Do you often beat yourself up, mentally, after drinking?
"Ugh, why did I say that last night?"
"I bet I sounded like an idiot."
"Why can't I get anything right?"
"Stupid. Left my jacket at the club. Now I am £300 down."
The list goes on.
But here's a thing.... what if you are not the one to blame?
What if I said you are a victim of clever marketing tactics and advertising by very well-financed alcohol brands, layers of decades of pre-built social acceptance, and peer pressure? All to get you to buy and consume an alcoholic beverage that not only costs you money, but also your mental health, physical health and, more important than anything, steals your time.
Alcohol is addictive. For everyone. Including you. How quickly you slide into relying on your beer in the evenings or glass of wine as you watch TV depends on the reasons you drink, and other factors, but it is addictive for all of us. You do not have to have an "addictive personality" or a family history of alcohol addiction. It is as equally addictive for you, as it is for me, and the person next to you.
So what if you give yourself a break? Stop blaming yourself, stop the rhetoric and negative feelings, and the mental scolding you give yourself when you failed to moderate in the way you had planned. Accept it for what it is... Alcohol being its usual addictive self, and making itself hard to resist. There is enough negativity in the world as it is, right now, without adding to it in your own head by constantly telling yourself off for something which was never your fault.
Forgiving yourself is where change starts. So stop blaming you. It is not your fault.
Amanda x
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