Hey everyone, this episode is coming out the last full week of December, so I’m going to keep it short. For years, I felt so intensely alone when it came to my drinking and so confused about why I couldn’t get a handle on it because I was so successful in a lot of areas of my life. But all the grit and determination and smarts that I had everywhere else just seemed to evaporate when it came to drinking. And because of that, I carried so much shame. I would go to therapy and I would talk about everything else in my life, but I would never broach the topic of my drinking.

I would rarely talk about it with friends, and the few times that I did, I never found it all that helpful. And whenever I would ask Google questions, everything seemed to point to AA and the idea that alcohol made some people powerless, and if you weren’t able to moderate, the only solution was to stop drinking forever. And all of that made me feel more alone. So I know precisely how awful it is when it feels like no one understands and you have no place to turn.

This is why I wanted to create a resource for all of my listeners out there, a place where you can feel comfortable sending in questions because you know it’s not going to be met by judgment or shame or scare tactics, and you’re not going to be told that there’s only one solution for everyone. Starting now, you can submit questions for me to answer on the podcast by going to RachelHart.com/podq. That’s P O D Q. It’s totally free, and it’s a way for you to start examining the habit and your patterns around drinking from a place of non-judgment and curiosity.

Because if you listen to me over the years, you know that I don’t think demonizing alcohol or focusing on the harms of drinking is all that helpful when it comes to creating lasting change. It certainly wasn’t for me. Yes, I could temporarily shame or scare myself into not drinking for short periods of time, but when I did start drinking again, I always just fell back into the same patterns.

So you can send me your questions, questions about cravings, urges, excuses, worries that you have about other people, feeling like you’re too old or the habit is too ingrained for you to actually create real change. Whatever keeps you up at night, whatever obstacle feels insurmountable, I am here to help and to help you see that there is an answer that doesn’t make you the problem. It doesn’t require convincing yourself that alcohol is poison, and it doesn’t force you to accept a framework of being powerless.

Whatever your question is about drinking, you can submit it by going to RachelHart.com/podq. Again, that’s P O D Q. Now, I won’t be able to feature every single question we get, but here’s what I know to be true after coaching people for almost a decade. Number one, just taking the time to write out your question can create a huge shift for you. Getting your question out of your head and on to the proverbial paper can be enough to help you take a step back and see your situation not only from a different perspective, but also hear an intuitive answer bubble up inside of you, and that can be incredibly powerful.

Number two, when you’re struggling, it can feel like you’re all alone, like no one else can relate to what you’re going through. But in the almost decade that I’ve been helping people drink less, I can tell you, this is never the case. There are so many other people out there with the exact same question and worry and obstacle that you have. They just don’t have a place to say it out loud. And so not only will the questions that all of you submit help so many people, but all of you will also be helped by hearing me answer questions from all the other listeners out there as well.

So if you have been listening to the podcast for a while and you’ve been thinking, “Oh, I wish I could just get Rachel’s take on my specific situation,” whatever is keeping you up at night, this is your invitation to ask me anything about your drinking. Again, you can go to RachelHart.com/podq. That’s P O D Q, and tell me where you feel stuck.

All right, that’s it for today. I will see you next week.

Hey guys, you already know that drinking less has plenty of health benefits. But did you know that the work you do to change your relationship with alcohol will help you become more of the person you want to be in every part of your life?

Learning how to manage your brain and your cravings is an investment in your physical, emotional and personal wellbeing. And that’s exactly what’s waiting for you when you join my membership Take a Break.

Whether you want to drink less, drink rarely, or not at all, we’ll help you figure out a relationship with alcohol that works for you. We’ll show you why rules, drink plans, and Dry January so often fail, and give you the tools you need to feel in control and trust yourself.

So, head on over to RachelHart.com and sign up today, because changing the habit is so much easier when you stop trying to go it alone.