What happens when the thing you think is helping you cope is actually making everything worse? 

Dusty thought she had found the perfect solution to the stress of military life—wine with girlfriends during deployments, vodka to manage the constant moves, and alcohol to numb the loss of control that came with being a military spouse. Her drinking escalated from social occasions to daily solo consumption, and she began to realize she needed to learn how to stop using alcohol to cope with military life before it destroyed everything she cared about. As a licensed professional counselor and former D1 soccer player, Dusty understood high performance, but alcohol was undermining every area where she wanted to excel. In this episode, she shares with Coach Pam how discovering the alcohol-free community opened her eyes to what she was really losing and how The Path helped her reclaim her life.

In this episode, Pam and Dusty discuss:

Growing up around alcohol and early social drinking in college

Using alcohol to cope with social anxiety during D1 soccer career

Marriage as a stabilizing force and reduced drinking periods

Military life challenges: deployments, moves, and spouse community drinking

COVID-19 impact on control issues and drinking patterns

Learning how to stop using alcohol to cope with military life

Discovering the alcohol-free movement and community online

Working as a counselor while struggling with personal alcohol use

Joining The Path program and doing the inner work

What she gained by giving up alcohol: better relationships and health

And other topics…

Episode links:

nakedmindpath.com

Related Episodes:

EP 758: Can Your Marriage Survive Change? Alcohol Freedom Coaching - https://thisnakedmind.com/can-your-marriage-survive-change-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e758/

EP 794: Life After Service, Life Without Alcohol | Peggy’s Naked Life - https://thisnakedmind.com/how-to-stop-drinking-as-a-female-veteran-peggys-naked-life-e794/

EP 636: Reader’s Question – The Art of Balancing Your Needs in a Relationship - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-636-readers-question-the-art-of-balancing-your-needs-in-a-relationship/

Ready to take the next step on your journey? 

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

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