I’m in my 4th year of sobriety.

It was painful to get out from under the grip of alcohol dependence.

Time and space from alcohol has changed me, my values, and my priorities.

I am a different person today, than I was on my last Day 1.

I continue to choose to live alcohol free every day.

I have no desire to drink alcohol anymore.

I thought being sober was going to be sad and boring.

I thought I would always feel like I was missing out.

I expected to be jealous of friends that were still drinking.

I am happy to report, that is not at…

There was a moment this weekend where I picked up a glass of whiskey,

so I could wash the table underneath so we could play cards after dinner.

I put my nose in and smelled it.

It smelled so good!!!

It gave me a warm, boozy, fuzzy feeling just to sniff it.

I knew I would love the burn going down my throat.

Whiskey wasn’t my drink of choice, but I always did like it.

Did I want a sip of whiskey?

Maybe?

Did I want that happy burn and fuzzy buzz to come over me?

Yes, I definitely did.

…

I had my first drink at 12 years old.

This was my toe dipped into the ocean of alcohol back in 1988.

I slammed a Busch Beer in my room alone.

Then I acted “crazy” with myself.

I journaled with sloppy handwriting, so I could prove to myself (and later my best friend),

how drunk I was.

How bad I was.

How out of control I was.

How troubled I was becoming.

How rebellious, dangerous, and grown up, I was.

I hid the empty can in my closet for approximately 12 hours.

The next day I told my Mom what…

I think we should normalize a non linear path to exploring our relationship with alcohol. Just because quitting doesn't happen perfectly or all at one or without fail, doesn't mean we should stop trying or making progress toward a relationship that feels best for us. It took me 3 years plus a lifetime to realize none was the right amount for me.

What do you do on the weekends when you are sober?

Isn’t it boring?

No.

It’s not.

It’s relaxing, productive, and fulfilling.

I had no idea how to spend my time when I first quit drinking.

I was antsy, irritated, and annoyed.

Alcohol had removed my ability to find pleasure in anything but alcohol.

For the first time in a long time, this weekend I had few plans and obligations.

I thought this would be a perfect example of what a “normal” weekend looks like.

Saturday I woke up early and had coffee with my husband,

in our quiet living…

I have had nothing but JOMO this Labor Day.

The Joy Of Missing Out.

JOMO is new to me and I am still a bit shocked at just how much JOMO I have.

This makes me question my past decisions, but anyway…I am here now.

Please do not confuse me with being a bore, or a prude, or a homebody.

Actually, I am those things too, but still…

I am an extrovert.

A party girl.

I am someone up for adventure.

Most of the time, I still party sober.

I go to lakes, pools, boats, and bbq’s on summer holiday…

Will I lose weight if I quit drinking?

This is one of my most asked questions.

I can’t guarantee anything about the scale, but I can share my experience.

When I quit drinking, I let myself eat whatever I wanted, with abandon.

I didn’t have a sweet tooth until I gave up alcohol.

Without wine, my body craved sugar and I indulged.

Alcohol had a hold on my brain and giving it up was hard.

Super hard.

I let myself consume whatever I wanted, craved, and needed.

I only had one exception: no alcohol.

That was the only simple rule…

Along with another chaperone, I took my 15 year old daughter and 5 of her girlfriends, to a lake house in Michigan, for a long weekend.

The weekend away was like a mini vacay.

A sober, alcohol free, rated PG, delightful vacation.

Is it possible to have fun without drinking?

When I was drinking, I didn’t think so.

When I was newly sober, I wasn’t sure either.

Now my vacations have gotten even better because they don’t revolve around alcohol.

When I was drinking, alcohol crowded my thoughts.

Bringing drinks, mixing drinks, getting more drinks, keeping drinks cool, finding the…