EP 108: Enjoy Truly Joyful Events Without the Regret

What if this holiday season, you could walk away from every gathering feeling proud, happy, and totally in control? That’s exactly what we’re exploring in this episode of the Catholic Sobriety Podcast! I’m Christie Walker, your host and biggest cheerleader, and I can't wait to share some game-changing tips to help you handle those festive parties without overindulging in alcohol.

This is not about missing out—it’s about showing up as your best self and fully enjoying the moment - without the alcohol. Together, we’ll talk about setting simple intentions, being prepared for tricky situations, and creating boundaries that actually work for you. Whether it’s bringing your favorite drink, knowing when to step away, or making a plan that fits your vibe, I’ll give you the tools to feel confident, excited, and totally at peace.

The best part? Sticking to your goals during the holidays doesn’t mean giving up the fun—it means creating space for more joy, clarity, and connection. I promise, you’re going to feel so good saying no to what doesn’t serve you. Trust me, my clients have never regretted choosing sobriety, but they have shared stories of wishing they’d taken this path sooner.

Sound good? Share with a friend who might need a little extra encouragement. Be sure to follow me on Instagram or check out my coaching services for more practical tips and loving support. 

You’ve got this, and I’m here to cheer you on every step of the way. Happy, healthy holidays? Yes, please! 🎄✨

I'm here for you. I'm praying for you. You are NOT alone!

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Chapters

• 0:00 Catholic Sobriety
• 11:16 Positive Alcohol-Free Holiday Tips

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Catholic Sobriety Podcast, the go-to resource for women seeking to have a deeper understanding of the role alcohol plays in their lives, women who are looking to drink less or not at all for any reason. I am your host, christi Walker. I'm a wife, mom and a joy-filled Catholic, and I am the Catholic Sobriety Coach, and I am so glad you're here. If you're worried because the holidays are coming and you have dinners, events and all kinds of things with family and friends planned, but you're trying to reduce or eliminate your alcohol consumption, or you just don't want to over drink over the holidays, then this episode is for you. I am going to share with you four powerful planning tips that will help you get through all those social events and situations that might be causing you a little bit of anxiety. Causing you a little bit of anxiety. So I know from experience that it can be difficult when you have to go into a social situation and you're not really prepared for what could happen. I naturally already plan for these situations, and you probably do too. You find out what the dress coat is. You find out who's going to be there and what they're going to be serving. You might find out what they're going to have to drink and what sort of entertainment they'll have. I want you to take what you already do, what you already know, and plan for these events. Now just go ahead and do this with the next event you have coming. Or if it's a situation that you find yourself in where you could easily over drink and maybe not keep those commitments to yourself, then this four-step method to powerful planning will help you so much. So the first thing you want to do is to decide what your goal is. Are you going to drink one drink? Are you going to drink two drinks? When are you going to be drinking these? Are these going to be at the beginning of the night? Are you going to have one at the beginning and one at the end? Are you going to have one at the beginning and one with dinner? Are you going to have one with dinner and one at the end? I don't know, it's whatever you're deciding. Or maybe you're deciding you don't want to have any alcohol, and that's great too. That's another goal.

Speaker 1: 2:29

So, whatever your goal is, where it's going to feel really peaceful for you to take it or leave it, then I suggest, first of all, setting that, writing that down, putting that intention down, setting that writing that down, putting that intention down, and along with that, I want you to start visualizing the event. What do you anticipate are going to be your roadblocks or triggers that might come up for you? So I want you to write those down too. Is it going to be alcohol like right on the table? Is it going to be certain people that are there? Is it going to be alcohol like right on the table? Is it going to be certain people that are there? Is it going to be maybe not knowing what to say when people ask you if you want to drink or ask when you say no, not wanting to have to tell people about your goals, which is completely fine. Just planning in advance for that is going to be so helpful, because then you're not just going into it not knowing what's going to go on.

Speaker 1: 3:31

So, first thing, set your goal. Second thing this is all part of step one, by the way you're going to visualize what is going to be your trip ups, your triggers, your hang ups, and write those down. We're going to address those later. Write those down. And then the last thing in this first step is to think about how you want to feel at the end of the night or how you want to feel the next morning. So write that down too. Do you want to be proud of your choices? Do you want to have more peace? Do you want to feel good the next morning? Whatever that is, write that down. So step one you're going to set your goal, visualize the event and figure out what your triggers might be. Decide how you want to feel at the end, what you want the result to be from the end of the night and all your hard work.

Speaker 1: 4:29

Okay, now for step two. I want you to think about what you are willing to do to keep that commitment to yourself. That could be are you willing to bring your own drinks? Are you willing to? If you've decided just to have one or two glasses of wine, are you willing to then put that bottle of wine away where you won't have access to it or it will be kind of out of sight, out of mind? Are you willing and I know this hurts, because every time I suggest it people are like oh Christy, I can't even imagine that but are you willing to drink what you've promised yourself? You're going to drink and stick to that, if that's two glasses of wine. Are you willing to either give that bottle of wine away or pour it down the sink I know I know that might have hurt your heart a little bit.

