How I Stopped Alcohol in 7 Steps to Recover from Burnout!

✨ The Story of My Burnout and Recovery 🚀

✨ My journey was intense, but the result is amazing!

If you've been stuck in a burnout cycle or using unhealthy coping mechanisms, this story is for you.

Following my last burnout, I had a problem with drinking too much alcohol.

🔹Leaving my IT career for coaching was difficult.

🔹My business wasn't taking off! No Reward, No dopamine!

🔹Endless admin tasks added to my stress.

I tried coping with gardening🪴 and home renovations 🔨🏚️, but they were tough and offered no immediate gratification neither. No Dopamine!

Frustrated, I unconsciously sought a quick reward: 🍷 a glass of red wine. It provided an instant hit of pleasure.

Being French, I started drinking daily 😨 until I lost control 😱 - I knew I had to act.

👉 That's when I created The Post-Burnout Reset™ program, an emotional regulation and healing process, thanks to my teacher and all my coaching peers 🥰 who coached me in this process.

The Post-Burnout Reset™ that helped me take back control in 7 steps🌻

🔹 Step 1: Understand the Root Cause: With the help of other coaches, I learned that a lack of external rewards was why I drank.

🔹 Step 2: Accept the Problem: I accepted the problem without judgment before working on it.

🔹 Step 3: Understand the Pattern: I used the habit-loop framework to identify:

- Cue: a stressful day 🤯

- Routine: drinking wine 🍷

- Reward: stress relief & dopamine 💉

🔹 Step 4: Identify the Blockage: My blockage was a deep fear of being a "monster" to my family if I stopped drinking!

🔹 Step 5: Accept the Risk: I accepted that my family might not like my behavior at first, but knew they preferred it to my drinking.

🔹 Step 6: Get Rewards Differently: I changed the "reward" part of the habit loop by seeking new, healthy feedback. I asked my 🥰 family to acknowledge my hard work on my recoveries, diagnoses, and career change. 💓 This gave me the dopamine I needed without alcohol.

🔹 Step 7: Change the Toxic Pattern: With new rewards, I changed the routine. I found alternatives like tennis, small gardening projects, cooking, or playing video games. To break the habit, I had to "turn off the autopilot" and intentionally choose a different behavior.

✨ MORAL

Breaking a habit is a long process, but with a method and with coaching, it's achievable! This process helped me heal my nervous system and break free from a toxic cycle. I'm now a coach dedicated to helping others navigate their burnout recovery.

👉 If you're stuck, burnt out, and searching for a way to reset your nervous system, check my program here: The Post-Burnout Reset™

Story written by Yann - September 2025