Viki ~ 2021 days

“I started drinking heavily after my mam died in 2018. I had always liked a drink, but this was different. I found myself on a downward spiral ~ drinking alcohol to cope with my grief. I had no other coping mechanisms, and I just wanted to block it all out. But of course, you must feel to heal.

In 2021, I decided enough was enough and I started my sober journey. I have no rock bottom story, there was just a slow realisation that alcohol was not the answer, and I was on a slippery slope.

I wasn’t sure where to turn for the support, so I founded the group, Newcastle Sober Socials, which now helps hundreds of people going through similar experiences. For me, when I stopped drinking alcohol, it was important to have that accountability and to be around like-minded people and that’s why I founded the Sober Socials Facebook group. The community within that group has helped keep me sober. I know that I am not alone.

When I first went sober, it was challenging, and even now I get the odd craving – but I soon noticed that there are so many benefits from not drinking. Cutting alcohol out has enriched my life so much. A lot of people don’t realise that alcohol can worsen symptoms of menopause, so cutting it out helped me massively. I would never ever swap my sober sleep!

I’ve made so many new friends and I’m around people who really get it. I don’t have the dreaded hangovers anymore and my anxiety is nowhere near as bad. Even things like my heartburn have totally disappeared, which I wasn’t expecting! I also now have so much more time for activities in my life. I think it’s important when you take alcohol out to think about what you will then put into your life. I have started sea dipping and hiking. I did the Yorkshire 3 Peaks back in July. I would never have imagined I could walk for 12 hours and climb 3 mountains when I was drinking. My life was small; my world is much bigger now!

My advice for anyone thinking about having an alcohol reset is to put yourself first and be clear about why you’re doing it. I realised that it just wasn’t worth it for the way that alcohol was making me feel. Find your tribe, try new activities, going booze free isn’t the end of fun, it’s the beginning of finding the real, healthy authentic you and once you see the benefits you won’t look back.”