I quit alcohol and woke up from a dream and now I feel new here. I am new here. Are you?

I’ve come to find that this experience of feeling new after giving up booze is not at all unique, not only because so many others have given up alcohol or drugs and feel new too, but because we are new every minute and moment and every day.

Not to mention that we are new when we go through any kind of change and shift: becoming a parent, getting divorced or married, moving across the country, living through 2020, starting a new career, starting or ending anything.

We can relate to each other in many a ways, and that includes our newness.

xoxo,

Allison A.

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Good art is everywhere, can you see it? Good art doesn’t only exist within the walls of world-class museums among pieces worth millions.

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It may sound scary, but more than anything, it’s interesting to feel as though I was dreaming for so many years, and now I find myself awake. Or at least, the most awake I’ve ever been. Who knows what the future holds? There are so many layers one can peel away. 

But in the meantime, as isolating as this experience can feel, I’m sure people everywhere can relate to awakening from a dream, even those who never got sober after abusing substances because so much of the world is blinking their eyes open at this very moment.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allisonantonia.substack.com

You don’t have to wash your face before bed, but you can.

You don’t have to wash your feet, but you can.

You don’t have to brush your teeth twice a day, but you can.

You get to find what feels right to you and you get to offer that care to yourself again and again. You can rest your head on the pillow every night feeling fresh and saying “oooooooo yes. I feel good.”

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allisonantonia.substack.com

The journey of sobriety or whatever you want to call it goes so much deeper than the substance or activity you are giving up or finding a healthy balance with. The journey is about the life you didn’t live while you were using said substance or activity to escape your life, and it’s more about learning to live fully, to feel, to be present, and to be here for it all. 

::::This podcast is not health advice.::::

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allisonantonia.substack.com

For many of us, when we are ready to quit drinking, we turn to AA as it has become a bit of a default in our society and we are told that we’re sick, we desperately need help, and there’s no other way than AA.

Like many others, I have found that we are not sick, that there are a million successful routes we can take and that AA is not the only way. While I did find that AA offered some benefits I also found that it had limitations.

In this episode, I discuss what those benefits and limitations are (according to me).

P.S. This podcast is not health advice.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allisonantonia.substack.com

I was surprised to find out that although I've been sober and believed I was living in a state of calm, I was not. Sure, life sans hangovers and toxic levels of alcohol feels calm in comparison, but apparently, it doesn’t mean I am actually calm and rooted.

The other day, as I was crate training my dog, I took my dog trainer’s advice and attempted to embody “calm” so that my dog would follow my lead and be calm too. As I sat in front of his crate, hoping he would lie down, I realized that what I thought was calm, was in fact worry and anxiety. It may seem obvious to anyone else, but it wasn't for me.

After playing around for a minute, using my breath, and finding a relaxing rooted place, I felt a great sense of patience and safety and it was glorious.

And this is what we talk about today in this episode: finding calm and getting rooted in your body in sobriety, in life, and using this physical wisdom to move forward with confidence and self-mastery.

At the end of the episode, I will guide you through a quick exploration of the breath and body to bring awareness to how you feel and hopefully lead you into a calm rooted place.

Let me know what you think. How are you feeling in sobriety? 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allisonantonia.substack.com

I have been thinking about failure because until I got sober, I had no idea how much failure is required for success. The more you know.

In this episode I talk about failure while using/abusing substances, failure on your way to sobriety, and failure in sobriety and how we can use to it grow and move forward.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allisonantonia.substack.com

I figure the best place to begin is with foundations. This is episode 1 of how many to come? And foundations have been on my mind. In sobriety, at nearly two years in, I can see that the foundation on which I was building my life for so much years was rocky? Sandy? Saturated with alcohol and fear? All of the above? Eventually it came crashing down.

Good.

Well, that’s easy to say once I am finally bare bones and building again, but still, good. It’s an opportunity to build something new, better, stronger, healthier, more loving. It was needed. Can you relate?

In this episode I talk about when things fall away and when we are stripped of what we know, how painful it can be, and how this is an opportunity to build something with intention that will last.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allisonantonia.substack.com