Gray area drinking is the space between end-stage extreme drinking and the every-now-and-again drinking stage.

Many people silently worry about their drinking, believing that no one else regrets their alcohol intake the way they do. They drink like everyone around them drinks, so they're often told they don't have a problem.

But the truth is, there is a large demographic of high-achieving, high-functioning people who silently struggle with gray area drinking.

Up until about 10 years ago, we turned a blind eye to this demographic of drinkers and classified people as either "normies" or alcoholics. We now know there is a gray area that's very real, and many people drink in the gray area every single day.

I'm Jolene Park, a sought-after speaker and the leading authority on gray area drinking. My pioneering TED talk has been viewed more than 350,000 times!

I will walk you through the three key characteristics of gray area drinking that make it difficult to quit for good and provide tips for a smoother journey to sobriety.