Love this. When I took a break from drinking for a year (not an alcoholic, but had an unhealthy relationship with it), it was wild to see the other habits I latched onto. First, it was sugar and then shopping, which I had never been a fan of. Fortunately, I realized what was happening quickly and was able to redirect that energy. But it wasn’t easy after the shopping.

I had also been a smoker for 10 years when I was younger who tried quitting several times. It wasn’t until I realized that I needed to replace it with a healthy habit, so I turned to water and made it my mission to always have water with me. That was over 15 years ago and I still carry water with me everywhere.

Replacing alcohol was different because it wasn’t a habit, it was a crutch, so I had to develop healthier coping mechanisms for dealing with life.

Now that I’ve developed a solid set of tools to manage life, I’ll drink occasionally, but after taking a full year off the appeal is minimal. Annnd I’m totally fine with that.

Thanks for sharing sobriety stories. It’s always inspiring to read about the journeys of others.