Ep 153: The Easiest Way to Reduce Alcohol (and Why It Feels So Hard)

What if one simple change could reduce your drinking by 80–90%… without willpower, shame, or complicated rules? 

In today’s episode, I’m sharing the surprisingly powerful shift most women avoid — and why making this one decision can transform your entire relationship with alcohol. 

You’ll walk away with clarity, confidence, and a plan that finally feels doable. 

👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call
https://app.paperbell.com/checkout/packages/38683

Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com

Transcript

 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, Christie 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.

 Welcome friends. I'm so glad you're here today because we are going to talk about something that sounds almost too simple, and yet it's the one thing that will transform your efforts to reduce or eliminate alcohol more than. Anything else, and I'm not exaggerating when I say this. When women do this one thing, their drinking decreases by 80 to 90%.

Almost automatically. Their cravings go down their wine o'clock, anxiety loosens its grip. The autopilot patterns start to slip away without them even trying. But here's the twist. It's also the one thing that most women avoid, not because they're weak, but because their brain doesn't want them to do it.

Our brains want to keep us comfortable, to seek pleasure and to do what's easy, and alcohol just does all three of those very well. So today we are talking about. Are you ready for it? Don't turn me off. Don't turn off this podcast when I say it, but we're talking about removing alcohol from your home completely.

Now, I know some of you right now felt your shoulders tense and some of you are already bargaining. You're saying, well, maybe it's not that bad, or I just like having it for guests or for cooking. How about my husband keeps some in the house, or what if I host a dinner party? What if I want it for Christmas?

What if? What if? What if? Listen, I hear you. I promise you that. I am not here to take anything away from you. I'm here to give you your peace, your clarity, and your freedom back. Okay? Are you ready? Let's dig in.

So first, let's talk about why this one thing matters. Removing alcohol from your home is the simplest step and it's definitely the hardest. Why? Because of your brain. 

Before I tell you how your brain reacts, let me explain why this step is such a battle internally. Your brain isn't trying to sabotage you. It's actually trying to protect you based on old information. Now, here's what I mean. For years, maybe decades, your brain has logged alcohol as a source of comfort, a way to unwind, a predictable reward, a quick escape, and a familiar end of day ritual.

And every time you reach for a drink, your brain took notes. So now any suggestion of removing alcohol from your home feels like a threat to your brain's survival plan. Even if logically you know it's good for you, your brain is wired to keep what feels familiar, avoid anything that feels like loss, and hold on to whatever has given you fast relief.

So know that when you think about removing alcohol from your home, your brain absolutely senses it and it thinks we are losing a coping tool, we're losing a reward, we're losing comfort. We're losing that thing that calms us down or helps us to stop our minds from racing.

Even if that isn't the full truth, that's how the brain interprets it, and that's why this one step feels so emotionally loaded. It's not because you're weak or you lack discipline, it's because your brain is trying to protect a pattern it believes is essential for you.

And once you understand that, the resistance starts to make a lot more sense, now let's break down exactly what's happening underneath that resistance.

Habit loops need proximity. The brain loves easy access. If alcohol is in your home, your brain knows it. If it's in your home and it's open, that's even worse, even if you're not consciously thinking about it. Your dopamine system is, and your brain will nudge you toward the path of least resistance, which is always what is closest, easiest, and habitual.

The second reason is visual cues trigger cravings. So just seeing that bottle on the counter, even just knowing it's in your cabinet or hearing the familiar clink in the pantry, this sparks your automatic craving loop before you even realize what's happening. When you remove the cue, you reduce the craving.

It's really that simple. Now the third reason is autopilot needs a supply. If there's nothing in the house, the loop gets interrupted. Your brain can't say, oh, well it's here. I might as well. Instead, you switch from reactive mode into intentional mode to drink. You would have to put on your shoes, grab your keys, get into the car, drive somewhere, stand in a store, purchase alcohol and brewing it home.

This gives your thinking brain time to wake up and speak into the moment instead of letting your autopilot take the wheel. Women who do this tell me all the time. Christie, just removing it from my house changed everything and I didn't realize how much I drank just because it was here.

