It does get easier!
17/08/11 • 0 Comments

Day 15 and it is getting much easier as old habits are replaced with new and alcohol ceases to be the thing I need to be relaxed and comfortable (never thought I’d be quoting John Howard!). Still think about it when I am planning meals (in terms of how nicely a dish might go with a glass of red wine) but when time comes to sit down & eat, I am not feeling like I am depriving myself. Feel centered & strong…am on the way to being authentic without hiding behind the fog of a drink. Also realize that I had been getting very anxious when I drank that I would have too much & feel crap next morning. Great to not have that worry anymore. Thanks HSM for giving me this insight & awareness. It is very precious.

How to cope with that \
03/08/11 • 0 Comments

It is Day 5 today and all is going pretty well. What I am noticing though is just how many times during the day I think about getting through the day and having a glass of wine as my reward…and then realise it is not there anymore! I had never appreciated how often when I was drinking I would project forward and think of having the glass (or two) of wine waiting for me – as if it was the antidote to whatever else was going on. Or the goal of getting through the day. You know the drill, “what a stressful meeting..it will be great to have that glass of wine when I get home”..or “what’s for dinner..that’s right..spaghetti bolognaise..that will go nicely with a glass of wine”.  What I am doing is trying to replace it (at least for the time being) with another treat of some sort. [...]

Day 2
31/07/11 • 4 Comments

I am feeling really empowered by having taken this step. It is the decision to sign up that has really galvanized my resolve in a way that it has not been in the past. Also telling my husband about it – he is totally supportive of me doing it. Tonight we hosted 50 people for a school get together & neither of us drank. So good to feel totally in control at the end of it & to know that I won’t suffer in the morning – other than aching legs from standing all night! Also incredible that I have energy to write this – much more so than I would if I had been drinking. The real test will be the weekday routine of work & then coming home to the family. I usually find that a glass or two of wine helps me make the transition – will [...]

The start of 3 month quest for authenticity in my life
29/07/11 • 2 Comments

I am a mother of two who is trying that tricky balance of family, life and work. I am becoming increasingly dependant on that glass or two of wine at the end of day to unwind and manage the stress of the day.    While I don’t binge drink and in fact I can’t drink that much without feeling totally crap the next morning, I still feel that I use alcohol as a way of taking the edge of the discomfort that comes with day to day stress and social situations.   I am on a quest to find be my authentic self with all its good and bad points and don’t want alcohol to get in the way of me or others knowing who that person is.   So I am starting today for 3 mths this experiment in finding the authentic me. A tough challenge given that we [...]