If you started off Dry January planning just a month alcohol-free, you might ask yourself if it’s worth it to keep going. (Spoiler: it is!) Sometimes, we think of a sober challenge as nothing more than something to be completed. A box checked. Now that you’ve made it this far, why not think of not drinking as more than just a challenge? Rather than being caught in the cycle of deprivation, asking yourself when this alcohol-free challenge is going to be over, why not consider the possibilities that lie ahead? You can reach the summit without having to climb back down the mountain.

I remember how it felt

I really do 

I remember how I always felt overwhelmed and unappreciated

Felt like everything was a bit off and I couldn’t quite catch up

So I’d punctuate the end of my day with just one glass

Trying to find that sweet spot of calm

But someone would always interrupt

And then I’d need another and another until the bottle was empty

Just one more I’d say as I ran out for a second bottle

But I never found that sweet spot, not until I finally accepted that what was in that bottle was sour for me

And the day I put a cork in it was the day that I started to live in that sweet spot

That sweet spot turned out to be about knowing myself, setting my boundaries, loving myself completely … giving myself a chance to simply be

Every sunrise is a gift

Sober Sunrise Salutation #1:

CHOOSE
There is so much beauty. If we choose to see it.
There is so much living to do if we choose to live.
There is so much love to still feel if we choose to.
I choose to live not just exist. I choose freedom from the never-ending voice that I’ve dutifully fed with alcohol for years.
I choose to leave the torment and anguish for peace, peace in my mind, my heart, my soul
I choose to be free

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This is Day 30 alcohol-free for me today. My most successful run since 2013 when I managed 6 weeks sober. I have learned a lot since then, and truly believe that this year will be totally Alcohol-Free for me. To imagine beyond then still fills me with anxiety, but fortunately, I don’t need to think or worry about that for now. I am currently learning to really appropriate the present, something that was near impossible when drinking as my mind felt like it was not my own. Regaining control of my thought processes and recognizing my emotional responses has been the most empowering gift of sobriety so far. I love feeling mentally and physically stronger. I might add a physical PB for me today – an 80 kg Deadlift. Boom!

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I’ve always been a morning person.  Up before sunrise everyday.  When drinking, I’d wake up slamming water and loathing myself.  Hangovers are definitely harder to get over as we age! Alcohol-free I wake up with hope for the day and a sense of peace.

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Sober Sunrise Salutions #3 :

I woke to the sounds of Red-Winged Black Birds, Robins and Phoebes.  Dawn broke in a dazzling array of vibrant pinks and lavenders.  I stopped writing to take photos.  I sat back down to continue writing and already the colours had faded.  A few more seconds and the sky was once again grey and faded blue.  It was all so beautiful while it lasted.  I’m grateful I was awake to experience such a display and that I was wholly present for it.  Kind of like my sober life now.  Awake to experience it, in all of its incarnations.  It can’t get real enough for me.

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Sober Sunrise Salutation #4:

Up early, before sunrise.  I like the nice quiet house and the opportunity to ease into the day. My resolve and commitment to remaining AF are SO strong in the morning!  I can see and feel a better me!   I woke up at 5….fully rested and clearheaded.  I absolutely LOVE my mornings now.  Especially not having to replay drinking too much the night before.

Now to carry that feeling into the 5pm hour.  It’s so strange that I would ever want to sabotage 20 hours of bliss for 4 hours of booze?  Hmmmm……maybe that’s my new mantra…..

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Why Stay Alcohol-Free after Dry January? No More Hangovers!

Toward the end of my drinking career, I had horrific, soul-crushing hangovers. I had countless conversations with people about how much worse hangovers felt after the age of 30, always looking for someone to commiserate with. While I’m sure that is true to some extent, in my case it was less because I was over 30 and more because I was drinking an obscene amount of alcohol every night. I dreaded mornings. I would moan when my alarm went off and often wondered if I would manage to make it out of bed at all. There were plenty of times that I didn’t.

Man, was I missing out. Mornings are awesome! They have become one of my favorite things about being Alcohol-Free. Where I once dreaded mornings, I now look forward to them. They have become a time to do whatever I want to do. I can do yoga, meditate, catch up on housework, have a quiet cup of tea, sneak in some gaming time before my kid gets to the system, or I can hit the snooze button and enjoy a little extra sleep if I feel so inclined. My twenty-five-year-old self would be horrified to learn that she’s become a “Morning Person,” but it’s true: I love mornings!

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Sober Sunrise Salutation #5 :

The sunrise was so beautiful this morning that it made my eyes tear up. Or maybe Im just so thankful to be sober, be present and appreciative of this one life Ive been given. Its up to me to remain sober. Its up to me to find the beauty around me in a world full of sorrow and negativity. I hope you’re well and I hope you find one thing to be incredibly thankful for today ❤️

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Sober Sunrise Salutation #6 :

I’ve always been a morning person, but now am like a morning person on steroids. In fact, since going AF, I’ve been waking up earlier than usual and trying to make myself sleep a little longer.  I’m just so excited to start another day feeling great …. kind of like a kid on Christmas morning.  Also, there’s coffee involved.

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Sober Sunrise Salutation #7 :

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I have completely turned from night owl into lark! I love waking up early, free from headaches, regrets, and hangovers. I love going for my early morning walk ( except on the days when I am working) and/or get housework done early! I look forward to spring so I can get up even earlier and spend early morning time in the garden👍

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Sober Sunrise Salutation #8 :

I’m not worrying how much I drank the night before, worrying I have a headache (or why I weirdly don’t and then worried about that!), tentatively checking my phone for drunk texts I’ve sent, and I can have coffee and spend time with my kids guilt free! I’ll admit I will always take extra sleep over getting up, but maybe that will change as I continue down this road!!  I am not a natural morning person, BUT if I force myself to get up I see the beauty in it! This past month I’ve been AF ( alcohol-free), mornings have been so so so much more pleasant – 

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Nature is saving my sanity right now and soothing my soul . Under the wide open sky there is always hope .

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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. 

We’re nearing the end of Dry January. If you didn’t manage to make it through, that’s okay! There’s plenty of day ones to go around, pick one up and hold on. If you have managed to get through January sober, have you noticed any differences in your life? Have things been easy for you? Have they been hard? From experience – old emotions that we’ve buried under layers of alcohol tend to pop up once we have a decent streak of sobriety. Has this been your experience? If so, how have you handled it? Have you done it alone? With a few podcasts? With copious tubs of ice-cream, a few extra kilos, and endless tissues?

However you’ve survived Dry January, be proud. The tough times don’t last. Tough times make tough people and they certainly don’t last forever, as much as it may feel like it. Be proud of what you’ve achieved and keep going.

Start where you are right now
Whether with determination or overwhelming fear
Or everything in between

Tell us your story if you’d like to
And we’ll listen, virtually near
It’s anonymous, a safe space
To say what you need to here

It’s helpful to leave self blame at the door
If its not serving you anymore
From a heavy and maybe weary heart
To a fresh start

You could find out soon
Life could bloom with BOOM

Be proud because you’re taking the first steps
Just do the next right thing
And then the next
ODAAT

You could say it’s like having friends in your pocket
Support on your phone
We’ll be your safety net
You don’t need to do this alone 

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

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