Amanda Kuda Knows
Alcohol amplifies the voice of the ego
The ego is the internal voice of fear, lack, anxiety, judgment and separation. The ego thrives on your discomfort and stagnation and inner turmoil. The ego is discrete in its tactics, convincing you that it has your best interests at heart when its only concern is its own survival. In this sense, alcohol is a fantastic tool for the ego. Alcohol — a depressant — naturally exaggerates existing feelings of fear, lack, anxiety, judgment and separation.
Think about why you drink in the first place.
The ego is the internal voice of fear, lack, anxiety, judgment and separation. The ego thrives on your discomfort and stagnation and inner turmoil. The ego is discrete in its tactics, convincing you that it has your best interests at heart when its only concern is its own survival. In this sense, alcohol is a fantastic tool for the ego. Alcohol — a depressant — naturally exaggerates existing feelings of fear, lack, anxiety, judgment and separation.
Think about why you drink in the first place.
It’s typically to help you shift into a state that you perceive to be “better than” your natural sober state. Then, consider the types of activities you participate in while you are drinking, in my experience, even higher-vibe activities could go south quickly. Finally, consider how you feel after drinking alcohol. Most commonly, I imagine you feel lackluster, anxious or even hopeless. All of these negative states delight the ego because they allow the ego to stay in control.
It is tremendously difficult to live a spiritually-guided life when you are being heavily influenced by the ego. You’re likely to feel hopeless, frustrated or broken — as if the spiritual connection you desire is available to others, but not you (this is how I experienced it, at least).
It is tremendously difficult to live a spiritually-guided life when you are being heavily influenced by the ego. You’re likely to feel hopeless, frustrated or broken — as if the spiritual connection you desire is available to others, but not you (this is how I experienced it, at least).
The ego delights in this sense of confusion and discontent.
This is precisely why, if you’ve ever considered changing your relationship with alcohol, you’ve felt uneasy and come up with a laundry list of reasons sobriety would be an epic failure. The ego is doing what it does best by filling your mind with fear to keep you stuck in behaviors that ensure its survival.
Alcohol muffles the voice of the Inner Guide
The Inner Guide is the internal voice opposite of the ego. The Inner Guide is the voice of love, abundance, peace, forgiveness and connection. The inner guide thrives off of your success and happiness. Unlike the ego, which is loud and obnoxious, the Inner Guide is gentle, yet persistent.
Alcohol muffles the voice of the Inner Guide
The Inner Guide is the internal voice opposite of the ego. The Inner Guide is the voice of love, abundance, peace, forgiveness and connection. The inner guide thrives off of your success and happiness. Unlike the ego, which is loud and obnoxious, the Inner Guide is gentle, yet persistent.
It is the Inner Guide that encourages you to pursue your dreams, desires and passions. Yet, in a world where we glorify alcohol fueled escapism and so called "good times", excessive and wasteful consumption, materialism and hustle, the Inner Guide’s messages can seem too good to be true.
It hurts that as alcohol amplifies the rapacious voice of the ego, it simultaneously muffles the voice of the Inner Guide. Drinking alcohol is like giving the ego a state-of-the-art iPhone next to the strongest cell tower and giving the Inner Guide a 1990s flip phone in a tunnel. Although you are always able to connect with your Inner Guide, you can see how this communication would be more consistent with a clear connection.
It is the voice of the Inner Guide that nudged me towards changing my relationship with alcohol all those years ago. Your Inner Guide will always encourage you towards paths that will support you in living out your truest and highest potential. Even when the encouragements of the ego seem fantastical, please know that the Inner Guide does not whisper to you at random. If your Inner Guide reveals a dream or possibility, it is meant to be yours. If you are clearly paying attention.
In a world where we’re constantly conditioned to turn to the voice of egoic fear, it is a rebellious and expansive choice to lean into your quiet Inner Guide.
Alcohol dilutes energetic gifts
We are all deeply intuitive beings, the level at which we are all called to tap into that intuition in this lifetime may vary. Your intuition can come in the form of a gentle sense of knowing or even manifest as one of the clairs (such as clairvoyance or claircognizance). Your intuition and intuitive gifts are like superpowers.
In addition to intuitive gifts, you may also have energetic gifts such as being an empath or a highly sensitive person.
