One of my amazing clients shared that she turned to her journal when she was having some chatter instead of pouring wine.
She wrote it would have been easier but not BETTER.
And I couldn't agree more.
We are programmed for easy.
But easy isn't better for most things.
Our society wants now, fast, and cheap, and if we don't get things now fast and cheap, we don't like it.
But the growth that needs to happen when you change your relationship with alcohol is a process that takes time and concentrated effort so that it can be EASY after you have established new patterns and behaviors.
Be willing for it to take some time.
Easier is definitely not Better in this case.
Tune in.
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Angela Mascenik, Angela stop over-drinking coach, become emotionally unattached to alcohol, drink less, do more, drink less wine, emotional drinking, emotional eating, how do I feel my feelings, how to cut back on how much I drink, how to feel classy, how to feel to stop over-drinking, how to feel your urges, stop over drinking coach, Stop over-drinking and Start Living podcast, stop over-drinking help for women, Alive AF, moderation, quitting, reducing your drinking, sober retreat, born to be alive, how to stick to your planned amount, scared of change, the buzz, spouse, husband, partner, social groups, family groups, negative feelings, intuition, listening, being positive doesn't work, validated, what isn't working, options, benefits, mindful, pivoting, pivot, last chance, vacation, relationships, setbacks, motivation, programming, society, Las Vegas, family, pre-stressing, one on one coaching, Napa, restriction,vacation, everyday life, post vacation, motherhood, marriage, boring, discomfort, commitment, trust in ourselves, trust in yourself, missing out, easier, better

Ep 244 Easier Not Better

Stop Over-drinking and Start Living podcast is for the high achieving, goal-oriented, rebel woman to learn how to live a vibrant and fulfilling life without requiring alcohol to get through it.   If you find yourself dipping into that 2nd, 3rd or 4th glass of wine to help cope with the daily life grind of work and home life, this podcast is for you. Make some positive changes with your relationship with alcohol, gain back control of how much, where, and when you drink. 

In each episode, Certified Stop Over-drinking Coach, Angela Mascenik, teaches self-coaching techniques to stop over-drinking, change your life, and propel you to your dreams.  No labels, no stigmas, no saying you’ll never drink again.   
Sign up to get Angela’s most popular podcast delivered right to your inbox. https://www.angelamascenik.com/top-3-podcast-episodes

stop over-drinking coach for women, cut back on drinking, stop drinking wine, how to drink less, cut back on drinking without quitting, how to stop over-drinking wine, sober curious, sober podcast, podcast for women who want to drink less

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. 
It affects how we think, feel, and act. 
It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. 
Over-drinking is usually a sign that our mental health is in need of some help. 
Over-drinking is a symptom. For a lot of my clients, it's a symptom of stress, high levels of anxiety, overwhelm, loneliness, grief, big painful life changes or traumatic events like a high conflict divorce or a major medical diagnoses. 
Using alcohol as a way to cope is a sign that your mental health could use some support. 
It's not something to be ashamed of or to keep a secret. 
If you've been struggling with alcohol use and you identify as someone who is using alcohol as a way to cope (or another sign is, finding it very hard to stop automatic behavior and can't identify the cause of your over-drinking) it's time to get help. 
Tune into this podcast episode and hear the intersections of mental health and over consumption of alcohol.Here's a resource I used in creating this episode:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-06/MHF-Alcohol-and-mental-health-guide.pdf

Another resource:
SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.

In North Carolina:
https://trosainc.org/finding-free-programs/

MY LINKS: 
Retreat/coaching packages-
https://www.angelamascenik.com/2024retreatsandcoaching

Join the Alive AF! waitlist-
https://www.angelamascenik.com/aliveaf

Apply to work with me privately-
https://form.typeform.com/to/x8tcz6lm
Tags: 
Stop Over-drinking, Angela Mascenik, stop drinking podcast, how to feel, how to overcome addiction, how to drink less wine, change your relationship with alcohol, coach for women who want to drink less alcohol, help to stop over-drinking, stop over-drinking, life coach to help stop over-drinking, self-love, importance of self-love, online membership to stop over-drinking, program to help quit alcohol, how to quit drinking, spouses, partners, food, overeating, moderation, sober retreat, how to prioritize yourself, make yourself a priority to drink less, mental health, mental health and alcohol use

