I was listening to a podcast the other day (y’all know I’m a huge fan of podcasts) and the host was talking about doing the work. In this whole drinking thing, we often think of the work as reading all the quit lit, joining all the Facebook groups, listening to all the sober podcasts and doing the journaling. But the work, the real work of changing your drinking, is in the moment. It’s when you are at a party, and someone thrusts a drink in your hand. It’s when you’re driving home, and your car is pulled to the liquor store like a magnet. It’s when you are making dinner and that little voice whispers, “just have one.”
The work is in the moment. It’s making the choice to turn down that drink, keep driving home and pop open a Diet Coke (my favorite) instead of a bottle of wine. The work is sitting in the moment of that craving and feeling it but not acting on it.
The podcast used the analogy of baking a cake. We think the work is getting the recipe, ingredients, setting up the mixer, greasing the cake pan, and turning on the oven. But it means nothing if we don’t actually put it all together and bake the cake!
That’s what changing your drinking habits is all about. You have all the tools and knowledge, but it means nothing if you don’t use it in the moment.
So bake the cake! Do the work in the moment and practice not drinking in the moment.
PS. Bake a real cake while you're working on your metaphorical cake. My cake connoisseur sister gave me this insanely good (and quirky- mayo!?) recipe.
PORTILLO'S CHOCOLATE CAKE Cake Ingredients: 1 box of Betty Crocker Devil’s Food Cake 3 eggs 1 cup ice-cold water 1 cup mayonnaise Directions Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease (2) 9-inch round cake pans. In a large bowl, add cake mix, eggs, water, and mayonnaise. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and mix for 5 minutes. Pour the batter evenly over the two cake pans. Bake for 30 to 32 minutes. Check for doneness using a toothpick. Insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake – if it comes out clean, it’s time to get it out of the oven. Let the cakes rest for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pans. Let them cool on a wiring rack for an hour. Frosting: 1 Cup Butter, softened 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder 5 Cups Powdered Sugar – sifted 1 tsp. Vanilla 3 Tbsp. Milk (if needed to for consistency) Whip butter and cocoa together until smooth in large bowl. Stir in vanilla and powdered sugar. Slowly stream in milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Scrape sides and whip again until light, fluffy and smooth, 1-2 minutes.
Do you want just a small vacation from alcohol but not ready to stop “forever”? Try my FREE e-course: 10 Day Holiday- Alcohol Free Break. Learn more and sign up here: https://www.alcoholtippingpoint.com/10dayholiday
Get the FREE Dry Guide for tips, tools, and resources for going Alcohol Free. Find it here: alcoholtippingpoint.com/dryguide
Comments