If you are like me and most of my clients you want to quit drinking but you want to wait and get through the holidays first. If you are thinking about addressing your relationship with alcohol, but putting it aside for now, and planning on doing something about it in the new year, I hear you. Are you feeling defeated almost daily by staying in the drinking cycle and continuing to not take action on a bad habit that is starting to take more than it gives? It doesn’t feel good to worry about your drinking incessantly and then do nothing about it. I know, I’ve been there. 

You might feel like you don’t have the capacity to completely abstain from alcohol this holiday season. You want to delay the endeavor for another better time in the future. A fresh start so to speak. I understand this. It is natural to resist change, especially such a big one like drinking. 

I personally think right now is always the best time to address and evaluate...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You can support and donate to a variety of options to fight against breast cancer. There are pink ribbons, lip gloss, blankets, shoes, stickers, t-shirts and more. 

The most well known good that you can purchase to fight against breast cancer is alcohol. 

Many well meaning organizations are fighting breast cancer with alcohol. There are “drink for pink” and “clink for pink” campaigns. There specific wines labeled to support breast cancer research.  

A famous Chicagoland steakhouse has offered clever taglines for their breast cancer awareness campaign. Fighting breast cancer,  “One cosmo at a time.” , offering “Highballs for hope”, or  “Brews for Breast Cancer” and “Spritz for Sage. Cocktails offered for a cure. They are generously donating proceeds of the profit of alcohol sales towards research for breast cancer.

Why...

I started the week with a cycle class at my new gym.

It’s been a while since I took a spin class.

I was intimidated.

When I scheduled the class at the end of last week...

I wanted to start the week off with a bang.

I wanted to put myself first, 

get a hard thing out of the way, 

and create new energy for my week.

I usually start Monday's really slow.

I sit and sip my coffee on the couch, under a blanket, with Rocky at my feet.

I journal. 

I write a blog.

I write a newsletter. 

I stay in my pajamas.

I drink my green juice as a late morning breakfast,

before heading to the shower to really start my day and my week. 

So when this Monday rolled around,

the dreams I had for myself last week when I scheduled this class,

were met with resistance.

I sat on the couch under my blanket with my coffee.

Time went too fast and it was time to go to class.  

I didn’t want to.

I wanted to stay home.

I wanted to cancel. 

I...

If there was any question, after last night’s Super Bowl win, Tom Brady solidified his position at GOAT. He has worked hard to earn and keep this title. 

He has dedicated his life to playing football and winning Super Bowls. 

He is committed to a lifestyle that allows for super human performance. 

He goes to bed by 9 pm every night and allows for 9 hours of sleep. 

He keeps a rigorous fitness and nutritious diet routine. 

He avoids alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and late night snacks.

Some people think this is sad. 

That he is missing out on partying, junk food, and perhaps living a narrow life.

I think I would have thought that too when I was drinking.

As a drinker, I thought a good time was the opportunity to drink as much as I wanted.

I considered limitless alcohol consumption to be freedom, celebration, and rebellion.

Now, I see alcohol as the lock, on the cage of dependence, I was in. 

As a sober person, my value system has changed.

I no...

Many Americans have been drinking more since the coronavirus pandemic. 

American adults say they're drinking 14% more often during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report in the journal JAMA Network Open. The increase in frequency of drinking for women was more pronounced, up 17% compared to last year.

Instances of heavy drinking among women, which for women was defined as four or more drinks within a couple of hours, spiked by 41%.

We know it is not a healthy choice, but disassociate from the idea that it negatively affects the body’s immune system. Weakening our defense against the exact virus we are trying to avoid. 

We are coping with our stress, fear, and boredom with alcohol.

At first it felt like just playing hooky, not going into the office and hunkering down at home. Making the best of the situation by Zoom Happy Hours and Quarantini’s.

Social connection and a sense of humor go a long way towards a healthy state of being and I commend these...

If drinking is good for my health then why do I feel like shit after I drink? 

If drinking relaxes me, then why do I feel crippling anxiety after a night of drinking?  

Well friends, I hate to tell you, but your beloved bottle of wine is doing more harm than good.

You know this from your own experience, and not because I am telling you. 

It's not that hard to find a research study that suggests drinking in moderation is good for the heart. You can easily find some research that implies drinking helps you to live longer. 

Believe me, when I say, as a drinker, nothing comforted me more than hearing science was on my side, and drinking was good for my health.

The bad news is, these studies are often funded by alcohol companies.

The outcomes are often based on factors other than alcohol.  

In all the studies key word is moderation, which typically means one 5 oz glass of wine per day.

We would all like to think we are just moderate drinkers, but...

I just saw a post by a nutritionist saying you can drink alcohol and still lose weight. 

Her profile says she’s a wellness coach and nutritionist whose main goal is to help people feel good about themselves. 

She’s proof because she reports that she has been doing this all her life. 

By the looks of her supermodel swimsuit profile picture, its working!

If drinking alcohol and losing weight is your goal, surely you can find a way to do both. 

However, why would a nutritionist be suggesting this? 

If you want to lose weight even faster, you can try cocaine! 

Cocaine is full of appetite suppressing qualities. 

This sounds absurd for a nutritionist to suggest, doesn’t it? 

A nutritionist suggesting anyone keep drinking a poison and also lose weight, sounds just as absurd to me. Just because alcohol is the most widely used drug, doesn’t take away from the fact that it is indeed a drug. Just because it is a legal drug,...