability came back. I moved to Florida and stayed in the relationship. I moved in with my grandfather who needed my assistance as a nurse. He brought my drinking to light several times but I made excuses. A few times I’d black out (like my sister’s wedding).

I moved back to Alabama. Became a Case Manager. Started a new job and was doing well, but my drinking never improved. I struggled. Wasn’t myself. I didn’t even know my self was. Last October (2019) mid college football season, in Alabama I took a week off. That week turned into a month. I felt great so I searched podcasts to help me continue.

Finally Understanding Why I Drank

That’s how I found This Naked Mind. I searched podcasts for someone that would help me stay on track with not drinking. Came across TNM and I was hooked. I listened to every episode.

Then I downloaded the audiobook on Audible and it became daily listening. It solidified in me why I don’t need that poison in my system. It made my eyes stay open to the BS being thrown in our faces to make us drink.

Start Reading

Interested understanding why you drink? Download the first 40 pages of This Naked Mind and start learning!

Finding Myself

Then I started to find myself. For the first time in a long time.

See, I’ve always been into meditation and spirituality. Before I started drinking, I knew it was the way to achieve a peaceful life. But, I could never feel or see the rewards because I was poisoning myself all the time with the fluctuating chemical imbalance.

Understanding why I drank was easy with This Naked Mind. As a registered nurse, the science behind her research really helped and made so much sense.

It’s been an interesting road, this past year. I’ve begun to see how terrible alcohol is on every level of life. I’ve had the tools to make an educated stance on not drinking and it’s made a world of difference.

Starting Over Alcohol Free

August of this year I moved back to NY. I’ve been without a drink for over a year and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve shared This Naked Mind with countless people and try to inject its wisdom in everyday conversation to cancel out the beliefs I hear people tell themselves like “oh boy, I need a drink after today,” or “I need a glass of wine to relax.”

That’s my life in the smallest nutshell.

I’m so grateful for everything and hope I can share it like the many people have before me that helped so much.

Share Your Story

Has This Naked Mind impacted your life? Share your story and inspire others!

Annie Grace – Alcohol and Women’s Burnout

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 21:02:01 GMT

In this episode, I interview my mentor Annie Grace. Annie is the author of This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life and The Alcohol Experiment: A 30-day, Alcohol-Free Challenge to Interrupt Your Habits and Help You Take Control. We discuss everything there is to talk about regarding alcohol and women’s burnout.

This Naked Mind Approach

Annie’s approach provides a brand new, compassion and curiosity-driven approach to looking at the role of alcohol in our lives. It provides a safe space for “grey-area drinkers”. Those who don’t identify as “alcoholics” but suspect alcohol is now taking more than it’s giving. Annie Grace preaches compassion over shame and blame. She offers a proven alternative to the largely ineffective recipe for so-called “success”—the one that says anything less than 100% abstinence is failure. Annie doesn’t teach people how to be sober; she helps them quash their desire to drink in the first place.

Alcohol and Women’s Burnout

We discuss the downside of the “alcoholic” label and women’s burnout and the alcohol connection. We also go into the troubling increase in “mom drinking” during the pandemic. Finally I introduce the revolutionary approach to changing your relationship with alcohol that is the This Naked Mind philosophy. Annie provides a few of her best tips for maintaining balance as a busy, working mom and incredibly successful entrepreneur. Along with advice for anyone who’s starting to question their relationship with alcohol.

Click here to view original web page at www.wendymccallum.com

Pandemic Drinking: 5 Steps to Drinking Less during COVID-19. ~ Annie Grace

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 19:44:13 GMT

Whether it’s to alleviate the stress and anxiety that the pandemic has brought on, to deal with the monotony of spending day after day at home doing the same things, or because time means nothing anymore now that work, home, and play are all intertwined—pandemic drinking has escalated for so many of us. Drinking less during Covid-19 is starting to intrigue us all.

Drinking Less during Covid-19

Step 1: Get curious.

Why are you drinking more? Is the alcohol actually doing anything to help you cope? How do you feel about your drinking? How does it make you behave?

Yes, some of these questions could be painful to ask yourself and the answers might make you uncomfortable. Hardships elevate us. It is through pressure and intensity that we are forced to grow. That can be a really beautiful thing.

Once you get through those questions, dig deeper. Why do you want to take a break from alcohol or drink less? Are you just looking to prove to yourself that you’re not an alcoholic? Are you trying to see how life can improve when alcohol isn’t such an important part of it?

I’m going to interject with this statement here, and I want you to hold onto it even if you don’t do anything about changing your drinking right now:

It is okay and normal to question, examine, or want to change your relationship with alcohol.

It does not mean there is anything wrong with you or that you have a problem. Alcohol, even though it is legal, is a drug. You do not have to justify or feel guilty about eliminating its use to anyone at any time.

Back to our regular programming on reducing your pandemic drinking…

Head over to Elephant Journal to read steps 2-5 on drinking less during a pandemic.

The Alcohol Experiment is a place where you can find connection. You will receive encouraging and mindset shifting daily videos and emails along with an incredible community of 175,000+ people also experimenting with their alcohol intake and how to drink less during Covid. It is completely free (and always will be) at The Alcohol Experiment.

Click here to view original web page at www.elephantjournal.com

Reconnecting Without Alcohol – Alternatives to Drinksgiving

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 07:30:00 GMT

It’s known as Blackout Wednesday, Drinksgiving, Whiskey Wednesday, and so many other monikers. In the US the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the biggest drinking day of the year. Many people spend the night drinking with friends at bars or drinking at home alone preparing to spend the entire next day with family. Either scenario can be a trigger. How do we go about reconnecting without alcohol? How do we face family and the drama that can accompany them without a drink in hand?

Everything is Different

This year everything is different anyhow. For many, bars aren’t even open and large social gatherings are discouraged. This is a perfect opportunity to embrace alternatives to Drinksgiving. Yes, 2020 has been one calamity after another but it has also presented us with opportunities to do things differently. We’re discovering that maybe the way we’ve always done things no longer serves us.

Alternatives to Drinksgiving

If you are still looking forward to reconnecting with friends there are so many ways to do it without alcohol. Since social distancing is still important as we hope to bring down the latest surge in Covid cases – embrace outdoor gatherings. Host a bonfire and encourage everyone to bring their own drinks. Sure some people will drink alcohol but with the ban on sharing you’re less tempted to join in. Or host an outdoor movie night and share laughs that way instead.

Reconnecting Without Alcohol

One of the things I’ve missed most during Covid are opportunities to volunteer and give back. Thanksgiving presents so many ways to do that. Rather than bellying up to the bar with friends or family, get everyone together and help out at a food drive giveaway or hand out Thanksgiving dinners. I saw where someone else held a “reverse parade” since traditional parades aren’t safe right now. They set up floats in the local mall parking lot and everyone drove through in their cars to see the “parade.”

Or get together to make cards and boredom baskets for a local nursing home or children’s hospital and deliver them on Thanksgiving Eve. Fill your reward center with good deeds instead of ethanol – the high will last much longer!

Need an Escape?

Do you need a safe place to vent or escape to get through Thanksgiving without alcohol? Check out The PATH risk-free for two weeks! You’ll find all the sympathetic ears and supportive shoulders you need in there!

Family Matters

Reconnecting with family can be such a trigger. This year we’re faced with the added triggers of either not being able to connect with family or having lost family around a holiday that focuses on togetherness and thankfulness. It’s tempting for many to drink themselves into oblivion the night before so they can just avoid facing Thanksgiving altogether.

That doesn’t work.

There’s no avoiding our feelings and emotions. They will still be there on Friday, Saturday, and even the week after. In fact they’ll just be harder to deal with because now they are accompanied by a headache, nausea, and all the other side effects of a drinking binge.

When it comes to dealing with family or even dealing with not having family around, there are a few ways to cope without alcohol.

1) Set Your Non-Negotiables

These can be the things you won’t allow another to say, do, or make you feel. It’s where you can exercise your walk-away power. Draw your line in the sand and make sure it isn’t crossed. That also carries over to what you can do or say to yourself. You can’t treat yourself poorly either.

