Taking the Sober Road... 8 Mistakes to Avoid

This is a solo episode to celebrate my 8th Soberversary - I'm focussing on 8 mistakes to avoid Mistakes I made myself and larned from. In this episode:- Mistake number 1 - Waiting for Rock Bottom TIP NUMBER ONE: Do it now! If you’re listening to this then the chances are that you are either already alcohol free (well done you!) or you are contemplating making a change. If you are in the contemplation phase then you should know that the average time people spend in that place is an incredible 11 years! Alcohol dependence is like an elevator and it’s only going down. The longer you leave it the worse it will get so Do it Now! Mistake number 2 - Trying to Moderate TIP NUMBER TWO – Forget Moderation! People who can moderate just do it naturally – they wouldn’t be listening to this podcast. They might have a glass of champagne at a wedding or a glass of red wine with a special meal but alcohol is not really on their radar. I’m guessing that’s probably not you (!) so redirect that energy you put into controlling an addictive drug into building an alcohol free life that you love! Mistake number 3 - Fearing failure TIP NUMBER THREE – Progress not Perfection should be your strategy. Drop me an email [email protected] and ask for one of our trackers and log those alcohol free days. If you have a slip up then learn from it and get right back on track. Remember that there is no such thing as failure, only feedback. You’ve only failed if you stop trying! Mistake number 4 - Worrying about other people TIP NUMBER FOUR - Find a new Tribe In our alcohol drenched society it can be hard to be the odd one out, especially if you are an introvert as many problem drinkers tend to be. So for the first few months at least join a new tribe – a sober community of people just like you. You will be blown away by the warmth, vulnerability you will find. Read some quitlit and listen to recovery stories on podcasts as well. Mistake number 5 - Being influenced by marketing, movies etc.. TIP NUMBER FIVE Reflect on the limiting beliefs you hold about alcohol. Examples of limiting beliefs are… I need alcohol to have fun, to socialise, to relax, to de-stress, to reward myself for a difficult day, to celebrate a good day…the list goes on. Work on overturning those limiting beliefs and see alcohol for what it really is – a poison which is linked to 7 cancers and 60+ diseases. Read Annie Grace’s book This Naked Mind for more on this or come to one of our workshops. Mistake number 6 - Waiting for happiness to strike.. TIP NUMBER SIX Be aware that your brain is still recalibrating and healing as your natural dopamine receptors crank up again (they’ve got lazy as the wine has been doing their job for so long!) When you quit drinking you can’t just leave everything the same except for the drinking - you’ll need to reconfigure your life/routine and get new interests Recovery is about so much more than “not drinking” - that’s just the start… After guiding hundreds of our members through this journey we’ve noticed that it takes about 6 months to change the habit and then another 6 months to “do the work”, and learn how to thrive in sobriety. Most importantly get a new interest/hobby to keep your happy brain chemicals triggers – go to meetup.com to see the many interests that people have…and go to udemy.com to find a course to sign up for. Mistake number 7 - Being depressed about quitting – TIP NUMBER 7 Get excited about this life changing opportunity. You are going to look better, feel better, sleep better and be full of energy. Just take a look at some of the testimonials on our website if you’re not convinced! Realise that you’ll be gaining so much more than you will lose! Realise that addiction is a gift - as Laura K says in her book title we really are the luckiest - only people who have become dependent are pushed right to the wall and forced to question who they really are and what they really want out of life Quitting is an