Reflections on Two Years Alcohol Free
Feb 17, 2020
On February 20, 2020 I am celebrating 2 years of sobriety.
Two years ago, I was just existing, robotically going through the motions of life.
Today I really living out my dreams and I look forward to nearly everything.
My first year getting sober was absolutely epic.
I relearned how to do everything without alcohol.
My second year was epic too.
I transformed from someone who was surviving without alcohol, to someone thriving, who was no longer even thinking about drinking.
I didn't know this would be my life story, but I am so glad it is .
Let me to share the evolution with you.
On Day 1 of year 2, I announced my sobriety online to my private Facebook Community.
This felt like a big coming out for me.
I agonized and stressed over carefully choosing the right words for a whole year.
For the whole first year of getting sober, I was quietly, and privately working on being alcohol free from mostly the comfort of home.
The only people that knew my struggles were in my inner circle.
When I reached the 1 year anniversary mark, I wanted to make an announcement.
After all the stress about this, I ended up using whatever words came to mind in that moment.
I do not regret them to this day.
Sharing my success publically, felt a like admitting, something I tried very hard to hide.
I had a problem with alcohol.
I feared announcing my year of sobriety online, would bring a lot of questions, assumptions and judgment.
I was not ready for harsh criticism in my one year old sober, fragile, baby bird state.
To my delightful surprise, the outpouring of support from everyone in my life was glorious. From community acquaintances to childhood hometown friends to parents of my kid’s friends...the people celebrating my success and rooting for me brought me to my knees in gratitude.
I only wished I could have shared sooner, had I known my fan club was so encouraging.
This kind of support filled up my tank and fueled me for my continued journey.
At the time, I was at a loss in my career. I was recently laid off and feeling desperate to get hired again. I was job searching and interviewing for jobs, which were the exact type of jobs that I had done before. I was very qualified for these positions, and I had seen success in paychecks and advancement, but I was also very miserable doing this work.
My heart sank to my stomach, I knew I couldn’t do what I had always done.
These jobs were not my calling.
I was starting to listen to myself in sobriety, and I couldn't got back, and not hear what I already knew.
The jobs I was applying for were not in alignment with my deepest desires to do my greatest good.
I could no longer disregard that knowledge within me.
I was no longer in the habit of ignoring my inner wisdom or drowning out my very own heart song with a bottle of wine.
Getting sober was the ultimate leap of faith in sobriety.
I ditched the drink with no guarantees of any outcome.
This bravery lead me to take a bold risk in my career life too.
After one year and one month of sobriety, I officially started Ditched the Drink.
I became an expert in my efforts to live alcohol free and I was ready to share my resources with the world.
Getting sober was (and is) the best surprise of my life.
I had found the key from misery to happiness for myself.
I felt called to share this with others.
Getting comfortable expressing myself out loud banished the shame I had.
Sharing my story has provided a beam of light for others who were living in the dark hole drinking loop, where I had once been.
I started my company from scratch.
I had no previous experience in owning a business.
I started with zero followers, zero clients, zero partners, and zero dollars in my weekly paycheck.
What I did have was a relentless desire to help others and a newfound clarity in sobriety to thine own self be true.
I also had a husband and two daughters that believe in me and said "go for it!" knowing it would change our life in many ways.
My confidence grew as I let go of the drink.
It turns out my beloved glass of wine was the only thing holding me back.
I want Ditched the Drink to reach more people by helping more students in my digital class, partnering with more Corporate Wellness organizations, and witnessing the success of more coaching clients.
I dream of being invited on The Today Show and Ellen as the celebration of my hard work paying off.
However, I am learning that success is not a final destination.
I am enjoying success right now.
I am right here in the developing moments of my little company growing, building, creating, helping and influencing more people every.. single...day.
Every day more people are coming to Ditched the Drink for help and inspiration than the day before.
This right here is growth, my friends.
I wake up happy and inspired to help more people.
My mind is swirling with new ideas that excite me all day long.
When my head hits the pillow every night, I am so proud of myself.
My clients are doing the work to remove alcohol and it is the most beautiful transformation to witness. I pinch myself that I get to be a guide on their path.
My daughter's are watching me evolve into a boss babe.
We all enjoy my flexible schedule that allows me to be there for them.
This IS success, right here and now.
I don’t need The Today Show to prove it.
(although it will be really fun when I get there too)
My work life took a complete turnaround.
I am so thankful to finally be headed in the right direction.
I am doing work that sets my soul on fire.
This year, because I was no longer obsessed about drinking (or not drinking for that matter), I was finally able to live out my dreams.
I had energy, clarity and focus to make these dreams come true.
It's amazing what you are capable of when you remove the cloud of alcohol.
I ran a ½ marathon, spoke on a stage in front of an audience of hundreds, got my writing published multiple times, and completed a lifelong dream of traveling to Africa with my mom.
These are the big bucket list items that I checked off, but in between there were a million other moments of magic, new experiences, and courageous decisions I made...you guessed it...one step at a time.
Last year, I learned to listen to myself, which was necessary to ditch the drink.
This year, I learned to trust myself.
Now, there is nothing I can't do.
Alcohol is a slippery slope.
For me it was an elevator that only went down.
I am so glad I stepped off when I did.
I spent years asking the wrong question,” How bad does it have to be to quit?”
The right question to ask was , “How much better could it be if I quit?”
The answer is, "it gets so much better. Getting sober was the best surprise of my life. It was the launching pad to everything I ever wanted, mosty inner peace."