2) Distract

Avoidance isn’t healthy but distractions can be. Getting through a trigger often just means giving it time to pass. Distractions are great for that. I try to take on really complicated tasks in those cases that force my brain to focus on them and not the trigger in those times. That can be an intricate recipe (which places me in the kitchen and away from the family gathering), doing something for others (like the ideas above), or even something silly like a 5,000 piece 3-D puzzle.

3) Surf It

Coping without alcohol sometimes just takes realizing you can get through it. It’s riding that wave and seeing that alcohol never made it any easier to get through. We all have that one family member that “drives us to drink” until we’re no longer a drinker. Being able to sit back and deal with them with a clear head can bring a new perspective. Often for me I end up feeling such compassion and empathy for that person. How incredibly difficult life must be for them mentally and internally if they are forced to act the way they do. Finally, I am in a place where I can understand that having overcome my own suffering.

Reconnecting Without Alcohol Is Possible

Thanksgiving – or Drinksgiving – is but one day out of the year. It shouldn’t derail all of the progress you’ve already made. Reconnecting without alcohol isn’t just possible; it can also be enjoyable. Treat this day as an experiment, an opportunity to test and experience holidays and everything they bring with clarity and peace.

Alcohol Was My Everything – Stacey’s Naked Life

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 07:30:00 GMT

“Alcohol was my everything.” That’s how Stacey and so many of us have felt. This Naked Mind allowed Stacey to see that alcohol held no power. She’d held the power all along!

My Story

My journey to become alcohol-free started over two years ago. At first, it was something I hoped to achieve “one day” in the distant future. Then, as my life began to devolve, it became more urgent. I felt that if I didn’t soon escape the dark place I’d found myself in – one of low self-esteem, shame, and regret – maybe I never would.

After a long day at work in my customer service job, I would come home feeling tired, sore, and emotionally drained. I would have been looking forward to a drink for the past few hours, and now, could finally satisfy the desire. Within five minutes of kicking my shoes off, I’d have fetched myself a can of cider, a glass of wine, or a shot of whiskey and diet Coke. The exact drink wasn’t overly important; it was the effects it would bring that mattered most.

Alcohol Was My Everything

Alcohol was my everything. A reward for a hard day’s work. I had put in my usual eight hours of soul-sucking monotony, and in return, I got to treat myself. I saw alcohol as my friend, my confidant, and the key to relaxing, unwinding, and feeling better. It made me forget my problems; or at least, stop caring about them for a little while.

When I was drinking, I didn’t have to confront the fact that I was working a job I hated. I could ignore that my living conditions weren’t what I wanted or that I was wasting my potential by not furthering myself in any way. Those thoughts were shoved down, out of sight, only popping up for brief moments before flitting away again. The underlying unhappiness I still felt, however, confirmed they hadn’t truly gone anywhere.

Aware Of The Danger

In This Naked Mind, the concept of the bee slowly sliding down into the pitcher plant, but paying no mind because it knows it can fly away anytime, is a relatable analogy for how I slid down into alcohol dependence. For a long time, I enjoyed drinking (despite the hangovers, the embarrassing behaviour at parties, and the experiences it was costing me). Drinking was a want, not a need, I told myself. I could stop if I wanted to – and I didn’t want to.

Until, one day, all the negatives started adding up to a point where I couldn’t ignore them anymore. I decided perhaps I wouldn’t quit, but I would cut down. And I found out, much like the poor bee who spots the carcasses of all the other bees way down in the pitcher plant, that I couldn’t fly away like I thought I could. Unbeknownst to me, I had slid down too far, and could no longer make it out. The realization sank in for the first time. I was trapped.

Alcohol Was My Everything Until It Did Nothing For Me

Thus began my journey of slowly, painfully, making my way up the slope of the pitcher plant. Many times I’d make it a few feet and then slide back down again. I’d deem it a hopeless enterprise and give up for a while. I’d think, “Maybe it isn’t so bad here.” But before long, the darkness would become overwhelming, and I’d start working my way back up to the light once more.

What did this look like in real terms? A lot of reading, a lot of writing, and a lot of introspection. Not to mention, a lot of trial and error. There were two things that helped me the most: education and inspiration. Eager to learn everything about alcohol. The psychology behind drinking. Why it is unhealthy. The problems it causes in society. Why we’re better off without it. However, facts only take us so far. At the end of the day, we are emotional beings and we respond the most strongly to stories. That’s where inspiration comes in, and why This Naked Mind was so helpful for me; it seamlessly blends both facts and anecdotes together, which succeeded in creating a powerful shift in my mind. Annie Grace wrote about everything I knew to be true deep down, but had never heard out loud.

Start Reading

Looking to be able to say alcohol WAS your everything after reclaiming your power and control from it? Start reading This Naked Mind for free now to find out how to gain control.

Reading It All

It lifted the fog that alcohol, society, culture, and norms around drinking had created in my head, and allowed me to see the truth for the first time. It also cleared the way for other sober resources to make an impact on me as well. Some of these being The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray, the channel Alcohol Mastery on YouTube, and sober accounts on Instagram such as Teedoodler, Sober Evolution, and Drop the Bottle.

All of these resources paired with the most important tool of all – belief in myself and my dream of being sober – is what got me here. Today, I am 102 days alcohol-free, having flown out of the pitcher plant for the last time on June 28, 2020.

Done With Day One

You may notice that I said “for the last time” and that’s because becoming alcohol-free is not always linear path; there are ups and downs, wins and losses. There were many times along the way where I crawled out of the pitcher plant, got a breath of fresh air, and decided to go back down. While it felt like a mistake at the time, I see now that it was part of the process; it reminded me why I left in the first place.

The pitcher plant was a dark and lonely place to be, a place where I felt undeserving of love – both from myself and anyone else. It made me feel like I could never reach my goals in life. Never living up to my potential. Never being someone who made a difference. Conversely, now that I’m out in the fresh air, feeling the sun on my back, flying in and out amongst the flowers, the opposite is true.

For the first time in a long time, I am free. I know my goals won’t magically come true, but now, they are within my sight. They are possible. All the parts of me that I used to hand over to alcohol, receiving nothing in return, can now be used to better myself and the world around me. That is a gift I took for granted. One I won’t ever give away again.

Share Your Story

Stacey wanted to share with you how she went from “alcohol was my everything” to finally free. Will you also share your story to inspire others that freedom is waiting?

How Do You Feel About Your Pandemic Drinking?

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 21:46:20 GMT

After long days navigating unprecedented parenting challenges, a drink can feel like a well-deserved reward. But is your evening cocktail or glass of wine routine making you feel better… or worse? We talked to Annie Grace, author of This Naked Mind and The Alcohol Experiment about pandemic drinking, mom wine culture, how to evaluate your own drinking habits and the path to a better relationship with booze.

Pandemic Drinking

New research shows what we all know—that people are drinking more often and more heavily during the pandemic. Why, months and months into Covid-19, do you think the “quarantini” habits have persisted?

All humans have needs that have to be met on a regular basis, including feeling connected to others. When the world shuts down like this, a lot of those needs aren’t being met. Instead of going into an office and connecting with coworkers, we’re at home, where we’re doing more work than ever. We used to have escapes, like going to a yoga class, or for me, taekwondo twice a week, and those are now gone. So we’re turning to something we’ve seen meet our needs in the past.

Mommy Wine Culture

With mommy wine culture… I have three kids, and I was drinking heavily through the early childhoods of my first two. My drinking would increase after each kid was born, after those 9 months of giving it up. It’s that forbidden fruit syndrome. And all of a sudden you’re in this intense life change, and this is the tool society tells us will help us deal with it. I really grabbed on to that tool. I was doing the best I could with the tools I had. And that’s true for all of us right now. We just don’t realize that they’re not the best tools for us until after the fact.

The pandemic has revealed cracks in how we take care of ourselves, how strong our relationships are, and more. We can’t hide from these things as much when we’re together all the time. And what’s the quickest bandaid we can reach for? As a community, we’ve told ourselves that alcohol works to fix our problems. And it does work in the short term. But in the long term, it doesn’t solve anything.

