185. What to Do After Drinking More Than You Intended

Send me a message 🤗Waking up regretting how much you drank last night doesn't mean you've failed at moderation — it just means you've got some data to work with, if you're willing to look at it properly. I'm calling this the chronological yesterday: that raw, still-fresh version of the night before that can quietly set the tone for your entire day if you let it, especially once alcohol's been thrown into the mix, and things didn't quite go to plan.Rather than letting one messy night tip you into "well, I clearly can't do this" territory, I'm walking you through a simple two-step process I call catch it and release it. It's a way of properly unpacking when a night got away from you, how much choice you genuinely had in that moment, and what you might try differently next time round — whether that's zebra striping, keeping things low-no for the first hour, or finally telling your mates what kind of support you actually need from them. None of it requires a dramatic overhaul. It's about noticing one small thing you can experiment with, learning from it, and giving yourself a bit of grace along the way, because moderating your drinking is a skill like any other, and skills take practice.By the end of this episode, you'll know:Why your yesterday has so much power over how your today feelsHow to stop a "bad night" spiralling into a full-blown doom spiral of guiltThe exact questions to ask yourself the morning after you've overdone itHow to turn an off-piste night out into useful data instead of a reason to quitOne small drinking choice you can experiment with on your next night outHow to get your friends properly on board with supporting your moderation goalsWhy progress, not perfection, is the real measure of success when you're drinking mindfullyChapters0:01 Changing Drinking Without Losing Yourself1:22 The Power Of The Chronological Yesterday2:44 Doom Spiral Or Data After Overdoing It5:32 A Practical Tool For System Thinkers6:38 Catch It Questions For The Night10:11 Release It With One Small Experiment12:25 Getting Friends To Support Your Choice14:30 Progress Over Perfection & Next Week's EpisodeAlso mentioned:ep#161. The Real Reason Your Friends Can’t Take ‘No’ for an Answer - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2229527/episodes/18674312 ===🌱 Ready for real change in the way you drink? - https://www.lownodrinker.com/4weekreset===🗝️ Become a Vault member to get access to the moderation tools that actually help - https://mindfuldrinking.substack.com/s/the-vault===✏️ Come hang out with me on Substack - https://mindfuldrinking.substack.com/===❓ Take the Midlife Drinking Triggers Quiz - https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/68dd33385bb4a20015996a13===*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may earn a commission that helps me keep the show going. Thank you.