In a world where we’ve been taught to operate by tuning out and disconnecting so that we can better participate in the hustle-and-grind culture, it’s likely that you’ve never been taught about or encouraged to tap into your intuitive and energetic gifts.
What’s more, you may have been made to feel weird, strange, or different for these gifts. Therefore, it’s likely that you’ve invested a great deal of energy in shutting these gifts off or diluting them.
One of the most effective ways in which we can tune out intuition and energetic gifts is through drinking alcohol. Why?
It hurts that as alcohol amplifies the rapacious voice of the ego, it simultaneously muffles the voice of the Inner Guide. Drinking alcohol is like giving the ego a state-of-the-art iPhone next to the strongest cell tower and giving the Inner Guide a 1990s flip phone in a tunnel. Although you are always able to connect with your Inner Guide, you can see how this communication would be more consistent with a clear connection.
It is the voice of the Inner Guide that nudged me towards changing my relationship with alcohol all those years ago. Your Inner Guide will always encourage you towards paths that will support you in living out your truest and highest potential. Even when the encouragements of the ego seem fantastical, please know that the Inner Guide does not whisper to you at random. If your Inner Guide reveals a dream or possibility, it is meant to be yours. If you are clearly paying attention.
In a world where we’re constantly conditioned to turn to the voice of egoic fear, it is a rebellious and expansive choice to lean into your quiet Inner Guide.
Alcohol dilutes energetic gifts
We are all deeply intuitive beings, the level at which we are all called to tap into that intuition in this lifetime may vary. Your intuition can come in the form of a gentle sense of knowing or even manifest as one of the clairs (such as clairvoyance or claircognizance). Your intuition and intuitive gifts are like superpowers.
In addition to intuitive gifts, you may also have energetic gifts such as being an empath or a highly sensitive person.
In a world where we’ve been taught to operate by tuning out and disconnecting so that we can better participate in the hustle-and-grind culture, it’s likely that you’ve never been taught about or encouraged to tap into your intuitive and energetic gifts.
What’s more, you may have been made to feel weird, strange, or different for these gifts. Therefore, it’s likely that you’ve invested a great deal of energy in shutting these gifts off or diluting them.
One of the most effective ways in which we can tune out intuition and energetic gifts is through drinking alcohol. Why?
Alcohol alters the chemistry of your body, effectively disrupting every natural process that exists within your body…alcohol is indiscriminate about which process it interrupts.
So, if you’ve been drinking regularly and consistently, even in a moderate amount, you can bet that you are not operating at full capacity mentally, physically, or metaphysically.
In my life, I desired a deep connection to my intuition.
In my life, I desired a deep connection to my intuition.
I wanted to tap into my energetic gifts — embracing rather than rejecting them. Most importantly, I wanted to learn to anticipate and call upon my intuition and energetic gifts. With alcohol coming in and out of the fold, I never had the opportunity to truly master these gifts. Even now (again, nearly seven years alcohol-free), I’m still learning how to embrace and manage my gifts. It’s an ongoing process, but it’s been made so much more manageable and predictable with alcohol out of the way.
Alcohol hinders manifestation
Here’s where things get interesting. One of the most awe-inspiring spiritual practices of our time is manifestation. With the rising of techniques like the Law of Attraction, many are fascinated with the notion that they can become a magnet for their dreams and desires. Let me be clear, you are always manifesting (just like you are always in connection with the Universe and your Inner Guide). Simply put, the effectiveness and consistency of your manifestations can be deeply hindered with alcohol in the picture.
Alcohol hinders manifestation
Here’s where things get interesting. One of the most awe-inspiring spiritual practices of our time is manifestation. With the rising of techniques like the Law of Attraction, many are fascinated with the notion that they can become a magnet for their dreams and desires. Let me be clear, you are always manifesting (just like you are always in connection with the Universe and your Inner Guide). Simply put, the effectiveness and consistency of your manifestations can be deeply hindered with alcohol in the picture.
Here’s why:
Everything is energy. And every person, place and object has its own energetic vibration that ranges from low vibe to high vibe (this is a radical simplification of the process, by the way).
Everything is energy. And every person, place and object has its own energetic vibration that ranges from low vibe to high vibe (this is a radical simplification of the process, by the way).