The Dreaded Question

And then, unfortunately, if we start to question that… it becomes such a stigmatized conversation. If you realize that social media isn’t serving you and you quit Instagram, everyone applauds that. But if you start to open up about or question drinking, everyone is like are you an alcoholic? It’s hard for a lot of people to have that conversation safely without feeling like the other person is going to worry about them or pity them.

Am I An Alcoholic?

Ever ask yourself that? Download this free e-book for the answer to that question and so many others!

Click here to view original web page at www.maisonette.com

How to cope in lockdown without wine o’clock

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 21:28:20 GMT

Lockdown is a curious contradiction. On the one hand, we’re all following a strict set of new rules; but on the other, life is strangely rule-free. How we’re choosing to cope in lockdown is changing as the pandemic progresses.

There is no dressing for the office, no commute, no real schedule at all. And in the spring, some of us filled those newly flexible days by relaxing personal rules around drinking, too. ‘Wine o’clock’ got earlier and earlier. First it was 6pm; then 5pm; then 4pm after the departmental Zoom; then 2pm … then, oh, let’s have a glass of wine with lunch.

Reasons to drink

Some of us were lonely, many were anxious. A global trauma such as a pandemic is bound to have that effect. And women in particular were run ragged by extra domestic responsibility until that 30 minutes of numbing escapism between making dinner and tidying up seemed like the only time we had to ourselves. No wonder we reached for the bottle.

How we’re choosing to cope in lockdown

Figures released last week by the industry monitor Drinkaware reflect all those drinking memes and Facebook anecdotes we shared, showing 26 per cent of people in the UK drank more during the first lockdown, with most of the increase in consumption driven by women.

Midlife, middle-class drinkers in particular were more likely to have drunk more than pre-lockdown.

The reasons most often given were ‘having more time available’ and having ‘less structure to my day’, although stress, anxiety and boredom played big roles, too.

And yet, this time around, many of us don’t want to drink like that.

Freedom from Alcohol

I run a freedom from alcohol movement called This Naked Mind, named after my best-selling book, which offers people strategies and support to cut back on or give up alcohol altogether.

Start Reading

More than seven million people have downloaded my podcast. And at the end of the last lockdown, we noticed a distinct uptick in people signing up to join my programme to quit drinking.

For many, lockdown was a period of reckoning. Perhaps for the first time, they saw in stark outline how much they drank, how easily it could get out of hand and how exhausted it was making them feel. Living in thrall to the bottle is not how they want to spend the second lockdown, let alone the rest of their lives.

Click here to view original web page at www.dailymail.co.uk

The Hot Mess Mums’ Club host on why an alcohol-free Christmas could be just what we need

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 20:53:52 GMT

Kelly Pegg is a Journalist and Broadcaster working in radio for more than 15 years. She is a mum of two who was born and raised in the East Midlands and loves living in Nottinghamshire with her family. She hosts the podcast The Hot Mess Mums’ club with TV Presenter Jenny Powell, supporting and empowering women everywhere. You can find it on Instagram @thehotmessmums

“Why don’t you drink?” “ Are you an alcoholic?” “What will you do at Christmas?”

These are just some of the questions I have been asked since I stopped drinking alcohol nine months ago.

We live in a society where alcohol is used to celebrate, commiserate, relax, and sadly cope with life’s difficulties, yet it is probably the most dangerous drug there is and it’s legal. Our view, on the whole, seems to be that if a person doesn’t drink there must be something wrong with them.

I will be the first to admit that during my twenties and early thirties I also carried this view. Now I’m 39 and I feel completely different. I have never felt stronger, happier or healthier without alcohol in my life.

Over It

I’d endured a really stressful time with my career and I’d been in a sad place. All of sudden as things started to change and I was coming out of it I started to dislike alcohol. I remember having a glass of wine whilst out having lunch with my husband last February. Afterwards I felt really poorly. A few weeks later I was out with friends and we had drinks. Afterwards I felt so bad physically and mentally. I lay awake all night battling feelings of guilt and worry. In that moment, I knew I was experiencing an epiphany of sorts.

I was chatting to Apprentice star Jessica Cunningham about it all. She recommended the audiobook This Naked Mind by Annie Grace. It changed how I felt about alcohol forever.

Start Reading

It isn’t just the Hot Mess Mums Club that can have their lives changed by This Naked Mind – start reading the book for free right now to change your life as well!

Click here to view original web page at www.nottinghampost.com

Lockdown Drinking – I’m Drinking Too Much During Covid

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 07:30:07 GMT

COVID. The mere word conjures up so many reactions in all of us. Fear. Anger. Grief. The range of emotions stretches as long as the pandemic has. Many also share another common reaction – lockdown drinking. When all normalcy has left, so many have turned to the one constant we can count on – alcohol. Now another fear has emerged – I’m Drinking Too Much During Covid!

Nothing like this has ever happened before in our lives. The reaction for so many has been the same regardless of age, location, or gender – lockdown drinking. We drink because we’re stressed, we’re lonely, we’re bored, or we just want to be numb and not feel. What felt normal in March now has you thinking – I’m drinking too much during Covid!

Drinking Too Much During Covid

Now you’re wondering – What do I do? How do we handle this? How do we get a handle on drinking too much during Covid when we have no idea when all this will end? Where is the freaking manual on how to do life during a pandemic? (Amazingly, no one has written to me suggesting I write a book on that!)

Give Yourself Grace

Have grace and compassion for yourself. Compassion led change, especially self-compassion, is more effective than any other kind of change. We can only beat ourselves up into changing for a certain amount of time. Then it just stops working.

We have to lead with grace and we have to lead with compassion. Listen to the words you’re saying in your head. This time is hard and negative enough. Talking down to yourself because you’re drinking too much will not improve the situation in any way. A compassion and grace led approach means being aware of your self-talk and not talking to yourself in a way that you wouldn’t talk to a stranger or a child. You deserve to be treated kindly.

Lockdown drinking isn’t a personal failure. It’s a response to a traumatic event. You are reacting and coping in the same way as many others. Stop beating yourself up about it.

Worried you’re drinking too much during Covid?

Our guide can provide you with 6 tips for taking a break from booze. Download it here!

Lay Down Your Weapons

You can take ownership of drinking too much during Covid. Taking ownership restores the power back to you. Yes, you made the choice to drink. Once you take ownership, move on. Put down your weapons of shame and blame. They will not move you forward to stop drinking too much during Covid. When you play the shame and blame game you remain the victim which leaves you powerless. You need power right now so lay the weapons down.

Use Your Power

Now that you’ve put down your weapons, use your reclaimed power. You want to stop drinking too much during Covid. What have you learned from this? How can you use that to drink less or stop drinking? We learn not by doing things right all the time but by making mistakes and making them often. So, what do you know does not work for you now? Did alcohol really help as a coping mechanism? What are your triggers? What do you need to work on?

Moving On

When we stop the worrying, blame, shame, and regret game we can move into action. The great thing is that once you realize you’re drinking too much, you can take the steps to rectify it. We can’t change the fact that there’s a lockdown. Drinking in response to it though – we can change that.

Take action and give yourself something you can feel empowered about and in control of during this time when nothing feels like it is within our control.

No Longer Drinking Too Much – Deb’s Naked Life

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 07:30:00 GMT

A lifetime drinker, Deb found her drinking increasing as the years did. With the help of This Naked Mind she’s no longer drinking too much. In fact, she’s not drinking at all.

Lying About Drinking Too Much

At 65 years old, I’ve been a wine drinker for over 45 years. I never felt that my consumption rate was unusual until the last 10 years or so, when I began drinking more than a couple of glasses a night. I began buying boxed white wine because it was less expensive and the alcohol content was lower. Once I started going through a box and a half a week, I switched to red wine because I didn’t really like it and figured that I wouldn’t drink as much. Fast forward to 2020, and I was drinking 1.5 to 2 bottles a night, and lying to my doctor about how much wine I was drinking. Over the course of the last few years, I’d mentioned to my husband that I thought I might have a problem with alcohol. He didn’t think so – he’s a Jack and ginger drinker and doesn’t overindulge, but he does have at least one a night.

