We had a big storm last weekend and were out of power for three days. The absence of modern conveniences in the middle of a hot July was not lost on me. I knew that we didn’t have power. And yet, every time I walked into a room, I flipped on the light switch.

Every. Single. Time. For approximately 72 hours.

And every single time, I thought to myself “I know better.”

Sure my conscious mind knew it, but turning on a light switch when I enter a dark room is a subconscious response.

When I first started on my journey to stop overdrinking, I would “find” myself reflexively pouring a drink when I got home from work, or if I had a stressful conversation with someone.

These were cues to my brain that it was time to drink. Just like walking into a dark room was a cue to turn on the light.