It’s a really tricky problem when you turn up to the pub with friends and you find yourself forced to have a second, third or four drink, especially when you had every intention of getting home, making a nice dinner, and watching Game Of Thrones. Peer pressure from colleagues can be immense – but there are ways that hypnotherapy can help.
The main way is concerned with clinical hypnotherapy for confidence. There are a variety of tools and techniques at your disposal that can help you become more assertive, help you really feel in control and perfectly at ease saying, “Sorry guys, I’ve got to go.” There’s a free download we offer to get you started – you can find it on our home page.
Fear of missing out
One thing that often holds people back from being the first to leave post-work drinks is the fear that they are missing out, but hypnotherapy for confidence can address this too. It can help you find the right balance that works for you, and will stop you wondering what might have happened if only you’d stayed for another.
There are little things you can do now that can help with the after-work drink conundrum. What I do with some clients is to get them to tot up the total number of calories that come with too much drinking. Three standard glasses of wine equates to almost 400 calories – which is more than a Big Mac. And let’s face it, a Big Mac (or two) or a bucket of KFC is far more likely to feature on your menu after a night of drinking beer or wine than it is water. If you want to have a beach body, is that really going to help you get there?
Also – why not fake it? There’s that classic thing about saying you’ll have a gin and tonic, then going to the bar and just getting a tonic. No one will know.
Visualise yourself saying no
But these don’t really address the fundamental problem about your confidence when it comes to saying no, and a better thing to do, I think, is to visualise yourself saying no in the days before you all go to the pub. Visualise yourself having one drink and then going home. Visualise yourself feeling good about leaving, about getting home to make a lovely meal and doing what you want to do.
Make the image bold and bright and keep practising visualising it. Just as with athletes who want to win and use this technique, you’re creating a neural pathway so the brain knows that if you get asked for a drink you can say no if you want to. We regularly help people become adept at this during our hypnotherapy sessions.
