Hi, I’m Sarah, retired from drinking but not from fun!
I was the life and soul of the party, first and last on the dance floor, organiser of girls days and nights out, booker of Christmas parties… feeding my extrovert lifestyle until I decided to go alcohol free for a while and discovered I’m actually a bit of an introvert and I really love my own company!
I was feeling a bit flat and thought it was probably hormones and then figured out that alcohol was the common theme in making rubbish decisions, tiredness, lack of energy, bad skin and grumpiness. I was a Thursday, Friday, Saturday night drinker with weeknight drinking thrown in when life was stressful (which it always was)!
When I was 41 I made the decision to quit alcohol for a year, I told a few friends that I was going to do it and once I had said it out loud I knew I’d have to see it through or lose face! I started to count down to my start date, still binge drinking and wondering how I was going to pull it off when I realised I was stalling for time, so I quit there and then. I had my last drink – nothing monumental, out with a few friends and no hangover the next day and that was that. No crushing rock bottom – just a feeling of relief about a decision well made.
Since then I’ve ‘survived’ Christmas parties with friends, colleagues, Christmas eve, Christmas day, boxing day, New Years Eve, my birthday, days/eves out in London, parties with friends, days at the races, weddings, funerals, festivals and lockdown! I say survived… but I’ve done so much more than that… I’ve thrived. I’ve slept better, am fitter, less bloated, have clearer skin, been nicer, more thoughtful and my memory has really improved – oh and discovered it wasn’t hormones driving me crazy – it was alcohol!
I feel powerful about my decision to be alcohol free where I used to feel powerless. I’m so happy I got ‘unstuck’ and now I love helping other people to do the same.
If you think you might like to tell a similar story in the future you can find out how to work with me here