Enjoyment without addiction: qualified teacher and “psychocoach” Andreas Winter shows how to regain control over alcohol consumption

In an exciting depth psychological analysis, the new guidebook “ The thing about alcohol ”, which is also available as an audio book with audio coaching , explains how to recognize the subconscious reason for drinking, in this way conquer the “genie out of the bottle” and become a confident pleasure drinker.

Drinking to compensate for stress

The Corona crisis and the lockdown have once again brought it to light: the dramatically increased consumption of alcohol and drugs is a major social problem. In contrast to other intoxicants, "King Alcohol" is deeply rooted in our cultural identity. Anyone who doesn't drink is seen as a bore who doesn't want to belong; but anyone who drinks too much not only destroys their health, but also their immediate social environment.

And yet Andreas Winter, a qualified teacher, bestselling author and psychological consultant, claims that alcoholism is not an addiction or illness in the true sense of the word. Rather, drinking is a way of compensating for a specific form of stress that conceals a particular fear. As the head of one of Germany's largest coaching institutes, Winter has been promoting a depth-psychological approach that is as provocative as it is successful for over 35 years: those who know the reason for their fear often regain their freedom of choice and thus control over their lives after just one conversation.

The new guidebook “ The thing about alcohol ” and the audio book of the same name with audio coaching reveal the contradictions of common definitions of addiction and use practical case studies to explain how a “must” becomes a “can”.

The thing about addiction

According to official estimates, well over ten million people in Germany have serious alcohol problems, including around three million alcoholics, seven million drinkers in need of advice or treatment, and around 20,000 alcohol-related deaths each year. The actual psychosocial causes of alcohol abuse are usually neither recognized nor eliminated. On the contrary, the prescribed abstinence in classic alcohol therapy often creates a new problem: the fear of alcohol and the associated relapse. According to Andreas Winter, however, it is not the substance that leads to the abyss, but ultimately the hidden fear that conjures up the "genie in the bottle."

Why people become drinkers is not the result of an accident, an infection and certainly not the result of occasional contact with alcohol. Simply removing alcohol from the body may prevent alcohol-related organ damage, but it does not free a person from the cause of addiction. As long as this is not deciphered and resolved, the desperate struggle of Alcoholics Anonymous to stay "dry" for the next 24 hours remains just another symptom of helplessness. Using practical case studies, Andreas Winter explains the depth psychological method of giving up false beliefs and entrenched behavioral patterns in favor of reflective action. Only when this knot is untied can withdrawal be successful.

Acceptance instead of abstinence

For the experienced coach, it doesn't matter whether a healthy person drinks alcohol every day or not - the main thing is that he or she never drinks with a bad feeling: "If you drink when and as long as you feel good, everything is fine. If you drink to feel good, it could be risky."

As in his previous best-selling self-help books, Winter also takes the view that it is a basic psychological need to achieve one's own goals to the fullest. On the other hand, a subjectively perceived "experience of powerlessness" prevents people from developing and creates stress. People react to this either defensively (withdrawal), offensively (hot temper) or with acceptance (understanding).

The main characteristic that all alcoholics have in common is a tendency towards excessive self-discipline, i.e. the suppression of one's own needs and an exaggerated perception of the expectations of others. In his many years of coaching, Winter has met people who, after an enlightening and very in-depth conversation, have been able to reduce their previously chronic and pathological alcohol consumption to an optional level - in other words, they no longer have to drink, but can drink when they consciously want to, and do so without relapsing. His book helps people to recognise what alcohol consumption is all about and to control their drinking behaviour in such a way that they do not harm themselves or others.

Book tip:
Andreas Winter: The thing about alcohol. Enjoyment without addiction is possible: Why we drink and how we can change our habits . Mankau Verlag, 1st edition September 2022, paperback, 13.5 x 21.5 cm, 190 pages, 18.00 euros (D) / 18.50 euros (A), ISBN 978-3-86374-676-6

Audiobook tip:
Andreas Winter: The thing with alcohol. Audiobook with audio coaching. Mankau Verlag, 1st edition September 2022, 1 MP3 CD in jewel case, total running time approx. 323 minutes, 8-page booklet, 18.00 euros RRP (D/A), ISBN 978-3-86374-679-7

Link recommendations:
More information about the book “The thing about alcohol”
To the reading sample in PDF format
More information about the audio book with audio coaching “The thing about alcohol”
More about author Andreas Winter
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