Happy hour is supposed to be just that. An hour. But how long does it really last? And how much are you drinking during that “Wine o clock” hour?
It may start with the intention of just one or two drinks but deep down you know if you are one of those people who drinks too much. If you don’t know more than likely your friends or family could tell you. People don’t do the same thing sober that they do drunk and the majority of heavy drinkers or binge drinkers have a list of things that they’d rather forget or ignore. If any of these things are issues for you, I have some solutions for each of them.
GUILT and SHAME Some of these things you will want to forget, but undoubtedly there are things you don’t even remember that somebody told you about (perhaps a police officer) that you feel terrible about. You swear you’ll never do that again but the next time the opportunity presents itself to have a couple of drinks, remember, it’s just a crapshoot as to whether or not it’ll happen again
WORK SUFFERS. How many times have you not felt well enough to go to work or if you did go it was everything you could do to get through. Maybe it hasn’t gotten to the point where people have noticed yet. That was my wake-up call. I called the client when I was drunk one day and he told another counselor who threatened to report me and I could’ve lost my license.
FAMILY IS ANNOYED We don’t want to think it affects our family but it always does. They notice. If they have mentioned it to you it’s a problem that you need to look at. The long-term effects of what alcohol does to families are pervasive and you can’t ignore it, because they will be scarred for life. The unwillingness to hear the families concerned or anyone else for that matter indicates that you’re drinking or using is a higher priority than they are. Is that what you want?
LEGAL ISSUE how many people who got picked up for drunk or drugged driving expected that they would get arrested when they got behind that wheel? I know I never did and I got lucky. Laws have changed in many places in the world and in the United States, in some states like Wisconsin you can lose your driver’s license for life. See the law at Wisconsin Department of Transportation Lifetime revocation
Other things that happen when people are under the influence are violence, sexual encounters, and other activities that are illegal. I know several people who got ticketed for riding a bicycle under the influence and one man even got ticketed for walking while intoxicated! I’m serious! There are public drunkenness laws throughout the whole world! Disorderly conduct seems to be a very common occurrence with people who get drunk.
FINANCIAL PROBLEMS- and then there are us generous drunks or drug addicts who want everybody to be happy along with us, or miserable, whichever way it goes. We order a round for the house not realizing it’s gonna cost 100 bucks. Or if you’re into drugs, it will cost you a lot more than that. In addition there is buying things online or loaning people money that you’ll never see again and may not remember doing.
Even if you drink at home, go ahead and quantify the cost of your use. A lot of people smoke when they drink so be sure to add that in. Where is all that money coming from? What bills aren’t getting paid? What things aren’t your kids or other family members getting that they deserve? And don’t forget issues related to emergency room visits detox costs or hospitalizations. And if you do get into legal trouble there’s all that cost as well.
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH. Alcohol-related deaths in women have increased by 85% in the last 10 years in the United States! Just during the pandemic, it’s estimated that people are drinking as much as 25% or more than they were before the pandemic. During the first lockdown alcohol sales went up to over 100% so people were obviously drinking more and those who may not have been drinking at all started. National Institute of Alcohol and Alcoholism. A new global study states that there is NO safe amount of alcohol. How does that sit with you? If you are quickly scrambling to find the article that says it’s healthy to have a glass of wine every day you have a clue that giving it up is going to be hard.
Alcohol is one of the deadliest addictions there is. It impacts many parts of the body and if you try and quit drinking cold turkey you could go into a seizure and die without the proper treatment. It also causes massive depression and anxiety that doesn’t go away overnight! Sometimes we drink because of our mental illness that goes untreated so you need to take care of those issues first.
IS THIS YOUR PURPOSE OR YOUR PROBLEM? So do you have a problem? If you’re feeling uncomfortable reading this article or if somebody gave it to you to read you probably do.
What I know from personal experience is that the longer you prolong facing it the worse it gets and the more damage is done on every level. Are you ready to check out sobriety and see how it feels?
If you are still wondering if you are drinking too much here is my “How Much is Too Much” checklist and then consider the time and money you spend on alcohol or other self sabotaging behaviors. Is this what God created you for?
SO NOW WHAT?
I’m not saying it’s easy or you have to commit to never drinking again, but if you take one day at a time it’s possible. I have spent the last 45 years in recovery learning how and practicing how to stay clean and sober. I have been a professional counselor for over 30 years and have been developing tools for people with problems and this is what you will get if you work with me and attend our upcoming events like our 7 Day Sobriety Challenge Summit.
- You are not alone- you will hear other people’s stories and get support from those who understand your struggle
- You will gain tools and tips to overcome the challenges and temptations you will face getting sober
- Counseling/coaching will help you to look at what has driven you to drink/use things that sabotage your well being and how to start moving forward
- Freedom from guilt and shame of the past is yours. We will teach you how to find it
- Discover Purpose Driven Sobriety by understanding who God created you to be and do. We will help you figure out what you love without drinking or using.
- Financial rewards are yours because if you aren’t spending money on alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, or other addictive things you will be in much better financial shape than you were before.
- Mental and physical health will improve and you will be able to have more peace of mind, hope for the future and health to enjoy life.
Will you give it a try? Even if you aren’t ready to quit, please join our FREE 12 speaker line up 7 Day Sobriety Challenge and see what you think. If you want to try doing 7 days without drinking (or using, or like me…no sugar UGH) remember, you only have to do one day at a time (take it one minute…that happy hour seems to last forever when you are trying to not drink) We will be with you every step of the way.
Or maybe you are ready to join my Purpose Driven Sobriety 12 week intensive mastermind program. We open it up just a few times a year so jump on the next course before it fills up. You’ve heard it said that people who are starting their recovery should do 90 meetings in 90 days and this will give you that opportunity plus you’ll get the whole year of support to make sure your sobriety sticks. What do you say? Sign up for a strategy session with me to find out more about it.
LINDA LARSON SCHLITZ is an international best selling author and award winning counselor, speaker and life coach. Her passion is to help others overcome obstacles by discovering their God given purpose and learning how to get paid to do that purpose.
