Australians, it seems, have always been big drinkers. It’s almost part of our DNA to end the day with a drink. And that’s not just men.
Sixteen per cent of Australian women drink alcohol at dependent and therefore dangerous levels, according to recent research by the University of Western Sydney.
However, many researchers fear the real figure is probably significantly higher since very few of us admit that we drink too much.
The problem is we don’t live in a perfect world. Moreover, alcohol provides a seamless antidote to life’s imperfections – all that stress, bickering, frustration, and disappointment that we encounter every day swirled away in the bottom of a glass, at least for an hour or two.
In such a world, the very least a hard-working woman deserves after a crappy day in the office battling the boss or shepherding the kids off to school – or both – is a few glasses of decent plonk, right? Just to take the edge off.
But how often does one glass turn into two, or two into four until you wake up next day with a blurry hangover. So what’s a girl to do?
Well, says Australian-born, London-based psychologist, hypnotherapist and alcohol control specialist Georgia Foster, author of The Drink Less Mind: The Truth Behind Overdrinking, you could just stopping drinking all together.
But that’s a fairly extreme course, especially in a world where alcohol abounds. The more practical and achievable solution to over-drinking, Geogia says, is to cut down the amount you drink with a series of effective mind techniques.
“And I do understand what it is like to over drink,” says Georgia, who is also the architect of the Drink Less Mind 21-day program to treat overdrinking. “I spend a lot of my late teens and early twenties knocking back the vino as so many Australians do. I got a lot of my self-esteem from alcohol but I also got a lot kilojoules from it, too and I was overweight as a result.
“I don’t claim to never have a hangover from time to time, that is not what my life is about. However, the difference is I don’t drink to run away from my insecurities anymore and I enjoy regular alcohol free days (AFD’s). I drink for pleasure and fun without the negative aspects interfering with my life.
These days Georgia is slim and self-confident but far less dependent on alcohol as a social support. Even so, she enjoys a glass of Australian shiraz four nights a week, proving that with a little discipline the concept of “mindful drinking” can let you have your wine and drink it, too.
“Let’s be honest: nobody wants to live in a non-alcohol world,” says Georgia. “But it’s about managing your alcohol, as opposed to letting it manage you. It’s about not using drink as escapism from day-to-day problems.”
For the past decade, Georgia has lived and worked in London helping upwardly mobile women cut down on their drinking.
“About 80% of my clients are women in their late thirties and older, mainly professional women how have very little time to relax and use alcohol as their down time and working mums for whom -me time’ means uncorking the wine as soon as the kids have gone to bed or once they’ve finished work,” says Georgia.
“But when you wake up in the morning your inner critic starts saying, ‘Why did you drink that much?’ And to silence it, you drink more the next night and then your body develops a tolerance and you start using alcohol as a sleeping pill.”
Almost all her clients are worried about how much they drink and what they might be doing to their bodies. “I tell them, ‘You’re not alone. Don’t freak out. The liver is incredibly good at repairing itself’,” says Georgia.
“Over consumption of alcohol can lead to high blood pressure, weight gain, liver damage, throat cancer, anxiety and depression, just to name a few.
“However, my belief is that it is the psychological aspects of binge drinking that is the most concerning.”
“People who drink more than they want to are using alcohol as a way to deal with vulnerabilities, such as loneliness, boredom, social and sexual anxiety, insomnia and low self-esteem. If someone is using alcohol to combat any of these emotional states alcohol will become a problem for them.
“I help people to train their brains to drink more slowly and to drink more water, DOWO, drink one, water one. You would be surprised how many people drink without any conscious recognition of how much they are actually drinking.
“I train the brain to learn how to appreciate alcohol so that they are more conscious of the taste, smell, the glass in their hand and how this is something to enjoy rather than gulp.
“It’s about identifying the triggers for your drinking – usually stress, self-esteem and sleep – and then working on those with small, strong steps. My aim is that people all over the world come to understand that drinking more than you want to is an emotional habit that can be unlearned.”
HOW TO DRINK IN MODERATION
Try to commit to two or three alcohol-free days (AFD) a week. Watch a movie or read a good book to keep your mind off drink.
Take milk thistle and a good vitamin C supplement before you go out. This will help your liver to function better.
Not able to stop at one drink? Tell yourself: “I am naturally confident without alcohol.” The more you practise this, the more your mind learns that it is safe to socialise sober.
Eat while you are drinking (it helps to process the alcohol) and have a glass of water ion between each alcoholic drink.
If your friends razz you and say you can have fun without alcohol, then don’t be afraid to tell them little white lies. Say you’re taking antibiotics or have a crippling work deadline and need to keep focussed.
Keep a diary for three weeks and note every drink. What did you feel at the time? Tired? Bored? Stressed? This will help you to identify what triggers your drinking.
