How to Drink Less

What if you could get advice from a future version of yourself who's already changed their relationship with alcohol? What would they tell you about how they did it, what helped them along the way, and what they wish they'd known sooner?

To celebrate 15,000 downloads of HOW TO DRINK LESS, I'm sharing something special: a free guided trance!

I'm a certified hypnotist as well as a sobriety coach, and hypnosis is one of the tools I use to help my clients change their drinking habits without relying on willpower alone.

In this episode, I'll explain what hypnosis is, how it works, and why I use it in my coaching. Then I'll guide you through a relaxing trance where you'll connect with a future version of yourself who's already made the changes you want to make.

You'll have an opportunity to explore:

• What your future self believes about alcohol and drinking.
• What advice and insights they have for you today.
• The next small step you can take toward the freedom you want.

You don't need any previous experience with hypnosis. Just bring an open mind and a little curiosity.

IMPORTANT: Listen somewhere comfortable and safe where you can close your eyes. Don't listen while driving, walking, or doing anything that requires your full attention. And if you normally listen to podcasts at a faster speed, switch back to 1x for this episode!

🎁 Special offer for podcast listeners!

If you enjoyed this guided hypnosis and want to do more of this work with me, I'd love to welcome you into my SAY YES Community, my group coaching membership.

You'll get weekly live group coaching, monthly guided hypnosis sessions, and practical tools to help you change your relationship with alcohol.

To celebrate 15,000 downloads, you can join for just $97/month instead of $127/month, and keep that rate for as long as you remain a member.

BONUS: You'll also receive a complimentary 1:1 welcome call with me (a $350 value)!

👉 JOIN SAY YES FOR $97/MONTH: https://www.adrianacloud.com/say-yes-podcast

----------- 

If you're interested in how I use hypnosis in my coaching work, you can learn more here: 

🎧 46. How Hypnosis Can Help You Drink Less or Quit Completely

Curious about the science behind hypnosis? You can learn more here: 

• Royal College of Psychiatrists: Hypnosis
• Dr. David Spiegel on Huberman Lab: Using Hypnosis to Enhance Mental & Physical Health & Performance

***  

Come to my free class "How to Stop Wanting Alcohol": https://acloudcoaching.as.me/  

Grab my free guide "7 Steps to Kickstart Your Sobriety": https://www.adrianacloud.com/7-steps

Book a free consultation: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/consult 

Get in touch with questions or comments: [email protected]

Do you ever find yourself reaching for a drink simply because you're bored?

Here's the thing: boredom isn't always what it seems. Sometimes you have nothing to do. Sometimes you have too much to do. And sometimes what you're calling boredom is something else entirely.

In this episode, we'll explore: 

—the different reasons boredom can trigger cravings, 

—why alcohol isn't necessarily the solution your brain thinks it is, 

—how to get more comfortable with those moments when nothing particularly exciting is happening.

You'll also learn a simple experiment to help you understand your boredom instead of automatically reaching for a drink.

Because you don't need to make every moment of your life exciting. And you certainly don't need alcohol to make the ordinary moments bearable.

***  

Come to my free class "How to Stop Wanting Alcohol": https://acloudcoaching.as.me/  

Grab my free guide "7 Steps to Kickstart Your Sobriety": https://www.adrianacloud.com/7-steps

Book a free consultation: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/consult 

Get in touch with questions or comments: [email protected]

What if one of the best ways to change your relationship with alcohol had nothing to do with resisting cravings or setting drinking rules?

What if you simply started paying more attention to the things that make you smile?

In this episode, I'm sharing a practice I've been coming back to for more than 15 years: noticing and celebrating the small joys of everyday life.

We'll talk about: 

—why our brains are so good at noticing what's wrong, 

—how alcohol can affect our ability to experience pleasure, and 

—why deliberately noticing what's good can be especially powerful when you're trying to drink less or quit altogether.

And I'm inviting you to join me for the 30-Day #SmallJoys November Challenge!

Every day in November, notice one small thing that brings you joy and share it on social media with the hashtag #smalljoys. Tag me so I can celebrate with you!

Because there's so much pleasure available to us that has absolutely nothing to do with alcohol. 

