Everyone who stops drinking alcohol sooner or later experiences that you get loads of great things in return. Perhaps one of the best of these is all the time you gain back. Time that you can put into new hobbies and interests. For example, I picked up writing and and programming (which of course comes together beautifully in the AlcoholFreedom-app), and the newly found hobby of the main character of this week’s experience story is photography. What will you do with all the extra time you get when you quit alcohol? Read on for great motivational inspiration here:
What do you do in everyday life?
In daily life I work as a transformation coach for women. I also work as a photographer for individual assignments that I like.
What did you mainly drink and how much/often?
I drank wine, cava and prosecco.
How long have you stopped drinking alcohol?
I’ve been with the AA for 14 years, and the longest I’ve been sober is nearly two years. Now I am 52 days sober.
Was this your first attempt?
Absolutely not, I can’t count how many times I’ve stopped.
What stopped you from giving up alcohol sooner?
I really liked and like wine and the other drinks I drank. I also found it boring not to drink anything. It was also a means to relax me, even if it was short-lived. The hangover afterwards lasted much longer.
What made you finally flip the switch by stopping anyway?
Since May 2020 in the middle of the Corona period I took on a mentally and physically demanding job, and I started drinking a lot. I took responsibility for nothing and closed myself in on myself. I spent a lot of money because I felt I deserved it because I worked so hard. I became very selfish and unpleasant in my relationship at home. By drinking, and this was three bottles a week for the last month, I gained weight but I could also concentrate much less and had a short fuse.
What have you experienced as the biggest benefits so far?
I feel clear in my head and take control of my life again. I have a good relationship with my environment again, and also with my husband. That is really enjoying and I am aware of this every day. The biggest step for me was to quit a job that was too hard for me, the first day I was home on June 9, 2021 I stopped drinking.
And what do you miss the most?
I really like wine, cava and prosecco.
So: what do you miss the least about alcohol?
The hangovers, the money you spend, the fights, not thinking clearly, that I cut myself off…
What do you do when you have a hard time and still want to drink or have drunk again?
I don’t plan on drinking again. I express that I am having a hard time through a conversation. I drink water, drink a glass of lemonade, make a nice coffee, walk outside in the garden… and also realize that the craving for alcohol is only for a short moment. You notice it and then take action. And you do something completely different that distracts you and afterwards you notice that the time span in “I’m so in the mood for a glass of wine” is very short. It is important that everyone uses the time you gain because you no longer have hangovers in a meaningful way. I have rediscovered my photography as my “therapy” – and am now delving into digital photography because I am actually a photographer too.
What do you drink as an alternative if you no longer drink alcohol?
Cava without alcohol, lemonade, ice tea, herbal tea, coffee, and especially water!
How do you plan to deal with alcohol in the future?
I’m stressed now when people ask me to “go for a drink” and I share with them that I don’t drink alcohol anymore. With people I feel really safe with, I say I’m in AA.
Do you have any tips or advice for people who also quit alcohol?
A life without alcohol is really not a boring life. You live so much more consciously by seeing everything clearly. Does that make life easier? Actually yes, one very big problem has already disappeared and that is devil alcohol that destroys life for yourself and those around you. The pleasure is so short, and the burden after it so bad. You also always know what you said, and you can really have a lot of fun without alcohol. Do you drink alcohol because it makes you less shy? I would say, accept yourself as you are instead of drinking the so-called courage. For me it works very well, and I can’t miss it, to go to a good AA group because there everyone really knows what it is to be an alcoholic. And use the app here: alcoholfreedom for iPhone or here for Android, and read the stories. And consider sharing your story too!
Finally: what do you want to say to anyone who is still in doubt whether they should stop drinking or not?
– Do you want a clear head? Then stop with alcohol.
– Do you always want to know what you said? Then stop with alcohol.
– Do you want to take responsibility for yourself? Then stop with alcohol.
– Do you want a healthy body? Then stop with alcohol.
– Can you accept that you cannot stop after a glass or two, but that the bottle must always be finished? Then stop with alcohol.
It’s a disease, alcoholism, and if we have an allergy to peanuts, for example, which makes us very sick, then we don’t eat this anymore, right? Then stop with alcohol.
Use the app here. Test yourself by stopping for a month and observe what it does to you and how you are in your environment, your work…
Thank you so much for your beautiful story! (and your advertising for my app and sharing stories 😉 ) And besides compliments for quitting alcohol, also compliments for quitting a job that is actually too hard for you. That decision also takes courage! Well done.
And if somebody else would like to share his or her experiences with quitting alcohol after reading this story: please do! Just leave your e-mail in the form on this page and I’ll contact you as soon as possible.
