25. Alcohol and self-judgement

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Hello, darling heart, and welcome to the drink less live better podcast. This is the podcast that helps you to see that drinking

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less doesn't need to be stressful, lonely, or boring. I'm your host, Sarah Williamson, and I decided to have a year alcohol

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free as a little life experiment and haven't looked back. With my experience and training, I now help other women with their

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alcohol free or drink less adventures. I'm here to tell you that you can be truly joyful without alcohol in your life. Join

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me here each week to find out how. Today I'd like to tell you a story about my self judgment. I used to be a total div about

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anyone who wasn't drinking, both behind their back and to their face, offering up really useful gems such as, go on, you could

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just have 1, or it'll be more fun if you drink, and if you have some soda in your white wine it becomes a soft drink. Of course,

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this says everything about me and nothing about them. If you were reading this instead of listening, you'd see I've inserted

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the rolling eye emoji here. I couldn't fathom why or how people went out to a party or other night out and didn't drink, and

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I couldn't understand because I had no frame of reference for it myself. I'd never done it unless I was pregnant, breastfeeding,

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or on medication. I mean, those are surely the only reasons you wouldn't drink. Right? Wrong. Obviously. People now ask me

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why I'm not drinking, and I see it as payback or calmer, if you will. Because I've been that person, I know what to do with

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that person. I'm always happy to say, I just feel better in life overall when I'm not drinking. I don't make a big deal out

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of it. I have one friend who has never drunk, and when we were chatting recently, she said I always wanted to know how she

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did it because she could see deep down it's what I wanted too. She's definitely right, and I'm eternally grateful. She never

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shut me down when I was being a pain. I was recognising something in myself that I wasn't comfortable with. Seeing other people

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drunk gives me fleeting moments of unhappiness. I recognize past me drunk and acting like an idiot. I judge the parts of me

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I didn't like about myself. I understand the other person is me, a reflection of the parts of me I'm not so keen on, and this

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is uncomfortable and something I take the time to think about whenever it happens. I change my self judgment focus to compassion,

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and this helps me to soothe those awkward emotions. Ah, yes. That was me, and now it isn't. I aim for uncomplicated and loving

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towards myself, and you you should go easy on yourself too. Treat yourself as you would your best friend or that non drinking

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friend. Thank you for listening to this episode. Please listen in again next time. You can sign up to my 5 day drink less

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experiment and find out about working with me one to 1 at drink less live better dotcom. Oh, and I'd love it if you can 5

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star rate this podcast and leave me a review. It'd make me very happy. Thank you. And, PS, I believe in you.