AINYF SHORTS

Justifying Gray-Area Drinking: “Everybody Drinks This Way!”

No, they don’t.

If you’re worrying about how much you’re drinking or even have a slight feeling that you might be drinking too much, the precipice you’re teetering on could lead you to problem drinking.

You might have already jumped.

Here are a few things to consider next time you justify drinking by telling yourself, “Everybody drinks this way, so I don’t have a problem.”

You tell your friends you think you might be drinking too much, and they laugh it off or tell you you’re fine.

Don’t believe them. They are only telling you that to justify their drinking. Agreeing with you would be to admit they have a problem. It’s easier to continue lying to others and themselves.

Take a close look at your friends and their actions. Do you compare your drinking to theirs and think … “They do it, and they’re OK,” you say.

But are you sure they’re OK? Are you sure they’re not comparing their drinking to yours, and you’re all trapped in a circle of enablers justifying their alcohol consumption because doing the latter would mean facing their demons?

Scenes on television and in movies show people drinking and having fun!

Yes, they do. And who hasn’t longed for a glass of wine (or more) while watching a romantic movie filmed in a vineyard in Italy?

That’s because there’s money in alcohol advertising. And product placement in movies and television is even more effective than paid commercials.

When you see a commercial, you know someone paid for it. But a paid commercial can’t compete with the subliminal messages you get when you associate drinking with your favorite actor, online influencer, or entertainment superstar.

Product placement is no accident, my friends. The alcohol industry is very much aware of the power of association.

Yes, but I’m not an alcoholic.

The disheveled drunk on the street is no longer the norm. The highly functional, well-dressed corporate mogul is.

As for the word alcoholic? It’s outdated at best.

Alcohol use disorder is a broad term for the many spectrums of problem drinking. They range from “take it or leave it” drinkers to people physically and emotionally addicted to alcohol.

The drinking patterns between these two extremes are a danger zone of denial. Just because you fall in the middle doesn’t mean you don’t have a problem.

Consider your drinking patterns. Examine the triggers that lead you to drink. Do you immediately anticipate a glass of wine when someone invites you to lunch? Does the thought of happy hour conjure up a beautifully lit bar with hundreds of bottles and a menu of exotically named cocktails?

White wine, fish. Red wine, meat. Barbecue, beer. After dinner drink, Cognac

The associations are so deeply ingrained in our psyches, they’ve become a word association drinking game.

Waiter: Can I get you something to drink?

You: I’ll have a vodka tonic.

Why not iced tea? Why not juice? Why not water?

See what I mean?

Dig even deeper, and you’ll find the internal triggers that leave you reaching for the bottle. The argument with your spouse, your demanding boss, the irrational customer service representative, your kids, your finances, your life, in general.

Those things drive the urge for that quick relief that makes everything seem OK, even if it’s only temporary — even if the payoff is a hangover, a promise that you will never drink again, yet another Day 1, and the start of the vicious cycle the next time the triggers threaten.

Have you ever reached for a drink without asking yourself if you want one?

If the questions and scenarios in this article make you even the tiniest bit uncomfortable, don’t dismiss them.

Exploring why you’re uncomfortable is the first step to pausing a habit that can ruin your health, and it could be a first step to stopping it altogether before it kills you.

Are You Ready to Be Sober Cool?

Thank you for reading this article.

I appreciate you and welcome your comments. If you found this article helpful, please share it and give it a few claps so others can find it.

And if you’d like to support me and get full access to the thousands of stories published on Medium for only $5 per month, you can sign up through my affiliate link here.