Conscious Alcohol Consumption, Mindful Drinking, and Moderation

Mastering the ideal relationship with alcohol

image Heather Lowe

I am all for being mindful, intentional, and prioritizing awareness, health, and wellbeing, but there’s a problem when it comes to terms like conscious consumption and mindful drinking. In short, they are oxymorons.

I am the last person to want to tell you this. I wanted to believe for years, as a wine drinker, that alcohol was good for me. I wanted to know about the grapes and the soil they came from. I wanted to know the region and the year. I wanted to believe desperately that I wasn’t dependent on alcohol, and it was an empowering choice that I was making to free myself from rules and responsibilities. I thought alcohol was one of my great pleasures in life. I did not want to see it as the bad guy or let it go. I tried for years, and possibly a lifetime, to moderate my drinking mindfully.

I could moderate sometimes. I really could. You would think this is an accomplishment, but it was actually the worst feeling in the world. It always left me wanting more. Not having as much as I wanted felt terrible, not liberating. Even if I could do it, why would I want to do it?

I became a heavy drinker over time, but my relationship with alcohol didn’t always look concerning. Mostly, it looked…