I was hypnotized last week.
Many of my clients come in and tell me that they’ve gone through hypnosis (through our clinic) for things like overeating or cravings and that it really helps. Then they work with me to fine-tune their eating even further (or vice-versa and they’ll go for hypnosis after me). It’s a great synergy between the two modalities.
So I scheduled a 1:1 appointment so that I could really experience this hypnosis thing myself.
My eating and exercise are pretty dialed in, but there’s been one part of my life that I still struggle with…
Overdrinking…
It’s an occasional repetitive pattern since high school/college that I have yet to align with my vision and the goals I’ve established for myself – even after all these years – AND with everything I know about alcohol, the gut, detox and metabolism, I still find myself overdrinking more often than I’d like.
Not that I’m this raging alcoholic or anything, but anyone who knows me, knows I like my wine….(or an extra dirty martini, spiked seltzer, skinny margarita, etc, etc…).
I rarely get ‘drunk’, and most of my friends think I’m being overly focused on this, but for me, I feel that I tend to drink too much socially (especially with summer weekend camping) which effects my sleep, how I feel the next day, my physical performance the next week, my metabolism, my hormones..even my motivation in business.
It feels like that old 2 steps forward, 3 steps back thing I wrote about last week.
Since I run a lot of detox programs, I take breaks from drinking several times a year, but it just bugs me that I go back to overdrinking socially…like a dieter who goes back to overeating.
So last week I was hypnotized to drink less – no more than 2-3 drinks at a sitting – which I’ve learned through experience is just before that tipping point where things start to go downhill for me. (Notice I didn’t want to be hypnotized to stop drinking altogether. For me, right now, that would be too extreme. I enjoy good wine and craft cocktails and the pleasure of sharing in the experience too much to ban it entirely.)
It was an interesting exploration because I had to unpack the underlying causes of my overdrinking even further. It’s quite a complex web of factors – not just one thing. As I often teach with food – with overeating, belly fat, being overweight, etc.. – these are the symptoms, not the root causes or the underlying issues that cause the unwanted behavior.
In my case, much of my overdrinking was habitual, being a fast, mindless drinker (jonesing for the next one before finishing the last one type of thing)….but a lot of it has to do with social anxiety (I’m an introvert), my wanting to avoid uncomfortable feelings/numbing out, giving away my energy to others…and my beliefs.
One belief in particular hit me like a brick.
My belief that if I change this part of my lifestyle, people won’t like me. I won’t be (or have as much) fun… or that others will feel uncomfortable around me.
This last point was a biggie that I didn’t realize had a stronghold on me until I dug deeper. Obviously drinking loosens me up, gets me out of my head and sometimes makes me more social and funny (maybe? ok that’s debatable :/). But I realized through this awareness building process that I don’t need excessive alcohol to get the same result. In fact, excessive alcohol makes me feel stupid, disconnected and fills me with regret, so why do it?
I realized that no one really cares if I have only 2 or 3 drinks instead of 4 or 5. Just like no one really cares that I don’t eat gluten.
And if they do, that’s not my problem – that’s theirs. It’s not my responsibility to make people feel comfortable by keeping up with them drink-wise (or by eating what they eat).
Part of this stems back to my post-grad housemate days. I was in my early 20s and I was compelled to quit chain smoking and I got really into nutrition. Back then it was veganism for me. I bought a Vitamix and quit meat and was so gun-ho (or is it gung-ho?…anyway..). I wasn’t pushing my new ways on anyone, but I was really into it for myself and started to pull away from the partying, poor eating and smoking rituals we all had together.
I had transformed.
I’m sure on some levels, I was pretty annoying…and one of my housemates (the owner) really didn’t like the changes I was making and I basically got kicked out. The friendships we shared fell away and I went down a completely different path.
This was pretty traumatic at the time, but completely awesome as I look back.
This experience left a false imprint on me – maybe for the last 25 years – that people won’t like me if I change. Or that something traumatic might happen if I rock the boat. 
Isn’t it amazing how our brains work! That ‘protector” part of my brain had informed my behavior for decades.
So now my subconscious is ‘programmed’ to drink LESS – mindfully – and to feel comfortable, at ease, confident, witty, etc…as I do so. I’m also programmed to protect my energy, which I didn’t realize was oozing all over the place… being somewhat intuitive, empathetic and highly sensitive, I can now approach any situation lovingly and with the highest intention – but without giving myself away.
How empowering is that!?
My first test was camping this past Labor Day weekend and I passed with flying colors. I was mindful and comfortable and I gotta say -there were times I had to get up and do things – like some yoga and biking – because I was kinda getting bored just sitting there drinking (or not drinking, I should say).
Time will tell how this evolves and I’ll be sure to keep you all posted if you’d like, but just like when I quit smoking, I really feel that a switch has been flipped.
OK – Now it’s your turn…Tell me your stories or struggles with drinking, food or anything you’ve been wanting to improve or change in your life. I know that taking the shame out of the story allows us to heal and serve others, so don’t let shame or embarrassment stop you from sharing and shining the light on it. I’d love to hear from you and help in anyway I can ..xo. :).
Until next time,
xo
Ev