Blacked Out

Our son and his wife, who live in Virginia, had a beautiful baby girl last September. We live in NH and have limited opportunities to see her. We traveled to VA over the July 4th weekend and stayed with them for a few days. I brought 8 bottles of wine to last 4 days, and wound up buying another one while I was there. I was on vacation and feeling relaxed, and really didn’t think much about it. Our daughter-in-law let me bathe the baby and put her to bed. I thought all was well.

While there, I experienced a blackout. It’s happened to me a few times, but this particular situation was extreme. I am terrified of thunderstorms. Usually you’ll find me sitting them out in the basement. During the night before we left to come home, there was a t-storm that parked itself overhead for an hour. The thunder was so loud that it woke everyone up. I’d gone to bed after consuming a couple of bottles of wine and a small glass of Jack Daniels. My husband and daughter told me that I came down two flights of stairs to the basement of the townhouse – twice – to tell them that I wasn’t afraid of the storm. I have absolutely no recollection of it.

The Eye Opener

A week or so after we got home, my husband sat down with me. He said that our son had asked him to talk to me about not drinking when they came to NH for Labor Day weekend to celebrate our granddaughter’s first birthday. My husband went on to tell me that our son and his wife were very upset with the amount of drinking I drank at their house. To say I was mortified was an understatement. My DIL is British and very outspoken. Our relationship has been polite but not close, and my son has seemed constantly irritated with me. The day my husband talked to me was July 16. I had an open bottle of wine that I finished that night, and swore off drinking from that point forward.

No Longer Drinking Too Much

I did a lot of research in a short amount of time and came across your book. Immediately, I began reading it and kept thinking, “This makes so much sense!” I have been alcohol free for 55 days and feel so much better. This past weekend, we celebrated Sophie’s first birthday and I successfully made it through the party without feeling the urge to drink. On Sunday evening, our son and daughter-in-law wanted to visit friends and asked me to watch the baby. I nearly cried – they would not have trusted me to take care of her if I’d had anything to drink. They are coming back for Christmas and asked us to watch her for a weekend while they go to Vermont to be with friends. I am so grateful for the teachings in your book, and the support and tools you provide to help me stay alcohol-free. It means that I am healthier and so much happier, and I feel like I have been given my life back.

Start Reading

Are you ready to join Deb in saying, “I’m no longer drinking too much!”? Let This Naked Mind help you like it did her. Start reading for free now!

Share Your Story

Be the guidance and inspiration others need! Submit your own COVID.

The election. Racial tensions. Unemployment. Climate change. Parenting. Marriage. Aging parents. Wildfires.

If my brain had tabs like my computer does, these would all be currently open and marked urgent along with another 20 or so just to keep life interesting.

I, like you, am finding the world and everything transpiring in it to be just a bit too much right now.

The theme for 2020 is nothing gets resolved. We just keep piling catastrophe on top of catastrophe and are waiting to see when this global Jenga game will just collapse.

Enough already, right? How are we expected to deal with all this while still trying to cope with living our everyday lives and the “normal” stressors that still accompany it? There’s one thing I’m not doing that many, many other people are right now. It’s a “been there, done that, didn’t work” lesson that I learned. My hope is that I can spare you the frustration and pain that I went through by sharing this lesson with you.

A Drink Won’t Fix This.

Keep reading to hear why a drink won’t fix this and what you can do instead! Click here to view original web page at www.elephantjournal.com

Ready for clarity, peace and freedom? Join me for The Alcohol Experiment. You will receive encouraging and mindset shifting daily videos and emails and an incredible community of 175,000 people also experimenting with their alcohol intake. It is completely free (and always will be) at The Alcohol Experiment.

Starting Over After Alcohol – Liz’s Naked Life

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 07:30:00 GMT

Liz found herself in a place she never imagined she’d be – starting over after alcohol took everything from her. With the things she learned in This Naked Mind the journey has been manageable!

My Story

Now that I look back, I don’t think I ever had a relationship with alcohol that was normal. It shouldn’t shock me to be starting over after alcohol took it all. I was a bit introverted on the inside but on the outside, people would comment on how confident and outgoing I was. Probably because I always pushed myself to do things I wasn’t completely comfortable with. In high school, I was a good student. Involved in sports and extracurricular activities and in high school, if I drank, I would be kicked off the team. So, I didn’t drink.

Acquiring A Taste For Alcohol

When I first got to college, I tried alcohol and hated the taste. I thought “this is what I have been waiting for!?” But then slowly, I drank more and cared less about the taste and more of how it made me feel. For the first time, I felt like I didn’t have to play the outgoing, confident, person I just wasn’t. It was easier to meet people, date, go to college parties, etc. It gave me such confidence and I felt “normal.” My sorority had regular events where there was so much alcohol … my boyfriend at the time (my now ex-husband) was a bartender at the popular bar in College, and he was popular.

I always felt a little insecure and anxious around him. I would go up to the bar and he would give my girlfriends and me free drinks. Again, it was the first time that I felt confident in myself when I was drinking. It helped me in school too! I remember having to give a presentation and I had 4 beers before. It made it so much easier … I thought I found the magic pill and it was awesome! If I got anxious, I can drink and ever would be ok! I didn’t have to play someone I wasn’t and any type of anxiety I had would go away, both in classes and social. I became very comfortable drinking in college and it escalated quickly.

Beginning A Drinking Career

Fast forward to my second job out of college. I interviewed for a position that a friend who works at the company suggested I apply for. They interviewed me and I was so nervous and not myself. I thought for sure I wouldn’t get it. Now, if I was going to be that nervous, I would’ve drunk before the interview (like that wouldn’t be noticeable, not!). I ended up getting the job. This is the beginning of my upward and downward spiral … I had no idea I could become addicted and I did … gradually, not knowing what was ahead.

Like I said, I continue to push myself into things that were uncomfortable. Why, I don’t know. I was working with the largest consulting company in the United States now. Our particular office grew from about 100 employees to over 1,200 employees in my first 6 years. I kept getting promoted (promotions that I didn’t want but felt pressured). I was a hard worker but didn’t like to be in the spotlight as much unless I had alcohol, then I was fine. For me, I don’t do anything half-assed (hence my work and drinking)!! We started to do work in Phoenix and I was traveling and worldwide … I started to travel more. With the growth in the company, my paycheck grew, and so did my drinking. Like you, the traveling and the stress was through the roof.

Having It All

For about 2 years, my drinking escalated. It was gradual so I really didn’t realize that I needed it more and more. My sleep became a problem and became completely messed up. I was usually drinking about a bottle and a half of red wine a night. I LOVED feeling like I could finally relax after work and started drinking my wine immediately when I got home. In the morning, I would swear I wouldn’t drink that night and every night, I drank. We would have happy hours and sales meetings all across the US. At night, if we didn’t have a social event and when I was actually home, I would drink as much red wine as I would when I was out. With red wine, I thought it was a social status … even though I would drink ANY wine, $5 or $50 a bottle.

I thought I was more classy with wine and that I couldn’t get addicted. Haha! While I see it now, my friends and co-workers saw what I didn’t see. It was gradual and I thought, “It’s no big deal. I can quit when I want to!” It’s just wine. It’s classy. Not much about me was classy when drinking. Now that I look back, I can’t believe how I acted. I would talk loud, laugh loud, and slur my words, but everyone was drinking so I figure we were all doing the same thing with me. Now that I look back, I can only imagine what I probably looked like.

By this time, I was married and had my son in 2004. I was making more money than I would have ever dreamed. I was trying to balance family, work, social … drinking. In 2007, I built a half-million-dollar home. My husband bought a boat, two very nice cars, etc. My college boyfriend, who was now my husband, was seeing the early signs of destruction and he overlooked it because I was “working.” I had been drinking pretty heavily but it wasn’t affecting my work and I was functional, so it was fine.

