The Alcohol Experiment: 30 days to take control, cut down or give up for good

But what if distraction doesn’t work and you still have that craving? That means your little darling believes there’s a chance you’ll give in. We all know how that works with kids and ice cream, right? If you give in once, the next time they’ll be even MORE relentless. It will be even harder to get them to stop nagging you. All the kid cares about is getting the ice cream, and they won’t stop until they truly believe there’s no way it’s going to happen. Relying on willpower to resist a craving is like arguing with a child using grown-up logic.

“Sorry, honey, we don’t have time to stop for ice cream . . .”

“It will spoil your dinner . . .”

“We don’t have the money . . .”

“You don’t need an ice cream . . .”

What kid is going to fall for that stuff? They’ll come up with a counterargument every time. And they will outlast you! Eventually, they’ll wear you down.

Here’s something cool about your subconscious—it can produce strong desires, but it can’t make you take action. It’s your conscious mind that decides whether to give in.

You Have a Choice!

The more times you don’t give in to your subconscious, the faster it will get the message next time. No means no. Be the parent. When your subconscious understands that you don’t go back on your word, then it will believe you when you say, “Not today, honey. Maybe next week we’ll get an ice cream, but for today we’re going to skip it.”

A good friend of mine told me about using a key phrase that got her kids to stop nagging. She said she would go into “duck mode,” which meant she let whatever the child was saying roll off her like water off a duck’s back. When she said, “duck mode,” her kids knew there was no way they were going to get what they wanted. This is because she had never once gone into duck mode and then given in. She had taught them that duck mode meant business and that there was simply no point in arguing any longer. Because of her dedication to the tool, her kids truly believed that once she had gone into duck mode, it was in their best interest to be quiet. They knew there was no longer anything they could say that would make a difference. And so peace was restored. In my analogy of the child in the backseat of a car, the driver (your conscious mind) is in control, and the child (your subconscious mind) believes it. You can come up with a key phrase of your own—whatever works for you.

TODAY, anytime you start to crave a drink, visualize your craving as an incessant child. And then instead of getting angry or frustrated, use whatever technique gets the child to believe you’re serious about your commitment. Distraction or duck mode—whatever works is great!

Day 5 Reflections from alcoholexperiment.com

“Last night my husband had a bottle of wine in the fridge. Told him to go ahead, I didn’t want any. . . . There was no craving, no thoughts of missing out.”

—TAMMY

“I am feeling very accomplished. I went to a Mexican restaurant today and I did not order a beer or a margarita. . . . What?! That’s huge for me! Most of my poor drinking habits are triggered in social situations, and so this was a small victory for me. I love going to see live music, and there is a concert coming up in less than a month and the idea of not having a drink there is daunting. I wonder . . . will I even have fun? OMG, I feel so ridiculous for even thinking this . . . but it’s the truth. I am no longer going to lie or try to cover up my thoughts around drinking. I am just going to keep shining a light on them so that eventually they will have nowhere to hide and there will be nothing left for me to be afraid of.”