Alcohol wasn’t just a part of my life, with 20+ years of heavy drinking behind me, I had gotten to a point where alcohol WAS my life. It took over everything and I used it to help deal with or encourage every type of emotion I experienced. Alcohol would be the first thing I would go to after every day at work to be able to relax and unwind and if you had said to me 5 years ago that I would be in a position now where I no longer needed to rely on alcohol to be able to unwind, I certainly would not have believed you. Moreover, at that point in my life, I wouldn’t have wanted to even try as I loved wine for so many years.

Alcohol has its crafty way of being able to place itself in your mind and make you feel that without it, life will not be enjoyable and you will be far worse off with not drinking, so why stop? For me, I had hit a crisis point where I had to face the stark reality that not only was I no longer in control of my drinking, but it was also negatively impacting my health both physically and mentally. I had to start small and take this in bitesize chunks where I slowly started to remove alcohol from my life. One thing I had to deal with was the thoughts of, ‘how would I be able to relax and unwind without alcohol?’ I knew from the outset that to give myself the best chance of success with removing alcohol from my life, I had to replace the void feeling that alcohol would leave and look at new outlets for ways to relax and enjoy my life without alcohol having control.

I wanted to share with you in this blog some of the things I now do to relax and I have used since starting out on my sobriety journey that have helped to keep me focused and on-track. I hope they help you as well if you are feeling concerned with how you are going to feel and how you will relax once alcohol has gone.

#1 Running

OK, I know this may not be on everyone’s top things to do to relax, but for me, running has been such a benefit to my sobriety. Sure, running is not physically relaxing, but the mental feel-good factor of being outdoors running is like therapy. I am completely present, focused purely on running, not thinking about work, not thinking about alcohol, just thinking about my breathing, my pace and taking in the scenery. The endorphins from the exercise afterward are long lasting and set me up for wanting to keep focused and has also greatly improved my ability to get a good nights’ sleep. I have also previously dedicated a full blog to why I love running, which you should check out HERE, if you want to take up running yourself.

#2 Reading

I never use to be much of a book person. I always felt that I never had the time to justify sitting down and actually getting lost in the pages. However, I made the active decision to start making this a part of my relaxation and it has been amazing for me. Of course, I love the spectrum of quit lit that’s available which also inspired me to start writing books on the subject myself. However, I also love both fiction and non-fiction. It’s another activity that I find when doing it, I am completely in the moment of reading and not thinking about anything else and it does really help to relax me. If reading is not your thing, then I highly recommend audio books, where you can pop your headphones in and take some time out for yourself.

#3 Reaching Out

I am a social person and I like to be around others and to talk. I have found that reaching out to others has also been a great way for me to relax and keep me focused on sobriety. I make it part of my weekly-must, that I reach out to others whether that’s other people looking for support with addiction on online support communities or just catching up with friends and family and keeping-in-touch. Getting sober and removing alcohol from your life can feel like a lonely place to be at times, but it doesn’t have to be this way and I would highly recommend reaching out to others and talking to help you relax and unwind.

#4 Alcohol-free Drinks

When adopting an alcohol-free lifestyle, you have to do what is right for you. Not everyone takes the same path and across my sober community, some people love alcohol-free drinks and other people choose to avoid them. For me, personally, I really like them and have them as a treat and a way to unwind after a long day. The range of alcohol-free drinks available now is absolutely superb and there is certainly something for everyone. I have a special few that I have set aside for a treat when I want to relax and it’s been a great way for me from the start of sobriety to help keep me focused whilst helping to reduce the feelings of missing out on something.

#5 Actively Chill Out

We all lead busy lives and sometimes you can feel guilty if you start spending time for yourself. Do not feel bad for doing nothing! If you want to sit infront of the TV for a bit, get lost in YouTube videos or listen to music, do it and enjoy every moment of it. Spending time doing things that you want to do will reduce your stress, help you relax and can also benefit you with not looking for quick fixes with things such as alcohol in the longer term.

If you (like I previously to did) use alcohol as a way to de-stress and relax, then I strongly urge you to look at this and look into new ways to be able to relax and unwind if you want to stop drinking and remain sober. I know that right now, it may feel that nothing else will compare to being able to have booze, however, this feeling does not last with sustained sobriety. You just need to be able to break the habit and cycle and replace the feelings you previously got with alcohol with something positive that you genuinely enjoy doing to relax.

I would love to hear from you in the comments section below. What do you do to relax and what has been the one thing that you have replaced alcohol with to relax and unwind?