5 Ways I Got Sober In 2020

1. I promised myself that I wasn’t going to buy another bottle of wine or order a bottle of whiskey to be delivered to my home until further notice.

2. I downloaded an app called “Quit drinking. Stay sober”.

3. I researched all I could about alcoholism and sobriety. I found blogs, recovery websites, and another app called “Daybreak”, an online community of support and goal setting.

4. I have serious FOMO (Fear of missing out) so I knew that I’d need to be able to say no to having a drink in public settings because I literally refuse to avoid situations where alcohol may be present.

5. Lastly, I chose to share my story.

Today I've been sober for 26 days.

I’ve been a mom for eleven years and drunk for ten. When I decided to quit drinking it was because I was sick and tired of my own shit. Tired of texting guys I had no interest in other than when I was black-out drunk, tired of arguing with friends, and tired of spending the next day recuperating. I finally wanted to change to make those aspects of my life better and so that I could be a more present parent.

5 ways I got sober:

1. I promised myself that I wasn’t going to buy another bottle of wine or order a bottle of whiskey to be delivered to my home until further notice. At first, I wasn't sure how long I’d manage to stay sober, I thought at best I’d manage five days but I’m still going and that’s huge.

2. I downloaded an app called “Quit drinking. Stay sober”. The app tracks your days and hours sober, the money you’ve saved, how much life you’ve regained and how many drinks you haven’t drank; it also offers a place to track your potential health benefits, which I LOVE.

3. I researched all I could about alcoholism, and sobriety. I found blogs, recovery websites, and another app called “Daybreak”, an online community of support and goal setting. These help me understand how I am feeling and make me feel less alone on my journey. I have learned a lot about alcohol, addiction, and mental health and I’ll continue to educate myself and surround myself with people who are like-minded or have experienced and are experiencing the same things.

4. I have serious FOMO (Fear of missing out) so I knew that I’d need to be able to say no to having a drink in public settings because I literally refuse to avoid situations where alcohol may be present. When I go to a pub with friends, meet friends for lunch, or have family over I make sure I have a tea or water with lemon and lime, a pop, coffee, anything alcohol-free.

5. Lastly, I chose to share my story. Though my blog may be anonymous, it’s not because I am ashamed or embarrassed about being sober; it’s because I’d like to write freely about my experiences with my psychopathic parent. For me, and a few of my friends being sober is cool- normal, even.

There are no quick fixes in the journey to sobriety. It’s just about getting honest with yourself, your relationship with alcohol and making a conscious effort to educate yourself and explore new passions.