BTW - If you didn't already know, I'm Sarah - Drink Less; Live Better founder, best-selling author, expert speaker, life coach and, as you already know, podcast host!
We don't have to hit rock bottom, we're allowed to want something different and we can CHOOSE to improve our lives from this point onwards.
I work in the magic space where doubt, hope and action meet... oh.... and
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Transcripts
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Hello and welcome to this episode of the Drink Less, Live Better podcast. I'm your host, Sarah Williamson, and I'm so glad you're here.
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This is a line written over 2,000 years ago by the Roman poet Ovid: "Dripping water hollows out a stone, not through force, but through persistence." I love this line. Shall we do it again? "Dripping water hollows out a stone, not through force, but through persistence." Not through force, but through persistence. It's the steady drip, the quiet return, the gentle repetition. And if you're working on changing your relationship with alcohol or building any new habit, that message matters more than we sometimes realize. Let's pull out a few strands and look at them, shall we? Okay.
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You don't need to be forceful to be effective. We often think change has to look big and dramatic, huge declarations or resolutions, grand exclamations of what you are about to do or not do for the rest of your life. Big action, all-or-nothing rules. I'm never drinking again. I'm starting on Monday. This time I'm going all in. And while bold energy can feel motivating, it's rarely sustainable in the long term. Force burns bright and fast, whereas persistence burns low and long. When you try to muscle your way through change, you're relying on willpower, and willpower is like a phone battery on about 12%. It works for a bit, and then suddenly you're in low power mode, and then you're done.
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Persistence is different. It's the small choice you make on repeat. It's deciding that tonight matters, even if last night didn't go according to plan. It's tracking. It's reflecting. It's resetting. It's trying again. You don't need to overhaul your entire life in one heroic sweep. You need the drip, drip, drip of consistency. One alcohol-free evening. One mindful pause before you go to pour that glass. One honest conversation with yourself. Force feels impressive. Persistence looks ordinary. But ordinary, repeated, becomes extraordinary.
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Also, progress is often invisible until it isn't. If you watched water drip onto a stone for an hour, you'd see nothing happen. Two hours, nothing. A day, nothing. But over months or years, that stone changes. And the same is true for behaviour change. When you start drinking less, the early weeks can feel, well, underwhelming. You're making effort. You're saying no more often. You're thinking about it. You're reflecting. You're adjusting. And yet, externally, your life may look very similar. This is the messy middle, the part where you wonder, is this even doing anything? But beneath the surface, you're rewiring habits. You're building self-trust. You're strengthening the neural pathways that say, I can do differently. You don't see the hollow forming in the stone yet, but it is. People who've been consistent for years with exercise, meditation, writing, business building, and sobriety, their results look impressive. But the real magic wasn't a single burst of intensity. It was showing up when nothing seemed to be happening.
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Persistence asks us for patience, and patience feels uncomfortable because we live in a culture that worships fast results. There is very little delayed gratification now. If you're following along on Instagram and watching my stories, you will see that I am being persistent with my pursuit of a handstand. It's annoying. It's not perfect. It's far from perfect, but I am persisting.
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Another thing is that persistence builds identity. Every time you persist, you are working on who you are becoming next. When you decide not to drink on a random Tuesday, even though no one would know if you did, you reinforce something powerful in yourself. You are saying, I am someone who keeps promises to myself. That identity shift is far more important than any single outcome because once you see yourself as persistent, you stop relying on motivation, you stop waiting to feel inspired, and you simply continue. Some days you'll feel energised and clear. Other days you'll feel tired, stressed, and tempted. But you persist. And over time, that steadiness becomes your foundation.
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When you look back after six months or a year, you won't remember every decision. You won't remember every Friday night choice. But you will feel the hollowed stone, the space that's been created, the freedom, the clarity, the quiet confidence. So if you're in the early days of drinking less, or if you're somewhere in the messy middle, let this be your reminder. You don't need force. You don't need perfection. You don't need a dramatic turning point. You need the next drip and then the next one. And in that continuation, change will happen. Ovid, the Roman poet, knew something fundamental about human nature all those centuries ago. The power isn't in intensity. It's in consistency. So ask yourself, what is the small action I'm willing to commit to, one small thing I can repeat over and over, drip, drip? Because dripping water hollows out a stone, not through force, but through persistence.
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You can find me handstanding on Instagram at drinklesslivebetter and online at drinklesslivebetter.com, where you'll find lots of supportive resources. Check out today's podcast show notes for a link to a hidden episode that will help you with your 5:00 PM cravings and details about my one-to-one life coaching and sober coaching programmes. And PS, I believe in you.
