This was one of the best takeaways from my interview with Casey McGuire Davidson, who became a Certified Life Coach and a Master Practitioner in Core Energy Leadership to “help other successful women who’ve gotten into the habit of drinking too much or too often, reevaluate their relationship with alcohol, get out of overwhelm, and create lives they love.”
I became aware of Casey’s work listening to the Bubble Hour, a podcast hosted by Jean M. who interviews people about their recovery stories.
What is Your Relationship With Alcohol?
I love Casey’s story because of how she revolutionized her own relationship with alcohol and turned it into an opportunity to help other women struggling with similar issues. At the Coleman Institute for Addiction Medicine, we have over twenty-five years of experience helping people safely stop drinking alcohol, as well as detoxing off benzodiazepines and opioids.Many people achieve long-term sobriety, but I was particularly interested in hearing Casey’s opinions about strategies for people who relapse.
Strategies for Relapse
Davidson sees the need for assistance with choosing abstinence from alcohol on a spectrum. While some people make the decision to end an unhealthy relationship with alcohol by simply using willpower, other people find success by layering more and/or different help.For instance, if willpower doesn’t work, the next level of help may include education and motivation. There are any number of biographies, autobiographies, self-help, and informational books about how to stop drinking or drugging. Many of these are available in both written and audible format.
A growing number of high quality podcasts and YouTube videos share stories of hope for recovery in interview and lecture format. Secret — that is — anonymous and closed, online groups are available for those who may not want or be able to attend a live meeting.
Continuing along the spectrum are live recovery meetings such as AA, SMART Recovery, and Refuge Recovery, which offer the benefits of connection, education, and hope. Counseling, one on one or in a group setting, may be necessary for someone whose drinking has roots in trauma or needs professional therapy to help unpack.
Accountability for Alcohol Consumption
The layer and expertise that Casey brings to the table through her Recovery Coaching provides both connection and accountability. She makes it clear to clients that her expertise is neither medical nor psychiatric counseling; coaching offers its own distinct realm of support.Davidson engages women who desire to alter their relationship with alcohol and don’t necessarily label themselves as alcoholics, but have found that their habitual drinking behavior is becoming unsustainable. Many of her clients have tried unsuccessfully to moderate their drinking.
She invites her clients to consider Where I Am Now, supporting a deep dive into the gap bridging Where I Want To Be in the context of exploring abstinence from alcohol. She does this through a twelve-week format that includes weekly calls with her for the first several weeks, and daily supportive texts and emails throughout. She uses the metaphor of laying the foundation, then daily building upon a brick wall, with each brick representing another skill to help keep one sober.
Alcohol and Success are Not Mutually Exclusive
Davidson herself stopped drinking several years ago. During the time of her heaviest drinking, she was an active wife, mother, friend, successful corporate climber, and an athlete. Clearly, drinking lots of alcohol is not mutually exclusive with being successful in many realms of life, and surely doesn’t mean hitting some vague notion of bottom. I see this with my own patients every day.But Davidson suggests the question a person considering abstinence should be asking is not, “Is this bad enough to stop?” but rather, “Is this good enough to keep going?”
A Helpful Resource to Stop Drinking
At the Coleman Institute for Addiction Medicine, we are all about providing resources for our patients. Casey has compiled her own 30 Tips to Get You Through the First 30 Days which she offers free on her website Hello Someday Coaching, along with many other resources.As I continue my own work with women who desire abstinence from alcohol, I am delighted to have Casey on my short list of recommendations. You can book a free 30 minute call with her yourself to see if her coaching is the ‘layer’ you need right now to stop drinking.
In the meantime, if you or a loved one would like information about how to safely stop drinking or using opioids through one of our accelerated detox programs, please schedule a callback today.
Joan R. Shepherd, FNP
