Ep 139: Toolkit 101 – How To Identify Your Drinking Beliefs | Alcohol Coaching |

What if your drinking is driven less by choice and more by invisible beliefs running beneath the surface? In this solo episode, Anna Donaghey breaks down how beliefs act as our “operating system,” quietly driving our thoughts and behaviours, especially around alcohol. Anna reveals why it’s so difficult to spot the beliefs shaping our drinking, how to distinguish between a thought and a belief, and why simply changing behaviour rarely works unless you dig deeper.

With practical examples and the “reverse chain” technique (starting with your behaviour and working backwards), Anna offers clear tools, including the powerful “downward arrow” method to help you uncover the beliefs at the root of your drinking habits and gently rethink your relationship with alcohol.

Highlights:

00:00 Welcome & intro

00:41 Recap: The belief “pyramid” and last solo episode

01:20 Why beliefs matter more than thoughts or behaviours

03:10 The difference between a thought and a belief

05:07 Real-world examples: how beliefs quietly shape our actions

12:18 “Alcohol, please help me...”, the jobs we hand to booze

13:38 How habits and beliefs wire together neurologically

14:44 Aaron Beck’s model: core beliefs vs. automatic thoughts

15:35 Why starting with your behaviour is the key to spotting beliefs