Description

Trigger warning: alcoholism, addiction

Welcome to Episode 102 – Grey Area Drinking with Sarah Rusbatch 

So many of us struggle with alcohol, but we refrain from admitting it through fear of being labelled an alcoholic. We don’t fit the image of a stereotypical “alcoholic” – the guy who has lost everything to his drinking, needs to drink to function, and is sitting on a park bench taking a swig from a bottle in a brown paper bag. 

This was the case for me; I didn’t fit the stereotype. But when I did drink, I didn’t have a STOP button. And drinking went from fun to self-medication.

But throughout 2023, I’ve found courage in hearing more and more people embrace a sober life. And then I heard of Grey Area Drinking: the grey area between being able to have the occasional drink and full blown alcoholism. It’s the spectrum between being ok with a couple of drinks, to creating rules to justify our drinking, to getting drunk way too often. 

Helping us unpack this topic is Grey Area Drinking coach Sarah Rusbatch. Sarah is an ex-Grey Area Drinker, and shares her story to inspire others out there to quit the booze and live their best life.

In this episode, Sarah shares:

• What grey area drinking is
• Social pressures to drink and how this impacts getting sober
• Why a lot of people resist the term alcoholic and how that influences their drinking decisions
• Her story of grey area drinking and how it became a problem for her
• The rules she put in place to justify her drinking
• The process she went through to redesign her social circles
• What her husband did when she stopped drinking
• Her opinion on replacing alcohol with other options
• The difference between grey area drinking coaching and alcoholics anonymous
• The strategies and tools she offers her clients

Key Quotes:

"Did I think I had a problem with alcohol? No I had a problem and alcohol was my solution.”

"Alcohol is the only drug we have to justify not taking.”

"It's so hard in an alcohol centric society to take a break from alcohol”

"If we are taking alcohol out, what are we putting in?"

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.sarahrusbatch.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahrusbatch/

Gray Area Drinking – Jolene Park

Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/jolene_park_gray_area_drinking

Connect with Mindful Men

Website at www.mindful-men.com.au

Community Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2050441875316594

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindful.men.aus

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindful.men.aus/

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Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindful.men.aus

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbXBNQmbj4ZQj3rzFAZALTA

***If anything triggers you from today's episode, please reach out to your support networks or seek professional help***

Stay Mindful, Simon