Ep. 36: The Habits Tipping Point - When Choosing Not To Drink Becomes Easy and Simply Part Of Who You Are

The Habits Tipping Point: When Choosing Not to Drink Becomes Easy and Simply Part Of Who You Are Welcome to Episode #3 in the Atomic Habits series on how to break your habit of drinking based on the research into what works in changing behavior for long term success. In part one of Atomic Habits, Episode 34, we discussed how to quit drinking using identity based habits. We talked about how every action you take supporting your goal to be alcohol-free [like listening to this podcast] is casting a vote for your identity as a happy, healthy woman who doesn’t need to drink to have fun or cope with life. In part two of Atomic Habits, Episode 35, we talked about how to break your habit of drinking in four steps by changing your cues, cravings, responses, and rewards habit loop. And in today’s Episode, part three, we're going to talk about the tipping point. The point when your behavior changes and shifts into your identity. There is a tipping point where by choosing not to drink you are simply acting IN ALIGNMENT with who you are. The struggle not to drink is gone. Your mind is not constantly thinking about drinking or not drinking. You're someone who used to drink but don’t anymore, because you feel better without it. In this episode we’ll dig into: How to avoid the stumbling blocks that have tripped you up in the past and led you back to drinking. The most common thing that trips women up in their efforts to stop drinking is fear of the unknown and our natural inclination to stay where things are familiar and comfortable. I’ll help you break through this resistance to discover a new experience that is so much better than living in the drinking cycle. What to do when you’re in the ‘plateau of latent potential,’ the time period when the work you’re doing builds until you hit the tipping point. It’s easy to get impatient and frustrated when you hit 30 or 60 days without alcohol. It’s not as hard as it was in the beginning, but you still have moments when you want to drink and you wish that you were past that point. But the work you’re doing in this middle piece, between no longer and not yet, is important. You’re storing energy that’s building until you hit the tipping point. The point when not drinking is simply a part of who you are. You’re on your way to being a healthy, happy, confident nondrinker. You just haven’t reached the tipping point - yet. I’ll share with you how to look at this time period in a way that validates the work you're doing before you hit the identity shift, so you don't get bored and frustrated and decide to drink again Good habits make time your ally and bad habits make time your enemy. Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. In the same way that money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them across time. At first you feel better and your progress is small and incremental. But as more time goes by those small improvements compound exponentially. The positive or negative trajectory of your life is immense depending on which habits you keep or change. When you change your habit of drinking, you’ll have a bunch of immediate benefits. You’ll have more energy and sleep well. You’ll look better and have more patience. And you will also change the trajectory of your life. From one that’s declining slowly and then more steeply, to one that’s improving slowly and then improving exponentially over time. Impressive results are the natural outcome of many small improvements accumulating over time. Are You Ready To Stop Drinking? I invite you to take a look at my new on-demand course, The Sobriety Starter Kit. The Sobriety Starter Kit is the online, self-study sober coaching course that will help you quit drinking and build a life you love without alcohol. The course is based on the sober coaching work I do with my private clients and is available at a cost that’s significantly more affordable than one-on-one coaching. Plus the online Sobriety Starter Kit course is ready, waiting and available to support you anytime you need it. In the Sobriety Starter Kit you’ll learn the framework, plus all the skills + strategies you need to stop drinking and build a life you love without alcohol – without white-knuckling it or hating the process. And I’ll hold your hand each step of the way. Click here to get all the details. Atomic Habits links and resources mentioned Grab a copy of Atomic Habits by James Clear Episode 34 - The first episode on using Atomic Habits to Quit Drinking with Identity Based Habits Episode 35 - The second episode on using Atomic Habits to Quit Drinking on how to break your habit of drinking in four simple steps - without relying on willpower or hating the process. Podcast episodes on how to prime your mindset, physical and social environment for success in quitting drinking Episode 2 - 5 Mistakes Women Make When Quitting Drinking Episode 3 - 7 Strategies To Get You Through Your First Week Without Alcohol Episode 10 - 10 Things You Need In Your Sober Toolkit Episode 23 - Feeling Bored In Sobriety? Things To Know + What To Do Connect with Casey McGuire Davidson Grab your Free Sober Girls Guide To Quitting Drinking Get support during the holiday season from women who are on the alcohol-free path with the guide on How to find and join my Favorite Private Sober Facebook groups Website: www.hellosomedaycoaching.com Instagram: Casey @ Hello Someday Coaching (@caseymdavidson)