441: When the Label Doesn't Fit

Take a Break from Drinking

Rachel Hart

Alcohol, Lifecoach, Alcoholicsanonymous, Self-improvement, Hungover, Society & Culture, Smartrecovery, Drinking, Cognitivebehavioraltherapy, Education, Cbt, 12steps, Sobriety, Drunk, Recovery, Personal Journals

4.8 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 7 October 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Have you ever wondered if you need to wear a certain label to get help with your drinking? Maybe you've thought, "I'm not really an alcoholic, but I don't feel like a normal drinker either."

You're not alone. This in-between space can feel incredibly isolating, especially when it seems like the only options are to identify as an alcoholic or keep struggling in silence. But what if the labels we've been told are essential to recovery are actually optional? What if they're doing more harm than good?

Tune in this week to discover why labels create a false black-and-white view of drinking problems when the reality exists on a spectrum. Whether you've struggled with labels or you're just curious about a different approach to changing your drinking habits, this episode will give you a fresh perspective on what's possible.

Find a personalized approach that helps you change your habit in my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Less, here: https://rachelhart.com/guide/

Discover alternative approaches to drinking less inside our membership program, Take a Break: https://rachelhart.com/tab/

Get the full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://rachelhart.com/441

Transcript

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0:00.0	Here's a question that used to haunt me. Am I an alcoholic? Wondering whether I needed to wear this
0:06.5	label created so much shame and fear, but it also kept me from seeking out help for a very long time.
0:14.5	I'm sharing my personal perspective on why I think labels often cause more harm than good
0:20.0	and why you might legitimately disagree with me, and that's okay.
0:24.4	This is episode 441, and we're doing a deep dive on labels like alcoholic, sober, and recovered,
0:31.4	and how to decide if you should embrace these identities or skip the labels and just get to work
0:36.4	changing your relationship with
0:37.9	alcohol.
0:39.9	Whether you want to drink less or stop drinking, this podcast will help you change the habit
0:45.2	from the inside out.
0:47.1	We're challenging conventional wisdom about why people drink and why it can be hard to
0:51.9	resist temptation.
0:53.7	No labels, no judgment, just practical tools to take control of your desire and stop worrying
1:00.0	about your drinking.
1:01.5	Now here's your host, Rachel Hart.
1:08.5	Before we dive in, I want to give you a little context on this episode. What you're about to hear
1:13.3	was originally recorded way back in 2017. It was one of the very first episodes of this podcast.
1:19.1	At that time, I had just released my first book, Why Can't I Drink Like Everyone Else?
1:23.5	This was well before I created the drink archetype. So if you're looking for those tools,
1:28.3	you can take the free quiz at find your drink type.com or grab a copy of the ultimate guide to
1:33.5	drinking less on my website, rachelhart.com. Something else has shifted since then, too. Back in 2017,
1:40.9	I wasn't drinking at all. Today, I do drink, but very rarely. And when I say rarely,
	...

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