Seven years on: what sobriety actually delivered

My drinking narrative began as a social confidence boost. It evolved over twenty-five years into a self-medicating escape from stressful situations and uncomfortable emotions. Progressively I no longer needed an excuse or an occasion to drink.

Unwittingly my psychological crutch had re-wired and hijacked my brain chemistry, making my behaviour compulsive and biased. Drinking became a daily priority. My social boost had beguiled me and become an addiction. I eventually lost my autonomy, my dignity, my self-respect and finally my closest connections of love and meaning.

The fear of putting it down

For years the fear of losing my so called ‘coping mechanism’ kept me stuck, making it impossible for me to move forward in my life. That fear is worth naming plainly, because it is the thing most people are actually negotiating with. Not the drink itself. The idea that without it you will have nothing to hold on to when life gets hard.

After one downward spiral too many I finally entered my local drug and alcohol service.

Sobriety delivers everything alcohol promised.

What the seventh year looks like

I am now in my seventh year of recovery, where life feels simpler and freer. Simpler is the word I keep coming back to. There is no calculation running underneath the day. No managing, no rationing, no accounting for the night before.

The confidence I was buying by the glass turned out to be available for free, and it does not wear off at three in the morning. The sociability arrives without the argument that followed it. The relaxation is not followed by the shakes.

Why I coach

As someone who has experienced the journey myself, my years of sobriety have taught me so much. I am committed to sharing my knowledge in a way that is tailored to the needs of your unique recovery journey.

If you are somewhere in the middle of your own version of this, you do not need to have it worked out before you speak to someone. Send me a message or call for an informal chat.