And to that I say exactly, that's exactly right.

Now, why is it so difficult? Let's call this out with compassion and truth. Your brain is not against you. It's protecting what it believes you need for comfort, regulation, relief, or reward. Removing alcohol threatens the illusion of easy relief,

our brains are very dramatic, so it will offer you excuses, fear, future scenarios, exaggeration, resistance, and what ifs. It will say, oh, this is too extreme. You can't host people without alcohol. Your husband will think you're being dramatic. What if a stressful day hits and you want a drink? You're not really that bad.

You can just keep a little, these are not moral or character issues. They're biological. Your brain is wired to maintain the status quo, even if the status quo is painful. But here's the truth I want you to hear. You can outsmart the craving loop with one decision. Don't keep alcohol in your home.

Let me pull back the curtain for a minute and share something about myself, because I want you to know that I genuinely get what it feels like to remove something you enjoy from your home. I have a weakness, a big. Colorful chewy weakness, and that is gummy candy. Any kind, sour worms, Swedish fish, gumdrops, jelly beans, cinnamon bears.

If it is gummy and sweet, I'm done for. And here's the honest truth. If gummy candy is in my house, I will eat it. Even fruit snacks are not safe if I'm not eating it. I'm thinking about it. I'm negotiating, I'm planning, I'm bargaining. The craving loop kicks in the second I know that it's in that pantry.

And if I do decide to buy it, because sometimes I just do, I have to go in with a plan. I'll enjoy the portion that I've chosen ahead of time, and then I'll divvy it up between my boys because if it stays in the pantry, it's not lasting the night. Now, of course I know that alcohol is a different category.

I'm not comparing candy to a substance that can impact trauma, coping, dependency, or emotional patterns, but the brain mechanism, the habit loop. The environmental cue, that's the exact same. And now here's where this gets important.

I don't white knuckle the candy thing anymore. I don't make myself constantly resist it. I changed my environment instead. Now I keep alternative things around that scratch the itch without sabotaging my goals. For me, that looks like dried fruit. These. Super delicious sweet potato sticks that I found at Costco that come in little individual serving packages.

They're chewy and sweet and they don't spike my blood sugar, and I also keep things that actually satisfy me instead of triggering the bingey. Keep going. Loop. When those are in my house, I'm good. My brain gets the sweet, chewy experience it wants, but I stay aligned with my health goals. And we do the same things with my boys.

If soda is in our house, they will drink it all immediately. Not because they're undisciplined kids, but because kids plus dopamine equals more please. So we simply just don't keep soda in the house. Their alternative is sparkling water, which they love, and sometimes they'll even put flavored drops in it.

And when they go to grandma's house, they can have soda there with limits again. Do you notice a pattern? Our environment shapes habits far more than willpower does, and that's exactly why removing alcohol from your home. Is such a game changer. I want you to hear this. It's not about deprivation. It's not about moral failure, and it's definitely not about being strong enough.

It's about giving your brain and your nervous system a fighting chance. You're not cutting yourself off from life. You're setting up an environment that supports the woman you are becoming, not the habit you're trying to leave behind. And when alcohol is around at a restaurant or a party, a family gathering, you actually get to make a conscious and empowered choice, not a reflexive one.

That difference alone can reduce your drinking by 80 to 90%, almost effortlessly. Now for this to work, you have to have willingness. Only you can decide. You must be willing not to buy alcohol. Anyone can clear out the cabinet once, but the real transformation happens when you choose not to restock it. That's where willingness comes in, not willpower, willingness.

This is what separates dabbling from commitment, hope from change, and intention from transformation. And listen, if you are not there yet, it's okay. You're not failing. You're simply being honest about where you are. But when that moment comes where you do feel that nudge, the grace and the clarity that says, I think I'm ready. That's when things will shift fast. Now, you might be wondering, what about my spouse? This comes up every time. You might think my spouse drinks, I can't control that. And you're right.

But you can ask for support, not control, not pressure. Just a conversation like, Hey honey, I'm working on reducing my drinking. And the easiest way for me to do that is not having alcohol in the house, at least for a while. Would you be willing to keep yours somewhere separate, maybe in the garage, or a locked cabinet or a small fridge that's yours, just out of the way so that I don't know about it?

