The brain associates alcohol with feeling confident around others.

Drinking helps quiet your anxiety and forget about insecurities so that you can enjoy socializing.

This archetype commonly appears in unfamiliar social settings, especially when you feel pressure to make a good impression.

It can also appear in familiar situations with people you know well.

The Mask tends to show up when:

• • Meeting new people or trying to make friends.
  • Dating or newly single.
  • Facing obligations to socialize, entertain, or network.
  • Perceiving that other people are more accomplished, worldly, smarter, funnier, etc.

When The Mask is activated, saying no interferes with your desire to feel confident and enjoy yourself, making it hard to abstain or moderate.

“If I’m not going to drink, I’d rather not go.”

The specific thoughts, feelings, and actions associated with The Mask create a learned behavior that influences how much and how often you drink.

The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less outlines what you need to practice thinking, feeling, and doing instead to combat The Mask archetype.

GET THE GUIDE »

The Mask often uses anxiety to sabotage rules, drink plans, and Dry Januarys.

• • You worry that if you don’t drink, you’ll always feel socially awkward.
  • You tend to drink quickly so you can loosen up faster.
  • You think that drinking is the only way to unlock your fun side.
  • If you don’t drink, you’re worried everyone will notice, or it will be a big deal.
  • You can’t believe you still care what people think about you, but you do.
  • You drink while getting ready so you don’t pick apart your appearance.
  • You like having a drink to take the edge off before heading out.
  • You like to show up early and have a quick drink before people arrive.
  • You find it easier to accept the drink rather than answer people’s questions.
  • You find it difficult to come up with the “right” answer for why you’re not drinking.
  • You’ve felt the need to disguise that you’re drinking something non alcoholic.
  • If you’re not drinking in social settings, you notice that you’re eating more.

Willpower and discipline often fall short because they ignore the subconscious desire behind reaching for a drink.

Learn about The Mask’s deeper desire in The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less and why it’s the hidden key to success.

GET THE GUIDE »

“Confidence isn’t the absence of anxiety. It’s knowing exactly what to do when it shows up.”

If you want to drink less, you have to do more than say “No!” to your cravings. You must dismantle the beliefs associated with The Mask that lead to giving in.

Get the specific exercises for The Mask archetype inside The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less.

GET THE GUIDE »

Letting go of The Mask will make you more comfortable.

• • Liking who you are is your default setting.
  • Feeling comfortable in your skin no matter the setting.
  • Watching your anxiety around others bubble up and then quickly subside without a drink.
  • Naturally scanning for similarities with others over differences.
  • Quickly and believably challenging your inner critic when it swoops in.
  • No longer wanting to “fix” yourself.