Why Many Feel Pressured to Drink at Christmas
and how to re-discover your ‘Pause button’
Each year as we start to head into the Festive season, it’s common for me to see a spike in enquiries from clients looking to bring their drinking under control.
For many , this time of year brings a feeling of pressure to drink more than they’d like to. Christmas parties, social gatherings, and family get-togethers often come with an unspoken expectation: to “join in,” to “relax” and to “let go.” This mindset isn’t inherently bad. Of course we do need rest and celebration. But if “letting go” becomes tied so closely to alcohol or excess, it can quickly turn into a pattern of overconsumption followed by regret.
And in the era of social media, with phones always at the ready, sometimes the reminders of ‘the night before’ can last way beyond that next day. Many clients come to me to help to re-discover their personal ‘pause button’. To be able to take back control, to feel empowered even after 2-3 drinks about their limits and to be able to check-in with how they are feeling.
In this Blog, I explore why the festive season often leads to overconsumption of alcohol. How subconscious beliefs (driven by years of social conditioning and cultural messaging) might be influencing your choices, and what you can do to stay empowered, relaxed, and confident. No judgement is intended; many look forward to a time of relaxation, of letting go of the year and of connection with others, including myself. But for those that struggle to find the ‘pause button’, this is intended to help. Do get in touch.
‘It’s Christmas…I’ll just have one more’
From TV adverts showing sparkling champagne glasses to work colleagues planning rounds at the bar, alcohol has become deeply entwined with celebration. It’s not just a drink — it’s a symbol of being able to ‘let go’ after a long year. To be able to relax and connect with colleagues outside the work environment/ And Permission to “switch off” from responsibility
But this cultural link between alcohol and celebration can easily spiral into unconscious overconsumption.
How our Subconscious Mind Plays a role in over-drinking
As an evening out progresses, often it can be hard to say “no thanks” when offered a drink. Our subconscious mind has a key role in that – along with neurochemicals such as dopamine [the reward chemical that is triggered by drinking alcohol, smoking etc.]
Your subconscious is like the operating system that stores your habits, beliefs, and emotional associations, many of which were formed years ago. Most of these are useful and indeed essential to life. However, in some areas they might not be so useful or consistent with our current direction or life goals. With drinking, many of us learn from a young age, that Alcohol = celebration. Often turning down a drink is met with calls of being “boring” or “antisocial.” And more broadly we know that to belong, it’s good to conform with the herd. These messages are reinforced again and again — through family gatherings, media, and peer behaviour.
So, when you find yourself at a Christmas party surrounded by people raising glasses, your subconscious mind fires off familiar associations:
“If I drink, I’ll fit in.”
“Everyone expects me to join in.”
“I’ll relax more if I have a few. It’s Christmas, I should let go”
Even if your logical, conscious mind knows you’d rather take it easy, your subconscious programming can override that intention .
Many of my clients come to me saying that once they have had 2-3 drinks, they don’t seem to have an off switch. As a society, binge-drinking in the UK has become more prevalent- where people drink to the point of passing out, of putting themselves in danger. The NHS reports that 11% of 16-49 year olds are binging on a weekly basis.
Take Back Control Over Drinking
Modern neuroscience has shown that our brains can adapt and change in relatively short time periods. Habits are not fixed and through relatively simple strategies, we can take back control of those subconscious habits.
My programme centres on using clinical hypnosis and positive thinking and goals to ‘rewire’ the subconscious mind. If Christmas and ‘relaxation’ has meant “drinking more at Christmas,” that neural pathway becomes automatic. The good news? With awareness and simple tools, you can reprogram it.
Through guided relaxation and focused attention, you can uncover the real reasons behind your drinking patterns and gently update those old mental associations.
For example, under hypnosis, you might:
- Reframe the belief that you ‘must have’ alcohol to have fun.
- Strengthen your sense of confidence and self-control – including re-establishing your own personal ‘pause button’, to enable you to sub-consciously check in during a night out or party.
- Create new emotional links — which are consistent with your own goals
How Do I Want To Feel Tomorrow ?
Having a ‘trigger’ question, a mantra that our sub-conscious triggers, is one way that we work to help bring back that control over drinking. It’s not just a question about hangovers or the physical state. Many of my clients report that the wider mental and emotional issues that over-drinking can bring , are more impactful. For example, regret and low self esteem; regret or embarrassment or frustration at losing control (again).
Do get in touch to find out more. It doesn’t mean that you have to give up drinking, although some clients do. We work to re-frame in your subconcious the role that alcohol -and other stimulants or drugs– play in your life.
My programme has a great track record – as recent clients attest, see reviews on Google or at the end of this Blog.
Important note : Sometimes we will need to work in conjunction with your GP or a specialist programme for recovering Alcoholics, if your habit is longstanding. See below*
3 Tips to Stay In Control of Your Drinking This Christmas
Even without formal hypnotherapy sessions, you can begin changing your relationship with alcohol through self- awareness and simple strategies. They might feel for some as being too rigid or planned; but our minds like that predictability and it’s maybe worth the trade-off.
1. Set an Intention Before Events and planning drinks Before you attend a party or perhaps a work gathering, take a moment to decide how you want to feel at the end of the night — clear, connected, in control.
Visualise yourself socialising confidently, enjoying conversations, and sipping something that nourishes you. Give yourself clear boundaries — for example, “I’ll enjoy two drinks, then switch every other drink to Coke or water.” When your mind knows there’s a plan, it’s easier to stay consistent.
2. Notice your personal Triggers to Bingeing
Perhaps social anxiety or the fear of being judged that nudges you to drink more? Or perhaps it is boredom, or a need to escape from certain feelings? Once you identify the emotional trigger, you can then choose to respond differently. Perhaps by stepping outside for air, dancing, or taking a break to get some food.
Or talk to different people, chatting with friends or a colleague who shares your values. You might be surprised how many people feel the same way about festive drinking. Or maybe have learned the hard way. If you voice your decision with calm assurance, others often respect it — and may even feel inspired.
3. Use Positive Self-Suggestion
Reminding yourself that you can be confident and relaxed without alcohol or of your positive goals can subtly retrain your subconscious mind over time. This does not need to be over a long period- the sub conscious can create new pathways in a matter of days rather than weeks.
Enjoy Christmas- and know that you can take back that control
If you notice the familiar pull to overdrink, maybe pause and ask;
- “Is this really what I want right now?”
- “Am I acting from habit or from choice?”
- “How do I want to feel tomorrow morning?”
Awareness is the first step – and perhaps seeking support , before it becomes an issue for you, in relationships or with your work. Below please find below some comments from recent clients, who discovered that power in their mind to take back that control. And read my latest google reviews here
“I had issues with Addictions…. Bob worked with me to completely remove those issues. My life has completely changed, I am more happy, relaxed and motivated than I have ever been. I can’t recommend Bob enough,‘ Chris, Slough, Oct 2025
“I found myself struggling ….reaching for alcohol at the end of every day ….which was never just the one. It became an automatic motion to grab a drink at the end of a day … and I wanted to take back control .. Since my last session its been a couple of months. And I feel like I still make the choice of when I have a drink, have greater control . I feel positive about where I am now.” Billy, Surrey Hills, July 2025
*Note : for long term alcohol addiction , we always advise clients to speak to their GP or medical professional before looking to give up drinking. Stopping alcohol entirely after a long history of alcohol abuse can be life threatening, causing seizures and a condition known as delirium tremens. Drugs such as Benzodiazepines help reduce seizure risk and Naltrexone blocks the receptors that create the urge to drink.. For more please visit https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/alcohol-support/