While quitting drinking can bring us so many benefits, it can also trigger unexpected feelings around body image and food, such as:
How much of your time and energy have you spent on "Will I, won't I, and if I will, how much" internal debates about food? (Which look very different from internal debates about drinking except for the fact that they are equally EXHAUSTING). Can you imagine getting all of that time and energy back from here on out??
Picture a future where you know that you can trust yourself, you can trust your body, and that you will always have your own back.
You deserve a chance at your best possible life.
The world needs you as your most liberated self.
Those who have parted ways with alcohol and are struggling to get to a place of peace with their body.
Those who turn(ed) to alcohol as a way of coping with how they feel about their body.
Those who are aware of an uncomfortable relationship with food, or specific food types, now that they’ve left the booze behind.
Those who are considering going back to drinking in hopes of getting back to what felt like a manageable place with food and/or to escape uncomfortable feelings about their bodies.
Those who are struggling to get to a place of peace and freedom with their body and/or food (absent any issues with alcohol).
Module 1: Drinking and Dieting - Their Similarities and Intersections
We'll cover why the real comparison isn’t between booze and food – it’s between drinking and dieting. We’ll also start to dig into the differences between being addicted to substances and feeling addicted to food (or certain kinds of food).
Module 2: Why Diets Don’t Work
I want to assure you that you’ve never, ever, EVER “failed” at dieting. The system was rigged from the start. We’ll also continue the discussion around the differences between being addicted to substances and feeling addicted to food (or certain kinds of food), and the completely opposite ways of healing from each.
Module 3: What is “Diet Culture”?
You know those thoughts it may feel like you’ve always had about which bodies are “best” or “healthiest” or what foods are “right” or “wrong”? They were put there by people and organizations that only care about getting your money and not one bit about you. And you can absolutely kick them out.
Module 3a: Cauliflower as a Substitute
I mean, the possibilities are endless. Riiiight?? (But also, humor heals).
Module 4: Health and Healthism
We’ll explore the false narratives we’re told about fat being unhealthy, what factors actually do influence health outcomes, and avoiding the harms of healthism.
Module 5: Anti-fatness, Anti-Blackness and Proximity to Privilege
You’ll learn when the concept of a body hierarchy was institutionalized, why it matters, how your identities shape how privilege or oppression is experienced, and how they intersect.
Module 6: 2SLGBTQIA+ Identity and Dieting/Disordered Eating
You’ll deepen your understanding of how proximity to privilege impacts your relationship with diet culture and substance use, and how the queer community can be particularly vulnerable to both.
Module 7: Beyond Shrinking and Drinking
Finally, we’ll tie it all together, ask why this all matters anyway, and where to go from here.
Standard (for those who have sufficient resources to cover themselves); Equity (for those with marginalized identities and those in need); Standard Plus (for those who have sufficient resources to cover themselves and also donate to increase access for marginalized folks and those in need).
Lael A.
Hi, I’m Lael (they/them). I used to be heavily invested in both drinking and shrinking (dieting). I parted ways with alcohol without identifying as an alcoholic (or any other label). I mention that because if labels work for you, great! But they are not necessary to examine or question your relationship to either drinking or shrinking (including dieting, disordered eating, and body image issues).
If any part of you wonders if your life would be better without any of them, that is more than enough reason to explore further. It’s actually pretty effed up that both our drinking, and our relationship to food and our bodies, can be seriously messing with our lives, but society sends us the message that unless we fit the stereotype of an alcoholic or someone with a full-blown eating disorder, there’s no cause for concern. Not only are those stereotypes problematic and not actually representative of huge groups of people, but why wait to address something that we know is causing us harm now?
During my experience of parting ways with alcohol and then tackling a lifetime of dieting, disordered eating (including an undiagnosed eating disorder), and body shame, I found resources that addressed giving up drinking OR that addressed disordered eating & body image issues. Yet I could not find any that spoke to the intersection of the two. And in my personal experience, and in the experience of most of those I have worked with, the two do indeed frequently intersect. Hence, the idea for this course was born.
I am queer, nonbinary, and someone who benefits from the privileges associated with being white, currently able-bodied, and currently in a straight-size body. I have found, and you may as well, that the more we reclaim our own bodies, the fiercer our desire to fight for the rights of ALL bodies, and the stronger we feel in our ability to do so.
In addition to my lived experience, my credentials include being a Certified Professional Recovery Coach, Certified Diet Recovery Coach, Certified Weight Neutral Coach, Certified Holistic Health Coach, and Certified Professional Coach.
I also firmly believe in the healing powers of both profanity and humor.
If you are interested in 1-1 Coaching, you can access my coaching website HERE.
Sign up below to get notified about the Launch of the next Beyond Shrinking & Drinking Group Program:
The content of this course is meant for informational/educational purposes only, is not a substitute for medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment, is not a replacement for 1-1 counseling, and does not constitute a provider-patient relationship.
If you have an active eating disorder, please only take this course if you are also being supported by a mental health professional. If you are unsure, Project Heal offers a free clinical assessment).
If you have any questions, please email [email protected]
