Since ditching the booze 5 years, almost 10 months ago, Here are a few insights and lessons from my journey of sobriety. Insight 1: The early days can be really tough. If you are not clinically dependent, physically the discomfort can ease fairly quickly, but the mental anguish impacts. The constant chatter in your brain, the voice that tells you, ‘This is too hard, you can’t do this, what will everyone else think, you’ll never manage this even for 30 days. It’s the ‘stubborn’ neural pathway furrowed for many years, I learned that it was important to try and quiet that voice, talk back to that inner critic, and say …’.I am just curious as to how it might feel when I am free from this trap’. I now highly recommend Curiosity!! Insight 2: The Brain chemistry is out of whack and good nutrition supports it. Here’s the top line: Eat properly, no fasting, protein with every meal, and everyone needs good supplements, I highly recommend the Clive de Carle Magnesium Blend (game changer for sleep, anxiety, headaches, mood swings, hiccups, etc. al) Most of us need Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Please use this link for anything you buy from Clives site, and you contribute our sober club charity, so thank you Buy vitamins and minerals from Clive
Insight 3: Shame can rear its ugly head.
Janey Lee Grace hosts the Alcohol- Free Life podcast, has presented two TEDx talks, She runs the community The Sober Club, hosts wellbeing retreats, works as a sobriety coach, and trains others to become Sober 360 coaches, She is the author of Happy Healthy Sober, www.thesoberclub.co m
We often feel very emotional, (you have to ‘feel all the feels’), and then, shame rears its low vibrational ugly head. Previously, I’d have just defended my own habit, but when I quit I had to own it. The antidote to shame is vulnerability and honesty, even when those conversations are tough. Being able to forgive ourselves is key. Alcohol is addictive, it is not our lack of willpower or addictive personality that’s to blame, it is the societal norm, alcohol is everywhere, from celebrations to commiserations and everywhere in between. It is not your fault, but it is your responsibility. Once we can see it, we can deal with it and take back control. Insight 4: When you focus only on what you’re gaining, you become more resilient. Never use the phrase ‘giving up’, there is nothing to give up. Focus only on what we will be gaining. Feeling happy and well feels impossible, but every step brings you closer. To put it poetically, ‘The beauty of reaching that peak lies not just in the view, but in realizing how truly deserving you are.’ When you ditch the booze, you get more clarity and more resilience. 5.8 years on, I am free, I’m not ‘recovering’, I’m recovered, (that will spark arguments if you are from a 12-step background, but it’s absolutely my truth)
HOLA SOBER | MADRID
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