Sober Gratitudes

Another quick episode about my Friday nights before and after getting sober.

Focusing on your own journey served me well. 

When I thought about what others might be thinking, it distracted my journey in recovery.

Please listen to this very brief episode (I know, amazing how short it is right?) I appreciate you and really need your help. Listen and find out why. 

I love you all! 

Love, Sarah

I am so glad you are hear. You are so important to me and I appreciate you. I love that you are seeking recovery or interested in learning about active alcoholism and sobriety. 

I hope this episode gives you hope.

I talk with my dear friend, Mackenzie, about becoming freed from the Bondage of Self through the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Dean, author of Was That a Red Flag?: Anderson, Dean S: 9781649526397: Amazon.com: Books, and I have such a great chat about life in sobriety and how it is so much more comfortable living free of the obsession to drink. We reflect on the ways we have changed and grown. Dean is kind, humble and helping others every day. We share how life changes so dramatically that we are, even after many years, are left in disbelief we go this opportunity to live a better life. I really love talking with people who are sober because there is a great sense of peace about them. Dean embodies that. It is one of the many many gifts we receive when we are willing to do the inside job with the help of the 12 Steps, after putting the bottle down.

Jessica Dueñas From recent NPR Article , “Sharp, Off The Charts’ Rise in Alcoholic Liver Disease Among Young Women joins me to share her story of what it was like to have Alcoholic Hepatitis and now living a clean and sober life. Visit Jessica at her website bottomlesstosober.com and her IG account @bottomlesstosober . You can reach me with any questions at [email protected].

My dear friend, Erin Dawn, shares her experience with Bipolar 2 Disorder and Alcoholism. It's not only a compelling story, but informative regarding the complexities of Bipolar 2 Disorder and how it can be effectively treated in a person if they are willing to do what is necessary to feel Happy Joyous and Free!! She is also an Opera singer and has a photographic memory. And she is hilarious!!

Erin Dawn (@erindawn31780) • Instagram photos and videos

Nearly 9 years ago, when I arrived at a place in my life when I realized I could never have just 1 drink, I felt ashamed. I told only a few people because I felt like a failure. I didn't understand back then, that my drinking problem was not a moral failing. I was not a bad person, I was a sick person and I chose to get better. I chose to do something radical according to societal standards and better my life by abstaining from alcohol forever, one day at a time. It baffled me that I could never have just one drink. I hated the shame I felt

It had baffled me that I wanted to drink a lot. It baffled me that when I wasn't actually drinking, I was thinking about when I would be able to drink. In my 12 step program, I learned why I couldn't have just 1 drink. I learned I wasn't a failure or a weirdo. I learned that I had alcoholism. People helped me learn how to live a better life, freed from the chains of addiction. But for years, I was still incredibly embarrassed and ashamed and did not want people to know.

But, what if, 9 years ago, I decided to lose weight because I was harming myself with too many calories through sugar of fat? .... Would I have had the same feelings of shame like I did when I quit drinking alcohol? Would I feel like I needed to hide it as a secret? Would I worry that I would make people feel uncomfortable when I said "no, no seconds for me." Would people say, just eat less for 6 months and then you can go back to eating sweets/high fatty foods! It'll be fine!

I write this NOT to blame any person or group of people. Society has successfully made it perfectly normal to drink a legal drug to excess to cope with the normal realities of life. That's what made it so easy for me to hide my alcohol addiction. My ability to party hard was celebrated. Society cheers us when we wear shirts that say "drink wine because my baby whines." Do we see shirts that say "smoke that ciggy because your kids are exhausting you, so take a well deserved inhale"?

There is no shame in wanting to quit drinking . I believe in you 🥰.

#sober #soberlife #sobergratitudes #sobergratitudespodcast #wedorecover