12 Shades of Gray Drinking

You’re not a problematic drinker say those around you—you’re a long way from rock bottom. But you aren’t an every-now-and-then drinker, either. Most people don’t fall into either of those black-and-white drinking extremes; many people land somewhere between these extremes: in the gray area.

If you’ve taken a break from drinking at different times in your life for various reasons but then something comes up—like a holiday, work event, or a stressful time—and it’s just too hard to keep turning down the drink forever. So back on the drinking carousel you go, and you quickly end up regretting how much you’re drinking. This is what gray area drinking looks like…not too sexy to wake up in the early morning hours feeling remorseful recounting the night before, self-loathing with a racing, anxious mind filled with shame and regret. What goes on internally regarding your drinking is different from what you present externally. These are the many shades of shame and it keeps us stuck until we get off the hamster wheel.

Alcohol is your reward at the end of the day. It’s how you have fun, relax, unwind, connect, have sex, and fall asleep at night. Everything in moderation, right? Yet, you’ve lost count how many times you’ve woken up the day after “living a little” and said, “Never again. I can’t keep drinking like this.”

Gray area drinking can be a slippery slope, and the societal pull to keep drinking is strong.

Giving up alcohol is not a guarantee or protection against hard, uncomfortable emotions or events happening in life.

What do you really want? What is feeling malnourished? Do you want more quiet time and down time, or are you seeking more connection and intimacy? Do you really just need to rest, eat, hydrate? Are you hungry for a creative outlet and more fun or purpose? Alcohol will never give you any of those things. For the 12 Days of Gray Area Drinking give your body, mind, and psyche what they are really craving this season, the cravings for alcohol will lessen.

Deciding to remove alcohol is a courageous act of self-care—you should feel good about your decision to go alcohol-free. Now turn your focus to all the possibilities and things that you can add into your life. What are some relaxation or leisure practices you’ve put off or haven’t had time for? Maybe it’s time to nurture the relationships or the spiritual side of your life that you’ve neglected? From fitness to good food to emotional well-being, there are so many great resources available to us.

Gray area drinking is real—a lot of people identify with this drinking paradigm. You are not alone, and you’re also in good company when you decide to end this pattern and forge a new one that’s more in line with the life you want to be living.

It’s time we drop the rock-bottom-required-to-stop-drinking-paradigm.

We don’t need to run our lives completely off the rails to prove, justify, defend, or explain why we are choosing to stop drinking or simply cutting back. We have an epic 21 Day Sugar Challenge coming your way starting January 1, 2022 so mark your calendars and become a member of our new FaceBook Group to get updates in the coming weeks. We simply need to know that there’s a better version of ourselves that is waiting for us to meet them.

In honor of Christmas, we have a special 'Mindful' edition of the 12 Days of #graydrinking for your pleasure.

On the first day of Christmas
My true Self gave to me
A morning meditation practice.

On the second day of Christmas
My true Self gave to me
Two supportive friendships,
And a morning meditation practice.

On the third day of Christmas
My true Self gave to me
Three nourishing meals a day,
Two supportive friendships,
And a morning meditation practice.

On the fourth day of Christmas
My true Self gave to me
Four elements of nature,
Three nourishing meals a day,
Two supportive friendships,
And a morning meditation practice.

On the fifth day of Christmas
My true Self gave to me
Five days of exercise a week,
Four elements of nature,
Three nourishing meals a day,
Two supportive friendships
And a morning meditation practice.

On the sixth day of Christmas
My true Self gave to me
Six new activities that feed my creativity,
Five days of exercise,
Four elements of nature,
Three nourishing meals a day,
Two supportive friendships
And a morning meditation practice.

On the seventh day of Christmas
My true Self gave to me
Seven peaceful nights sleep,
Six new activities that feed my creativity,
Five days of exercise a week,
Four elements of nature,
Three nourishing meals a day,
Two supportive friendships
And a a morning meditation practice.

On the eighth day of Christmas
My true Self gave to me
Eight deep breaths,
Seven peaceful nights sleep,
Six new activities that feed my creativity,
Five days of exercise a week,
Four elements of nature,
Three nourishing meals a day,
Two supportive friendships
And a morning meditation practice.

On the ninth day of Christmas
My true Self gave to me
Nine pm lights out,
Eight deep breaths,
Seven peaceful nights sleep,
Six new activities that feed my creativity,
Five days a week of exercise,
Four elements of nature,
Three nourishing meals a day,
Two supportive friendships
And a morning meditation practice.

On the tenth day of Christmas
My true Self gave to me
Ten minutes of fur baby snuggles,
Nine pm lights out,
Eight deep breaths,
Seven peaceful nights sleep,
Six new activities that feed my creativity,
Five days of exercise a week,
Four elements of nature,
Three nourishing meals a day,
Two supportive friendships
And a morning meditation practice.

On the eleventh day of Christmas
My true Self gave to me
Eleven minutes of journaling,
Ten minutes of fur baby snuggles,
Nine pm lights out,
Eight deep breaths,
Seven peaceful nights sleep,
Six new activities that feed my creativity,
Five days of exercise a week,
Four elements of nature,
Three nourishing meals a day,
Two supportive friendships
And a morning meditation practice.

On the twelfth day of Christmas
My true Self gave to me
Twelve wildly fermented social beverages from around the world,
Eleven minutes of journaling,
Ten minutes of fur baby snuggles,
Nine pm lights out,
Eight deep breaths,
Seven peaceful nights sleep,
Six new activities that feed my creativity,
Five days of exercise a week,
Four elements of nature,
Three nourishing meals a day,
Two supportive friendships,
And a morning meditation practice.

Happy Holidays! Do yourself a favor and join our 21 Day Sugar Challenge now.

XO,