Ep 278 Mental Health Awareness Month and Alcohol Use

What does this even mean?
Have you ever noticed how uncomfortable you get when you perceive other people feeling some sort of discomfort or negative feelings?
If you have noticed this and then tried to 'make everyone feel better' or 'try to diffuse' a situation so the peace gets kept or whatever it is, how does this work out for you?
Does it exhaust you, make you feel anxious, overwhelmed, or edgy? And then what do you do? Drink, eat, scroll, avoid, fight...or cause a bigger issue than what actually existed?
Well, I happen to have been aware of myself being really uncomfortable and tight and edgy and grippy when I perceive some else's discomfort in a whole bunch of situations.
And that sucks because when I feel that way, I immediately want to 'make it better' for them and that feels graspy and honestly it's a big energy suck AND it doesn't work.
DANG IT.
So that's my work this month. And I invite you to come along with me and choose something that is a big discomfort for you.
Is it urges for alcohol, snacking at night or something else? What do you have a big discomfort over? The key to being more comfortable in this area is to ALLOW the initial discomfort you feel right now.
You have to be willing to go through it for it to feel better. That's the process.
This episode dives into how to do that and I share a little bit of what I am working on as an example.
Let's get uncomfortable together, friends!Join Say YES for Drinking Less:
https://www.angelamascenik.com/say-yes

Hire me as your private coach:
 https://form.typeform.com/to/x8tcz6lm

Grab one of the last two spots in the Seattle retreat. Put your deposit down now: https://www.angelamascenik.com/2024retreatsandcoaching

Get on the Alive AF! waitlist: 
https://www.angelamascenik.com/aliveaf
Tags: 
Stop Over-drinking, Angela Mascenik, stop drinking podcast, how to feel, how to overcome addiction, how to drink less wine, change your relationship with alcohol, coach for women who want to drink less alcohol, help to stop over-drinking, stop over-drinking, life coach to help stop over-drinking, self-love, importance of self-love, online membership to stop over-drinking, program to help quit alcohol, how to quit drinking, spouses, partners, food, overeating, moderation, sober retreat, how to prioritize yourself, make yourself a priority to drink less, masked desires, covert wants, disguised desires, self serving acts, say yes to drinking less, do I have a problem, allowing discomfort, getting uncomfortable

Ep 277 My Goal for May: Allowing My Discomfort With Other People's Discomfort

This episode helps you discover if YOU have a problem with alcohol.
Most people have an image in their minds about what someone with an alcohol problem looks like.
And for most of my clients they don't match that description.
Often people who want to cut back get pushback from their loved ones who don't understand why they are focusing on cutting back when 'they don't understand, you don't do anything bad, or nothing bad is happening from your drinking.'
Sometimes these external messages confuse our desire to cut back or quit.
You might then tell yourself, 'I work full-time, take care of the kids, take care of everything, surely I can have a couple glasses of wine at the end of the day!'
And then you dismiss your own truth.
This episode dives into this and helps you understand YOUR situation with alcohol better so you can remain clear on what you want and then can clearly communicate to others if you need to.
If you are struggling and haven't been able to make the changes you want on your own, please get help.
Join Say YES for Drinking Less taking place April 29-May 1st, 2024 register HERE: 
https://www.angelamascenik.com/say-yes

Hire me as your private coach: https://form.typeform.com/to/x8tcz6lm

Grab one of the last spots in the Seattle retreat: https://www.angelamascenik.com/2024retreatsandcoaching

Get on the Alive AF! waitlist: https://www.angelamascenik.com/aliveaf

You deserve to move past whatever issue you are having with alcohol.

The people who get help are more successful, don't wait any longer!

