What We Tell Ourselves About Alcohol that Keeps us Stuck
10 Surprisingly Common Beliefs About Drinking (and What’s Actually True)
Let’s talk about alcohol.
About the things we’ve been taught to believe… and whether they’re still serving us. Actually, they're not - but let's dig into them and see why either way!
1. “Alcohol helps me relax.”
Actually… it doesn’t.
When you drink, your body perceives alcohol as a toxin (yes, even that award-winning pinot), and immediately stops all non-essential functions to prioritise flushing it out. While you’re celebrating, your liver is cancelling its weekend plans.
Your relaxed feeling is your nervous system in panic mode, suppressing cortisol temporarily.
Short-term calm, long-term chaos.
🧠 The science: Alcohol hits the GABA receptors in your brain, which dampens your stress response. But your body rebounds later by spiking cortisol—leading to worse anxiety the next day.
"There is no such thing as 'drugs and alcohol' - alcohol is a drug too."
2. “A little red wine is good for the heart.”
This one gets a gold medal in marketing 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Sure, red grapes contain antioxidants. But you know what doesn’t support your cardiovascular health? A carcinogenic substance that raises your blood pressure and disrupts your sleep.
Just eat the grapes.😝
🍇 That 1990s “study” that kicked off this myth? Heavily lobbied by the alcohol industry. Surprise!
3. “Drinking makes me more confident.”
Of course it feels that way.
Alcohol lowers inhibitions by dampening activity in the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain that can think and plan, and the one that says, “Maybe don’t say that out loud”).
It’s not real confidence. It’s just a chemical muting your internal editor.
🙋♀️ Confidence without booze is quieter, more grounded, and it sticks around the next morning.
4. “It helps me sleep.”
It helps you pass out, not sleep.
Alcohol interferes with REM sleep—the restorative phase—so even if you clock 8 hours, you’ll likely wake up groggy, anxious, and dehydrated.
💤 It can take 3 full days for alcohol to completely leave your system. That’s three nights of disrupted rest for one “nightcap.”
5. “It’s normal—everyone drinks.”
You know what else used to be normal? Smoking on planes. A child without a seat OR a seatbelt, in a car (that was me - hello pre-90's babies! 🙋🏼♀️).
The truth is, “normal” is just what we see around us. And right now, more people than ever are choosing to drink less or not at all. You’re not weird. You’re aware.
💡 Moderation, mindful drinking, sober curiosity—they’re all on the rise. You're not alone in wondering “What else is possible?”
7. “If I quit, I’ll miss out.”
FOMO is real. And yes it feels fun when you're with your besties laughing your heads off, and yes you might stop being invited to girls night out. You might miss out. It's your choice how you see it though.
Yes, you might miss out on hangovers. Slurred conversations where nobody is listening to each other. A BIG bill. Regret. On broken sleep and fuzzy mornings. Anxiety. A Netflix-binging day.
But connection? Joy? Real fun? Friendships? You’ll still have access to all of that—and more.
8. “If I drink again, I’ve failed.”
Nope.
Transformation is not linear. One drink doesn’t erase your progress. It’s just data.
Awareness is the real win. Continuing is what matters.
9. “I drink within the guidelines, so it’s not a problem for me.”
Even “within guidelines” drinking can mess with sleep, anxiety, energy, hormones, and confidence. The body doesn’t care about your calendar; it only knows it has to detox. And most “recommended” amounts were pushed by alcohol lobbyists anyway.
Even one drink a day increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer — including a 12% increased risk of breast cancer in women. Alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen — same category as tobacco and asbestos.
No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health
10. “People who don’t drink are boring”
You are entitled your opinion. I thought the same up to about two weeks before I quit.
BUT
Boring is also repeating the same pattern because you’re scared to try something else. It's a night you don't remember. It's the conversation you have after your 6th glass of wine - trust me, I hear those now!..)
Actually, non-drinkers often rediscover fun, creativity, and deep connections. Healthy weekends and new hobbies.
Loads of people don’t drink now— maybe you’re just not noticing them because they’re not spilling wine on your shoes.
So what now?
I’m not here to tell you to quit.
I’m here to remind you that you have options. And the stories we’ve been fed about alcohol? Most of them are outdated, industry-driven, and—let’s be honest—a bit silly when you really think about it.
You don’t need to be rock bottom.
You don’t need to quit forever.
You don’t need to know all the answers.
You just need to be curious.
And maybe… ready for something different.
Mindfully Sober is not about perfection — it’s about possibility.
It's a coaching program built for the high-functioning, sober-curious people who want to live on purpose — aligned with their values, not society’s expectations.
I believe you deserve to feel good in your life, proud of your choices, and clear about your future.
Every time you choose to listen to your inner voice, you come back to yourself.
And that’s where real freedom begins.
Be on your own side,
Sophie 🌿
Sophie Anderson is an ICF-certified coach, wellness expert, and founder of Mindfully Sober. Completely alcohol-free since 2020, she empowers others to step into their potential by creating a life they don’t need to escape from. With a compassionate, practical approach, Sophie helps clients break free from drinking culture and live with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
