Gray Area Drinking: Why Willpower Isn’t the Answer & What Actually Works
Feb 10, 2025
You’ve told yourself, This time will be different. But before you know it, you’re back in the same cycle—pouring a glass of wine after work, drinking more than you planned, and waking up wondering, Why do I keep doing this?
Here’s the truth: If willpower worked, you would’ve figured this out by now.
The reason so many people struggle to change their drinking habits isn’t a lack of discipline—it’s a physiological response happening in your brain and body.
What Is Gray Area Drinking?
On this week’s episode of Sober Fit Life, I’m diving into the concept of Gray Area Drinking with Jolene Park, a pioneer in this space and an expert in how alcohol affects the nervous system, neurotransmitters, and emotional resilience.
Gray Area Drinking isn’t about labels—it’s about the spectrum of drinking that doesn’t fit into traditional categories. It’s not occasional social drinking, but it’s also not rock-bottom alcoholism. Instead, it’s where many highly functional, health-conscious people find themselves—drinking regularly but questioning whether it’s truly serving them.
Why Willpower Won’t Help You Quit Drinking
We’ve been told that cutting back on alcohol is all about mindset and self-control, but that’s only part of the story. Alcohol directly impacts neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and GABA—the very chemicals responsible for mood, relaxation, and motivation.
So when you try to cut back, but your body is still wired to expect alcohol to relieve stress or unwind, you’re fighting a battle you were never meant to win with willpower alone.
The Science-Backed Approach to Changing Your Drinking Habits
In this episode, we’re breaking down why addressing your body’s physiological response is the key to making sustainable changes—and how focusing on nervous system regulation through movement, lifestyle, and nutrition strengthens emotional resilience and helps you break free from the cycle of drinking.
As someone who has been trained in Jolene’s NOURISH Method and is part of her Master Coaching group, I’ve seen firsthand how focusing on physiology before psychology changes everything. This approach has upleveled my coaching, and it’s what I now integrate with my clients to help them create lasting habit change.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ What Gray Area Drinking really means (and how to know if you fall into this category)
✔️ How alcohol impacts your neurotransmitters and nervous system, making it harder to cut back
✔️ Why willpower alone doesn’t work (and what actually does)
✔️ The NOURISH Method, a science-backed approach to healing from the inside out
✔️ How functional nutrition and nervous system regulation play a key role in alcohol recovery
Ready to Break Free from the Drinking Cycle?
If you’ve been struggling to change your drinking habits but nothing seems to stick, this episode is for you.
🎧 Listen now: Episode #12: Gray Area Drinking & Why Willpower Isn't the Answer with Jolene Park
After you tune in, I’d love to hear what resonates with you! Drop a comment below or send me a message—I’d love to continue this conversation.
🚀 Let’s change the way we think about alcohol!
