How To Find Evidence You Are Drinking Less

The other day I was calling to make an eye doc appt and when she asked for my insurance ID number I could not see it on the card. I just kept saying "I only see the group number, I only see the group number", and after about 5 minutes I noticed the biggest part of the card was the ID number! This example may make you think I clearly need an eye exam, but the fact is - I had my contacts in! It seems more like once my brain decided the ID number wasn’t there I just couldn't see it.

Did you ever notice how many white cars you see on the road after you buy a white car? Ever notice when you start with a negative thought about someone - say a co-worker - you typically find anything he or she does as wrong? But, if your BFF did the same you wouldn’t mind.  Your brain is always looking for evidence to prove itself true.  It is so fascinating.  

There is a name for this process - confirmation bias, and your reticular activating system is a part of the brain that scans for evidence to prove you are right. Sounds like a super fancy name, but basically it’s like a nightclub bouncer that makes sure your brain doesn't have to deal with extra curricular activities and keeps it running efficiently.  It is always scanning and filtering.  This is great news if you are finding evidence as to how great you are for example. But, if you have been telling yourself you can never begin to drink less you will find all the evidence to support that thought, and keep you in a "business as usual" state of mind.

This is important to become aware of when you are trying to accomplish a new goal your brain will tell you how you can never do it. It’s easier for the brain to just find evidence for what you know, and what is comfortable. In order to take the next steps for any goal you first want to become aware of this and look for evidence, on purpose, that proves you can.  This is the work my friend.  

As mentioned above, a common thought that comes up for clients I work with is some version of “I can’t stop drinking”. So we question that. 

Is that really true? No. 

Are you drinking first thing in the morning? No.

Are you drinking all day at work? No. 

Do you eventually stop - even if you fall asleep? Yes. 

This may seem so simple but I’m telling you interrupting the thought loop is an important step in dismantling this idea.  As you learn to not over desire wine you want to begin finding evidence of when you are not.  When you become aware of what you are telling yourself you can then decide if you want to keep that story.  This is not always easy because your brain likes to be right.  Think about it - who wants to be wrong?  So even though the thought "I can't stop drinking" doesn't serve you, the brain feels more comfortable knowing it has always thought that.  Crazy right?   

I encourage you to really question what the upside is of telling yourself this.

Be willing to be wrong.

You can stop drinking.

You do.

Now start finding evidence for that.

If you want to learn 3 additional steps you can take to learn to drink less download the free guide:

Click here for guide - How To Drink Less Tonight.

It’s not as hard as you think.