I didn’t come to sobriety through a recovery program. I came to sobriety because I was tired of repeating the same negative patterns over and over again. And once I arrived, I knew in my gut that if I started drinking again all the positive benefits I had gained would disappear.
In the beginning, I read a lot articles about people giving up the booze for a specified amount of time. I loved reading about the many benefits of giving up alcohol – better sleep, more energy, better relationships, a more productive and active lifestyle. In short, their lives were exponentially better without the booze. But, what I found amazingly frustrating was that once the specified amount of time was up, almost every person, in every article I read, said they would drink again.
What? Why?
Alcohol has that big of a hold on us as a society. Can you imagine someone telling you that they stopped eating apples and they lost weight, got clearer skin, slept better, reduced their risk of cancer, had more energy, and were more productive at work. But they were going to start eating apples again when the six months was up.
Why do we drink alcohol when there are so many obvious benefits to living a life free from it?
So far, I have travelled sober, maintained a steady yoga practice, been certified in Reiki, done a cleanse, started a blog, took a ceramics class, made my own ring, read umpteen books, became a consultant for a clean skincare company, hiked and walked all over the place, taken a sound healing workshop, started juicing and became a teetotaler. And I’m just getting started.
Will I go back to alcohol when my pledge of one year with no alcohol is up?
Hell no
Sober and Well 