Ep 141: Why Fall is the Best Time to Release Alcohol (Better Than Waiting for January)

🍂 Most women wait until January to change their drinking habits—but that might be the worst time to start. In this episode, I share why fall is the perfect season to release alcohol and how a reset now can set you up for peace during the holidays and strength in the new year.

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What you’ll hear in today’s episode:

• Why January is one of the hardest times to make lasting changes with alcohol.
• How the urgency of fall (and its “looming deadline”) can help you reset now.
• What the trees teach us about letting go—and how it applies to your sobriety journey.
• Simple reflection prompts to help you release alcohol and build momentum before the holidays.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome & Purpose of the Show
• 0:30 Why January Changes Often Fail
• 2:53 Fall as a Built-In Deadline
• 4:28 Lessons From Trees: Letting Go
• 7:20 Preparing for the Holiday Triggers
• 8:50 Journaling Prompts and Prayer
• 10:59 Sacred Sobriety Lab Invitation
• 12:45 Final Encouragement & How to Connect

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Welcome to the Catholic Sobriety Podcast, the go-to resource for women seeking to have a deeper understanding of the role alcohol plays in their lives. Women who are looking to drink less or not at all for any reason. I am your host, Christy Walker. I'm a wife, mom, and a joy-filled Catholic. And I am the Catholic sobriety coach. And I'm so glad you're here. If you're waiting for January to change your relationship with alcohol, you are wasting the best 90 days of the year. I'm Christy Walker. I'm your Catholic sobriety coach, and today we're going to talk about why fall, not January, is actually the perfect time to release alcohol and reset your habits. And yes, I'll even throw in some tree jokes and confessions along the way. Now, January gets so much hype, doesn't it? New Year, New U, gym ads are everywhere. The diet programs come out in full force. Everyone buys new planners. I actually have a serious planner addiction. We color code our lives and we swear this is the year. But here's the thing: January is actually one of the hardest months to make big change, especially when it comes to alcohol. Think about it. It's dark, it's cold, there's not a lot of things to do. And if you live in the Pacific Northwest like me, it's damp and gross outside. The holidays have just ended. You're coming off of too many cookies, too much stress, and maybe too much wine. January is the month where you're tired and you're bloated and you're cranky, and then you're supposed to give up your nightly coping mechanism. Yeah, that's a tough sell. And the research backs this up because nearly a quarter of all resolutions fail by the first week. By February, almost half are abandoned, which means most people are back to square one before the groundhog even sees his shadow. So if you've ever started strong in January and then thought, what is wrong with me? Why can't I keep this up? Friend, it's not you. It's January. January is like that fleaky friend who hypes you up, but doesn't actually show up when you need her. Now, that said, I'm still gonna invite you to make some changes in January, but I'm gonna explain to you why now is an even better time. So to do that, let's talk about fall. October isn't just pumpkin spice season, cozy sweaters, and all the soups. I love soups. It's the beginning of the last quarter of the year. You've got 90 days left, and if you're like me, a looming deadline sometimes pulls out the very best in you. I'll give you an example. Lent, a couple years ago, I planned a half-day Holy Spirit workshop. And let me tell you, I had all the ideas floating around in my head for weeks and weeks. Notes in a journal, prayers, a few scribbles on sticky notes, but I didn't actually put it all together. Then, as the date grew closer, the urgency kicked in. You know what I mean. And suddenly the Holy Spirit and I were working overtime. I was praying, writing, fine-tuning, and it all came together. And you know what? That workshop ended up being one of the most powerful things I've ever led. And it's not because I had months of perfect preparation, but because urgency focused me. And that's what fall feels like. God's built-in deadline. Not to stress us out, but to sharpen our focus. Instead of saying, I'll just coast until January, fall says, nope, let's finish this year strong. So imagine this. Instead of stumbling into January with regret and a foggy head, you could walk into January with 90 days of peace behind you. 90 days of small winds, of better mornings, of clearer prayer time. You'll already be rooted, you'll already be steady and already living like the woman that you want to become. And then there's fall itself. The season is literally preaching at us every single day. Look at the trees. They're letting go of their leaves, not holding on, not bargaining, not saying, but I worked so hard for these leaves. Look how pretty they were in July. They just dropped them. Now, yes, I know the trees don't actually have a choice. It's biology, but go with me here because I think there's still something we can learn. Because we do have a choice. And when it comes to alcohol, many of us cling to it the way trees don't cling to leaves. We hold it tight even when it's