Today marks 2 years, or 730 days, since I became teetotal. By my old habits, that’s 730 bottles of wine NOT drunk (probably many, many more). That’s around £7K (I’ve NOT flushed down the toilet (ouch, how my credit rating has always been so tidy is an absolute mystery). 730 mornings of waking up feeling…
Tag: Recovery
The Room
Suffering with an addiction feels like being trapped in a room with a vanishing door. Sometimes you don’t want to find the door. After all, the room is warm, with nice chairs and chic decor. There are no surprises. Your friends are there from time to time, but somehow they seem to be able to…
Half term blues
Is it just me that feels like the very first day of the February half term holiday week off work / school with my kids (I’m a teacher) has aged me like about 5 years? Every time I LOOK FORWARD to this ‘week off’ (bahaha) for weeks, then, when it arrives, it is the source…
The 6 most important books I’ve read in my recovery so far
What books have you found most important in your recovery? 📚 🖋️ As I approach 21 months of sobriety, I’m reading “The Big Leap” by Gay Hendricks, one that was recommended to me at a few weeks sober (I gave up then as it didn’t resonate, but now I am LOVING IT; it’s exactly what…
Second Sober New Year
The whole New Year’s Resolution thing feels a bit weird once you have some decent length sobriety under your belt after years of “Groundhog Day”-style Day Ones. The years and years of shame and trying and failing and morning breath like a skunk’s arse and hangover food and being mean to your spouse and swearing…
Why Mummy doesn’t drink
My mum gave me this book for Christmas and I want to cry. I thanked her and said that’s very kind, but I probably won’t read it as it’s part of a culture of normalising heavy drinking amongst mothers. She has now spent half of the afternoon telling me how hilarious this blogger/author is (I…
Triggers and tribulations
What is the biggest trigger, the biggest threat to our sobriety, especially in the early days? I suspect it’s the same for many of us: the fear of not fitting in socially. The fear of being so awkward that we’ll explode. The fear that our awkwardness feels so tangible that we wear it like a…
“18 months sober me” would like to say a few things to “30 days sober me”
Keep going. I promise it won’t always be this hard. Not drinking won’t always feel like starving yourself of oxygen and food. I know you feel like an elastic band stretched too far, ready to snap back to the old ways sooner or later. But you won’t. Not this time. That feeling, the resistance, the…
The 8 weirdest things people have said to me while I’ve been recovering from Alcohol Abuse Disorder
To celebrate being nearly 18 months sober, I am writing my first “listicle” – reminiscing about the weird shit people have said to me because my not drinking makes them feel super awkward. I would like to make the disclaimer here that most of these were said by friends who I love and also love…
500 days! Boo-YAR!!!
“Well, I drank more than a lifetime’s worth in the first 36 years of my life, so I thought I should call it a day.” “I just couldn’t moderate, so I figured I shouldn’t have it at all.” These are the sort of responses I have typically given when people ask me why I’m…
Ultraviolet Sobriety 