By Adrienne Kaliszak

At nearly 2 years sober my life has changed dramatically. I didn’t realize all the good that would come when deciding to get sober. I am so incredibly thankful for my sober life and look forward to many more years of sobriety, one day at a time.

Here is a glimpse of how my life has changed since stopping drinking alcohol.

 

Take care of myself and my needs

I now take care of myself and all my needs.

While drinking I didn’t take care of myself at all, now I come first in my life. I make sure I take care of all my needs, even the seemingly insignificant ones like clipping my toenails or moisturizing my skin.

When I drank my hygiene wasn’t a high priority now I know it’s a way of showing myself self-love and kindness and a necessary part of life.

My thoughts were skewed when I drank alcohol, confused. They are crisp and clear now and I can see what is important. When drinking the only thing important to me was the alcohol.

I didn’t make myself a priority when I drank, now I am my number one priority.

 

More focused on my husband and daughter

Besides meeting my needs, I now spend good quality time with my husband and daughter. Our bonds have improved tremendously as did our trust in one another.

I can now be there for both my husband and daughter. I am present when I am with them, and they trust me more now.

My daughter and I are like the best of friends the love between us is incredibly strong. I know I give her my best self now. I am a better mom than when I drank.

I am fortunate my daughter doesn’t hold a grudge with me for the periods of my life I drank alcohol. She has forgiven me, and she truly loves me. I love her tremendously and am so thankful to be out of that alcohol fog and have my daughter’s trust back.

My husband and I are also much tighter, we fell in love with each other all over again these past two years. We are kinder, more loving and forgiving people since stopping alcohol. We know what’s important, our family, and we make it number one in our lives.

Our marriage and family were falling apart before stopping alcohol now our family bonds have been renewed and restored.

 

Time and money to pursue other interests

Since stopping alcohol I have much more time and money to pursue more challenging and fulfilling interests.

I never realized all the time and money being spent on alcohol until my husband and I stopped drinking.

We now have the time, desire, and finances to do some fun things as well as purchase items we once only dreamed of.

Alcohol is a thief. It takes your time, money, and life away from you. We’ve got all of this back since stopping drinking. We are incredibly thankful.

 

Am more aware of my thoughts, emotions, and feelings

I am now much more mindful and aware of my thoughts, emotions, and feelings.

I have a mental illness so being aware of my thoughts, feelings, and emotions is such a huge blessing for me and my life as well as the life of my family.

I’ve learned it’s okay to feel your emotions and appropriately handle them.

I express my emotions, thoughts and feelings now through art and writing as well as talking about them and feeling them and naming these emotions.

This has made my life as well as my family’s life much less turbulent and more even keel.

 

Conclusion

The benefits of a life without alcohol are truly greater than any material gift I could ever receive. It’s a gift of life. A feeling of being reborn and renewed. I am stronger, happier, and more productive. The joy I have now compares to none other I have ever felt.

My sobriety is such a precious gift that I don’t take for granted. I am thankful to God, my husband and daughter, and the Be Sober family for helping me along this journey. Without them I couldn’t have done it, their support was paramount to my recovery. Thank you.