The Top 5 Things I Gained from Becoming Alcohol Free – Why I love sobriety
Have you been sober curious for a period of time, or have you hit a crisis point and you now want to / need to stop drinking, but all you can thinking about is the hole removing alcohol will leave in your life? I recently wrote a blog around alcohol and grief and whether, once we have removed alcohol from our lives, we grieve for its loss. I firmly believe we do. If you (like I use to) love alcohol and can only see bad times ahead with trying to remove it from your life, then please do read on. I have been exactly where you are right now.
'Your windshield is bigger than your rearview for a reason; the mirror is there to help you glance back at where you’ve been, but if you focus too much on it, you’re going to crash.
We are ALL affected by our past and we are ALL reminded of it now and again, but we cannot live in it unless we want to repeat it over and over again. We need to learn from it, take lessons from it, know what’s good (and not good) for us, and adjust accordingly. Mistakes are only mistakes until we learn from them and then they become lessons.'
Love this from the Your Tango blog, it sums up the need for a forward focused growth mindset in sobriety and life in general.
#keepmovingforward #positivequotes #positivity #yourtango #growthmindset #growthquotes #motivationalquotes #motivation #soberquotes #sobrietyquotes #lookforwardnotback #leavethepastbehind #movingforward #quotestagram #selfhelpquotes #positivemindset
Having an amazing time in #Japan and managed to head south out of Tokyo for a few days today to Kamakura by the ocean.
The drinking culture here is totally different to the UK, but all the bars are full, not many AF options either, but I wouldn’t want to visit such an amazing place and spoil it by boozing.
#tokyo #kamakura #tokyonight #tokyoneon #kamakuratemple #japaneseshrine #buddhisttemple #japantravel #tokyotrip #ramen #japaneseculture #japanlife
Wow! Rock Bottom & Rising has won the GOLD medal at the @nautilusbookawards for the best Addiction Recovery Memoir.
The book has 21 incredible stories by real people who have quit alcohol and turned their lives around, it is a truly inspirational read.
So this award is for everyone who contributed to the book, congratulations and thank you!
#bestbooks #nautilusbookaward #nautilusbookawards #nautilusbookawardwinner #sheldonpress #hatchettebookgroup #hodderandstoughton #addictionbooks #adictionmemoir #alcoholbooks #sobrietybooks #soberbooks
Woohoo! Just seen one of my books on the shelf @theworksstores #anxiety #anxietybook #theworks #bookshop #selfhelpbook #bookstore
Just finished recording a piece with @itvnews about the growing number of people quitting alcohol and the sobriety movement as a whole.
It airs next week, so look out for my shiny head on your TV screens.
#itv #sobriety #itvnews #sobermovement #sobercoach #tvinterview #newsstory #alcoholfree #soberlife #sobrietyrules
These two inspiring books from leading sobriety coach Simon Chapple are out today!
Read more...Repost @sheldon.press
Featuring contributions from some of the most well-known personalities in the Sober Space, Rock Bottom and Rising brings us real, raw, relatable stories from individuals who’ve found joy in an alcohol-free life.
The perfect companion to Rock Bottom – The Sober Life Journal captures the essence of journaling and provides space to grow and develop as you embark on a sober life. With hundreds of writing prompts, pages for reflection, focus, inspiration and guided exercises, this beautiful new journal supports your intention to create something lasting and meaningful to accompany you on your journey to an alcohol-free life.
Ideal for anyone contemplating a sober life come the new year, or from #dryjanuary.
Find out more in our bio.
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#RockBottomandRising #SoberLife #Sober #SobrietyCoach #Sobriety #StopDrinking #Freefromalcohol #AlcoholFree #SoberBook #SimonChapple #BeSober #Howtogosober #quittingalcohol #teetotaller #teetotal #alcoholism #aa #cutdown #alcoholic #thisnakedmind #addiction #problemdrinking #soberjourney
I vividly remember that when I was in the grips of my alcohol addiction, I use to think that people who didn’t drink were boring. Likewise, if I didn’t drink, then how would I relax after work? Or, what’s the point in going to a social event or having friends over if I wasn’t consuming bottles of wine in the process? Alcohol was my life and due to 20 years of sustained, heavy drinking, my brain for a long period of time would not allow me to think that there was another way to enjoy life.
