So, I read a statistic yesterday that stated Australian's are drinking up to 70% more alcohol in isolation than before. WOW, that’s epic. Then I reflected… I have wanted more alcohol than ever in these last 5 weeks. The craving has been real and I’m not a big drinker.

The stress is real, and the options are limited right now, we can't leave the house much and we are trapped here with little ones needing attention while trying to work online and run meetings, wash our hands, be good parents and just basically survive. It makes sense we are all diving for the bottle. But here are my tips to help you regulate that craving, and I use them myself.

I ask myself the question in relation to alcohol, caffeine and sugar - 

'Will this give me energy or take from me on the back end?'

(We discuss this further in an interview I did recently with Dr Scott Hogan, click here for full interview). Sometimes I’m really in the mood, I feel full of energy and I feel I can afford a little dip because I’m in total flow. In that case, a glass or two is inflow and becomes your medicine.

If the answer is no, I’m usually grabbing a drink because I have some feelings to repress, or need a stress release (that I can find in other ways). This determines the hangover - because when you’re drinking unconsciously, you will have more damage to clean up the next day. Make sense?

The type of alcohol really matters in terms of how it undermines our health. Clean white spirits will be processed by the liver easily, mixed with soda and lemon or lime. This actually helps to re-hydrate and the bitterness of the lime or lemon will help process the alcohol sooner. Malt based alcohols are higher in sugar, and mess with the microbiome of the gut, as do beers and wines. They contain a cocktail of preservatives, yeasts, sugars, malts and wheat that the body needs extra energy to process, and further interrupt the gut flora, leading to lowered immunity, sinus congestion, poor sleep and sugar dysregulation.

Everything has the potential to be medicine to the body, listen in and let your body decide. Choosing consciously is choosing wisely.

Another thing that helps me is to schedule in alcohol-free nights. For example, say NO to yourself Monday to Friday,  OR just choose one evening a week like Friday where you enjoy 1 - 2 standards drinks of clean white spirits then no more. This helps to make sure that you look forward to it, and sharpens up your self-discipline.

After all, we all want to emerge from this iso better than we went in. I’m keen to hear what resonated and what you might declare for yourself moving forward, let’s help each other THRIVE XX

Cheers!