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

Latest Episodes:

493: Why Is It So Hard to Stop Drinking Once I Start? Nov 03, 2026

Show notes

You know you're going to regret drinking too much, so why is it still so hard to stop once you start? Maybe you promise yourself you'll only have one or two drinks, but once you're drinking, all those good intentions seem to disappear. And what's especially confusing is that sometimes you can stop without a problem, while other times having another drink feels almost impossible to resist.

This week, we're exploring why the usual explanations for struggling to stop drinking don't always tell the whole story. Focusing on the consequences of drinking too much might seem like the obvious way to motivate yourself, but what if you're looking at your decisions from the wrong perspective?

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/

Learn more about Alcohol Relearned here: https://rachelhart.com/interest/

Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/493 What if you've been given the wrong explanation for why it's so hard to drink less? Take a Break with Master Certified Coach Rachel Hart offers a radically different approach to changing your relationship with alcohol. Where alcohol isn't demonized and you're not constantly reminded of all the reasons drinking is bad for you. Instead, you'll learn how alcohol, your brain, and behavior change actually work together and get practical tools to change your drinking in a way that works for you.

492: When Drinking Less Feels Impossible Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

When drinking less feels impossible, it's easy to convince yourself that now just isn't the right time to try. With holiday parties, family gatherings, endless temptations, and all the stress that comes with the end of the year, waiting until January can seem like the smartest decision. After all, why set yourself up for failure when you could start fresh once things settle down?

This week, we're exploring why postponing your goal of drinking less can feel so reasonable, even when you're genuinely committed to making a change. What if the circumstances that make you want to put your goal on hold aren't actually the obstacle you think they are? And what might you be missing when you decide to wait for an easier time?

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/492 What if you've been given the wrong explanation for why it's so hard to drink less? Take a Break with Master Certified Coach Rachel Hart offers a radically different approach to changing your relationship with alcohol. Where alcohol isn't demonized and you're not constantly reminded of all the reasons drinking is bad for you. Instead, you'll learn how alcohol, your brain, and behavior change actually work together and get practical tools to change your drinking in a way that works for you.

491: What If My Drinking Isn't Causing Problems? [Listener Q&A] Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

When your drinking isn't causing problems in your life, it can be hard to know whether there's any reason to change. Maybe your relationships are good, you're doing well at work, and alcohol genuinely helps you relax, have fun, or feel less bored. If nothing seems to be going wrong, are you just creating a problem where there isn't one?

This week, I'm answering a listener question about what to do when you recognize the benefits of drinking but aren't experiencing any obvious negative consequences. We're exploring why the question of whether you have a drinking problem can be more complicated than it seems, and why there may be something worth investigating even when everything in your life looks fine.

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/491 What if you've been given the wrong explanation for why it's so hard to drink less? Take a Break with Master Certified Coach Rachel Hart offers a radically different approach to changing your relationship with alcohol. Where alcohol isn't demonized and you're not constantly reminded of all the reasons drinking is bad for you. Instead, you'll learn how alcohol, your brain, and behavior change actually work together and get practical tools to change your drinking in a way that works for you.

490: When no one is pressuring you to drink, but you feel pressured anyway Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever felt pressured to drink even when no one was actually pressuring you? Maybe you order a glass of wine because everyone else is drinking, or you say yes to another round because you don't want to deal with questions about why you're stopping. No one is telling you what to do, and yet saying no still feels surprisingly difficult.

This week, we're exploring why you can feel pressured to drink even when that pressure isn't coming directly from anyone around you. There's often more influencing your decisions than you realize, and some of it starts happening before you even arrive at the party, restaurant, or social gathering. Understanding these invisible influences can help explain why drinking sometimes feels like the easier choice.

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/490 What if you've been given the wrong explanation for why it's so hard to drink less? Take a Break with Master Certified Coach Rachel Hart offers a radically different approach to changing your relationship with alcohol. Where alcohol isn't demonized and you're not constantly reminded of all the reasons drinking is bad for you. Instead, you'll learn how alcohol, your brain, and behavior change actually work together and get practical tools to change your drinking in a way that works for you.