Not Seeing I Was Losing It All To Alcohol

At home, things were going downhill and I couldn’t see it. As soon as I walked in the door in the evening, I drank. Now, I started hiding bottles (because I was drinking almost 2 bottles) and started to sneak home on my lunch hour. I had gotten a new dog so I would go home to let the dog out and as crazy as it sounds, I would drink. In this big house, we had a full bar, so it was so easy to drink. When I would go back to work, I think about the smell that was probably giving me away. No one said anything at work … no one called me out because I was very successful.

I remember signing up for a half marathon with some of the girls at work. I didn’t train like I was supposed to. In fact, the night before the race, I had my bottle and a half. I can’t believe I made it to the end! While I finished the race, it was miserable. I wasn’t taking anything seriously except for my drinking.

Convinced I’m Not Addicted

So many different areas of my life were becoming affected by drinking. My husband and I took my son to Disney World. The first night, I woke up at 2 AM not being able to sleep (this was normal) with such anxiety. How was I going to walk around Disney World being this hungover? So I got up before my husband and son got up and I had wine in the room. I was drinking it out of the bottle when my husband and son got up … both got up to see me drinking from the bottle of red wine.

Of course, the next day, while we’re supposed to be walking around Disney World and enjoying our family time, I felt like shit and everyone knew it. I thought, how could I ever do this! I still was thinking, I wasn’t addicted even though it was going that direction and I was spending more hours drunk and sober.

Downward Spiral

So I thought I was living what I thought was the American dream. By the age of 33, I had made $1 million dollars. I had the big house, nice cars, a husband who was so nice and kind. A son who was doing great in school, a dog, a boat. I thought I could stop anytime but in the back of my head, I knew things were wrong. If you don’t believe you can get addicted to alcohol, you can. Now I continued on my downward spiral.

My doctor, who did not know the extent that I was drinking, prescribed me Xanax after telling him how bad my anxiety was. I would shake and couldn’t concentrate so I started taking it. Not knowing much about Xanax it seemed to work! I now knew everything was going to be fine and this was the answer!! So at night, I would drink my wine and in the morning, I would have a Xanax to get me through the hangover and anxiety. I was a fraud. I couldn’t do what I was doing without Xanax and red wine … and I knew physically, I couldn’t stop.

If I took too much Xanax and needed my prescription early, my normal anxiety was times 100. Uggg. IT WAS HORRIBLE. There was no way that I could quit myself. I had to have the alcohol and I had to have the Xanax. There I was, trying to lead a normal life that was so far from normal. And everything I did, I was a fraud. Again, if you don’t think it could happen to you, it can.

Anxiety Ridden

I was waking up at 2 or 3 AM at night with the most horrible anxiety and shaking you could imagine. Laying there, I was counting the number of glasses I had the night before and trying to recall conversations and things that I said. I had no passion for anything in my life. I was dead inside with very little emotion. Again, I was trying to keep up this fraud with so many tactics, lies, and manipulation. Alcohol took up a lot of my time. I had to lie to my husband … he would find bottles hidden. I would lie about how much I was drinking and when. The lies became exhausting. I would look at my husband and he had no idea what to do. I was making him miserable. On my end, I was fine because I was drunk. I wasn’t feeling anything!

The Intervention

Again, I had been working during this time. One day, I was brought down to the conference room at work. I had been a good employee and they knew I wasn’t doing what I was capable of doing. They knew something was wrong. I was so mad, at them. Why would they call me out like this! Why would they do this to me? I tried to make it seem like not a big deal. Now, when I look back I can’t believe they gave me as many chances as they did.

I think part was pity and part was that I had given so much of my life and time to the company and I was throwing it all away. I was sliding down hill with no way to come back. During the intervention, I kept saying I was fine knowing in my head that I was soooo not fine. I was a mess. I had no idea I would soon be starting over after alcohol took it all away.

Seeking Treatment

My company had a sales trip for the top 10% of sales employees in the company to go to Cancun. I went 8 times!!! It was four days of drinking, night and day. About a week before the trip, my husband said that he would not be going on the trip. Looking back, thank God. The trip was just a beginning. He knew, it would turn out really bad. A couple days later, after multiple years of me drinking, he said I would need to go to treatment or he would leave. I saw in his face, he was sad. He didn’t look at me in the same way and he once did. He looked at me like he was sickened and definitely didn’t seem attracted to me.

We were falling apart. I wasn’t giving him anything, emotionally, physically. I felt so empty. He looked so empty. He’d see year after year … get worse and watched me lie, sneak, physically changing (my appearance was going down too; my face was swollen, my eyes looked red and puffy). My husband did most of the things around the huge house because I made the money and he took up everything else with the house.

Normal Drinker

As I said above, I did the treatment but I didn’t understand what treatment was … I thought it would help me socially drink and moderate. I said I would only drink on weekend. When I got out of treatment, I went back to work scared of what people would think. It was my ego. I thought that this is something I finally could fix! It was called moderation!!

A couple months later, we had a boat trip because our office had done amazing that quarter in sales. Our office has grown so much! I was so excited! And I was on the right track (so I thought). Before the trip, My boss gave me the company credit card and asked me to take two other people to get as much alcohol as we would need during the day on the lake. My boss thought I was much better as I had gone to treatment … he thought I was cured. I started drinking around 8 AM, mimosas. After that, I mixed some other things with champagne, beer, and more. Around 1 PM, when no one else was as drunk as I. I made a complete fool out of myself.

To be honest, I blacked out and still don’t know what happened. A coworker took me home. My husband was there and he answered the door. I had mascara running down my face, lipstick was all over and not on my lips, hair was a complete disaster and they both looked at each other like “this can’t go on.” They looked at each other I know they were thinking … “there’s nothing more they could do.”

Alcohol Took It All

I felt like everyone was giving up on me. My husband, work, friends (who were embarrassed of me). If you don’t think you can get addicted to alcohol, you can. So after 14 years of marriage, about a week later, my husband left, took my son, and filed an order of protection. Once in my life, I was healthy, happy, honest, emotional, and so much more! Now, I was none of these. My husband left and took our son and went to his grandparents. I was devastated beyond words. He filed for divorce and I knew it was over. My soul mate.

Now, Fourth of July was happening and holidays were definitely a reason to drink. Five days straight of drinking. I dedicated all holidays to drinking. Mimosas in the morning, and wine in the afternoon (a lot of days, wine in the morning and all day). I was alone in my house. Completely alone. Alone with my wine and me. No husband, no son, no family, no work, just me. At that point, if I drank myself to death, I didn’t care. I knew I was physically addicted. I knew I couldn’t stop.

Alone

In the divorce my husband asked for full custody and I couldn’t dispute. He put the house for sale and I moved into an apartment. My house on a lake that I helped design was sold. The $300,000 we had in savings was split. This was an end of something that I didn’t want to end! I needed more time!

Seeing my addiction to this point, wouldn’t you think that you would stop drinking? No, I didn’t. If you think it can get worse, IT CAN. IF YOU THINK YOU CAN’T GET ADDICTED, YOU CAN. IT DOESN’T DISCRIMINATE.

What Helped With Starting Over After Alcohol

I did go through horrible times. I was physically, mentally, financially broken. Exhausted, lonely, sick, beaten up, and wondering how I had gotten to this point?

One day, I started listening to podcasts (not sure how I ran across the podcast. God maybe) and one of the podcasts mentioned Annie Grace. Listening to a few of them I went out and bought Annie’s book. I had tried AA and it wasn’t for me. Personally, I couldn’t get past the “never,” “forever,” “powerless,” etc. I started to have the mindset that Annie talks about in her book.

“I could go out and drink if I wanted but I don’t want to.”

Start Reading

Are you starting over after alcohol took it all? This Naked Mind can help! Start reading for free right now!

Reset

I started walking every day and listening to many different podcasts and resetting my conscious. That was over 4 months ago! I’ve walked everyday for over four months … each day going farther and haven’t had a drink in over 4 months. I feel I’m starting to get “Liz back!!” I’m really becoming me again and truly, I don’t want to drink. Honestly, I thank God for finding Annie and This Naked Mind! Today I am happy, rested, and healthy!!!! Thank you!!

