Drinking alcohol is essential to a life well-lived. At least that is what we are taught. Long before we are old enough to drink legally we see adults drinking at every important event, every recreational activity, every party, and in many families, every night. If you get to the point as an adult where you find that you need to stop drinking, or you want to stop drinking, it can be excruciatingly difficult to talk yourself out of thinking that you need to drink to live fully.

The hardest thing for most people about getting sober and staying sober is not their physical reaction to removing alcohol from their lives, but the brain game that follows. The difficulty in stopping drinking and staying sober is not just about the cultural message that alcohol is essential and harmless, it’s about the idea that most of us have internalized that there is something wrong with people who cannot drink routinely without becoming addicted. Alcohol is everywhere and everyone is drinking it WHY CAN’T YOU? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? Our self-image becomes one of powerlessness.

I’m nearly at the end of William Porter’s Alcohol Explained 2.  There’s an interesting chapter on self-image that resonated with me. In this chapter William Porter explains that self-image is the mental picture we have of ourselves, and it is very resistant to change. No matter how warped this self-image might be, it is also very powerful in shaping our actions. Therefore if you think of yourself as weak, stupid, and powerless to alcohol, your actions will reflect this self-image.  As long as I keep seeing myself in these terms, I am relinquishing my power and reinforcing my belief in this self-image.  

I am not weak. If I were weak I would not keep standing back up each time booze knocks me off my feet. I am not stupid. My actions may seem stupid at times, but they are the result of my brain being affected by addictive chemicals. I am not powerless. Alcohol is not a scary dictator or a prison guard. Alcohol is merely a chemical substance.  It’s power derives from that which I surrender to it.  

So I’ve decided to change that inner dialogue, adopt a Mantra and tell myself

I am a strong, smart, independent woman. I embrace sobriety and celebrate the energy, health and clarity it brings

If you are struggling to get past day one or two sober, then take a moment to consider your self-image. What are you telling yourself?  Maybe, like me, you need to adopt a new Mantra. Say it out loud. Keep repeating it. Make it your reality.

more reading : Ditching the Shame When You Go Sober

If you’re “sober curious” … If you are drinking too much too often and want to stop or take a break…or if you have stopped drinking and are trying to stick to sober! Talk to Us. 

---

Mantras from our BOOM Rethink the Drink Community

My mantra:  
Living sober is being free

---

I am a better me alcohol free

---

Rome wasn’t build in day

---

Keep going

---

‘wasted words have proved to warn that (s)he not busy being born is busy dying.’

---

The decision to have one drink is the decision to have hundreds.

---

never again.

---

Today I will Stay alcohol-free :

1. So I can be truly present for each day. 
2. Freedom from obsessive thinking 
3. Being alcohol free gives me self confidence in all areas of my life. 

---

1.  To be present and true to myself.

2.  To be a role model for my children.  

3 To truly love life-  smell the flowers, be in the moment.  

---

I will stay alcohol free today so I can heal the past, enjoy today, and live tomorrow. 

---

Sobriety is :

1. Hope for a long and lively future! 
2. Better relationships. 
3. Fear of blowing it all away for something as stupid as a drink 

---

1. Health 
2. Peace 
3. Hope 

---

1. Freedom 
2. Family 
3. Mental health. 

---

I Stay Sober with :

1.Persistence 
2.Knowledge 
3.Application. 

---

Because :

I want to avoid a hangover 
I don’t want to give my power and control over to alcohol 
I want to be healthy and free 

---

1. I am so much more at peace with myself 
2. This strong, wonderful body of mine deserves looking after
3. Every time I try the alternative I look back at the alcohol-free times with longing way more frequently that I look at the drinking times when AF. A basic plus and minus equation I guess. No matter how many times I regress to drinking I always come back to wanting to be sober. It’s just better.

Living sober is being free

I can do this for today.

For me staying sober is:

1. Non-negotiable. Really.
2. It requires preparation when needed
3. There is no stress and no struggle because of rule #1. Don’t allow it. Period.

Mantra: Amat Victoria curam
(victory loves preparation)

---

We are an independent, anonymous and private community who share resources, support and talk it through every day. It helps to have a community behind you in a world where alcohol is the only addictive drug that people will question you for NOT using

You can read more about us Here And join  Here

community support 24-7 or sign up and sign in here

Don’t let the shame of the stigma keep you from saying

“I think I have a problem with drinking”

---

It’s up to you at the end of the day
Whether you stop
Or drink your life away
No-one can tell you not to drink
Well they can
But you could choose to do it anyway 🤷

It has to come from you
Deep within
A determination 🐯
A desire to win ( your life back?) 💪

Perhaps the thing that might help you begin
Is you don’t deserve a broken life
Trying to control an addictive wildfire
Flames forever rising higher 🔥🔥
It’s exhausting dealing with all that right?

You deserve sparkly sobriety
And for things to feel happy and just more at ease
You can still have fun 😂🥳🎊🎉
And sober’s slow release peace 🙂🙏

Even if you can’t see it yet really
Well, we can
That you’re full of courage and bravery
Or you wouldn’t have found us here

You can be who you want to be
You can be contentedly alcohol free
You might have to work for it 📚☕
But it’s definitely worth it
And there are sober treats 🍫🍦🍪🎬🌻🌸

How do you go Sober? ( more reading in blue titles)

B Be accountable Talk to Us We Understand
A Avoid alcohol like the plague  Ideas Here
L Let yourself enjoy regular sober treats  Ideas Here
A Allow yourself to cry when needed  Ideas Here
N Nourish your body with good food  Ideas Here
C Create happy & fun memories  Ideas Here
E Enjoy the precious moments in your day Ideas Here

W Work hard to get what you want Ideas Here
O Organise things for less stress  Ideas Here
R Realise you can’t control it all Ideas Here
K Keep going & prepare for success Ideas Here
S Sleep enough for body & mind rest Sleep Solutions