LEAVE A COMMENT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE – I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS

2020 has been a year we will all remember and for me going into lockdown bought a shift in
my relationship with alcohol. Do you remember the lead up to lockdown when supermarket
shelves were empty, and limits were placed on how many items you could buy? I do
because I panicked less about loo roll and more about drink! ‘What ifs’ crawled through my
mind. What if I must isolate, what if lockdown gets tighter, what if the shelves run dry, what if
someone else has to get my shopping (I cannot ask for 10 bottles of wine!)? I resolved to
ensure that I had at least two weeks supply in the boot of my car and the same in the house
…and topped up at any opportunity!

Check out the best books for stopping drinking alcohol

So, the day came that Boris Johnson announced that we must stay indoors. The daily news
briefings commenced delivering terrible news about the number of deaths and growing fear
about the future. Wine o’clock’ got earlier and drinking was justified on social media and TV
as an ‘accepted’ response to get through.

After the initial horror of it all I realised that this was a turning into a particularly risky time for
me … ‘a perfect storm’. All of the ‘controls’ I had had to moderate drinking had been lifted:

 I didn’t need to and wasn’t allowed to drive,
 I didn’t need to and wasn’t allowed to go into work,
 I didn’t need to and wasn’t allowed to see anyone,
 I didn’t need to limit drinking…

Thankfully the only remaining ‘controls’ in my life, my partner and my adult kids, did
moderate their drinking and I became more and more exposed as the only one who was still
excusing wine at 5 o’clock as we got a few weeks in. I woke up to the realisation that I had to
do something. I was low, depressed, anxious and had no hope for the future. I knew, deep
down, from a couple of previous attempts that life could be improved if I stopped and

BECAUSE I had journaled this (in my notes section on phone) I was able to look back and
see ‘as fact’ that I recorded feeling so much better without drink- better mood, less anxiety,
better relationships.

I joined The Alcohol Experiment and finally started my Day 1 on 3rd May 2020. Early on I
listened to a live coaching session with Simon Chapple who discussed ‘all or nothing’
personalities (which I identified with) and he suggested doing a blog as something to ‘focus’
on and to help with accountability of doing a journal. I had previously thought that journaling
or blogging would be a great idea to record the unprecedented times we were living through
so was curious; and saw the attraction of throwing myself into something new. I had no clue
how to blog and/or how you went about it. Simon mentioned some platforms and sites to
look up and I noted these during the ’live’. As an ‘all or nothing’ person it was not long before
I had set up the site and invested in some ‘extras’ to make it as good as I could. I committed
to a 12-month subscription…which terrified me. But my mindset was either do it well or do
not bother at all.

I got started and easily wrote a couple of articles, from all the thoughts that had been
whirring in my mind from AF Learning. With a deep breath I clicked publish! I have journaled
using the notes section on my phone and decided to post this in chunks on blog – 2 weeks at
a time. I also began to use blog to write up reflections about learning that had really
resonated with me and to record feelings when I was struggling. Writing has helped me deal
with thoughts and has been a great tool to get me through some tough times.

Early on I had brief moments of regret about ‘wasting money’ on blog, particularly when I
was losing faith that I could stick with being AF, but mostly I have really enjoyed doing posts
and am now increasingly excited about the possibilities. I could help lots of people to be free
from alcohol and maybe use my blog to help me write a book one day! I have enjoyed
finding the photos and learning about the creative side too. I have lots more to learn and
need to get braver (I have shared link on private AF groups feedback and I am here sharing
my story and link but as I get stronger I hope to do more to promote it). Blogging has given
me a new interest, helped others ( I have subscribers !!) and helped ‘me’ to stay sober.
The domino effect that Simon talks about has certainly come true for me. From quitting,
journaling and blogging I am now doing coaching training. One day I hope I might help
people like me find a new, happier future. I am looking forward to my future … next
milestone 100 days!

Please take a look at www.sassysobriety.com to follow my journey. It is an honest open
account and I hope that my learning can help you. I am a 40 (something) woman whose life
has revolved around drink. Overtime and following divorce ‘fun’ drinking was replaced with
drinking because I was sad or stressed…and there the downward spiral began. Now, without
drink, I have renewed sense of hope, energy, and passion to get the best out of life. Get
blogging to help you to stick with it so you can live the life you were meant to live!

Guest blog post by Susan Clare from Sassy Sobriety.

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

📖  GET MY NEW STOP DRINKING BOOK HERE – http://a-fwd.com/asin-uk=1529357586&asin-com=1529357586

⚠️  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/