Share Your Story

When we share our struggles and our victories – like starting over after alcohol – we can inspire and encourage others. Share your story to be featured on the blog!

#261: The Alcohol Experiment with Annie Grace

Sat, 31 Oct 2020 14:40:43 GMT

I’m sick of thinking about alcohol! I wonder if I could have fun socializing without it. Do I even enjoy drinking anymore? If any of this struck a nerve with you, you are not alone! These are things I wrestle with. Recently, I have started sharing my struggles with this particular topic on the podcast. With the help of Annie Grace and the Alcohol Experiment, I have been exploring my relationship with Alcohol. I can feel a shift in my perspective. In this episode of the Mom Struggling Well podcast, you’ll hear more about that and about how Annie’s personal journaling transitioned into an excellent resource and free program that could change your life.

What we chat about on Mom Struggling Well:

how growing up in a remote cabin gave Annie a high tolerance for discomfort
her experience of finding Jesus, escaping a bad relationship, and attending college
how Annie’s drinking escalated from work happy hours to alcoholism
dispelling the myth of addictive personalities and genetic alcoholism
weighing the cost vs. benefit of drinking
the trauma from the inner conflict of wanting to stop drinking while continuing to drink
the change that occurred when Annie stopped asking “what’s wrong with me?” and started asking “what changed?”
also hear how putting down the weapons of shame and blame and instead investigating the “why” without judgment gave her hope
Finally, learn how the journey of finding absolute radical grace for yourself will give you a bigger capacity to give grace to others

Click here to view original web page at momstrugglingwell.com

TNM Exclusive – Your Next Read – Quit Lit For Men

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 06:30:00 GMT

I’ve seen this asked a few times now – why does it seem like all the quit lit out there is written for women? Where is the quit lit for men? I made it my mission to search high and low to bring you quit lit for men. Let’s get reading!

Why Quit Lit For Men

So why make a quit lit for men list? We all need to find stories we can relate to when it comes to our journey. Many of the writers to recently release books are women. Women find it easier to share their emotions so it makes sense. Yet men can’t relate to accounts of postpartum depression or other triggers that are written about by women.

Books By Annie Grace

Maybe you’ve read one of my books but not the others. Currently we have three books available that can all help you on your journey.

This Naked Mind

Take on a journey of self-discovery with my science-based look at what leads us to drink and to keep drinking when we no longer enjoy it. As you read, I help you bring your beliefs about drinking out into the light to discover what is really true for you.

By exploring their true beliefs, readers are able to make a real and lasting change. Enabling themselves to find freedom from alcohol forever. Written from a scientific perspective this book can help both men and women.

Start Reading This Quit Lit For Men Right Now

Begin your quit lit for men reading right now! Download the first 40 pages of This Naked Mind instantly!

Buy This Naked Mind on Amazon

The Alcohol Experiment

In The Alcohol Experiment, I introduce the ACT Technique. ACT stands for Awareness – Clarity – Turnaround and is a way of reflecting on your habits and behaviors. You take 30 days to get through 30 chapters covering a myriad of topics related to drinking. Learn how to deal with discomfort, cravings, willpower, boredom, health, depression, and more. The expanded edition includes a day by day journal to track your journey.

Buy The Alcohol Experiment on Amazon

This Naked Life

I say that this is the most important book I never wrote. You’ll find inspiring stories from my readers that take you on their journeys of finding freedom from alcohol. Inspiring, challenging, and at times heartbreaking – you’ll find yourself relating to others whose stories sound so much like your own. With accounts from men and women, this book illustrates how alcohol affects us all.

Buy This Naked Life on Amazon

Beyond Annie Grace

The Easy Way To Control Alcohol

Allen Carr was one of the authors I turned to when I was examining my relationship with alcohol. In fact, I used his expertise when writing my own books. His books and techniques have stood the test of time and have helped many not only over come struggles with alcohol but also with smoking, sugar, debt, and more.

Buy The Easy Way to Control Alcohol on Amazon

Alcohol Explained/Alcohol Explained 2

William Porter’s books are the perfect complement to This Naked Mind. Porter set out to explain how alcohol affects human beings on a chemical, physiological, and psychological level. Starting with those first drinks right up to severe alcohol use disorder. Following up in Alcohol Explained 2, he takes the scientific concepts covered in Alcohol Explained and provides the tools needed to stay free from alcohol.

Buy Alcohol Explained on Amazon

Buy Alcohol Explained 2 on Amazon

The 28 Day Alcohol-Free Challenge

My friends, Andy Ramage and Ruari Fairbanks, of One Year No Beer have written The 28 Day Alcohol-Free Challenge. An illustrated day-by-day guide packed with inspiration and practical help, The 28 Day Alcohol-Free Challenge helps you reset your drinking habits and discover a hangover-free world of quality time to achieve your goals. Drawing on their own experiences of ditching the drink, and bringing together the collective experience of the thousands of people they have helped, Andy and Ruari bring you unparalleled insight into how you can make your break from alcohol an empowering, life-changing experience.

Buy The 28 Day Alcohol-Free Challenge on Amazon

The Abstinence Myth

Dr. Adi Jaffe is taking the rules on treating addiction and throwing them out the window. Gone is the traditional, shame filled 12-step approach. Replaced with a system for bringing back joy and happiness into your life. Dr. Jaffe introduces you to his groundbreaking, science and hope filled IGNTD RECOVERY METHOD.

Buy The Abstinence Myth on Amazon

Alcohol and You

Alcohol and You provides guidance on diagnosing alcohol problems, helps you decide on the best solution, and gives you the know-how to achieve a successful result.

Whether you want to reduce your drinking, stop drinking temporarily, or stop permanently, this book helps clarify which option is best for you. Alcohol and You has transformed the lives of thousands of drinkers and their families.

Lewis David is an addiction therapist who worked for years with drinkers in government-backed services.

Buy Alcohol and You on Amazon

Kick The Drink Easily

Jason Vale was pivotal in changing my relationship with alcohol. Were it not for his books I might still be questioning my relationship for fear of being labeled. Jason takes an honest and hard-hitting look at people’s conceptions of our most widely consumed drug. Jason’s major argument is there is no such thing as an ‘alcoholic.’ We are conditioned to accept alcohol as a ‘normal’ substance in today’s society despite the fact that it is the major cause of many of today’s social problems and a wide range of health issues. This book is much more than a simple eye-opener – it will change the way you see alcohol forever, show you how to stop drinking, help you enjoy the process, and enjoy your life so much more than you do now without having to drink alcohol.

Buy Kick The Drink…Easily on Amazon

The Sober Survival Guide/How To Quit Alcohol in 50 Days

Simon Chapple is a Certified This Naked Mind Coach and has penned The Sober Survival Guide. As unique as Simon, Sober Survival Guide is a two part book. First, it takes you through the experiences that led him and people like him to drink. Second, it equips you to begin gaining control of your relationship with alcohol.

Next, part two focuses on the actual, tried and true survival tactics that provide the tools needed to be alcohol free and happy. A truly comprehensive guide on how to be alcohol free.

How To Quit Alcohol in 50 Days is the prequel to The Sober Survival Guide.

In How to Quit Drinking in 50 Days Simon gives you a structured way to find complete freedom from alcohol – for now, or forever.

This 50-day journey to freedom is split into two parts. Days 1-25 will ask you to take an honest look at the impact alcohol has had on your life, to examine the reasons for your drinking, and will arm you with the best strategy for quitting alcohol successfully. Days 26-50 will ask you to make the commitment to taking a break from alcohol – taking each step with one chapter a day, and answering the questions that come up.

There are strategies for dealing with challenges and setbacks, and a wealth of resources for finding support and inspiration. Above all, there is a genuine passion for the sober adventure, and the huge rewards of an alcohol-free life – a life of freedom that’s waiting for you.

Buy The Sober Survival Guide on Amazon

Buy How To Quit Alcohol in 50 Days on Amazon

Adventures in Sober Land: And how to live in Alcohol World

Simon Eastwood injects humor into a subject that can often be all too dark and serious.

