In this episode of We Are Alcohol Free I talk about how journaling has been a useful tool for my mental health and my alcohol-free journey.  I share the three different techniques I use myself and give tips on how to make it a regular habit.

I also give an update on how I'm getting on staying alcohol-free so far this year in 2021.

The episode is sponsored by Simon Tomlinson Media who specialises in photography and video production. Check out the website for more details;

https://www.simontomlinson.co.uk/

It's been a while since my last episode because I've fallen into the clutches of alcohol. But it's a new year and a new start, so in this episode I explain what my strategy is to beat the blips and maintain my long term sobriety.

Watch the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq5wbxN6oPY

Sponsored by Simon Tomlinson Media:

https://www.simontomlinson.co.uk/

Alex McRobs is the Sober Yoga Girl. A retired party girl, a proud sober woman and one of her passions is helping other people (moderate drinkers) on the alcohol-free path.

She grew up in Canada and is now living in Abu Dhabi where she has her own business called The Mindful Life Practice which includes teaching yoga to people all over the world on Zoom and helping people with their own aspirations to stop drinking as a sober coach.

If you'd like to find out more about Alex, her yoga classes or her sober coaching please visit her websites below. You can even get a free 30-min clarity call with her to get you started!

https://www.alexmcrobs.com/

https://www.themindfullifepractice.com/

Social isolation is something which many people are struggling with at the moment and it's something which has been prevalent in my own life for a long time, even before lockdown.

In this episode I explain how social isolation and loneliness crept up on me without me realising, how it's affected my drinking behaviours and what I am doing about it to help my own alcohol-free journey. 

Maire is a mum of two and programme manager from Dublin in Ireland. In this episode Maire talks about how her relationship with alcohol started as a teenager and then escalated during her 20s when she was working in a pubs, bars, restaurants and as a flight attendant. She recognised that working in these types of environments wasn’t helping her alcohol consumption so she changed her career to work in a job that wasn’t surrounded by alcohol. But after having her first child Maire found that she started drinking wine at home as a way of dealing with negative emotions and it wasn’t long before drinking became a crutch that was getting out of control. Alcohol was breaking her spirit and breaking her soul and she knew she had to do sometime about it once and for all.

Maire explains how she has stopped drinking by changing her mindset and joining an online community. It wasn’t easy but the effort has definitely been worth it! Now that she has been alcohol-free for almost three months her mental health has improved dramatically which is enabling her to live a happy and successful life. She’s also noticed a big difference to her memory, her confidence and her self-esteem. She say’s it’s like she’s escaped from a prison and broken free from the shackles that had been put in place by alcohol over the years. It’s a really inspiring and uplifting story, and it’s a perfect advert for others to stop drinking too.

Sean has not only been alcohol-free for almost 3 years but he's also overcome a drug addiction which is an amazing achievement. In this episode Sean tells me about what it was like when alcohol and drugs were taking over his life and how he managed to get sober. Sean explains how much better his life is that he is drug and alcohol free which includes becoming a personal trainer, a coach and setting up recovery support groups. If you'd like to find out more about Sean or his groups, the links are below;

https://www.sobergolfers.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/sobergolferssociety/

https://www.instagram.com/sean_a2lcoach/

https://linktr.ee/Addicted2Life

Matt McCormick is a father from Glasgow, he works in IT and is also a coach helping people to stop drinking. He is over 3 years alcohol free which is a fantastic achievement. This episode uncovers how he's done it and what the benefits have been for him, including that it's helped him to start a new career in coaching

"I don’t think about what I’m missing out on, I think about everything I’m gaining"

Kath is a mum from North London and manages a family construction business. At the time of recording she was 498 days alcohol-free so by the time this gets released, she'll be over 500 days which is massive. It's really interesting to hear how stopping drinking has had a positive impact on her life and how her perspective has changed over the last 18 months.

Bec is a mother of 3 and has her own business as a florist in Swansea. Alcohol was having serious negative consequences in her life, including breaking her arm which made it very difficult to do her work and be a mum. So she decided enough was enough and alcohol had to go. At the time of recording she was on 82 days without drinking and it's clear how much better her life is as a result. 

Podcast recorded and produced by Assay Media. For more information go to assaymedia.com