Below is a blog I wrote when I was 6 months Sober, 2 and half years on and I can honestly say I have never, ever woke up and wished that I had had a drink the night before. Everything good that has happened to me in the last 2 and half years I put down to my sobriety and there isn't a day that goes by that I am not truly grateful that I chose to stop drinking and for the people I have met on this incredible journey.
On the 9th June 2018 I woke up to a horrific hangover, I looked like shit and my anxiety levels were through the roof, I didn’t make it to work that day and I lay there wasting away for hours and hours going over everything I had done or said the night before, asking myself why,? Why can I not just be a normal person and go for a couple of drinks, have fun and then go home! In truth I really didn’t like myself, I had a lot going on and the odd crazy weekend had become every weekend! I was running away from a job I had lost my passion for, friends that weren’t really friends, and my teenagers who shall we say were being “teenagers” I wasn’t happy in my marriage and the whole relationship seemed to be based around things that involved drink, we were growing apart and the truth is I used my weekends to bury my head in the sand! I decided that morning that that was enough and I was going to ditch the booze! I downloaded the app NOMO set myself a 100-day challenge and started my journey into sobriety!
I don’t class myself as an alcoholic, just like I don’t call my self a smokaholic (I stopped smoking about 9 years ago) but my binge drinking did have control of me, I could never just go for one drink and because I didn’t really drink in the week I thought I had it all under control! I didn’t, after 3 drinks the alcohol had its grips on me, it’s why sometimes I would go for a couple of drinks on a Saturday tea-time and come home at 3/4 am Sunday morning, it’s why at 12 pm in a Sunday I’d have a couple of hare of the dogs to make me feel better, it’s what turned them hare of the dogs into Sunday club and having to take a Monday off work and pretend I was sick! Don’t get me wrong I’ve had some great times with great friends that involved drinking it wasn’t all bad but it was getting too much and I’d just had enough! I had used drink as a social crutch from being 13, I wanted to find out who Lisa was and what life felt like without it!
It’s amazing! Don’t get me wrong deciding to stop drinking hasn’t stopped all my problems but my god I can handle them a hell of a lot better I’m still learning to feel the feels good and bad and I’m truly grateful for the sober community! There are literally thousands and thousands of us who have chosen sobriety, each and everyone with their own reason but the one thing I find that we all have in common is the desire to help and support one another! I am honored to be one of the 20%, Everyone is so positive!
I have listed below just a few of the benefits that I have personally noticed since ditching the drink!
- Reduced anxiety
- Clearer Skin
- Brighter eyes (I think they’ve even gone bigger and I can see everything so much clearer)
- Patience
- Saving money
- New activities (meditation and walking is my fave)
- Meeting new people
- More energy
- Increased mental focus
- improved memory
- weight loss
- shiny hair
- a greater level of spiritual awareness
- I’m more grateful
- I laugh, proper genuine belly laughs
- I love my job
- Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)
Somebody once said to me “Every day is a school day”! It is so true. Without sounding too dramatic becoming alcohol-free is a little bit like a rebirth, It can be quite daunting early on to face all those occasions that we traditionally used as an excuse to get drunk, But I can honestly say now by staying sober, I actually enjoy them so much more and of course, I can now appreciate those special times with a clear head and no hangover.
Love Lisa
Article Source: Lisa Elsworth (Co-Founder of Bee Sober)
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