Is Sobriety a Lifelong Commitment?
By Adrienne Kaliszak
There have been times on my sobriety journey when I’ve gotten disheartened and even petrified of the thought of quitting alcohol forever. That seems like an awfully long time to commit to anything, especially something I did for 37 years of my life.
When I thought of it like this, I would feel so fragile. I’d feel like I was on the edge of a cliff and one wrong move, and I’d go tumbling to my death.
I had to change the way I looked at sobriety. Yes, sobriety is a lifelong commitment, but we don’t need to focus so far into the future. We can take a step away from the edge of that cliff and look at the day at hand and not the possible fall if we make a wrong move.
Look at your sobriety in small chunks. 1 hour at a time, 1 day at a time. Taking it in small bites will eventually lead to many days, weeks, months, even years.
While it’s a lifelong commitment, I believe it’s very doable. Begin setting up daily sobriety practices that will strengthen your commitment and sobriety.
This will look different for everyone. My sobriety practice includes checking in daily with my sober community, reading quit lit, listening to sobriety podcasts, writing and learning about sobriety, even drawing about sobriety. I also meditate nightly and journal occasionally. Like I said, your sobriety practice and sober toolbox may be a bit different than mine.
It may seem like a lot of work but for me it’s fun. I take pride in being sober and I love putting in the work to keep and maintain my sober lifestyle. It’s really all second nature these days, it’s just something I do. Drinking was a habit and addiction now my sober routine is my new habit and addiction.
At nearly 17 months sober, not drinking is now the norm for me. It comes more naturally than the early days. I am now comfortable being sober and I love it!
I love everything about it; the friends I’ve made, the growing sobriety community, the triumphant stories of others who have gotten sober, encouraging others who are just starting out, the opportunities made available to me since getting sober, the confidence I have, the boundaries I’m learning to put in place, the self-awareness I now have.
Don’t get me started, I can go on and on about all the benefits. Seeing these benefits makes it easy to decide to keep going for the long haul, for a lifetime. I can’t imagine life being any other way now, and I don’t want it to be. Sobriety is amazing! It’s such a blessing and a gift.
So, while it is a lifelong commitment it’s not a death sentence by any means. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, it’s a life sentence. When you choose sobriety, you choose life. You choose to be present in your life and begin to really see what life is about without ethanol polluting your mind and body, your soul. It’s like a sticky film is taken from your eyes and heart and you see things more clearly. You begin seeing the beauty in life again.
So, while sobriety is a lifelong commitment it is a joy to be on the journey. Sure, it’s not always rainbows and butterflies, but even the difficult times become easier to navigate than when we poisoned ourselves with alcohol.
'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.
——
#RockBottomandRising #SoberLife #Sober #SobrietyCoach #Sobriety #StopDrinking #Freefromalcohol #AlcoholFree #SoberBook #SimonChapple #BeSober #Howtogosober #quittingalcohol #teetotaller #teetotal #alcoholism #aa #cutdown #alcoholic #thisnakedmind #addiction #problemdrinking #soberjourney
Watch the best videos from my YouTube Stop Drinking Channel
Watch my video below – The Best Quit Alcohol Books
Read on for more of the very best quit alcohol books.
———————————————————————————————————–
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/