A series of humorous, thought-provoking real-life adventures, following one man’s travels from Alcohol World to Sober Land. Armed only with a sense of the ridiculous he is forced, at every turn, to overcome those silent foes anxiety and depression and finally discover a more compassionate place to live. From discovering magic pyjamas to the Lehman’s like collapse of his dignity in a desperately upmarket town in the south of France, caring for his permanently sozzled mother to the finding of solace in sober socials; work trips overseas, holidays, marriage, death, and everything in between, Adventures in Sober Land aims always to ‘show not tell’ and, with humour and grace, give hope to others.

At a time where issues around mental health are finally being given a voice and their clear link to commonplace grey area drinking widely acknowledged, this book offers a highly relatable and relevant view of these two subjects told from the perspective of a man finally embracing life as it should be lived.

Buy Adventures in Sober Land on Amazon

Recovery – Freedom From Our Addictions

Russell Brand is a truly phenomenal human being. He shares his experiences with addiction and offers what worked for him. He is relatable and honest in a way few others can be.

With a rare mix of honesty, humor, and compassion, comedian and movie star Russell Brand mines his own wild story and shares the advice and wisdom he has gained through his 14 years of recovery. Brand speaks to those suffering along the full spectrum of addiction – from drugs, alcohol, caffeine, and sugar addictions to addictions to work, stress, bad relationships, digital media, and fame. Brand understands that addiction can take many shapes and sizes and how the process of staying clean, sane, and unhooked is a daily activity. He believes that the question is not “Why are you addicted?” but “What pain is your addiction masking? Why are you running – into the wrong job, the wrong life, the wrong person’s arms?”

Buy Recovery on Amazon

Alcohol Lied To Me

Craig has a story that so many men will be able to relate to and learn from.

Craig Beck is a well-regarded family man with two children, a beautiful home, and a successful media career. A director of several companies & at one time the trustee of a large children’s charity. Craig was a successful & functioning professional man in spite of a ‘2 bottles of wine a night’ drinking habit. For 20 years he struggled with problem drinking, all the time refusing to label himself an alcoholic because he didn’t believe he met the stereotypical image that the word portrayed.

He tried countless ways to cut down; attempting ‘dry months,’ banning himself from drinking spirits, only drinking at the weekend & special occasions (and found that it is amazing how even the smallest of an event can suddenly become ‘special’).

Buy Alcohol Lied To Me on Amazon

The Night of The Gun

While not about alcohol addiction, The Night of the Gun is a riveting and captivating read. It reminds us how easily life can spiral out of control due to our addictions but also provides the hope to come out of them.

Do we remember only the stories we can live with? The ones that make us look good in the rearview mirror? In The Night of the Gun, David Carr redefines memoir with the revelatory story of his years as an addict and chronicles his journey from crack-house regular to regular columnist for The New York Times. Built on sixty videotaped interviews, legal and medical records, and three years of reporting, The Night of the Gun is a ferocious tale that uses the tools of journalism to fact-check the past. Carr’s investigation of his own history reveals that his odyssey through addiction, recovery, cancer, and life as a single parent was far more harrowing – and, in the end, more miraculous – than he allowed himself to remember.

Buy The Night of the Gun on Amazon

Dry: A Memoir

Dry is a memoir that men who have struggled with alcohol addiction can relate to and understand on a personal and almost visceral level.

You may not know it, but you’ve met Augusten Burroughs. You’ve seen him on the street, in bars, on the subway, at restaurants: a twentysomething guy, nice suit, works in advertising. Regular. Ordinary. But when the ordinary person had two drinks, Augusten was circling the drain by having twelve; when the ordinary person went home at midnight, Augusten never went home at all. Loud, distracting ties, automated wake-up calls, and cologne on the tongue could only hide so much for so long.

At the request (well, it wasn’t really a request) of his employers, Augusten lands in rehab, where his dreams of group therapy with Robert Downey Jr. are immediately dashed by grim reality of fluorescent lighting and paper hospital slippers. But when Augusten is forced to examine himself, something actually starts to click and that’s when he finds himself in the worst trouble of all. Because when his thirty days are up, he has to return to his same drunken Manhattan life – and live it sober. What follows is a memoir that’s as moving as it is funny, as heartbreaking as it is true. Dry is the story of love, loss, and Starbucks as a Higher Power.

Buy Dry: A Memoir on Amazon

One Hit Away

One Hit Away is a gripping, startling account of addiction, compassion, and ultimate salvation. It is powerful because of its honesty. Raw without being sensationalistic, this harrowing account of Jordan’s journey provides insight and compassion into the struggle of addiction. It is an important, engrossing book that is hard to put down.

At the age of 24, Jordan Barnes woke up next to a lifeless body, rifled through his dead friends’ pockets for any remaining heroin and went right back to using.

Strung out and homeless during the supposed best years of his life, there was no clear way out of the Opioid Crisis ravaging the streets of Portland, Oregon. But though Jordan had long accepted his fate, his parents still held out hope, and would do everything in their power to get him the help he so desperately needed.

After a harrowing journey that proves the life of an addict will always get worse, never better, Jordan found himself at the gates of Sand Island, Hawaii’s most notorious two-year inpatient treatment facility. He soon discovers that though his heart was in the right place, the hardest battle of his life was yet to come.

One Hit Away is his arduous and unlikely true story of recovery, rehabilitation and redemption.

Buy One Hit Away on Amazon

Beautiful Boy

Painfully honest, heartbreaking and eye-opening. Beautiful Boy is written from the father’s perspective of loving his son through addiction. For all of us that have experienced addiction, it is important to also understand what those we love have experienced from the outside.

Those are the wrenching questions that haunted every moment of David Sheff’s journey through his son Nic’s addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery.

Before Nic Sheff became addicted to crystal meth, he was a charming boy, joyous and funny, a varsity athlete and honor student adored by his two younger siblings. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole, and lived on the streets.

With haunting candour, David Sheff traces the first subtle warning signs: the denial, the 3 am phone calls (is it Nic? the police? the hospital?), the attempts at rehab. His preoccupation with Nic became an addiction in itself, and the obsessive worry and stress took a tremendous toll.

But as a journalist, he instinctively researched every avenue of treatment that might save his son and refused to give up on Nic. This story is a first: a teenager’s addiction from the parent’s point of view – a real-time chronicle of the shocking descent into substance abuse and the gradual emergence into hope.

Beautiful Boy is a fiercely candid memoir that brings immediacy to the emotional rollercoaster of loving a child who seems beyond help.

Buy Beautiful Boy on Amazon

More Quit Lit For Men?

This list is just a starting point when it comes to finding quit lit for men. I encourage you to leave your suggestions for more titles in the comments!

The Alcohol Experiment | Annie Grace

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 20:13:22 GMT

Sharing Her Journey interviewed Annie Grace.

She is changing SO many lives!

Annie is the author of This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life. Annie grew up in a one-room log cabin without running water or electricity outside of Aspen, Colorado. She discovered a passion for marketing and after graduating with a Masters of Science (Marketing) she dove into corporate life. At the age of 26, Annie was the youngest vice president in a multinational company, and her drinking career began in earnest. At 35, in a global C-level marketing role, she was responsible for marketing in 28 countries and drinking almost two bottles of wine a night. Knowing she needed a change but unwilling to submit to a life of deprivation and stigma, Annie set out to find a painless way to regain control. Annie no longer drinks and has never been happier. She left her executive role to write this book and share This Naked Mind with the world. In her free time, Annie loves to ski, travel (26 countries and counting), and enjoy her beautiful family. Annie lives with her husband and three children in the Colorado mountains.

Mentioned on Sharing Her Journey

The Alcohol Experiment

Click here to view original web page at sharingherjourney.com

#71 Should I Quit Over Drinking ? This Naked Mind with Annie Grace

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 20:05:48 GMT

Pleasance takes us through her decision to quit over drinking after reading This Naked Mind and engages Annie with questions and discussion surrounding the spectrum of drinking – and quitting.