Here's where you can follow me on social media to see me share MY #smalljoys: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adriana_cloud_/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cloudadriana/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@coach_cloud_

***  

Come to my free class "How to Stop Wanting Alcohol": https://acloudcoaching.as.me/  

Grab my free guide "7 Steps to Kickstart Your Sobriety": https://www.adrianacloud.com/7-steps

Book a free consultation: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/consult 

Get in touch with questions or comments: [email protected]

Ever found yourself thinking, “Why can't I drink like normal people?”

Why can other people have one glass of wine and stop? Why do they seem to be able to take it or leave it, while you spend so much time thinking about drinking?

But here's a question worth asking: What does “normal drinking” actually mean?

In this Listener Q&A episode of How to Drink Less, you'll learn:

• why comparing yourself to others can be misleading;
• why drinking less isn't necessarily the same as having a healthier relationship with alcohol;
• what it really means to have a take-it-or-leave-it attitude toward alcohol;
• why you have to practice leaving it if you want alcohol to become less important in your life.

If you've ever felt frustrated that other people seem to drink effortlessly while you're constantly negotiating with yourself, this episode will help you stop comparing yourself, understand what's keeping alcohol so important, and start changing your relationship with it.

👉 FREE CLASS ON ZOOM: "How to Stop Wanting Alcohol"! Save your seat here: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/ 

***  

Come to my free class "How to Stop Wanting Alcohol": https://acloudcoaching.as.me/  

Grab my free guide "7 Steps to Kickstart Your Sobriety": https://www.adrianacloud.com/7-steps

Book a free consultation: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/consult 

Get in touch with questions or comments: [email protected]

Have you ever set rules about your drinking—only to find yourself constantly thinking about when you're allowed to drink again?

Setting limits might help you control your drinking. But following the rules doesn't necessarily mean you're changing your relationship with alcohol.

You could stick to your rules perfectly and still feel deprived, obsess about drinking, or rely on willpower to get through the evening.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• why following drinking rules doesn't necessarily mean you're making real progress;
• why focusing on numbers can stop you from paying attention to what you actually want.
• why rules can turn drinking into a pass-or-fail test—and how that gets in the way of change;
• how to use rules and tracking to build awareness instead of shame.

If you're tired of constantly negotiating with yourself about how much you're allowed to drink, this episode will help you move beyond counting drinks and start changing the habits that drive your drinking in the first place.

=== 

👉 Come to my FREE CLASS "How to Stop Wanting Alcohol" if you want to actually change your desire for alcohol so you don't have to rely on willpower to stay away from it. Sign up here: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/ 

***  

Come to my free class "How to Stop Wanting Alcohol": https://acloudcoaching.as.me/  

Grab my free guide "7 Steps to Kickstart Your Sobriety": https://www.adrianacloud.com/7-steps

Book a free consultation: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/consult 

Get in touch with questions or comments: [email protected]

Have you ever wanted a drink so badly that it felt like something you needed—and saying no felt like depriving yourself?

Here’s the thing: Wanting something and needing something are not the same thing. And learning to tell the difference can change the way you experience cravings.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• why a strong desire for alcohol can feel like a need;
• how the language of “deprivation” makes saying no harder;
• why you don’t have to stop wanting a drink in order to choose not to have one;
• how to recognize the other things you want in that moment;
• one simple reframe to use the next time you think, I need a drink.

You already have wants that go unmet every single day.

Wanting a drink doesn’t have to be any different.

***

Come to my FREE class "HOW TO STOP WANTING ALCOHOL" if you want help reducing your desire! Sign up here: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/   

***  

Come to my free class "How to Stop Wanting Alcohol": https://acloudcoaching.as.me/  

Grab my free guide "7 Steps to Kickstart Your Sobriety": https://www.adrianacloud.com/7-steps

Book a free consultation: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/consult 

Get in touch with questions or comments: [email protected]

Have you ever poured yourself a drink, taken a few sips, and realized: I don’t even like this. So why am I still drinking it?

It can be confusing to keep reaching for alcohol when you don’t particularly like the taste—or maybe don’t even enjoy how drinking makes you feel anymore.

In this Listener Q&A episode, you’ll learn:

•  why drinking can become an automatic, conditioned response; 
•  how rituals keep you reaching for a drink even when you’re not enjoying it; 
•  why alcohol may represent something you want, like relaxation or connection; 
•  how to figure out what’s actually driving you to drink; 
•  one simple way to start interrupting the pattern. 

