My sobriety journey

This week I was a guest on my first podcast, The Goddess Power Podcast with Ashley Carr, where I talked about my sobriety journey alongside fellow guest Lucy Hemming. You can find the podcast episode here if you’d like to have a listen.

I didn't hit a rock bottom, or class myself as having an addiction to alcohol; I did however have a turning point, which was in October 2018 when I went to Vietnam to stay with my cousin who lives in Ho Chi Ming City. It just so happens that the trip was 3 years ago today - it popped up in my memories on my phone, prompting this blog post.

I've a 50 / 50 custody arrangement with my ex-husband and over the years since our separation we have started to increase the duration that the kids are away from one of us. As such, we no longer split the school October holidays down the middle, we alternate them… and so this gives me a decent child-free window to travel (at least it did, pre-Covid!). I had booked a trip of a lifetime… 5 nights in Vietnam followed by 3 nights in Bali before coming home.

 My cousin and his wife are big drinkers, and when I arrived in the evening… after 24 hours of travelling… they cracked open a bottle of wine. One bottle led to two, and I was in an absolute mess. I ended up being sick (lots), and feel asleep on the bathroom floor!! The next day was a total write-off, I think I eventually stopped being sick at 6pm, and it wasn't until the following day that I could get out of bed. I was so annoyed at myself for wasting a full day of my trip, when I didn't have much time in the country. 

The rest of my holiday was amazing; needless to say I didn't really drink alcohol after that first night!

It was then at the end of 2018 that a friend, Roz, challenged me to 100 days sober, starting on 1st Jan 2019. My mindset had already changed, and I very quickly got into the rhythm of not drinking. I managed the 100 days… and I just kept going. A bit like Forrest Gump and his running!

Now my child-free weekends are filled with soul-nurturing activities, like painting in my art studio, long dog walks in nature, coffee with friends - I am so much more productive than I have ever been, and I feel amazing for it too.

It’s been my tribe of sober friends that have helped me massively on this journey; having like minded individuals to chat to has been invaluable.