Episode Links

It’s Personal

Pleasance was understandably nervous because this is such a personal topic but it was time to have a conversation. We found ourselves rescheduling so much that Pleasance had much more of sobriety to talk about.

Time To Quit Over Drinking

Now I have more experiences to ask your wisdom about and also, I have been talking about my decision to stop drinking for the past few months but never specifically a whole podcast episode dedicated to it. So people have been coming up to me whispering and asking, emailing quietly, “I’m thinking of … I think I want to stop drinking, I’m scared”. Then I’ll get, don’t tell me to stop, just responses and all I’m doing all is sharing what my experience has been. I’ve been writing about how it has impacted my marriage and my relationship and that’s been really interesting to see how people write to me about what I’ve shared and the fear associated with it.

Scared To Quit Over Drinking

When I quit in July, I ordered your book the day I got home. It was July 1st and I had seen your book and hid from it. Then, in August … in July, when I was home and I was reading it – This Naked Mind, Control Alcohol, Find Freedom Discover Happiness and Change Your Life. I didn’t want to read it in public because I was afraid that people would think that I was an alcoholic.

Thinking It Might Be Time To Quit Over Drinking?

Are you concerned you might be over drinking or an alcoholic? Find out if you need to make changes with this free guide!

https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/optin12510880

Click here to view original web page at anchor.fm

Keystone Habits In Action with Annie Grace

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 19:58:04 GMT

Keystone Habits

Keystone habits are life-changing. They’re the habits that the moment we add them to our lives, they help create momentum everywhere, and they don’t cause constraint in any way. When you add one, it can be life-changing and you will feel momentum. When you add several at once, everything in your life will feel like momentum.

Your business will grow faster, you will feel better. You will create the outcomes you want to in the world.

In this episode, I discuss with Annie Grace how her life and business had changed since she started adding keystone habits to her life.

Click here to view original web page at www.charfen.com

Momentum Podcast

I’m Alex Charfen, and this is the Momentum Podcast. Made for empire builders, game changers, trail blazers, shot takers, record breakers, world makers, and creators of all kinds. Those among us who can’t turn it off and don’t know why anyone would want to. We challenge complacency, destroy apathy, and we are obsessed with creating momentum so we can roll over bureaucracy and make our greatest contribution. Sure, we pay attention to their rules, but only so that we can bend them, break them, and rewrite them around our own will.

We don’t accept our destiny, we define it. We don’t understand defeat because you only lose if you stop, and we don’t know how. The rest of the world strives for average and clings desperately to the status quo. We are the minority, the few who are willing to hallucinate there could be a better future. Instead of just daydreaming of what could be, we endure the vulnerability and exposure it takes to make it real. We are the evolutionary hunters, clearly the most important people in the world, because entrepreneurs are the only source of consistent, positive human evolution, and we always will be.

For most of my life, I’m obsessed with how do I get more done? How do I be more effective? More efficient? More persuasive? How can I create more and get to my outcome faster? As a result, I’m also obsessed with the habits and the changes that you can make in your life that will create momentum everywhere. Like what are those keystone habits? I started with this hypothesis a long time ago that there had to be things that you could do that would help you everywhere. There had to be things that human beings could do that would make everything better. And so I started like hunting for those things. And they’ve turned me into the person I am today.

Navigating Big Life Changes, Alcohol Free with Annie Grace — Kate Anthony, CPCC, The Divorce ...

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 19:47:57 GMT

Kate Anthony and Annie Grace discuss navigating big life changes alcohol free, how to do it and what to watch out for.

Today I have a very special guest on the podcast. Well, I feel like all of my guests are very special. I rarely have anyone on my podcast that I don’t know well, either personally or professionally. It’s important to me to bring to you people I know, trust and believe in their message. Today is no exception. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Annie Grace, creator and founder of This Naked Mind.

I came to know Annie about five months ago when I found myself questioning my relationship with alcohol. You see, I never drank in my marriage. My ex-husband didn’t drink, so it was never really part of our life together. After my divorce, drinking was one of the first things I turned to. Over the years my drinking increased, pretty steadily. About five years ago I first began questioning my relationship with alcohol and checked out a bunch of different AA meetings. I realized pretty quickly that AA wasn’t for me. I just didn’t relate to the stories I heard in AA. My sober friends and I deemed me, “Not an alcoholic.” At that point I figured I didn’t really have a problem, so I continued on my way.

Fast forward to five months ago (about five years after my experience with AA and yes, I was still drinking in excess), I started reading Annie’s book, This Naked Mind. As soon as I started reading her book, I quit drinking. Why? Her book helped me to understand why I felt the way I did, why I was depressed and why I kept turning to alcohol to get through, well, anything. It was a very eye-opening experience. Of course, I started following Annie’s work religiously and even joined some of her programs. Her work has changed my life in a huge way. And now, she’s here on the podcast!

Navigating Big Life Changes Alcohol Free

In this episode we talk about the prevalence of drinking in divorce and in mom-culture at large. Plus, we talk about the science behind alcohol use and and its effects on your brain, how your children may be viewing you when you are drunk (and the effect it has on them), as well as navigating your feelings once you’ve quit drinking.

When you start to learn about becoming alcohol free (or, AF), you realize it’s less about deprivation and instead about wanting more for your life.

Show Highlights

Annie describes what This Naked Mind and The Alcohol Experiment are all about. “We’ve completely coupled and married alcohol with all the pleasant experiences in our lives. It’s really hard to tell if it’s the alcohol that is fun or if we would be having fun anyway.” (7:49)
When the label “alcoholic” feels unrelatable to someone who drinks, it can lead them to feel like they are “off the hook” with their drinking (13:24)
The stigma around saying, “I think I drink too much,” and how people assume, when you say that phrase, that you’re an alcoholic (16:18)
The truth about alcohol as a substance: it’s addictive no matter who you are, and it’s an anesthetic (17:20)
Alcohol is more addictive when the body and the brain are stressed (18:55)
Some real-life examples of how major life transitions can lead to a relationship with alcohol that is not comfortable – becoming a “gray-area drinker” (20:15)
Alcohol and depression – the science behind alcohol use and your brain (25:25)
How to navigate the wave of emotions that come after you’ve quit drinking (35:02)
The importance of becoming unafraid of silence – “If we can be in silence with ourselves, even if it hurts, so often we discover some really beautiful truths. Alcohol numbs that entire experience and the ability to really get to know and love yourself.” (40:05)
An important distinction between sadness and depression – they are not the same thing (42:51)
Mommy juice messaging: the messages aimed at women about alcohol and wine (45:43)
The lowdown on all the studies that say alcohol is good for us (53:28)

Click here to view original web page at www.kateanthony.com

Janey Lee Grace interviews Annie Grace & The Sober Club is open

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 19:38:43 GMT

Janey Lee Grace interviews one of the leading lights rocking the sobriety world Annie Grace. Annie is the author of This Naked Mind and chats with Janey about her own story and top tips for success. Janey Lee Grace reveals the opening of The Sober Club membership site for sobriety health, wellbeing and beyond. wwww.thesoberclub.com

This week’s podcast Alcohol Free Life features none other than Annie Grace author of This Naked Mind. In addition she has recorded a separate video interview on the most important pieces for your ‘sober toolkit’ for The Sober Club members. The Sober Club is open for membership. It’s a membership site and associated facebook group. There is a 90 day course ‘Get the Buzz without the Booze’. This is an amazing resources on Mindset. Nutrition and Fitness to fuel your Sober Journey. Incredible experts including nutritionists, naturopaths, weight management experts, relationship experts, fitness gurus, GP’s and more, provide exclusive content for us, regular online trainings and resources, plus of course challenges, such as our ‘Juice Shot’ challenge and our forthcoming Mindset and Meditation challenge (suitable for all).

The Alcohol Experiment

Your toolkit isn’t complete without participating in the always free Alcohol Experiment. Packed with daily emails and videos, a support network and a Facebook community. The Alcohol Experiment is the perfect place to start exploring an alcohol free life.

Join The Alcohol Experiment now!

Click here to view original web page at audioboom.com