brown and crunchy and not serving us anymore. We tell ourselves, but I need this glass. I need this glass at the end of the day. It helps me relax. It makes the holidays tolerable. Maybe certain family members tolerable. But meanwhile, Jesus is whispering, let it go. Let it go. I have something better for you. And here's the funny part. I always say that I don't like change, but that is not exactly true. I actually love the changes that fall brings. I love the colors, the cool mornings, the cozy sweaters. I love how life slows down after the summer chaos. So maybe it's not change itself I resist, but it's the uncomfortable kind of change, you know, the kind that asks me to release something familiar, even if it's not good for me. But that's where the trees challenge us. They show us that letting go it isn't death. It's just a preparation. Jesus tells us, I am the vine and you are the branches. And branches have to be pruned for new fruit to grow. So maybe this fall is your pruning season. Maybe releasing alcohol now is what will make space for peace, joy, and freedom in the months to come. And let's be real. The last 90 days of the year are when alcohol really sneaks in. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, family stress, office parties, the endless just one glass. For so many women, the holidays are when good intentions just fly out the window. We tell ourselves, it's fine, it's fine. I'll deal with it in January. But by January, you're not just physically run down, you're also carrying guilt and regret. So what if this year was different? What if what if you walked into the holidays ready and steady? What if you had already practiced saying no and already have the confidence that you need to tell yourself you can enjoy yourself without alcohol, you can manage stress or survive Aunt Matilda's holiday drama. That's the gift of starting now. By the time the holidays hit, you'll already have momentum. And instead of scrambling to fix it all in January, you'll glide into the new year with peace. So I'd like to invite you to reflect on these three journaling prompts. You can just reflect on them in prayer, you could journal about them, you know, if you have a notebook. But I invite you to really think about this. So grab a pen and paper, pause this episode. If you're driving, walking, whatever, you can always come back to it. But here are the questions. The first one is what needs to fall away in this season of your life? Is it the nightly glass of wine or the belief that you need alcohol to relax? Maybe it's the guilt and the shame that you carry around it. Write it down and release it in prayer. The next is how have deadlines brought out your best in the past? Think of a time when you rose to the occasion because you had to. How can you apply that same urgency to the last 90 days of the year and to your relationship with alcohol? And finally, what small wins would bring you peace by December 31st? Maybe it's not focusing on perfection. Maybe it's just 30 days alcohol free or cutting back to weekends. Maybe it's committing to sober Sundays. Small wins stack into big transformation. Okay, let's pray in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Oh Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of seasons. Thank you that fall reminds us to release what no longer serves us and to trust you with the new. Today we ask for the courage to let go of alcohol or whatever else is holding us back. And the faith to believe that you are preparing something better. Help us to enter the holidays with peace, not regret, and to finish this year rooted in your love. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Friend, if you're listening right now and thinking, yes, I want to let go of alcohol, but I don't want to do it alone. I just want to invite you to join me and the ladies in my sacred sobriety lab. The lab is my faith-based coaching community for Catholic women who want to drink less or not at all and walk in greater freedom. Inside the lab, you'll find weekly group coaching calls with me where we dive into habits, triggers, faith, and practical strategies. We have a Sla group where you will find daily encouragement and accountability so that you never feel like you're walking this road alone. In fact, we have a channel in there right now for Sober October for some of the ladies who actually want to go alcohol-free this month. This is not about shame. It's definitely not about white-knuckling it. It's about walking together, rooted in faith, with practical tools and a supportive community to carry you through. You can find the link in the show notes. Now, here's the truth: January is not magic. Fall is the perfect time to release alcohol and reset your life. The trees might not have a choice, but sister, you do, and I believe God is inviting you to let go so that He can fill you with something so much better. Thank you so much for being here today, and I'll talk to you again soon. Well, that does it for this episode of the Catholic Sobriety Podcast. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and I would invite you to share it with a friend who might also get value from it as well. And make sure you subscribe so you don't miss a thing. I am the Catholic Sobriety Coach, and if you would like to learn how to work with me or learn more about the coaching that I offer, visit my website, the Catholic Sobriety Coach.