Sometimes the most important thing to understand about the after work drink is this.

It works.

It changes how you feel fast.

That's why the pattern can feel so hard to break out of.

This is episode 457 and I'm answering a listener question about how to stop heading to the bar in the afternoon.

I'll explain why willpower keeps failing and what

you actually need instead. 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.

Today's listener question comes from Michael, who wrote, I have a habit of going to the bar in the afternoon, and I wish I would stop. Do you have any suggestions?

So part of why I love this question is because it's so incredibly common and also so incredibly misunderstood.

Now, maybe you aren't heading to the bar in the afternoon.

Maybe it's the bottle of wine that you pick up at the grocery store on your way home or

walking through the front door and immediately opening a beer. But these afternoon and

evening patterns can feel almost like they're happening to us, like we're just on autopilot. And if you're like me, you probably

have assumed that it's a lack of discipline. That's what I told myself for the longest time,

because the solution just seems so obvious. Don't go to the bar. Don't put the bottle of wine

in your grocery cart. Don't grab the beer before sitting down on the couch. But the problem here

isn't a lack of discipline. The problem is about not having a better way to transition. So often,

especially with the reward archetype, the daily pattern of going to the bar or picking up a six

...