That’s why I wanted to write this blog together with my videos on YouTube detailing things that we gain for the better when we stop drinking alcohol. Here are my top 5:
#1 Reduced Anxiety
For years I suffered with out-of-control anxiety. When I was drinking, I put it down to it being just the way I was. A severe over-worrier, always looking at the worst possible scenario, creating problems where none existed and believing they were real concerns. My feelings were so strong at times, they were debilitating. Looking back, I can remember clearly how I use to feel when my anxiety took hold, when it was at its strongest leaving me at my weakest. However, something amazing happened to me when I quit alcohol. Pretty soon afterwards I really did notice a stark improvement on my mental health. My anxiety wasn’t completely gone, but it lessened to such an extent it was like a fog had dramatically lifted. It hit me, that it was the alcohol that was causing my anxiety to be out of control.
#2 My Physical Appearance
I didn’t realise how much alcohol was ageing me. Before sobriety, I had dark patches around my eyes and I was bloated all the time. My skin was also losing its elasticity. I was really surprised that within 1 month of stopping drinking, not only had the dark rings around my eyes completely gone, but stomach was noticeably flatter, my facial skin had also become firmer. Even stopping drinking for 1 month had the anti-ageing benefits that you would expect from a gifted surgeon or dermatologist!
#3 Improved Sleep
There is a big misconception that alcohol helps you to sleep, but actually the chemicals cause imbalance to the sleep-wake cycle, so whilst you may feel like you drift off easily, you are not getting the same quality of sleep and rest you need to feel refreshed for the next day. It can be confusing as when you first start out on your sobriety journey, you may notice that your sleeping patterns seem worse and getting to sleep in the first place can be difficult. Again, this is a side-effect of alcohol. You are giving your body a hard reset and it needs time to adjust. Whilst you may experience issues with sleep at the start, this will not last. I have now been sober for a number of years and the quality of sleep I get, I struggle to put into words the benefit compared to when I was drinking heavily.
#4 Became Present
When alcohol was in my life, it was my life. I would do everything to structure my day and evening around being able to drink. This unfortunately meant that I didn’t give the time I could have done to focus on my son when he was younger, as alcohol had took over everything. I didn’t appreciate going on holidays or being on holiday, as all I was thinking about was where the nearest places were to get booze. Alcohol ran the show and since quitting, I have become completely present in everything I am doing. Whether that’s spending quality time with my family, focusing on work, being with friends, exercising or just relaxing, I am completely there, enjoying what I am doing without my mind wondering toward alcohol and thinking about when and where I will be getting my next drink.
#5 Increased Self-Worth
It’s like most things, you don’t realise out much of a rut you are in until you are coming out of or are out of it completely. For many years, looking back now, I had little to no self-worth. My life was so focused around alcohol and the grips of the addiction were too strong for me to think or appreciate anything else. You could look at it at those years wasted, but I see that I have now gained so much. I take care of myself and I ensure that I do what is best for me and my family now alcohol is no longer running the show; I get to enjoy what I am doing.
The feeling of losing something in a negative way is not true when you remove alcohol from your life. In fact, you gain so much more when alcohol is no longer in control. What you do lose is having your life slowly taken away with alcohol taking over everything. You gain freedom, no longer believing that you can’t cope or enjoy life without it. Please remember that if you are having those thoughts then it is completely normal. I would urge you to join my Facebook sober support community, it’s completely free of charge and with over 15k members, its an active support group where members all help each other. It’s your safe space to talk to others about your fears, concerns or about the positive progress you are making toward an alcohol-free life.
I would also love to hear from you in the comments section below. Do you feel you are currently unable to quit alcohol as you are consumed with the thought that you will no longer enjoy your life without it? Or, are you on your sobriety journey and you would like to share that benefits it has given to you? Please do let me know as I would love to hear from you.
Watch the best videos from my YouTube Stop Drinking Channel
