Welcome to the home of CLUB SODA’S COURSES TO CHANGE YOUR DRINKING

Unconditional self-acceptance

Actively working on a change not only gives us a solid base to work on a new identity from. But it also allows us to forgive ourselves and carry on if and when lapses happen. 

If slips do happen, and we hate ourselves for them, and let our inner critic tell us we are a terrible person or a complete failure, we are more likely to feel really bad about ourselves, and the chance of us abandoning our attempt to change, or at least talking ourselves into postponing it for an extended period of time (relapse) is greatest.

Learning to accept ourselves ‘warts and all’ helps us embark upon lifestyle change, such as reducing or stopping drinking, with a more resilient attitude. If we can acknowledge that, yes, something didn’t work out as we hoped and that we are not a perfect person, whilst accepting that it is OK to be (and we all are) a fallible human being, we are in a stronger mental position to evaluate, take action to prevent against the same mistake again, pick ourselves up and carry on.

People who label and condemn themselves as a failure if they don’t achieve something might resort to avoidance strategies so that they don’t need to experience this blow to their self-worth. By not even starting to try making a change, they then won’t have to ever experience being a “failure”.

This is why cultivating an identity as someone who can change allows you to own the process of change and not be swayed off course when things don’t go to plan. You will a healthy striver doing their best, rather than a perfectionist who is bound to fail eventually.