“I’m not sure if my drinking is bad enough for me to have to quit completely.’’ This is something I hear a lot and it’s a debate I had with myself for a long time. I wasn’t a rock bottom drinker, so did I really need to quit – or was I overreacting?
Before I quit drinking, I spent a lot of time wishing I was a normal drinker. I was annoyed that I didn’t seem to have more willpower or self discipline. (If beating yourself up was a sport, I’d have been in the Olympics.) If you can relate, this…
It can feel as if wine is the only thing that will fix your anxiety… Especially when you’re overwhelmed, frustrated and stressed out. You know a glass of wine (or three) will take the edge off. You want to drink less… but alcohol helps you…
This week’s blog is about a sensitive subject: hiding your drinking. It often starts as something so small you hardly think about it. You pour some extra wine into your glass and gulp it down before anyone sees. Perhaps you have a few…
I’ve always been pretty health conscious. Before I got sober, I’d try my best not to think about the health risks of being a heavy drinker.I ignored reports about the dangers of alcohol. I liked to think my wine was just mashed grapes. By day…
Recently I spotted an interesting comment on my blog about feeling bored. It said: “I’m finding it difficult to quit, because I’m so used to having a glass in my hand in the evening. It feels like it gives me something to do. I’m bored in the…
If you associate hot sunny days with beer gardens, boozy BBQs or drinks on the beach, you’re not alone. In the summer, many people find the warm weather triggers some cravings for alcohol. When you see other people drinking…
When I’m helping women to escape the alcohol trap, I often use strange analogies. I do this to get people thinking about booze in a different way. A big part of successful sobriety is unlearning old thought habits and being open to the…
How do you find the right time to quit drinking? Perhaps you’ve dabbled with alcohol-free living, on and off. Maybe you spend a lot of time thinking about stopping. You love the idea of waking up hangover free… and you know you’ll sleep…
Many people mistakenly believe that sobriety is just about having tons of willpower. Maybe you’re convinced that if only you were stronger, you’d be able to ‘control’ alcohol a bit better. Perhaps you’ve confided in someone about your…
“How can I get sober when I love drinking wine? And cocktails? And beer?” At the height of my drinking career, I asked myself this question a lot. I knew I needed to stop and I knew cutting down didn’t really work for me. I hated the…
When I first quit drinking, I kept thinking about everything I’d lost. I used to wonder – will I ever get used to this? Will it always feel like something is missing? I was so lost in these thoughts I nearly missed what was happening right in…
