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“Do I really have to get rid of all my booze?”

One of the first pieces of advice people get when they are trying to quit alcohol is often “remove all alcohol from your home," which probably explains why people often come to me with reluctant looks on their faces and the question “Do I really have to?”

My answer is: No, you don’t have to. But you will probably be doing yourself a favor if you choose to.

Before I get into the why, let me say this: I get the ache of pouring away one’s beloved alcohol collection. In fact, I still remember watching a collection I had spent years building swirl down the sink. It didn’t feel like I was pouring alcohol down the drain; it felt like I was pouring away my tears and hard-earned money.

So, why do I still encourage you to give it a try, despite personally knowing that pain?

The Invisible Drinking Loop: Automated Drinking Routines

To answer that, we first have to look at what I call the Invisible Drinking Loop.

One of the biggest mistakes we make is seeing drinking always as a conscious choice and an isolated behavior. In reality, for a seasoned drinker, drinking often operates as an automated routine.

Automation is one of the greatest mechanisms that our brain uses to preserve energy. When a routine has been repeated enough times, the brain learns to link it to cues that precede it. Over time, these cues alone become the signal to our brain to carry out the routine, without needing a conscious decision;........

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