Today, I’m sharing the timeline of my drinking career with you. In the end, I stopped drinking. You might relate to some of it or have had a completely different trajectory. Either way, I always enjoy reading other people’s stories, so here we go…
How I slowly stopped drinking
I had my first drink at 15 years old. It didn’t take long to get into the habit of drinking more than I should… In my mid-teens to mid-twenties, I soon was binging every week. There was a lot of partying, and I was (mostly) having fun. It started to dawn on me, that I wasn’t able to control my alcohol intake once I started. I most certainly did not possess that so-called stop button. Was regularly getting myself in dangerous situations, and sometimes did things that I then regretted the next day (drinking too much, hooking up and fighting with people, etc). I also started blacking out a lot.
In my mid-twenties/beginning thirties, I start drinking a little less often, but still regularly to the point of blacking out. It’s beginning to sink in that alcohol and I aren’t friends. Hangovers are getting worse, and my work starts to suffer from them. I’m also starting to have periods of depression. And I’m continuously trying to stop drinking or moderating. By now, my longest time off the booze would have been a little over a year. But I kept starting again!
Then we get to my beginning to mid-thirties. I’m still drinking regularly without being able to stop when I want to and failing to completely stop or happily moderate. On top of that, I start to not really enjoy drinking alcohol anymore. By now, it’s purely about fitting in; everyone drinks, and not drinking at all is NOT a viable option (mind you, this was in the 2000s!). By now I’m a mother as well, and I’m really getting the feeling that I should do something about my drinking (duh!!).
The last part of my drinking career: My mid-thirties to mid-forties… I’m drinking way less often than I used to, and still never at home. I drink probably once every 2 or 3 weeks, when I go out. But whén I drink, I still drink A LOT. And the hangovers are getting worse and worse, both physically and mentally. I realize I need to stop drinking if I truly want to enjoy this one life as being me, and become as happy as I can be, naturally. Plus I don’t want to set this example as a parent. I decided that I need professional help if I fail at this one last attempt to do so. This was on the 4th May 2019, the day I had my last hangover.
But it didn’t come to that. At 46 years old, I had my last drink, I finally managed to stop drinking!
The End…
It may have taken me a while (roughly 30 years…), but I did it: I stopped drinking, and now I am a happy non-drinker! I realized that life is so much richer, and more beautiful without the continuous numbing of my mind with alcohol. If you’re not happy with your drinking, and you have the feeling that something feels ‘off’ in your life (no rock bottom needed!), try taking a break from alcohol. You’ll never regret it. It’s such a myth that the only reason to stop drinking, is being an alcoholic. If you’re happier, and you lead a more fulfilling life without alcohol, then why would you NOT do that?!
My inbox is always open, and although I’m not a sober coach or anything, I’m always in for a chat about drinking/stop drinking alcohol.
Izzy x
PS: Would you like to share your sober journey here, too? Please leave a message HERE, and I’ll contact you!