Unfortunately, the energetic vibration of alcohol is low
(it is a depressant, after all).
Therefore, when you consume alcohol (even with the best of intentions), you lower your personal energetic vibration. When it comes to manifestation, you can most easily manifest that which you are an energetic match for. Alcohol dependency therefore attracts alcohol dependency. Low vibes attract low vibes. Depression attracts depression and anxiety attracts anxiety.
Therefore, if you are constantly lowering your energetic vibration with a substance like alcohol, you can manifest your desires, it is just a heavier lift for the Universe. Alcohol dulls your potential and natural innate abilities.
In my experience practicing manifestation, I was absolutely able to manifest as a drinker. The frustration was that my manifestations were not consistent or reliable. The process seemed sporadic, at best.
In my experience practicing manifestation, I was absolutely able to manifest as a drinker. The frustration was that my manifestations were not consistent or reliable. The process seemed sporadic, at best.
Once alcohol was out of the picture,
I began to manifest consistently and with ease.
Alcohol’s impact on your ability to manifest is actually pretty deep (and something I’ve studied at length. I explain this process in much more detail in my program Stop Drinking, Start Manifesting which I created for those interested in exploring the intersection of sobriety and spirituality.
The word “alcohol” is said to come from the Arabic word “Al-kuhl” which translates to “body-eating spirit” (ew). Although I don’t claim to be an expert on the history of alcohol and spirituality, I do know that many believe drinking makes you susceptible to disruption from dark entities.
Think about it this way, when you drink alcohol, you start to become relaxed, often causing you to let your guard down. Likewise, when out drinking, you’re frequently in mixed atmospheres, exposing yourself to the various vibrations and mixed and fractured energies of others. For those, like me, who are hyper-sensitive, highly intuitive or empathic, drinking can make you vulnerable to picking up lower-vibe energies.
This might contribute to a feeling of over-emotionality when drinking or feeling extra drained, depleted, or anxious the day (or even days) after drinking.
Alcohol opens leaks in your
energetic and auric fields
Think about it this way, when you drink alcohol, you start to become relaxed, often causing you to let your guard down. Likewise, when out drinking, you’re frequently in mixed atmospheres, exposing yourself to the various vibrations and mixed and fractured energies of others. For those, like me, who are hyper-sensitive, highly intuitive or empathic, drinking can make you vulnerable to picking up lower-vibe energies.
This might contribute to a feeling of over-emotionality when drinking or feeling extra drained, depleted, or anxious the day (or even days) after drinking.
For me, as a non-drinker, I am often reminded how sensitive I am to the energies of others when out in public spaces (particularly those that are both drunken and crowded). I once explained this as a general anxiety, but now realize that one of the ways in which I used to make bars and clubs more tolerable for my sensitive disposition was to drink. If you can't beat them, join them and a total lack of resilience,
Now, as a non-drinker, my level of tolerance for these same environments is short-lived.
I realize (after more study and understanding of energy) that my system is hyper-sensitive to the energy of others and that I don’t dig hanging out in places where I’m more susceptible to picking up wonky and low vibe energy from others.
For me, choosing to be sober has been part of my spiritual experience.
I am able to make better use of the spiritual tools and connections available to me as a non-drinker.
Does that mean you should stop drinking if you want to be spiritual?
Absolutely not.
However, if you’re like me and you have an intuitive sense or inner knowing that alcohol is holding you back from the spiritual connection that you desire, exploring sobriety is something I absolutely recommend.
For me, that looked like removing alcohol from the equation entirely.
Why? Because after I achieved a sustained period of abstinence and had the space to really do my inner and spiritual work, I started to feel so connected, supported and magnetic that the thought of drinking alcohol — even casually — was no longer appealing.
Whatever route you take, my number one recommendation to experience the true spiritual benefits of sobriety is to take a substantial, uninterrupted, non-negotiable break from alcohol.
In my years of practice as a coach, the initial time period that has seemed to be most beneficial is 90 days, with room for reflection and reevaluation thereafter.
If you're like me, you've used alcohol to be a sexual lubricant in the past (or maybe it's still serving that purpose right now).
