Hi! I’m Kari Schwear
I’m a perpetual life-learner, a 7x career-path conqueror, Discovery Coach, author, speaker, mom, and a very happy wife to a super cool guy named Rob.
I’m also a former gray area drinker that used alcohol as a coping mechanism.
The Back Story – How I Became a Gray Area Drinker
My drinking career took off when I was in the Food & Beverage industry as a server, bartender, and later as an F&B Manager. I loved all things wine! The more expensive, the better. I became obsessed with wine, but soon the wine was obsessing me.
I told myself that I drank because I liked the taste, and I did, but what I didn’t realize then was that it was my way to escape the feeling of not being good enough. I had ZERO self-love.
What started off with just one glass, my nightly ritual turned into three glasses or more every night. And let’s be real, shall we? Some of my pours were closer to 8 or 9 oz*, depending on the size of the glass. Can you relate?
(*standard serving size is 5 oz of wine)
Nobody knew just how much I was drinking, not even my husband! I truly believed I was drinking ‘like everyone else’ and that I was ‘fine.’
I realized that I was lying to myself and had finally reached my enough. I was tired of being tired, burnt out on the energy it took to hide my drinking, and keep up the facade that my life was perfect because it wasn’t.
I acknowledged I needed to do something, but one thing was for sure…
I did not resonate with being an alcoholic, but I also knew that I wasn’t a ‘normal’ drinker either. Learning how to moderate is what I WANTED. I didn’t want to quit drinking. I wanted my wine, cake, and more wine. Why was I unable to control my consumption? DAMN IT!
I had no “rock bottom” or any life-altering changes. The truth was I was living a double life between ‘normalcy’ and ‘ gray area drinking’.