You've made the list. You have all the reasons why drinking less is a smart choice. You know all the benefits and you really do want to change. So why isn't that enough in the moment? Why does your motivation disappear the second a craving shows up or as soon as you've finished your first drink? Many people spend years believing that their long list of good reasons should be enough to change my drinking habits. They’re bursting at the seams with benefits and regrets, convinced they should just know better by now. The mistake here? Trying to logic yourself out of desire, waiting for all your good reasons to rewire your brain. Join me this week to learn how desire really works, why you find yourself on autopilot the moment a craving hits, and what to do about it. Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/ Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/ Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/430
--------
20:35
--------
20:35
429: The Hidden Difference Between Having Fun and Chasing It
What’s the difference between having fun and chasing it? As kids, most people have a good 15 years of life when they knew how to have fun without a drink in their hand. Back then, your brain had no idea that the perception of fun could be outsourced to something external. You just went out and created your own enjoyment. When you get in the habit of drinking to have fun, you start expecting things to be fun with little to no effort. You sit there passively waiting for fun to happen to you, turning to your external environment and saying, "Okay, now you're in charge of my ability to have a good time." When you primarily consume fun through drinking, eating, watching TV, or scrolling online, you're looking for that easy dopamine hit that keeps you in a cycle you’re probably not super happy with. So, tune in this week to discover how to stop chasing fun, and how to start actually having fun. Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/ Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/ Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/429
--------
24:47
--------
24:47
428: Change Feels Hard Because You’re Meant to Grow
When contemplating taking a break from drinking or cutting back, most people focus on how hard it will be. They anticipate struggle, discomfort, and missing out on fun. Our brains are actually designed to avoid hard things. We’re wired to seek pleasure, avoid pain, and expend the least amount of energy possible. This motivational triad helped humans survive thousands of years ago when daily life required immense effort just to find food and shelter. But in today's world, where survival is relatively easy, this same wiring can keep you stuck in patterns that no longer serve you. This week, you’ll hear how, whether it’s changing your relationship with alcohol or any other challenging goal, choosing to do hard things forces you to grow and stretch beyond what you think you're capable of. Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/ Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/ Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/428
--------
33:34
--------
33:34
427: The Skill of Staying Present Through Discomfort
Ever felt like you just need a drink to handle discomfort? In this episode, you’ll hear how a terrifying bus ride through Alaska’s Denali National Park helped me realize that discomfort isn’t the enemy – it’s the chaos we create around it that trips us up. Through a narrow, winding road perched over sheer cliffs, fear consumed me. I reacted, resisted, and distracted myself, escalating the discomfort into a mental spiral. But when the journey turned back, I chose a different approach: staying present, feeling the discomfort, and observing it. That’s when everything changed. Tune in to learn how you can apply the skill of staying present through discomfort to urges, whether it's alcohol or any challenging emotion. The key to breaking habits is focusing on the discomfort, not escalating it into chaos. Letting the discomfort be there without reacting is the first step to regaining control and shifting your relationship with alcohol – and life. Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/ Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/ Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/427
--------
26:01
--------
26:01
426: Would You Still Drink If It Wasn’t Fancy?
The hidden influence of "drinking the good stuff" is shaping your relationship with alcohol in surprising ways. As you upgrade your drink choices to fancy wines, craft beers, or top-shelf spirits, you might notice thought patterns around waste and value that are driving overconsumption. Our beliefs about what constitutes "good" alcohol trace back to ancient times, when Greeks first established wine as an elite drink compared to the beer consumed by common people. These age-old status distinctions continue influencing modern drinking habits, as many of you feel compelled to finish expensive or rare drinks rather than "waste" them – even when you've had enough. Listen in this week to learn how labeling certain drinks as special, rare, or healthy impacts your consumption patterns and makes changing your drinking habits more challenging. Understanding this is what allows you to question whether the "good stuff" narrative truly serves you, or if it's simply marketing and social conditioning getting in the way of mindful drinking. Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/ Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/ Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/426
Tired of breaking your promise to go easy on the drinks tonight? You know your nightly habit isn’t great for your health or waistline, but it’s so hard to say no.
Sound familiar? Then you need Rachel. She knows what it’s like to be fed up with your drinking, worried about judgment from others, and turned off by approaches that focus on a higher power instead of brain science.
Learn the exact steps she used to change her relationship with alcohol. Discover how the brain works, the real reason you crave a drink, the key to changing your desire, and how to decide what’s right for you.
Create a life that is fun, spontaneous, relaxing, and, most importantly, pleasurable (no buzz necessary).
For her latest free class, visit linktr.ee/rachelhart or check out rachelhart.com for show notes and more.