The Empty Bottles She Couldn't Stop Hiding

5 a.m., and the bottles go out before anyone's awake. A soft clink of glass against the can, quick hands, quicker steps back inside. For years this was Michelle's ritual, drink alone, hide it, wake up and do it again. A DUI didn't stop it. A year and a half without a drink during COVID didn't stop it. One sentence, heard on a commute to work, finally put a stop to her cycle of drinking alone and hiding it.

Michelle and Coach Cole discuss:

• Growing up with a mother whose drinking shaped a lifelong anxiety Michelle didn't understand until years later

• Why marijuana, not alcohol, came first, and what changed in her mid-twenties

• The private ritual of disposing of empty bottles before dawn, and what it revealed about the shame she was carrying

• A DUI, a year and a half alcohol-free during COVID, and why neither one was the real turning point

• The one unexpected concept that finally undid years of moderating, relapsing, and starting over

• And more on shame, self-trust, and what it means to finally feel like one whole person instead of two…

Ready to take the next step?

Visit learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

Cole Harvey is a Certified Naked Mind Senior Coach who helps people build better habits and find meaning through curiosity, self-compassion, and adventure. Learn more about Coach Cole:thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey

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