Licensed counselor Laura Louise Green, Med, LPC, has developed a weekly series of prompts for people who are re-assessing their relationship with alcohol. The following has been edited and republished with permission. It is part one of a four-part series. To learn more, visit www.healthypour.org.
It’s the time of year where a lot of people are rethinking their relationship with alcohol through participating in ‘dry January’. These prompts are meant to help you better understand what you’re experiencing so you can make the most out of this time.
Please note: the first week can be the hardest, so take care of yourself and drink lots of water. And please, and we cannot stress this enough, be mindful when going sober if you drink heavily. There are severe risks when detoxing from alcohol, so if you think you might be chemically dependent, contact a medical professional or call the SAMHSA Helpline at 1 800 622 HELP, and they will connect you with resources to safely detox.
Thought Prompts for When You’re Changing Your Relationship with Alcohol
- How have my first few days been with this change? What are some physical sensations I’ve been experiencing?
- What feelings have been arising? Are they different feelings at different times? What might be bringing them up?
- Drinking takes up a lot of time. What am I doing with this extra time? What is that experience like?
- What about my relationships? Have they changed without alcohol? How? Who am I finding support from?
- Are there moments when I think about alcohol? What are they? Are there some moments that are stronger than others?
- Am I experiencing especially challenging moments? What are they? How am I coping?
- Are there behaviors or activities that I find myself engaging in more now? What is that experience like?
Laura Louise Green, MEd, LPC is a licensed professional counselor and organizational consultant from Chicago, IL. After working in the hospitality industry for nearly 20 years, she utilizes her knowledge and skills as a trained and licensed mental health professional to facilitate training, growth, and healing within the hospitality sector. She is the founder of Healthy Pour, a consultancy seeking to improve the mental health and well-being of individuals, communities, and organizations within the hospitality and hospitality-adjacent industries through thoughtful education, coaching, future-building, intervention development, conflict resolution, and research. Find more information here.
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