201. Intellectual dishonesty
All the times I lied to myself but dressed it up as a truth or even a half truth... Time to be totally honest now!
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Transcript
Hello darling heart and welcome to this episode of the Drink Less Live Better podcast.
-:This is the podcast that helps you to see that drinking less doesn't need to be stressful, lonely, or boring.
-:I'm your host, Sarah Williamson, and I decided to have a year alcohol free as a little life experiment and haven't looked back.
-:I'm here to support you with your alcohol free or drink less adventures.
-:Follow me on Instagram at drink less, live better.
-:Find resources on my website, drink less, live better.com, and buy my book, drink less, live better. It's perfect for Dry January.
-:I hope you enjoy this podcast episode. Let's get straight to it. Intellectual dishonesty. Confession time. I am guilty of intellectual dishonesty.
-:Let's get honest about being dishonest today, I used to be masterful at it.
-:Let's start with some drinking examples from my history.
-:I used to say I'm not that bad really. Mhmm. Well let's see shall we? What is that bad?
-:We can assume I was comparing myself to someone, anyone else, and just how useful is that? Not very. Let's be honest.
-:I'm not that bad really was not an honest phrase.
-:Towards the end of my drinking, I didn't like who I was when I was drinking and that was bad, really bad for me.
-:It might not have been devastating for anyone else but it wasn't working out well and saying I'm not that bad didn't help me.
-:I used to say I don't get hangovers!
-:Ah, alright, so what was that crushing headache then? Or that need to sleep in?
-:Or the fried eggs, chips and full fat coke for breakfast, those, Sarah Williamson, were hangovers and, yes, yes, you did get them quite badly.
-:I also used to say, when I drink I tell the truth.
-:Oh my god, this is horrific to think about now.
-:Sometimes when I drank I spoke some utter nonsense and also sometimes when I drank I said things that were untrue, unkind and unnecessary, not nice.
-:I don't drink every day so I don't have a problem with alcohol used to be one of my stock phrases.
-:Well the first bit was true, I didn't drink every day, but that doesn't actually follow that there isn't a problem.
-:Oh yes, there were problems, none that you might have noticed as an outsider looking in but plenty happening inside my head.
-:I also used to say alcohol helps me relax, have fun, feel connected to other people.
-:I just wish I could go back in time and tell a past version of me that all of this intellectual dishonesty was keeping me
-:stuck and actually what I needed to do was give it an experimental break and then I would be okay.
-:Intellectual dishonesty is when we consciously ignore what we know to be true.
-:How many of us have looked at our bank statements and thought oh yes, I'll sort out my pension or my savings account next month?
-:We know perfectly well that the earlier we start saving the better off we'll be.
-:The maths isn't complicated but we push it aside, we convince ourselves we have plenty of time or that next month will be better.
-:We're being intellectually dishonest with ourselves about our financial future.
-:I'll stop drinking after the wedding, the festival, the 40th birthday. Does this sound familiar?
-:We're choosing to avoid taking action on what we know to be true because the alternative feels uncomfortable. A sober wedding? An alcohol free festival? A non drinking 40th? Is it even possible? Yes, dear listener.
-:I'm here to tell you it's perfectly possible.
-:Intellectual dishonesty is not about being stupid. It's quite the opposite.
-:We're intelligent enough to know the truth, but we're also clever enough to create sophisticated justifications for ignoring it. Mental gymnastics, if you will. Will.
-:And I am here to claim my Olympic gold medal. Thank you very much. Now for some good news.
-:Awareness of it is the first step towards changing.
-:Next time you catch yourself making excuses or looking the other way, pause for a moment and ask yourself, am I being intellectually honest right now?
-:Sometimes just acknowledging our mental sleight of hand is enough to help us make better choices.
-:Then accept whatever mental somersault you were doing.
-:Are you then going to continue on that course or change direction? It's up to you.
-:When you have caught yourself knowing better but choosing to ignore it, how does that make you feel?
-:Shall we all try and be a bit more honest with ourselves this week even if it makes us squirm a bit?
-:Perhaps, I should say, especially if it makes us squirm a bit.
-:Check out the show notes for a link to a hidden podcast episode that will help you with your 5 PM cravings and details about
-:my one to one life coaching and sober coaching programmes. And, PS, I believe in you.