Ep 275 Navigating Skepticism: What to Do When Loved Ones Dismiss Your Desire to Cut Back:
https://www.angelamascenik.com/podcasts/stop-over-drinking-and-start-living/episodes/2148585758
Tags: 
Stop Over-drinking,  Angela Mascenik,  stop drinking podcast,  how to feel,  how to overcome addiction,  how to drink less wine,  change your relationship with alcohol,  coach for women who want to drink less alcohol,  help to stop over-drinking,  stop over-drinking,  life coach to help stop over-drinking,  self-love, importance of self-love, online membership to stop over-drinking, program to help quit alcohol, how to quit drinking, spouses, partners, food, overeating, moderation, sober retreat, how to prioritize yourself, make yourself a priority to drink less, masked desires, covert wants, disguised desires, self serving acts, say yes to drinking less, do I have a problem

Ep 276 Do I Have a Problem?

This episode dives into what to do when someone you care about shares that they don’t think you need to cut back or wishes you wouldn’t cut back or dismisses your desire to quit or cut back.
Mostly, when people dismiss your desire to cut back it’s just because they don’t want to cut back.
They don’t want anything to change. So when you say you are going to do something differently, it often will make them look at their own habits around alcohol. And they might unconsciously feel a bit threatened about their own attachment to alcohol.
What really matters is that YOU acknowledge you want to cut back and that you do something about it.
And that it’s not black and white. Just because you don’t present like a down and out alcoholic doesn’t mean that your alcohol consumption isn’t a concern to you. 
If you think you drink too much and it’s been hard to cut back, it needs to be addressed. 
Don’t let someone else’s opinion deter your desire to cut back. You know if it’s too much and that is what matters.
Click here to join us in Say YES to Drinking Less:
https://www.angelamascenik.com/say-yes

Check out my retreat/private coaching packages:
https://www.angelamascenik.com/2024retreatsandcoaching

Apply for private coaching with me:
https://form.typeform.com/to/x8tcz6lm
Tags: 
Stop Over-drinking, Angela Mascenik, stop drinking podcast, how to feel, how to overcome addiction, how to drink less wine, change your relationship with alcohol, coach for women who want to drink less alcohol,  help to stop over-drinking, stop over-drinking, life coach to help stop over-drinking, self-love, importance of self-love, online membership to stop over-drinking, program to help quit alcohol, how to quit drinking, spouses, partners, food, overeating, moderation, sober retreat, how to prioritize yourself, make yourself a priority to drink less, masked desires, covert wants, disguised desires, self serving acts, say yes to drinking less, negative skepticism, dismissed

Ep 275 Navigating Skepticism: What to Do When Loved Ones Dismiss Your Desire to Cut Back

This is a HOT episode friends, you must listen ASAP. 
Have you secretly done something for someone else whit it's really what YOU want? 
Truth telling time! 
You must turn in to hear about this very sneaky behavior that I'm guessing WE ALL SHARE. 
Especially, people pleasers! 
I share a story of when I recently asked my son if he wanted donuts and discovered that I was doing that because I WANTED DONUTS. 
He didn't even ask about donuts, but I pretended it was something that he would have wanted and put myself in a situation that probably wasn't the best for me. 
You must tune in and listen to hear what happened! 
It's also the delusion of altruism. 
People with active addictions will tell themselves all sorts of stories 'it's for them!' 'I'm being a good host' 'it's what a good host does' 'they would appreciate this' 'I know they love xxx' 
We mask our own desires with pretending it's for someone else.
Learn how to recognize if you are doing this and how to step out of it! 
Enjoy and I'd love to hear your own story of doing this!
Check out my retreat/private coaching packages:
https://www.angelamascenik.com/2024retreatsandcoaching

Apply for private coaching with me:
https://form.typeform.com/to/x8tcz6lm
Get your hand picked stop over-drinking support kit, with items that I personally use to help me stay alcohol free! 
https://aliveafbox.angelamascenik.com/pages/support-kits
Tags: 
Stop Over-drinking, Angela Mascenik, stop drinking podcast, how to feel, how to overcome addiction, how to drink less wine, change your relationship with alcohol, coach for women who want to drink less alcohol, help to stop over-drinking, stop over-drinking, life coach to help stop over-drinking, self-love, importance of self-love, online membership to stop over-drinking, program to help quit alcohol, how to quit drinking, spouses, partners, food, overeating, moderation, sober retreat, how to prioritize yourself, make yourself a priority to drink less, masked desires, covert wants, disguised desires, self serving acts

Ep 244 Easier Not Better

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