On December 31st 2020 I took my last drink of alcohol. The picture on the bottom right is of a 58 year old sad, lonely, and scared woman. A woman who thought she did not have much longer to live. A woman who thought that she would suffer the same fate as her dear late brother who lost his battle at 52.
When I stopped drinking I was frightened, I had no idea how to live life without alcohol.
So I fought. I fought like I'd never fought before. I searched for help and this was the first group I found. I read the posts avidly. I commented. I learnt. I took comfort in the knowledge that I wasn't alone. And alongside Facebook groups I searched for how else I could help myself. I read books, I joined groups, I joined zooms, I journaled, I went to a bootcamp, I listened to podcasts, I hired a sober coach, I went to sober meetups, I joined Instagram, and I found the sober community in so many places. I made a vow to my body that I would treat it with grace and be thankful for the life it gave me.
I'm now 60 and my life is completely different to how it was in 2020. Last year I started hosting my own sober meetups. This year I completed the 30 Hour Sober Curious Yoga Teacher Training and I qualified as a sobriety coach (after 30 years of working as a professional in behavioural change). I started my own business at 60! This year I'm hosting a sober retreat. In Bali!! It's never too late to start.
I am happy and utterly grateful that I never gave up the fight. It does get easier. It gets easier quicker than you imagine. Even after 1 week I felt better. By the end of January I knew that I could carry on for a while. I never said I was giving up forever. This decision came to me gradually as I started to feel better than I had in years.
If you are starting out with Dry January believe this. This is the single greatest gift you can ever give yourself. Reach out, connect and never give up the battle, because the joys available to you when you get sober are incredible.
I joined MLPC 12 months ago after doing some of the free classes. The community is an incredible space where friendships, growth, and spirituality can thrive, and the bonus is I'm also practicing yoga for the first time in my life. Yoga has always felt unattainable to me but this is no longer the case. I'm so excited that this gets to be part of my healing journey.
With love and gratitude.
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