As part of an Add 2, Subtract 2 Summer Challenge with my INSIDER Membership I completed one of my subtraction tasks. Subtracting everything for one day a month. What I mean by that is having no expectations, to do lists, plans, or chores for one day each month of the summer. A “Do Nothing...

Some of my best memories are from some of my biggest drinking moments. 

It’s been helpful to think that my drinking was bad, unhealthy and alcohol took me away from myself. And now that I’ve removed alcohol, I am happy, healthy, free, and all is well. 

Although...

When I was just starting out on my sober journey, I had this voice in my head, Let’s call that voice by name, the Wine Witch. She tried to sabotage me every step of the way. 

When I would see some progress (maybe 4 days of alcohol-free), she would start screaming at me:

...

Memorial Day 2017 was my rock bottom. Not to be confused with the Day I finally stopped drinking. That would come ½ year or more later. 

Memorial Day Weekend has been an evolution in my sobriety and overall personal growth. 

You can read more about Memorial...

My Social Media Experiment was to stop using Instagram and Facebook for business for 7 weeks.

What happened was not what I expected. 

For the record, I think it's great to take break from things. All things. Change is necessary from all things to grow and evolve. If you unplug for anything...

This weekend was my first born daughter’s high school graduation.

My sobriety made everything so much better.

In some ways it felt like a stress test:

Host a party for 50 people.

Pray for good weather.

Say hello.

Say goodbye.

Introduce people to each other.

Lose sleep for 3 nights in a row....

I am in a season of extreme emotions right now. 

My oldest daughter is graduating high school in just a few weeks. She will be moving 6 hours away to go to school (MIZ-ZOU!) in early August. I feel like we are still connected via umbilical cord, so as much as I want her to spread her...

The spring sun is here! I want to go outside! I love to go outside. I am an outdoorsy person. I believe in the benefits of sunlight and movement to set my circadian rhythm, lift my mood, and give me a good dose of feel good chemicals. 

Yet, even so…somehow it’s been a...

I am a COUNTRY girl. 

Born in small town Wisconsin. 

My first drink was a cheap beer. 

Busch Lite. 

In my coming of age, I partied and chased boys in barns and fields.

I rode around in pickup trucks.

I love country music. I love to sing about getting day drunk...

The details are very foggy, but I have a drunken Easter story. 

For the life of me, I can’t think about why I would have been without plans or my family on Easter, but one year it happened. Maybe I chose it. I have no idea. I really can’t remember. My whole life at that...

I am an expert in quitting drinking. I’ve done it a million times. That is why I am the perfect person to tell you about the mistakes I’ve made in trying to get sober. 

Not only that, I am also a Certified Professional Life and Recovery Coach, in addition to having an...

I thought St. Patrick’s Day was my favorite holiday. 

I look good in green. I like corned beef. I was raised on beer.

One look at me and you would swear I was a jolly Irish soul. 

I am 5 years sober. 

After decades of drunken shenanigans involving day drinking...

From a young age, I had a taste for alcohol. I desired the delightful woozy, boozy release wash over me.

For as long as I can remember, I also had a thirst for perfection.

The more I learn about myself, the more I see how my behaviors came to be. 

Like everyone, most of my ways...

I just turned 5 years sober. For most of my life this accomplishment seemed so out of reach for me. What would I tell myself back before my last Day !?

 1. You can do it. You absolutely can. 

Put all of your energy towards that. Stop looking behind you. Keep moving...

Today I woke up 5 years sober. 

It is a glorious achievement. 

It means I have reached “stable remission” from alcohol use disorder. 

Milestones are a tricky thing.

Just as a huge achievement was rounding the corner for me, a crippling wave of shame crept in even...

I attended a Special Olympics basketball game the other night and I learned so much.

My experience with basketball is limited. I played basketball on a team for one season in middle school. I didn’t understand any of it. I was terrible at it. Growing up with a single mom, we never...

Why Do We Drink More During the Holidays?

The holiday season tends to be one of the most alcohol-centric times of year. Firstly, alcohol is generally more accessible. There are extra work events, holiday parties, family reunions, and other gatherings that typically include alcohol. Some people...

Welcome to the Ditched the Drink Gift Guide!

I am so excited to share some fun ideas for the sober babes in your life. Yourself included. 

* Many things made by Sober Babes themselves. I added the price, but it could have changed, and most likely in your favor.

Stocking Stuffers

I...

Sober milestones can come in many forms. A huge accomplishment for many of my clients’ is flying sober. I mean, literally, flying. Like in an airplane. It takes some resolve to successfully accomplish this feat, as the airport is full of opportunities to drink. 

There are actual...

My first Thanksgiving was really rough. 

It was my first big holiday traveling and visiting family.

I had lots of sobriety under my belt. Almost 9 months. Still I felt wobbly, shaky, and fragile. 

I drank a lot with my family. I wasn’t sure what to do without it....

I wake up in a panic

No desire to start my day

Thinking of last night

Oh God, what did I say?

Do I have an alcohol problem?

I chug a glass of water

On the table beside my bed

I recognize hangover symptoms

Starting with

My pounding head.

Do I have an alcohol problem?

I...

On my last Halloween as a drinker, I went to a costume party dressed as Janis Joplin. But of course. At this point, I had been exploring my relationship with alcohol for a few years. I was exploring periods of not drinking. “Sober experiments” as I called these alcohol time outs. Then...

Dark coffee alone with the windows open and the chilly autumn air breezing in.

Reflection in quiet, feeling content, at peace.

With myself.

Satisfied and full. 

Not desperate or seeking.

A last minute decision to do a hot flow yoga class on Sunday.

A new instructor. 

Never been...