Making It Through The Coronavirus Crisis Without Alcohol
Five years ago I quit drinking alcohol.
It wasn't serving my any longer. It had a grip on me and felt like it was controlling me.
I had become the woman/mother who was having playdates with a glass of wine, preparing meals with a glass of wine and finishing off the bottle of wine each evening.
I was missing out on being 100% present to my family and my friends.
I was waking up every day groggy and with a headache.
I was taking in extra calories.
It was all just yuck!
I tried quitting many times. I failed many times. I tried again. I failed again.
The turning point for me was a 30-day fitness challenge at The Bar Method where I was taking classes. In addition to being challenged to attend a certain number of classes, we were challenged to set a goal and write it down. My goal was to "not drink wine" during the challenge.
I wrote my goal down on the paper I was given and it was posted to the studio wall along with all of the other member's goals.
The challenge was on!
That 30-day challenge of quitting alcohol has turned into five plus years and it has been one of THE best things I have ever done for myself!
I have been alcohol-free through several holidays now - five years worth of Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, birthdays, Fourth of July and vacations to name a few.
The temptation to enjoy a cocktail is always there for me but so is the reminder of how crummy it used to make me feel and how good it currently feels to be fully present in my life at all times.
The covid-19 crisis has brought back all the jokes, memes, need for and acceptance of alcohol as a "coping method" that were there when I was in the depths of my "mommy-hood".
I get that for some people the memes about numbing themselves from all the crazy during covid-19 is simply funny and entertaining. But for some of us, the jokes create a feeling of missing out on an easy way temporarily forget our troubles!
If anyone reading this is currently trying to stay or get sober during this time (or any time) I feel you! Please remember that the word "temporary" in the above paragraph is KEY...alcohol only serves as a "temporary" departure from reality.
Despite knowing full well that being sober is how I prefer to live, and with five years of sobriety in my back pocket, the thought of sitting down to do a puzzle right now with my husband would be a lot more appealing to me if I was able to have glass of wine in hand.
To all who are walking/trying to walk this alcohol-free journey with me, lets keep reminding ourselves that...
Alcohol is a depressant and who needs that right now? No one! Not any of us! We need to be alert, alive, fully present and ready to tackle life after we come out of the "social distancing" fog!
Let us also remember that...
At a time where many things are out of our control, our ability to fight the urge for that glass of wine is completely in our control!
The jokes and conversation about the need and desire for alcohol won't go away, but I am choosing to make it through the coronavirus crisis alcohol-free!
Silver lining for the day: The calories I save from not drinking wine allow me a few extra calories for dessert!
It wasn't serving my any longer. It had a grip on me and felt like it was controlling me.
I had become the woman/mother who was having playdates with a glass of wine, preparing meals with a glass of wine and finishing off the bottle of wine each evening.
I was missing out on being 100% present to my family and my friends.
I was waking up every day groggy and with a headache.
I was taking in extra calories.
It was all just yuck!
I tried quitting many times. I failed many times. I tried again. I failed again.
The turning point for me was a 30-day fitness challenge at The Bar Method where I was taking classes. In addition to being challenged to attend a certain number of classes, we were challenged to set a goal and write it down. My goal was to "not drink wine" during the challenge.
I wrote my goal down on the paper I was given and it was posted to the studio wall along with all of the other member's goals.
The challenge was on!
That 30-day challenge of quitting alcohol has turned into five plus years and it has been one of THE best things I have ever done for myself!
I have been alcohol-free through several holidays now - five years worth of Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, birthdays, Fourth of July and vacations to name a few.
The temptation to enjoy a cocktail is always there for me but so is the reminder of how crummy it used to make me feel and how good it currently feels to be fully present in my life at all times.
The covid-19 crisis has brought back all the jokes, memes, need for and acceptance of alcohol as a "coping method" that were there when I was in the depths of my "mommy-hood".
I get that for some people the memes about numbing themselves from all the crazy during covid-19 is simply funny and entertaining. But for some of us, the jokes create a feeling of missing out on an easy way temporarily forget our troubles!
If anyone reading this is currently trying to stay or get sober during this time (or any time) I feel you! Please remember that the word "temporary" in the above paragraph is KEY...alcohol only serves as a "temporary" departure from reality.
Despite knowing full well that being sober is how I prefer to live, and with five years of sobriety in my back pocket, the thought of sitting down to do a puzzle right now with my husband would be a lot more appealing to me if I was able to have glass of wine in hand.
To all who are walking/trying to walk this alcohol-free journey with me, lets keep reminding ourselves that...
Alcohol is a depressant and who needs that right now? No one! Not any of us! We need to be alert, alive, fully present and ready to tackle life after we come out of the "social distancing" fog!
Let us also remember that...
At a time where many things are out of our control, our ability to fight the urge for that glass of wine is completely in our control!
The jokes and conversation about the need and desire for alcohol won't go away, but I am choosing to make it through the coronavirus crisis alcohol-free!
Silver lining for the day: The calories I save from not drinking wine allow me a few extra calories for dessert!
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