Take a Break from Drinking: Practical Tools to Drink Less & Change Your Relationship with Alcohol

Latest Episodes:

447: I'm an adult, I can drink if I want to [Thought Swap] Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

How often do you find yourself saying, "I'm an adult, I can drink if I want to"?

While it's technically true that you're an adult who can make your own choices, here's the deeper truth: this thought isn't really about the drink.

Tune in this week to hear why pouring a drink in these moments isn't an act of defiance but actually a distraction, how to identify what you're really rebelling against, and three specific thought swaps that will help you challenge this excuse when it pops up.

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/447

446: I might as well drink because you only live once [Thought Swap] Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

Have you ever caught yourself saying "You only live once!" as you reach for another drink?

The "you only live once" excuse often gets connected to alcohol in our minds, especially when you're seeking a more fun, adventurous, or unfiltered version of yourself. The challenge is that when your brain links the life you want to lead with drinking, trying to cut back can feel like saying no to being fully yourself or being all in on the experience of life.

Tune in this week to discover how to access your wild or bold side without needing a drink as permission, and 3 powerful thought swaps that help you keep that "you only live once" vibe while decoupling it from needing a drink.

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/446

445: I'll be more comfortable with a drink [Thought Swap] Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

Do you feel more comfortable with a drink in your hand at social events?

For years, my solution to social anxiety was simple: head straight to the bar, grab a drink, and feel that familiar wave of relief wash over me as the edges of my nervousness softened. But what happens when that glass becomes less of a choice and more of a requirement for feeling comfortable around other people?

Listen in this week to hear three thought swaps that will help you start questioning whether you're really more comfortable with a drink in your hand. This isn't about avoiding social situations or telling yourself alcohol is bad. It's about understanding the difference between masking discomfort and actually feeling comfortable in your own skin.

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/445

444: A drink makes everything better [Thought Swap] Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

How often do you catch yourself thinking, "A drink makes everything better"?

Maybe it's at parties, during vacation, or just unwinding after a long day. Maybe your list of things that are "better with a drink" seems endless. If a drink makes everything better, does that mean not drinking makes everything worse? And if that's true, how can you ever cut back without feeling like you're missing out?

Tune in this week to discover three specific thought swaps to help you question the story that a drink makes everything better, so you can start poking holes in beliefs that are keeping you stuck in patterns that aren't serving you.

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/444

443: Liking and Not Liking to Drink Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

Have you ever found yourself reaching for that third drink… even though you're not really enjoying it anymore? Or maybe you wake up the next morning thinking, "Why did I do that again? I didn't even like how it made me feel."

The tension between drinking and not enjoying it creates a confusing internal struggle. Sobriety coach Adriana Cloud is back this week to explore this common frustration where part of you recognizes drinking isn't working for you anymore while another part keeps wanting more.

Tune in this week to learn why your brain creates this confusing internal conflict (and why it doesn't mean you're broken), and practical ways to work with this internal tension instead of fighting against 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/443

442: The Lie of Sobriety as Self-Punishment Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Ever notice how sometimes choosing not to drink feels less like a positive choice and more like self-punishment?

Maybe the commitment was clear in your mind - tonight, no drinks. But then you watch someone order that dirty martini while you sit with your water, and suddenly saying no feels like you're punishing yourself. That familiar tension rises up: the part of you that wants to stick to your word battling against the part that feels resentful.

If not drinking feels like punishment, you're not alone. Listen in this week to discover why you might be relying on virtue as a way to decline a drink, the reason self-punishment doesn't work, and what to do instead to create lasting change.

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/442

441: When the Label Doesn't Fit Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

Have you ever wondered if you need to wear a certain label to get help with your drinking? Maybe you've thought, "I'm not really an alcoholic, but I don't feel like a normal drinker either."

You're not alone. This in-between space can feel incredibly isolating, especially when it seems like the only options are to identify as an alcoholic or keep struggling in silence. But what if the labels we've been told are essential to recovery are actually optional? What if they're doing more harm than good?

Tune in this week to discover why labels create a false black-and-white view of drinking problems when the reality exists on a spectrum. Whether you've struggled with labels or you're just curious about a different approach to changing your drinking habits, this episode will give you a fresh perspective on what's possible.

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/441

440: Awkwardness, Alcohol, and the Connector/Mask Trap Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

Most people have that one memory that makes them cringe - the party where they said the wrong thing, the meeting where they stumbled over their words, or when a simple "no thanks" to a drink turned into the most awkward moment of the night.

You spend so much energy trying to avoid these uncomfortable situations, building elaborate strategies to never feel that squirmy sensation again. But what if this avoidance actually makes social situations harder, especially when you're trying to change your drinking habits?

Tune in this week to learn how awkwardness impacts your ability to say no to a drink, why the Connector and Mask archetypes struggle most with this, and a simple reframe that transforms awkwardness from proof that something's wrong with you into a normal part of being human.

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/440

439: Non-Alcoholic Drinks: Safe Swap or Slippery Slope Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

Have you ever stood in front of the growing selection of non-alcoholic beverages and wondered if they're a smart choice or a slippery slope?

Non-alcoholic drinks are everywhere now: fancy mocktails at restaurants, craft NA beers at the grocery store, entire shops dedicated to alcohol-free spirits. But beneath the surface of this booming market lies a deeper question that many people wrestle with: are these drinks helping you move forward, or are they keeping you stuck in old patterns? The answer isn't as straightforward as you might think.

Tune in this week as Adriana Cloud joins me to dig into the archetypes most connected to non-alcoholic drinks, and explore how to approach these beverages with curiosity rather than rules.

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/439

438: When It Feels Easier to Pour the Drink Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

When you're standing in your kitchen with a craving, there's a moment where pouring the drink feels like the path of least resistance.

The familiar routine beckons - no thinking required, no uncomfortable feelings to navigate, just the well-worn neural pathway that promises immediate relief. But what if that sense of ease is actually an illusion?

Tune in this week as Adriana Cloud joins me to explore the hidden effort that comes with drinking on autopilot, and why the "easier" choice often creates more work on the back end. Most importantly, you'll understand why putting effort into change now saves you from the exhausting cycle of shame, self-pity, and mental obsession that comes from staying on the familiar path.

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/438

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Take a Break from Drinking: Practical Tools to Drink Less & Change Your Relationship with Alcohol

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected