Mindful Drinking

For Many Who Want To Rein In Their Drinking, Quitting Can Seem Like The Only Way, But Alcohol-Reduction Expert, Clinical Hypnotherapist And Author Georgia Foster Says It Is Possible To Find A Balance

- Georgia Foster & Monique Mckenzie

What’s mindful drinking all about?

Mindful drinking involves thinking about drinking in a more positive way. People often drink mindlessly because they’re escaping something – boredom, anxiety, stress – or because at the end of the day they feel like it’s finally their time to do what they like. We develop a tolerance towards alcohol though, so the more we drink, the more the body needs to get that fix. Studies show that when you’re feeling vulnerable, scared, angry or tired and you’ve used alcohol for a medicinal purpose in the past, your brain will continue to demand it.

Mindfulness is part of mindful drinking. It’s about slowing down and starting to think about why you’re drinking, understanding the emotional conditioning that’s going on, and training yourself to drink in a healthier way.

If you want to cut back, you need to learn new ways to do so. One is to create other coping strategies such as improving your self-esteem and visualising different outcomes so that you don’t need to use alcohol as an escape. Many people don’t have alcohol-free days because they find they don’t know who they are, or they’re not comfortable with who they are when they’re not drinking. So the idea is to start to become familiar with not being a drinker and get that practice in, so if you do choose to drink, it’s for positive reasons, not to escape.

How it works