3 Years Sober, Living a Life of Luxury, not Deprivation
Feb 16, 2021
The world is full of bad news involving alcohol.
In my feed from just today:
- A grandma in Wisconsin killed her granddaughter in a car accident at 8:30 in the morning with a .092 blood alcohol level from the night before.
- Britt Reid, son of Chiefs coach Andy Reid, had alcohol prior to a crash that injured two children leaving one 5 year old girl fighting for her life.
- Patients with liver disease die of COVID-19 at rates three times higher than those without it, and alcohol-associated liver disease has been found to increase the risk of death from COVID-19 by an additional 79% to 142%.
- Bruce Springsteen admitted to drinking 2 shots before DWI arrest. In his 2016 autobiography “Born to Run,” Springsteen said he avoided drugs and didn’t try alcohol until he was 22, partially because he saw how drinking affected his father.
- Women’s drinking is up 41% since the pandemic.
- The Americas are the only region of the world where drug use was a top 10 contributor to disability and death, with a three-fold increase in death between 2000-2019.
Meanwhile we are laughing hysterically at Saturday Night Live’s Mommy Wine Culture skit that shows “I Love Wine” wooden signs given as birthday gifts.
Including one that says,
“Hey Barkeep, I wanna die tonight”
Read the comments on the Instagram post. People find this to be absolutely hilarious, hysterical, and the funniest thing they have ever heard.
There is nothing hilarious about drinking too much alcohol.
- It is dangerous.
- It kills 95,0000 people a year in the US.
- It is the third preventable cause of death in the US.
- It contributes to 7 different cancers.
I don’t find any of these statistics funny at all.
I don’t not want to report news on fear, doom, and gloom.
My heart breaks for anyone struggling with addiction and dependence.
I want this to make the news:
I am 3 year sober!
I don’t have a grand rock bottom story.
I never made the news, jail, or the hospital due to my drinking.
I had a wooden wine sign in my house.
The consequences of my drinking were increased, depression, anxiety, hangovers, concerned family and friends, and a few embarrassing and regretful moments.
I fell down and blacked out, at times.
I also showed up for work and loved my kids beyond measure.
I was mostly responsible and most people were surprised when I quit drinking, stating
“I’ve never even seen you drunk!”
(which was of course, always my goal)
I tried to save the worst of my drinking for myself at home after my family went to bed.
I’d like to celebrate my 3 Years Sober by making the news.
A life of sobriety is not doom and gloom.
Sobriety, as I have experienced has only been good news all the way around.
There have been no negative consequences by ditching the drink.
Zip, zilch, zero, none.
It’s a lush life full of decadent treats, thrilling adventures, health, wellness, and aligning with my highest self to do my greatest good.
What could possibly be better than that?
It’s simply the best news I could ever report on.
Once I ditched the drink I started my own business.
A true hero’s journey, compared to my life unlived while drinking and fearing the end.
Finally after years of being out of alignment in the corporate world, I found my calling was not in selling HR solutions, but instead in coaching people out of the alcohol trap.
I help others ditch the drink and change the trajectory of their lives, their children’s lives, and the generations.
It’s the most beautiful, make a difference, work I could do.
The benefits between my clients and I are mutual.
As the teacher/coach, I am also a student of lifelong learning.
I learn from my clients everyday.
Once I got sober, I took my dream trip to Africa.
I would have never been able to do this if I was drinking.
I dreamt about going to Africa my whole life, but finally committed to the trip, as a sober gift to myself.
I have saved tens of thousands of dollars by quitting drinking.
I can now invest in a luxurious life, spending money on the things I value.
I increased my health and fitness.
My blood pressure is down and my physical strength is up.
I move my body in celebration, not punishment, every single day.
I am halfway through a 90 day yoga challenge.
Something I always wanted to do, but could never actually complete when drinking.
I increased my mental resilience.
I can sit in discomfort.
I can manage my emotions.
I can move through grief and pain.
I do not add to my suffering, but I do welcome the whole human experience, even when it’s challenging.
I rise up, I don’t crumble in the face of adversity anymore.
When drinking, I read about 7 books a year.
This year, I am on track to read 50 books.
That’s 20 more books than the last 2 years of sobriety,
and 40 some more than when I was drinking.
Alcohol did not make me an interesting person, sobriety does.
I changed a habit.
I got out of alcohol dependence.
I rewired my brain.
My gray matter has grown to more than I had before I started drinking.
Why isn’t this making the news?
This is incredible, phenomenal, inspiring.
If only we stopped with the horrific stories of alcohol and the hysterical wine memes that suggest alcohol is the answer to everything…
...we could make the connection that alcohol is not the answer, sobriety is.
Want to relax and unwind?
Take a nap. Enjoy the moment, with clarity not a foggy buzz. An alcohol craving is not relaxing. Drinking to end withdrawal symptoms is not peace of mind.
Want to rebel and be free?
A drink will always need another drink and keep you locked in the cage of alcohol dependence. There is nothing rebellious or free about substance use.
Want to escape, be uninhibited, have fun?
Lose yourself in the moment, not the alcohol.
Want to evaluate your relationship with alcohol?
That doesn’t mean you have a problem, that means you have a solution.
Taking a break from alcohol?
That doesn’t make you an alcoholic, that makes you brave.
Wonder if you are drinking too much?
That doesn’t mean you can’t ever drink again, that means you can get curious about yourself.
What to change a habit?
That’s the boldest, most badass thing you can do.
What to quit drinking?
That’s not sad, that’s the healthiest thing you can do to improve your quality and quantity of life.
Want a break from your job, your house, your kids?
Yes. Take it. Get away. Find support. Outsource help.
Want help getting started?
Head to www.ditchedthedrink.com for your FREE Sober Secrets guide.
