Feeling Grateful: Because I Was Sober Today…
My American friends will be celebrating Thanksgiving later this week, and that got me thinking about the important role that gratitude plays in sobriety. Alcohol-free living is a mindset game. It makes such a difference when you focus on what’s going well and on feeling grateful for those things. Yet it’s surprisingly easy to overlook […]
The Real Problem With ‘Just One Drink’
Being able to have ‘just one drink’ used to be my dream. I wanted so badly to be able to pour just one glass of wine and then feel happy to stop and leave it there. But 99.9% of the time, that didn’t happen. One glass led to two, two led to three and then… […]
No More Excuses! Try This Mindset Hack Instead
“The next few months will be so hard, it’s pointless trying to quit now.” “And work’s so busy, I haven’t got time to think about quitting… I’ve got a holiday coming up soon… and I deserve a drink because I’ve been so good recently!” I don’t know if any of the excuses above ☝️ sound […]
Is Fear Stopping You From Quitting Drinking?
Happy Halloween! If you’re scared you can’t quit drinking, worried what other people will think or daunted by the idea of managing life without alcohol, you’re not alone. Fear keeps so many people stuck…
Grey-Area Drinking (And Why You’re Not Alone)
If you’re a grey-area drinker, the chances are your drinking doesn’t feel “normal” but it doesn’t look like one of those clichéd stereotypes either. This can leave you feeling lonely, ashamed and lost. But you’re not alone…
The Problem With ‘Being Good’ Monday To Thursday
I used to try really hard to ‘be good’ and stay sober from Monday to Thursday. (I could get my head around staying alcohol free during the working week. But a sober Friday, Saturday and Sunday?!) Because I wasn’t ready to quit…
The Cost Of Borrowing From The Bank Of Booze
Alcohol steals happiness from tomorrow. Not only does it steal it, but it makes you pay it back, with interest. It’s the worst kind of lender, offering you the worst kind of deal. In these uncertain times, we talk a lot about the cost of different things… but there’s never much chatter about the cost […]
Staying Committed When You Feel Scared And Uncertain
I know it’s cool these days to be all, “Feel the fear! Push through your comfort zone! You can DO it!” But to be honest, that’s not really me. I hated the uncertainty of sobriety, especially in the early days. There were so many unknowns, so many questions, so many fears. For a long time […]
Not Drinking? Don’t Worry – You’ll Fit Right In
Before I quit drinking, one of my biggest concerns was the reaction I might get from other people. I imagined walking into a bar, ordering a non-alcoholic drink, and the entire place going quiet as people turned in shock. (I know – dramatic or what?!) Fortunately, a lot has changed in the past nine-and-a-bit years […]
Why Do I Keep Drinking When I Said I Wouldn’t?
When I was trying (and failing) to quit drinking, I always had a lot of angry questions for myself the morning after. Questions like: Why on earth did I do that? Why do I keep drinking when I said I wouldn’t? Sometimes my drinking felt like a bit of a mystery. It didn’t make sense […]