489: Sticking to my goal of one drink [Listener Q&A] Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

Setting a goal to have just one drink can feel simple enough when you make the decision ahead of time. But then you finish that drink, you want another, everyone around you is still drinking, and suddenly all the reasons you had for stopping at one don't feel nearly as convincing.

This week, I'm answering a listener question about how to stick to your goal of one drink when the alcohol is flowing. Most of us put all our attention on the number and assume following through comes down to discipline or willpower. But there's another part of the plan that's easy to overlook, and it can make all the difference when it's time to stop.

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/489 What if you've been given the wrong explanation for why it's so hard to drink less? Take a Break with Master Certified Coach Rachel Hart offers a radically different approach to changing your relationship with alcohol. Where alcohol isn't demonized and you're not constantly reminded of all the reasons drinking is bad for you. Instead, you'll learn how alcohol, your brain, and behavior change actually work together and get practical tools to change your drinking in a way that works for you.

488: Why do I drink even when I don't enjoy it? [Listener Q&A] Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

It can be incredibly confusing to keep reaching for a drink when you're not even enjoying it that much. Maybe it doesn't taste as good as you expected, the buzz isn't delivering what you imagined, or you find yourself pouring another while wondering why you're doing it at all.

This week, I'm answering a listener question about why we continue drinking when part of us doesn't even want it. We'll explore why focusing on everything you dislike about drinking may not give you the answers you're looking for, and why there's another side of the equation that's easy to overlook.

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/487 What if you've been given the wrong explanation for why it's so hard to drink less? Take a Break with Master Certified Coach Rachel Hart offers a radically different approach to changing your relationship with alcohol. Where alcohol isn't demonized and you're not constantly reminded of all the reasons drinking is bad for you. Instead, you'll learn how alcohol, your brain, and behavior change actually work together and get practical tools to change your drinking in a way that works for you.

487: When you're trying to drink less but surrounded by temptation Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Being surrounded by alcohol can make drinking less feel almost impossible. When your partner drinks, your friends want another round, or so much of your social life revolves around alcohol, it's easy to believe you'd have more success if you could just get rid of the temptation.

This week, we're exploring why changing your environment can be helpful without making it responsible for your success. Avoiding certain situations may give you some much-needed breathing room, but believing you can only succeed when temptation disappears can create a different problem, especially when alcohol inevitably shows up again.

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/487

486: Using the people you love as motivation to drink less Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Wanting to drink less for the people you love can feel like powerful motivation. Maybe you want to be a better parent, a more present partner, or simply stop giving the people closest to you a reason to worry. But relying too heavily on those reasons can create a problem you might not see coming.

Tune in this week to discover why doing this work for the people you love can sometimes backfire. You'll learn how an invisible scorecard can start influencing your decisions, why resentment can make giving in suddenly feel more appealing, and how to find reasons for changing your drinking that remain compelling no matter what the people around you are doing.

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/486

485: How Under-Fueling Leads to Drinking More Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

That mid-afternoon or end-of-day craving for a drink can feel incredibly predictable. Maybe you assume your brain has simply learned that this is when you drink, but what if there's something else turning up the volume on your desire for alcohol?

This week, we're exploring the connection between under-fueling and drinking more. What if some of the signals you interpret as wanting a drink are tangled up with something happening in your body? And what if years of rules about when, what, and how much you should eat have made that connection harder to recognize?

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/485

484: When family members don't support your decision to drink less Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

When family members don't understand your decision to drink less or stop drinking, their disapproval can feel especially difficult to shake. You may know that you're making the right choice for you and still find yourself wishing they would understand, accept it, or simply stop commenting on it.

This week, we're exploring why a family member's reaction can feel so much more charged than someone else disagreeing with your choices. What if their judgment doesn't mean quite what your brain thinks it means? And what might become possible if you stopped trying to get them to understand your decision?

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/484

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