In my eighth year of sobriety, I’ve gained enough perspective to see how alcohol had kept me trapped… and to realise that now I am free!

Free at last!

Here are 7 ways sobriety will set you free too.

Freedom from Cognitive Dissonance

For many years, I’d had a nagging voice in my head which said things like, “You’re drinking too much,” “You have to cut down,” etc. etc.

The problem was that it was competing with another voice which said, “But how will I socialise, how will I relax and deal with stress without wine?”

It was pretty noisy in my head, so I took to drinking (more) wine to drown out the voices.

Only when I discovered and overturned the limiting beliefs I had around alcohol did I change my thinking about drinking and find peace.

Only when I realised alcohol added nothing (but trouble) to my life did I find freedom.

Freedom from Guilt

No more waking up in the morning wondering what on earth happened last night and why my husband/best friend/son isn’t speaking to me today.

No more losing stuff – jackets, phones… and memory.

No more feeling guilty because, unlike so many people I knew, I was incapable of having “just one.”

No more feeling guilty because I’d gone over the top, again.

Freedom from Failure

I was stuck in the “moderation trap” for a decade. Trying (and failing) to cut down over and over again — and feeling like a failure every time I crashed.

Once I accepted that I could never drink again everything changed.

Yes, it took six months of hard work to make the change – but then I was done, then I was finally free.

Freedom from Anxiety and Depression

I used to drink to cope with “social anxiety.” If I felt a bit down, I would have a glass of bubbly to “perk me up.”

Now I understand that alcohol is a depressant and that:

Six months into sobriety I realised that the knot of anxiety that had resided in my stomach for years had simply melted away.

That felt a lot like freedom.

Freedom from Dieting

I spent my 20s on a diet of “white wine and cigarettes” in a permanent quest to get thinner. As I got older and (slightly) more sensible, I began to eat more, eat organic, drink green juices, exercise, and do yoga but my daily wine habit persisted.

Unsurprisingly, I never got thinner so concluded I had a “slow metabolism.”

Then I ditched the booze.

Six months into sobriety those extra pounds that I’d spent decades trying to shift, simply melted away.

These days I eat what I want and never gain weight.

All I needed to do was ditch the drink and my metabolism began to work properly – who knew?

Freedom to Enjoy Restaurants

During a meal out, I would always engage the waiter in a debate about which wine to order and then keep my eye on him.

After all, he was the most interesting person in the room, he was the source of more wine.

I would also keep an eye on the glasses of the other people at the table so as to see whether they were drinking more than me (unlikely) or were still on their first glass (incredible)!

More importantly, were they getting through our wine supply and when could we order more?

These days, I can actually relax and enjoy the conversation.

That feels like freedom.

Freedom to Find Meaning and Purpose

A lot of us drinkers are hedonists. We get addicted to the buzz and convince ourselves that we are “very social” when in fact we just want to create and attend more events so we can drink!

I felt a bit lost in early sobriety; so much time on my hands and no idea what to do with it. It was a void and felt a lot like depression.

After a couple of months, it passed, and my energy and creativity returned. Then I created tribesober.com and never looked back.

Sobriety gives us the time and mental space to discover more meaning and purpose in our lives.

Are you ready to take the first step on the road to Freedom? Sixty and me readers can get a 20% discount on Annual Tribe Sober Membership by using the coupon “sixty” when they sign up.

Tribe Sober also has a weekly podcast on Apple & Spotify.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you drink a glass or two of wine most days? Do you ever wonder what your life would be like without alcohol in it? Do you worry about the effect drinking has on your health as you get older? Did you know that alcohol is linked to 7 types of cancer? Are you sober curious and looking to connect with others on the same path? Do you feel you are living your best life? Do you simply want to be healthier… and happier?