Waiting to Hate Alcohol Before You Quit?

This has been on my list for a long time and I’m really pleased to say that it’s finally here. I’ve launched a YouTube channel where I’ll be sharing longer conversations about sobriety, psychology and everything that sits around changing your relationship with alcohol.

One of the things I’ve found over the last few years is that there are topics I simply can’t do justice to in an Instagram post, a substack article or even a podcast episode. Sometimes it helps to be able to explain an idea properly, give examples, and explore the psychology behind why we think, feel and behave the way we do. That’s exactly what I want this channel to be.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I’m far less interested in telling people what they should do than helping them understand themselves. I think when we understand why alcohol has such a hold over us, why our brains keep pulling us back towards it and why sobriety can feel so difficult in the beginning everything starts to make much more sense. My hope is that these videos help you feel less alone, more informed and more confident in your own decisions.

The video above tackles something I hear surprisingly often. People tell me they’re waiting to hate alcohol before they stop drinking or maybe even waiting for a rock bottom to force them into it. They assume that once they no longer want a glass of wine or feel tempted by alcohol, that’s when they’ll be ready to quit.

The problem is that many of us stop drinking whilst holding two truths at once. We can hate what alcohol is doing to our lives whilst still liking it on some level and that can feel really confusing. Those feelings aren’t contradictory… they’re completely normal. In fact, I think expecting to stop liking alcohol before you quit is one of the reasons people remain stuck for months or even years.

In the video, I talk about why those mixed feelings exist, why you don’t have to wait for them to disappear before you make a change, and how your relationship with alcohol often shifts naturally as you build an alcohol-free life.

You can watch the video here: Are You Waiting to Hate Alcohol Before You Quit?

If you enjoy it, I’d be incredibly grateful if you would subscribe to the channel. Those early subscribers, comments and likes genuinely help YouTube understand who the videos are for, which means there’s a much better chance they’ll reach the people who need them most.

I’d also love to know what you’d like me to cover in future videos. One of the reasons I’ve started YouTube is because it gives me the space to answer the questions that don’t fit neatly into a social media post, so if there’s something you’ve always wanted me to explore, let me know in the comments.

Thank you, as always, for reading my Substack, listening to the podcast, following along on Instagram and now, hopefully, joining me on YouTube too. I’m really excited about where this is going, and I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

Watch here: Are You Waiting to Hate Alcohol?

If you’d like a session 1:1 with me to talk about sobriety or any other challenges you’re facing that you’d like support with, head to my website and send me an email or message me on here.

Louisa Evans is a UK-based practitioner specialising in behaviour change and helping people change their relationship with alcohol. With a background in Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy and a Master’s degree in Psychology, she combines psychological understanding with practical, compassionate support to help people build self-trust, develop healthier habits and create lasting change.

Her work is informed by psychology, cognitive behavioural approaches and hypnotherapy, with a focus on making complex ideas accessible and practical. Alongside her one-to-one work, Louisa is the creator of online courses, a podcast and educational resources designed to help people understand themselves better and make meaningful, sustainable changes in their lives.

She is a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society (BPS), a Senior Member and Registered Supervisor with the ACCPH, and a registered member of the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR). Through her clinical work, writing and teaching, she has supported thousands of people to build confidence, strengthen resilience and create lasting change.