Overcoming triggers and wobbles on your Sober journey

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How to recognise and get through triggers or wobbles when going sober. Thank you so much for reading my blogs, I hope the previous posts Deciding to be a sober Gal , What to expect in early Sobriety and attending your first big event have been a help and encouraged you on your journey.   If you haven’t read them yet, WHY NOT?   Go check them out. 😊 . It’s a given that the first few months are going to be hard, however, what happens when you are a few months down the line, feeling fabulous and suddenly you have that overwhelming voice in your head saying, “surely you can give up now” “will it really matter if you have a bottle of wine”? What I will say is, it’s your journey, you do you. It might be ok for you to decide to drink again, however for me, I know without a doubt it would end up being that slippery slope back to where I was querying my drinking habits.    I’ve had these wobbles a couple of times, confident that I can totally manage it, just have one n...
10 comments

Deciding to be a Sober gal.

 I don't consider myself an "alcoholic" and I don't know if I actually consider myself after over 8 months without booze "Sober" but I did at some point realise, that alcohol was becoming a problem in my life. 

 There is a saying amongst the sober community that "If you are asking yourself if it is a problem, then more than likely it is becoming one".  

I, like all of my friends loved getting wild on a night out, opening the bottles of wine through the week when cooking dinner as a reward for a hard day at work, and liked "getting on it" at parties and festivals, however, when it was becoming apparent that "the Fear" was becoming more and more frequent and stopping at the supermarket every night to get the wine in was becoming a regular feature, I realised that, yes, it was becoming an issue.  I liked it though!   I was scared that I wouldn't be able to have fun and enjoy myself at the weekend.  How would I be able to go to festivals and still enjoy them? Would I just become that boring pal?

 It got to a point though, that I realised, that the thought of alcohol and giving it up was a constant battle in my head. There was no rock bottom for me, but I knew that if changes were not made it wouldn't be off the table. So......I ordered a couple of books from amazon, The Unexpected joy of being Sober and The Sober Girl society Handbook.  


                            The unexpected joy of being sober
The Sober Girl Society Handbook


These books completely changed my life. These women were inspirational.  They showed just how fulfilling their life had become and how they could still enjoy going out without the noose of alcohol hanging over them.  As such, I have never felt better, never felt healthier and have never felt stronger mentally.  Total win!  

Don't get me wrong, the first month wasn't easy.  It was constantly on my mind.  

One of best support systems for me at the start of quitting, was Instagram.  I set up a separate account from my private one and followed only Sober accounts.  This was a true lifeline.  One of the accounts that really kept me going was the brilliant Scottish and Sober.  Jade's funny, uplifting and motivating posts really were a huge support and I would urge anyone who is Sober Curious or already on their journey to follow her.

So, here I am 8 months plus later.  Feeling fabulous! 

Since quitting:

  • I have lost 2 and a half stone ( Yaasssssss)
  • I am no longer on my antidepressants ( Ultra YAAASSSSS)
  • I am the fun pal - Don't need the booze
  • Saved a fortune
  • I sleep better
  • I have WAY more confidence
  • I have excelled at work and got a job I would never have gone for before
If only one person reads this blog and gets something from it then I am a happy woman.  I hope you enjoyed this first post and will follow my blog.  

Next blog: What to expect in those first few weeks.

I'd love to see your comments too. Do you share a similar experience?  Share your own tips for the early days.

In the meantime, here are a couple of my favourite no alcohol alternatives to stave off those annoying cravings. (all vegan too)

Aldi zero Pilsner

Guinness Zero

Zerosecco





Comments

  1. Jnr19 February 2023 at 19:55

    Brilliant Nicola

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous19 February 2023 at 20:14

    What a great read and an inspiration you are 🤣

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous23 March 2023 at 16:19

    A fantastic read! Probably unlikely to come across a blog like this where you were mitigating the issue beside it became one. What a gal!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous10 April 2023 at 11:01

    Knowing your are going to wake up without the fear and/or the need to apologise for your mad antics, was motivation for me and so refreshing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous10 April 2023 at 12:25

    Excellent Nicola. Some of the non alcohol alternatives are good.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous10 April 2023 at 13:31

    What a fantastic read ,definitely makes think thanks

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous15 April 2023 at 21:23

    Brilliant read thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete

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