If you’ve ever wondered why you keep drinking something you don’t even particularly enjoy, this episode will help you understand what’s really driving the behavior—and what to do differently.

========= 

🎉 Come to my FREE Zoom class: "How to Stop Wanting Alcohol": https://acloudcoaching.as.me/  

***  

Come to my free class "How to Stop Wanting Alcohol": https://acloudcoaching.as.me/  

Grab my free guide "7 Steps to Kickstart Your Sobriety": https://www.adrianacloud.com/7-steps

Book a free consultation: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/consult 

Get in touch with questions or comments: [email protected]

Have you ever noticed that when you really want a drink, your brain shows you the best 30 seconds of the experience and conveniently leaves out everything that comes next? 

You picture the first sip, the relaxation, the buzz. But you don’t picture the second or third drink, the 3 a.m. wake-up, the foggy morning, or the disappointment and regret you might feel the next day.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• why cravings tend to focus on the immediate reward of drinking while editing out what happens afterward; 
• how to tell yourself the whole story instead of making a decision based on the highlight reel; 
• the difference between liking part of drinking and liking the whole experience 
• a simple question that can change the way you think about a drink.

If you keep thinking, "But I like drinking," this episode will help you look beyond the first sip and decide whether you actually want the whole package that comes with it.

======= 

Sign up for my FREE CLASS “How to Stop Wanting Alcohol”: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/ 

***  

Come to my free class "How to Stop Wanting Alcohol": https://acloudcoaching.as.me/  

Grab my free guide "7 Steps to Kickstart Your Sobriety": https://www.adrianacloud.com/7-steps

Book a free consultation: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/consult 

Get in touch with questions or comments: [email protected]

Do you keep promising yourself you won’t drink tonight—only to change your mind when 5 p.m. rolls around?

The problem may not be your willpower. The problem is that “I’m not going to drink tonight” is an intention, not a plan. If the situations that usually derail you are predictable, you can prepare for them before they happen.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• how to identify the specific situations that are most likely to make you change your mind about drinking;
• how to anticipate the predictable excuses your brain will offer when temptation hits;
• why having one simple first move can interrupt the automatic sequence that leads to drinking;
• how to choose one thought you want to remember when your brain is focused on immediate relief. 

If you keep making plans not to drink and then abandoning them when the craving shows up, this episode will help you prepare for the moment you’re most likely to change your mind—before you’re in it.

=== 

Want more help to build a better relationship with alcohol? Come to my free class "HOW TO STOP WANTING ALCOHOL." Save your spot here: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/ 

***  

Come to my free class "How to Stop Wanting Alcohol": https://acloudcoaching.as.me/  

Grab my free guide "7 Steps to Kickstart Your Sobriety": https://www.adrianacloud.com/7-steps

Book a free consultation: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/consult 

Get in touch with questions or comments: [email protected]

If you’ve ever reached for a drink when you're stressed or sad or frustrated because you just wanted to feel better, this episode is for you.

Because sometimes the thing that makes you feel better right now is the exact opposite of what will help you get better in the long run.

Alcohol offers fast relief from anxiety, boredom, loneliness, and other uncomfortable feelings. But if you want to feel genuinely in control around alcohol, you also need opportunities to practice handling those moments without drinking.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• the difference between temporary relief and building your capacity to handle discomfort; 
• why alcohol can make you feel better without helping you get better; 
• how repeatedly escaping discomfort can reinforce the belief that you need alcohol to cope; 
• why getting better can sometimes feel harder before it feels easier; 
•  how delayed gratification helps you build self-trust and feel more in control around alcohol; 
• a simple question to ask when you want a drink: “Do I want to feel better right now, or do I want to get better at handling this?”

If you keep reaching for alcohol when you're craving relief, this episode will help you practice choosing what you want in the long term—even when your brain is asking for the quick comfort right now. 

***  

Come to my free class "How to Stop Wanting Alcohol": https://acloudcoaching.as.me/  

Grab my free guide "7 Steps to Kickstart Your Sobriety": https://www.adrianacloud.com/7-steps

Book a free consultation: https://acloudcoaching.as.me/consult 

Get in touch with questions or comments: [email protected]