Man I’ve really struggled with Paulo coelho books. The language in them, and lessons, all feel targeted at 12 year olds.

Hey I’m someone who successfully cut down from seriously problematic drinking levels. I wasn’t a classic “alcoholic” (no physical withdrawals), but I couldn’t stop myself from getting near black out drunk when going out with friends, which was causing personal life issues.

My solution was two fold —

1. Step 1 was I needed time off to recalibrate and lower my tolerance. I first did a dry week, where I had my girlfriend hold me accountable. I later did a full dry month, again, using my girlfriend for accountability. I also scheduled weekly check ins for extra accountability.

2. Step 2 was that when I did return to drinking, I tracked all my drinks religiously. I downloaded an app and tracked every drink. Bringing alcohol consumption into conscious memory via writing it down helped a lot.

3. A subtle step I did on the side was starting meditation. This wasn’t directly related, but I strongly, strongly believe it gave me the emotional strength to succeed at this.

I have not consumed over moderation in many years at this point.