Let's be clear: Sex is about genuine connection…and it's really, REALLY difficult to truly connect when ingesting a substance that - by its very nature - DISconnects us from ourselves and others. Alcohol after all is a depressant, alcohol may superficially "loosen you up", but it also prevents a fully informed and conscious somatic consent, let alone a genuine heart felt connection during the act of love making. Ya feel me?
Alcohol does us so many disservices when it comes to sex and sensuality:
I could go on, but you get the gist…even if you've felt like alcohol is the magic elixir you need to feel ready for sexy time, it's ultimately doing what it does best: stunting your growth.
When we've spent ages stunting our growth, it can feel really intimidating to perform without the crutch we've been using to get by…this can feel particularly scary with something as intimate and vulnerable as sex.
So, if you've been feeling a little apprehensive about exploring sexuality and sensuality alcohol-free, let me offer some ideas on where you might begin:
Self pleasure: If you don't know what you want/like, how can you expect a partner to know what you want/like? Being vulnerable and intimate with yourself can also help you to feel comfortable entering those spaces with a partner.
Study: Guess what? The sex ed talk you received in Jr. High was probably far from what you need to truly understand the nuances of sex. I have an Amazon list with books on Love, Sex & Self you can check out here. I'd highly recommend you begin with the book Pussy by Regena Thomashauer (get it on audible).
Talk with your partner (if you have one). If you're not super comfortable starting intimate conversations, enlist the help of a question card deck (there's one linked in the Amazon list I shared above, but I also dig this one by Mark Groves).
Practice…I'm told it makes perfect! BUT, this isn't about being perfect, because sex is never intended to be that…just practice, learn, and have fun!
Ok, are you blushing yet?
Oh, btw, did you know that sex, relationships, emotional resilience, spiritual connection, and professional growth are all things I help my clients with? (Amanda Knows, oh yes she does!)
Alcohol does us so many disservices when it comes to sex and sensuality:
- It dehydrates you…hopefully, I don't need to explain why this might be a problem
- It dulls your sensitivity…again, you can see where this is problematic
- It disconnects us from our own body
- It creates false vulnerability, meaning we're actually less connected to our partner
- It lowers our inhibitions which means we might end up saying “yes” when our body is actually a “no”
I could go on, but you get the gist…even if you've felt like alcohol is the magic elixir you need to feel ready for sexy time, it's ultimately doing what it does best: stunting your growth.
When we've spent ages stunting our growth, it can feel really intimidating to perform without the crutch we've been using to get by…this can feel particularly scary with something as intimate and vulnerable as sex.
So, if you've been feeling a little apprehensive about exploring sexuality and sensuality alcohol-free, let me offer some ideas on where you might begin:
Self pleasure: If you don't know what you want/like, how can you expect a partner to know what you want/like? Being vulnerable and intimate with yourself can also help you to feel comfortable entering those spaces with a partner.
Study: Guess what? The sex ed talk you received in Jr. High was probably far from what you need to truly understand the nuances of sex. I have an Amazon list with books on Love, Sex & Self you can check out here. I'd highly recommend you begin with the book Pussy by Regena Thomashauer (get it on audible).
Talk with your partner (if you have one). If you're not super comfortable starting intimate conversations, enlist the help of a question card deck (there's one linked in the Amazon list I shared above, but I also dig this one by Mark Groves).
Practice…I'm told it makes perfect! BUT, this isn't about being perfect, because sex is never intended to be that…just practice, learn, and have fun!
Sex is so much more fulfilling and freeing when you are able to be totally present and totally sober.
I hope not, because this is important stuff!
Did you find this helpful?
Do you still have more questions about sex, love & knowing the true self?
Oh, btw, did you know that sex, relationships, emotional resilience, spiritual connection, and professional growth are all things I help my clients with? (Amanda Knows, oh yes she does!)
It's true…my goal as a coach is to help you gain strength in the areas
where you've been using alcohol to supplement for a lack of skills or confidence.
Why?
Because if we don't get you up-to-speed in these areas, it's likely that you'll return to alcohol when shit gets tough.
Therefore, my goal as a coach is to resource you in your weakest areas so that you can feel confident getting along without alcohol…pretty cool, huh?
Align, Be Kind (and sober AF) AND Take NO Shit...
