I’ve always been fascinated by the sheer number of celebrities who quietly don’t drink alcohol.
I’m not talking about famous people who’ve fought well-publicised battles with booze. I’m more interested in the celebs who quietly decided that Hollywood’s champagne lifestyle wasn’t for them.
Their reasons for quitting are varied and inspiring, so if you’re looking for some motivation to stick to your sober goals, you’re going to love this video.
Key points
1. Have more energy
“When I stopped drinking I found I had more of everything – more time, more energy, more enthusiasm. I’d been frightened about what would happen if I let it go; what would replace it, but I realise now that LIFE replaced it.”
2. Lose the self-hatred
Things I don’t miss: being sick, wondering what I did last night, finding out what I did last night, shame, the self-hatred of hungover parenting, wondering if people know I’m still drunk, thinking about the next time I drink and knowing that time it will be amazing, wondering why other people can just have two, nightclubs.”
3. Have more fun
“When I got sober, I thought giving up was saying goodbye to all the fun and sparkle, and it turned out to be just the opposite. That’s when the sparkle started for me.”
4. Enjoy more free time
“I was starting to get bad hangovers on not much booze. A glass of wine gave me a headache or even sickness the next day. The after-effects weren’t worth the fun times. I lost half days, sometimes full ones… my life is so busy that if I do have a day off, I don’t want to spend it vomiting.”
5. Lose weight faster
“I realised there were lots of empty calories in booze so that is why I gave it up. If you add up through the week what I’d consume in alcohol calories it was mad. I don’t miss any of that. Now instead of partying until 6.45am, I’m in the gym at 6.45am.”
6. Burn the candle at both ends
“Since I stopped drinking eight years ago I’ve fallen in love with mornings. It was hard at first, but now being sober feels like a superpower. I can go out with friends, have a great night and be up at six, ready for the day.”
7. Make the most of life
“I was so concerned what you thought of me, how I was coming across, how I would survive the day… I always felt like an outsider. I just lived in my head. I realized I wasn’t going to live up to my potential, and that scared the hell out of me. I thought, ‘Wow, I’m actually gonna ruin my life; I’m really gonna ruin it.'”
8. Stop lying
“I’m an actor, so I acted … all the fucking time. One thing [addiction] does is make you clever at not giving anything away. People think junkies and alcoholics are slovenly, unmotivated people. They’re not – they are incredibly organised. They can nip out for a quick shot of whisky and you wouldn’t know they have gone. It’s as if … you are micro-managed by it.”
9. Do better at work
“I realised it was not going to end well. I got into the acting programme, it was very challenging, I was hungover and I wasn’t doing so well in my classes. I thought, ‘Do you know what? It’s going to be one or the other. I can’t really have both.’”
10. Gain superpowers
“Someone asked me about the ‘secret to my success’, and the first thing that came to my mind was my sobriety…my sobriety isn’t a limitation. Sobriety isn’t even a “have to”—it’s a superpower.”
Ready to create an alcohol-free life you love? Click here to learn more about my Getting Unstuck course.
12 responses
I did the Sober School course last Summer, at the end of this month I will be 1 year without alcohol!! I LOVE having my mornings back!! I get up around 5 and have me time before the day begins. I love it!!
Hey Maddie, congratulations on your upcoming sober anniversary! One whole year of being free from the alcohol trap and claiming back early mornings – epic. 🙂
All of the above to be honest. Losing that awful queasy feeling in the morning when you’ve been drinking the night before. And then the self-hatred that you’re so weak you can’t stand by your resolutions.’
Agreed and there are so many more reasons to upgrade to alcohol-free living. Let me help you in my upcoming July session of ‘Getting Unstuck’; my group coaching programme exclusively for women who know there’s a better way to live. https://thesoberschool.com/course/
Good morning (from across the Pond). Yes, the privilege of seeing the sun rise in total peace & quiet, with lots of morning time, is a non-negotiable for me these days. That being said, its availability and the lifestyle upgrade are due to being sick of lying & pretending. As I am not an actor, all the manipulations/arrangements due to wine were a full-time occupation along with hoping no one saw me (sneaking around, and again I am not DI Barnaby). Thus, lots of work and preplanning. What a relief to saunter away, smugly. I think the lying comments from Simon Pegg brought back the fact that if I lied about drinking, what else was I lying about to myself. Heading into my third year AF! Must say I don’t miss wine or the entourage I managed to put with it.
Love what you say here Cynthia about being sick of lying. The majority of us wouldn’t lie deliberately to our family and friends, but alcohol makes us behave that way. The truth is, the worst lie is to ourselves if we believe that alcohol offers anything but a hangover delivery service. 🙁
From 1 to 10 relates to me. I have no willpower when it comes to alcohol. I just can’t stop
You are not alone Margaret because we forget that alcohol is an addictive substance, so it’s not you! Here’s a blog I wrote about this topic that I think may help you: https://thesoberschool.com/control-drinking/
Lose weight faster – Lisa Riley. I’m a Slimming World target member but have to watch my intake to maintain my weight loss. Usually all my ‘swips’ go on alcohol! However, when I took a 6 week break from alcohol in January I was able to have nice things like cake and chocolate and still manage to lose the Christmas weight gain! I must give up alcohol again to enjoy other treats and still keep the weight off.
It’s certainly much easier to maintain or lose weight without the empty alcohol calories, that’s for sure. 🙂
All of them, im tired of fighting with the wine witch every evening ♀️
Let me help you stop battling and start winning at life by ‘getting unstuck’ from the alcohol trap. Here are the details of my course where my unique approach will make the process feel easy and empowering, rather than a daily fight. https://thesoberschool.com/course/