When starting out on the sober journey there are a few things you need to ensure you are best placed to remain alcohol-free long-term.

The most important tools that I found on the path to sobriety are:

1. Sober Books – To help educate me so I understood the dangers of alcohol. Also, books like This Naked Mind helped change my mindset about alcohol from ‘Can’t Have’ a drink to ‘Don’t Want’ one.
2. Alternative alcohol-free drinks – I actually loved finding new drinks and experimenting with them. I found I really needed something else to drink at the times I used to reach for the wine. My current ‘go-to’ drink is GinSin (blue) with tonic water a splash of Belvoir Elderflower and a slice of lime.
3. Support – It is hard to go sober alone and having support around will make a huge difference, especially if the support is from people who understand what you are going through.

There are also many other excellent tools that I have found help from and you can read about them in some of the other posts on the website, but these are the top 3 and I doubt I could have kicked alcohol forever without them.

Finding the right support can be a challenge, friends and family will usually be supportive but won’t always understand and are unlikely to be able to give you meaningful advice or guidance based on experience.

There are a number of options including AA and alcohol-coaches, however I personally found the very best form of support came from Facebook sober groups.

I loved the concept so much that I started the Be Sober private Facebook group, which now has close to 1000 3000 members (updated June 2019) on the path to sobriety.

So why are Facebook sober groups so good at providing support?

Below I have listed why Facebook sober groups can provide the perfect support for almost anyone on the sober-journey.

• You will be in a group with other people on the sober-journey, they will understand what you are going through.
• People in the group will have been sober for different amounts of time, many will be able to speak from experience and will know exactly what you are going through.
• Facebook sober groups are usually ‘Closed’ so whatever you post can only be seen by other members.
• You will be able to speak openly and honestly, without judgement and receive caring and helpful responses from other group members.
• Most Facebook sober groups are free, although some offer ‘premium’ paid options for additional benefits, the Be Sober group is currently 100% free with no paid options.
• You don’t have to join in – some members take strength from reading the posts and don’t share their own until they feel ready.
• Facebook sober groups have a real sense of family and belonging, you will feel like you are part of something bigger than your own sober-journey.
• You can make new friends and connect with other group members from around the world.
• Sharing your story and sober-journey makes you accountable to other members of the group, being accountable is a key part of staying sober.
• You will have access to really useful content and information that will empower you and serve to make you stronger.
• You will help other people and find yourself giving something back by offering advice and support to other members.
• Sober groups are fun, as well as plenty of talk about sobriety the Be Sober group is a fun place and there are plenty of posts that raise a smile.

When I started the Be Sober group I didn’t realise how many people wanted to be part of something like this and I receive wonderful messages each week saying how the group has been a saviour and has helped people quit alcohol and stay sober. This makes it all worthwhile!

If you are reading this post and have been questioning your own relationship with alcohol I suggest you take the step and join the Be Sober Facebook group, for many people it is the first big step on the path to finding freedom from alcohol.

Join the Be Sober private Facebook group here.

Simon

———————————————————————————————————–
MORE HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR STOPPING DRINKING ALCOHOL
———————————————————————————————————–

⚠️ Subscribe to my YouTube channel – there are new stop drinking videos every Tuesday and Thursday.
Don’t miss another video – click below to Subscribe and also click on the Bell Icon to be notified about new videos.
Subscribe to my channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkDiUhERjbdHN0kNXbD8UBQ/?sub_confirmation=1

💡 14 Days Free – Join my Stop Drinking Program:
https://www.joinbesober.com

🌎 Connect with me on a personal level – follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/besoberandquit

👥 Join my awesome free private Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1960061840706240/

If you need some inspiration, check this out…
🎥❤️‍🔥 My Top 5 favourite videos to help you quit alcohol on your own – watch these now if you are curious about sobriety and becoming alcohol-free:

1 – How I quit alcohol after 40 years – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0ydqjrN0AI
2 – Awesome tactic to stop alcohol cravings fast – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GedYoBZ_W2M&t
3 – 7 tips for the first week of sobriety – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq4x0vBEwMw&t
4 – Does alcohol cause depression and anxiety – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkrQpZPHBls&t
5 – Weight loss and stopping drinking alcohol – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyw9jM0kj5U&t

🌞MUST WATCH – Check out my most viewed YouTube video – 7 Big Mistakes to Avoid in Sobriety – here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtBxWrju_ng&t

📚 Get the first 10 chapters of my first book totally free here: https://besober.co.uk/2020/08/18/stop-drinking-books-by-simon-chapple-recommended-quit-alcohol-books/