10 Years of Sober Life

If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would make it this long alcohol free, I would have told you that you were out of your mind. I thought alcohol made both myself and everything else more fun. I thought it made me more social, & made me a happier, better version of myself. I remember thinking things in early sobriety like there’s no way I’ll ever be able to get married and NOT be able to have a glass of champagne to celebrate.

Those things couldn’t have been further from the truth. My sober life is SO much more than I thought was even possible when I was in the throes of alcoholism. I have more fun now than I EVER did drinking and the connections I have made are SO much more meaningful in sobriety. As for happiness, it’s funny how when you stop drinking a depressant like alcohol how much happier you will actually become.

Here are a few things that I’ve found to be helpful if you’re struggling with alcohol and feel it’s becoming problematic.

1. It sounds cliche, but it’s true. Take it day by day, minute by minute.
2. PAUSE. Take a beat, take a breath and remember this too shall pass.
3. Find a healthy outlet. Fitness has been an incredible outlet for me, but more specifically boxing was a game changer.
4. Find someone you can talk to (like REALLY talk to) – I get it if you don’t want to go the AA route and do the whole sponsor thing, but whether it’s a therapist or your BFF, have someone you can share your honest feelings about EVERYTHING (and I mean everything) with.
5. Try to remind yourself that alcohol won’t help. (I’m willing to bet it will only make things WAY worse).
6. Get in touch with your pre alcohol self. Redisover and do things that bring you joy and make you happy.
7. Try a mocktail or NA Beverage instead. It kind of has a placebo effect.
8. Don’t sit alone in your feelings. Reach out for help when you need it.
9. Remember that you are NOT alone. There are SO many people know who are sober curious, and if you’re not working a program of recovery, I suggest finding a group of sober curious people to connect with. I promise it helps to find a group of likeminded people

Let me wrap this up by saying this. I have had more tragic & traumatic experiences in sobriety than I can count on both my hands. Things like getting mugged, my house burning down, losing my dog and not even 1 month later, losing the person that at one point in time I was engaged to and thought I’d spend my life with, to this disease. It’s not always rainbows and butterflies, and there were people who actually told me they couldn’t believe that I WASN’T drinking over these things, but it does get easier with time. I can promise you that drinking is not the solution.

On the flip side in sobriety, I’ve had some of the best experiences of my lifetime, traveled to the most amazing places in the world, and met the most incredible people along the way. This sober life I have, I wouldn’t trade it for ANYTHING. I have spent the last few months literally waking up in awe of how lucky I am and FULLY aware that if I was drinking still, my life would look absolutely NOTHING like this. It would have had a completely different and very tragic trajectory.

If you have any questions or are struggling at all, please don’t even give a 2nd thought to shooting me an instagram DM or email, because even though it might not feel like it, I promise you are not alone. You can do this!