06/08/2026
Which is exactly why we are here 💛
I often used to say, ‘I could easily not drink’ - I rarely drank every day, so a belief that I held was that not drinking wouldn’t be a problem for me. I felt comfortable in that belief, it gave me a way out if needed.
My pattern was this - feel hungover. Feel anxious. Feel fed up of feeling this way. Decide that’s it. I’m taking a break from alcohol. Day 1, often hungover, easy. Day 2 determined. Day 3/4 - feeling of achievement, trigger feeling of the need to celebrate - decide that clearly there’s no problem as I’ve just done days with no alcohol. Laugh at myself for being so dramatic. Possibly drink in moderation a few times. More feelings of achievement . Always the same outcome though, because always always always, I’d eventually drink more than I intended. I’d eventually drink too much. I’d eventually feel the pull of buying 2 bottles rather than 1. I’d eventually drink enough to bring the hangover back. The anxiety. The headaches. The throwing up at 3am. I’d eventually start questioning every fibre of my being once again, in a moonlit bathroom full of self loathing.
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. 🔁
I did this for years. Bloody years.
Until I didn’t. Until I decided this was no longer fun. That alcohol felt like a trap. That I realised that actually I’m never the one in control from the moment it’s in the glass. Realised that actually, doing this alone is beyond me, despite how bizarre that felt to say.
I didn’t need alcohol support services.
But I needed support. I needed other women that ‘get it’.
Relate?
Come along to our next group meeting, free in person support for women who want to remove, reduce, or take a break from alcohol. Upton church room, Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire. 6.30-7.30pm. Thursday 13th August.
Want more support? Join Women Who Dont Drink accountability group, online community support with weekly zoom calls, online coaching programs, group experts - the lot, for just £29 per month.
www.womenwhodontdrink.com
Want even more support? I offer 1-1 coaching for women, book a free 30 min discovery call and let’s chat. Spaces available from September are limited.
www.harrietelstoncoaching.co.uk