You are listening to the Take a Break Podcast with Rachel Hart episode 182.

Whether you want to drink less or stop drinking,

this podcast will help you change the habit from the inside out.

We're challenging conventional wisdom about why people drink

and why it can be hard to resist temptation.

No labels, no judgment, just practical tools to take control of your desire and stop worrying about your drinking.

Now here's your host, Rachel Hart.

Well hello friends, we're talking about abstinence versus moderation today because

I could ask this question all the time.

And if you have struggled with your drinking, you too have probably spent a lot of time

thinking about which one you need to choose because that's how it's presented.

It's presented as a choice between either I can stop drinking entirely forever for the rest of my

life or I can learn how to moderate my consumption.

And so the brain spends a lot of time trying to figure out which one is the right path,

this moderation even possible for me.

Am I going to have to abstain for the rest of my life?

I know that I wrestled with these questions for a long time because I literally thought

they were the only two options for me.

The reason why we're fixated on abstinence and moderation is because most approaches out there

that deal with drinking fall into one of these two camps.

Either complete abstinence is the only way to do it or you need to learn how to practice

moderating and limit yourself.

...