Today’s Tough Love:
What I’m about to say may feel confronting:
Alcoholism is a disease that hides in plain sight because our society
celebrates numbing over real healing.
I said what I said.
Let me be clear: I am *not* saying there is anything wrong with alcohol. I love a glass of wine or a cocktail on occasion. I went on my own journey with my relationship with alcohol to get to that point (check out my podcast episode: Pain, Please, and Alcohol). 🎙️
What I learned from being in relationship with someone who suffered from alcoholism is this:
🍻Alcoholism is disease that hides in plain sight. 🍷
Why? Because we CELEBRATE drinking as the solution to our stressful lives. We make jokes about wine moms and boozy brunch and drinking after work because of our stress.
And so his alcoholism got to hide in plain sight, because no one batted an eyelash at him wanting to drink or party. No one realized how bad his drinking really was.
It was celebrated to drink at *every* adult event we went to.
It was only when I found myself over-functioning to keep him away from alcohol did I realize how incredibly prevalent it is.
Picnic? Bring booze.
Sporting event? Duh, beer.
Day at the beach? Booze.
Camping? So much wine.
Going out with friends? Drinking.
Brunch? Boozy brunch.
Vacation? Day drinking.
Bad day? Obviously booze.
And then I realized that it was more “accepted” for someone to get overly intoxicated than it was for *me* to say “I’m not drinking”.
I would get weird looks. People would ask *me* if I was an alcoholic. Or if I was pregnant.
Why is it more acceptable to drink to numb our pain then it is to take a serious look at our mental and emotional health?
Why do we continue to celebrate numbing out and avoiding real sh*t, and then wonder why so many of us feel stressed, anxious, and unhappy?
CHALLENGE this social script.
CHALLENGE it in your own life.
Be brave enough to look at the relationship you have with alcohol and whether it’s serving your life or not.
Have Courage and Sparkle On 💖
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