Speaker 1: 5:29

Serious about your commitment to reducing or eliminating alcohol, then you will do whatever it takes to root that out, including wasting wine. So it may have to be done. It may not have to be done if you can give it away or put it somewhere else where you're not going to be tempted by it. You're not going to be tempted by it. So what are you willing to do? That's what I want you to think about. Are you willing to be uncomfortable? Are you willing to have tough conversations? Are you willing to leave if things aren't going that great and you feel super tempted, like, like at any moment you could drink. Either you leave or you drink. So just write all those things down. Those are just some examples, but you just have to figure out what you are willing to do and what is going to work for you.

Speaker 1: 6:31

The third step is I want you to think about what you are not willing to do. Are you not willing to have a tough conversation with somebody and feel those feelings? And if you're not willing to do that, what are you willing to do instead? So you might go back in as you're filling these in, you'll probably do it simultaneously, like what am I willing to do, what am I not willing to do? And then, as you think of what you're willing to do, it may spill over into what you're not willing to do. So step one and step two very often just kind of are done at the same time. So just know that if you're doing that, it's totally okay. If you want to separate them, totally fine too.

Speaker 1: 7:18

Then the last step is to have an exit strategy. Now, I know it can be very difficult to exit. I actually was just doing some group coaching yesterday in my 30-day alcohol reset and we talked about this exact topic and the woman said, like I could exit as far as like going for a walk, I could go outside, I could go and play with kids, I could. You know, she had all these ways that she could remove herself from these situations that could cause her or tempt her to want to drink. Or, if she has an urge, she could use this exit strategy of whatever one of those things that she had listed, like going for a walk, playing with the kids, whatever it is. But she said that she could not leave, completely leave the event without it causing a lot of chaos, like within the family and things like that. So definitely take that into consideration with the event, who is going to be there and what is going to be right for you, because this is all about peace. So again, step one you are going to set your goal and this is a goal where you are going to be proud of yourself when you stick to it. So, whether you decide to drink or not drink, you are going to do that from a place of peace.

Speaker 1: 8:53

Step two is to figure out what is going to maybe trigger you, what kind of causes, those urges, and just sit with that for a little bit, because you will look at that as you are doing steps one and step three. And then the third part of step one is to visualize what you want the result to be at the end of the night and the next day. So that's the three parts of the first step. The second step, again, is to say what you are willing to do. What are you willing to do to keep that commitment? Just very simple what are you willing to do? What are you willing to do to keep that commitment? Just very simple what are you willing to do? And as you're doing that, look at those triggers, those things that might trip you up during the event. Step three what you're not willing to do.

Speaker 1: 9:49

And then, step four, have an exit strategy, and that could either be completely leaving the event or just removing yourself for a time. Now I want to say something about an exit strategy. I don't recommend leaving just because you're uncomfortable, like you need to get used to being in the discomfort and learning how to cope with that and developing techniques of how you're going to do that. If it gets to the point where you think that you are going to drink, like you either leave or you're gonna drink, then exiting is going to probably be your best choice. But but again, assess the situation and what could happen if you leave. Could you just have an excuse and leave a notice like I'm really tired or I have big morning or whatever, and leave?

Speaker 1: 10:48

So in order for this to all work, you need to write down your plan. You don't necessarily have to take it with you, but you need to write down your plan. You don't necessarily have to take it with you, but you need to write out your plan and stick to it. That's the trick. It's only as powerful as you allow it to be. Write it down, stick to it and you will be able to keep those commitments to yourself.

Speaker 1: 11:16

I hope that that is helpful for you. I would love to know. When you do this, just send me a message, let me know. Did you plan, how did you plan? Did it work? How did you feel at the end of the evening? Did you feel at the end of the evening? I can tell you that not once have I ever had anyone tell me that they regretted not drinking. Had a lot of people pretty much everybody that I've worked with tell me that they have regretted drinking, and by that I mean over drinking. If this episode has been helpful for you, I think that you'll find episode 103 to be very helpful as well, and that episode is how to drink less this holiday season.

Speaker 1: 12:04

Well, that does it for this episode of the Catholic Sobriety Podcast. I hope you enjoyed this episode and I would invite you to share it with a friend who might also get value from it as well, and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss a thing. I am the Catholic Sobriety Coach, and if you would like to learn how to work with me or learn more about the coaching that I offer, visit my website thecatholicsbrietycoachcom. Follow me on Instagram at the Catholic Sobriety Coach. I look forward to speaking to you next time and remember I am here for you. I am praying for you. You are not alone.