How to Prepare for Dry January

 

If you are like me and most of my clients you want to quit drinking but you want to wait and get through the holidays first. If you are thinking about addressing your relationship with alcohol, but putting it aside for now, and planning on doing something about it in the new year, I hear you. Are you feeling defeated almost daily by staying in the drinking cycle and continuing to not take action on a bad habit that is starting to take more than it gives? It doesn’t feel good to worry about your drinking incessantly and then do nothing about it. I know, I’ve been there. 

 

You might feel like you don’t have the capacity to completely abstain from alcohol this holiday season. You want to delay the endeavor for another better time in the future. A fresh start so to speak. I understand this. It is natural to resist change, especially such a big one like drinking. 

 

I personally think right now is always the best time to address and evaluate...

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Coping with Grief Without Alcohol

grief sober tools Dec 12, 2023

 

Something has been brewing inside me and it bubbled over this weekend. 

 

It started with listening to a song really loud in the car by myself. It struck a chord, almost literally.

I felt something in the music and started singing along. My singing took a turn and morphed into screaming which ended up with full on sobbing. Sing/scream/sobbing. Release. I spent the next two hours hiking in the woods talking to the trees, crying at the sky, and trying to make sense of my complex emotions. 

 

I didn't realize that I had been avoiding this meltdown for weeks. I ignored the signals and was now at the boiling over point. Looking back, there were some clues but I didn’t see them at the time. As a sober person, I have worked really hard to “check myself before I wreck myself”, but this one snuck up on me. 

 

In hindsight, I could see that my recent behavior in hustle, avoidance, distraction, and achievement was my own protection...

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29 Best Books About Alcohol Recovery

sober tools Sep 20, 2022

As you embark on a sobriety or moderation journey, building a toolkit to keep you motivated and inspired can help you reach your goals. Recovery-related books, AKA ‘quit lit,’ can be great for seeing how others have navigated similar experiences, gaining tips that can help you along your journey, and learning more about the science behind substance use. Not sure what to pick up first? Here are my 29 favorite books related to alcohol recovery. 

29 Best Books About Alcohol Recovery

Biographies, Memoirs, & ‘Quit Lit’
1.
 A Happier Hour by Rebecca Weller
2. Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction by Elizabeth Vargas
3. Punch Me Up to the Gods by Brian Broome
4. Nothing Good Can Come From This by Kristi Coulter
5. The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray
6. We Are the Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life by Laura McKowen 
7. The Sober Diaries by Clare Pooley
8....

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The Value of Sober Treats

Today was the day that I used the last drop of my luxurious $60 bottle of body wash. 

I knew this day would come, eventually. 

Not to be dramatic about it, but it was the end of an era. 

I remember when I bought it. 

I was newly sober and wanting to treat myself to something besides wine. 

I was looking for new ways to reward myself, for my new sobriety. 

I was trying to get onboard with healthy living, while managing the relentless cravings for alcohol.

The day I purchased this body wash, I stood in the fancy spa and debated with myself.

I was negotiating the value of this special, expensive, luxury item. 

I was not used to spending $60 on soap.

I typically buy the generic body bars in bulk from Costco.

For special showers, I use travel size bath condiments from previous hotel stays.

Doesn’t everyone?

Was this body wash really worth $60?

Could I justify spending money on something that was going down the drain?

Literally, going down the...

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