When life gets tough, it can act as a trigger for many of us – even when we know that opening a bottle won’t solve things in the long term. So, how do we manage stress and adversity without reaching for a drink?
Saying goodbye to ‘Movie Star Mummy’
I would have in the past always gravitated to that bar at the wake…
I wanted to engage in the whole process of her passing.
Alcohol is not the plaster for all ills and that in many circumstances it takes away the feelings you need to truly enjoy and benefit from the experience itself.
Surviving a mental health crisis
Before I got sober, my mental health was mixed up with my drinking in a way that made it impossible to distinguish between one problem and the other.
My instinct in those moments was to run away, or drink, or do something dangerous, and so those moments were the ones that were most threatening to my sobriety.
…a small thought was the thing that kept me from turning to alcohol: the fact that it wouldn’t solve anything.
Various mindful techniques are what got me through some of my worst days.
Sobriety is the single best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’m so grateful to have dealt with the difficult bits without drinking.
Coping with loneliness
I didn't know what my interests were other than drinking.
I felt I had lost my identity...
I realised I didn’t need booze to make friendships and to have fun. Those things still exist outside bars and pubs