Most spouses, especially those who care deeply, are more willing than you think. Others prefer to keep alcohol in the home, and that's where boundaries and honest communication matter. But you still get agency over your spaces, your fridge, your nightstand, your routines.

The other thing that comes up is. But what if I'm hosting,

that is the hospitality panic, and here's the truth. Your guests do not need alcohol to have a good time. You are not less generous or less welcoming because you don't provide it. And if having alcohol in the house has been a stumbling block for you, your guests will survive. And if they really want wine,

You can simply say, we're not keeping alcohol in the house right now, but please feel free to bring your own if you like. BYOB is a normal, socially acceptable option. Meanwhile, you get to offer some really fun alternatives. You can look up mocktail ideas.

There's like cranberry, rosemary, spritzers, ginger, lime, bubbly apple cider fizz, lavender lemonade, a signature house mocktail. Have fun with it. Go on Pinterest. There's several like mocktail moms out there that have. Fun mocktail recipes. You can even set up a little mocktail bar. This can be really, really fun.

All you need are some fancy glasses, flavored syrups, some sliced up citrus, maybe some herbs, sparkling water options, and people can just get creative and make their own. They love having something special to sip, and what if someone judges you, that judgment is more about them, not you.

Now you might be thinking that all sounds great, but how do I actually do this? Let's break this down

step one is to decide your start date, not someday an actual date that you put on your calendar. Step two is going to be to remove the alcohol. Or again, if your husband has his alcohol that he wants, maybe ask him to put it somewhere that you don't know where it is. And that way it'll be out of sight, out of mind.

For the other alcohol. You can give it away. Ask someone to take it. You can dump it. Yeah, that's allowed.

Step three is to fill the space with alternatives. That can be sparkling waters, mocktail ingredients, herbal teas, nighttime drinks, protein shakes, and maybe cold brew decaf coffee. , This is important. Set your know, buy plan. Write this down. If I want to drink, I will not buy alcohol for the house.

I will only drink if I am outside my home. Intentionally and with awareness, you're not banning alcohol. You're not saying that you're never gonna drink. What you're doing is creating boundaries around your environment. And then step five is to decide your replacement routine. 'cause we can't just take something out without putting something in its place.

So when the habit queue hits, which it will, you're going to do something like a 32nd reset, which I talked about in my previous episode. You can walk. You can pray, can make a mocktail, maybe eat some protein journal, read scripture, text a friend. Just have a counteraction that you can do when you would normally reach for a drink.

And then step six is to tell one safe person, not for permission, but for support. Now, what do you do when you feel that resistance come up? Because it will, when your brain protests, that's great. It means that you are doing something powerful. It's kind of like when you start a new exercise routine and the next day you're sore.

You're like, Ugh, I am so sore right now. But at the same time, you're realizing that things are changing and you're moving towards. Progress. So that's kind of your brain's protest, that discomfort. So you can say to yourself, oh, my brain is uncomfortable because I'm changing something that used to feel safe.

This is growth, this is transformation, and this is healing. Let me leave you with this. Removing alcohol from your home is not about deprivation. What it is is creating a space where you can breathe again, where you don't have the chaos of thinking about the alcohol that is in your home. It's about giving your brain fewer cues, fewer temptations and fewer autopilot moments,

it's also about giving yourself more peace, more clarity, more confidence, more space for God to work. Hear me out. You do not have to be perfect. You don't have to be ready forever. You just have to take the next willing step. You deserve a home that supports the life you're building, not the habit that you're trying to leave behind.

If you try this, I promise you, you're going to be amazed at how much easier this journey becomes. If this episode encouraged you, would you do me two quick favors? One, share this episode with a friend who might need the encouragement, and two, leave a review. It helps other Catholic women find this podcast and get the support they need.

And as always, I'm so grateful you are here. You're doing beautiful, brave work, and you are not alone.

 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.com. Follow me on Instagram at the Catholic Sobriety Coach. I look forward to speaking to you next. Time and remember, I am here for you. I am praying for you.