⭐The Ultimate Guide to Going Alcohol-Free Later in Life The Midlife Sobriety Coach

My peers in my master’s program were all a bit older than me, and I remember going over to their beautifully decorated homes and seeing the rich lives they’d built. I realized that I wanted what they had, but I knew I couldn’t do it with alcohol in the picture. Rent took up most of my paycheck, but the rest went directly to drinking.

Overcoming Depression

But not only that, I did a number of different, you know, diets throughout the year that removed alcohol, and pretty much I was like, Oh, I’ll get skinny, and I won’t drink this will be fabulous. And I found that it really took the emphasis off for me the not drinking, the emphasis was the health kick or the diet. And there is a lot of emotional work around your identity and how you cope and tie to alcohol. And if you’re tying it with something else, you don’t get to do that work.

Social Benefits of Living Without Alcohol

So, anger, regret, sadness, insecurity, like, suddenly you’re feeling it all. But it is how you come back to being alive and your coping tools get stronger. It’s just in the early days, everything so raw, you feel like you’re walking around without your outer layer of skin, that tear effect it. The best surprise in sobriety has been finding a new group of like-minded people. Sobriety is a great connector, and making friends in sobriety has been one of the best surprises of ditching the drink. My social calendar is full of fun alcohol-free activities and events.

Maintaining a Healthier Diet and Weight

Their Calme variety contains broad-spectrum hemp to calm the body (so if you’re avoiding hemp products, watch out for this), while Arise contains a blend of adaptogens to aid in smooth conversation and social settings. A bottle of wine contains around 600 calories… that’s the equivalent of three doughnuts! Add in a bit of junk food (helpful for battling a hangover) and it really adds up. Your waistline will thank you for cutting out all those empty calories. Alco­hol can have an imme­di­ate, neg­a­tive impact on your immune sys­tem, reduc­ing its abil­i­ty to fight off germs.

People can learn mindfulness; rather than trying to soothe uncomfortable feelings with alcohol, mindfulness encourages techniques such as breathing, visualization, and meditation. Alcohol use disorder is a problematic pattern of alcohol use that leads to distress in one’s daily life, according to the DSM-5. Experiencing at least two symptoms throughout the course of a year merits a diagnosis, from mild to moderate to severe. In the quest for better mental health, it’s crucial to explore alternative paths that don’t rely on alcohol. Join me as we uncover the benefits and features of these empowering tools, guiding us on a journey toward improved mental well-being.

Experts continue to debate the benefits and risks of drinking and passionately argue over whether moderation or complete abstinence is the best option for those who struggle with alcoholism. For high achievers, alcohol dependency can have a detrimental impact on business performance and financial success. By taking control of your drinking habits through our program, you’ll be better positioned to excel in your professional endeavors.

This course is not a 30 day challenge, or a one day at a time approach. Instead, it’s a step-by-step formula for changing your relationship with alcohol. The course will help you turn the decision to stop drinking from your worst case scenario to the best decision of your life. You will sleep better and have more energy, you’ll look better and feel better, you’ll have more patience and less anxiety. And with my approach you won’t feel deprived or isolated in the process. So if you’re interested in learning more about all the details, please go to You can start at any time and I would love to see you in the course.

1. It can cause memory loss and interference with brain development.
2. So not, you know, I don’t want coke or orange juice, because I’m not 12, right, I want a nice drink and a nice glass.
3. However, if you’re banking on a month-long break from alcohol to help you lose weight, Kumar said it’s not your best bet.
4. But when it came to the booze, or that didn’t count, because everyone did that.
5. Embrace the power within you to cultivate a balanced and fulfilling life.
6. And many people also don’t realize that you can experience withdrawal symptoms even if you were only drinking a couple of drinks a day, or not even every day.

However, this denial can prevent you from seeking the help and support you need. In reality, they might not exhibit all traditional signs of alcoholism but still experience alcohol dependence, cravings, and withdrawal symptoms. Their ability to function effectively in daily tasks masks the underlying compulsive alcohol use, making early recognition and intervention crucial. On one end is moderate drinking, considered relatively harmless for most adults. Moderation is defined as consuming no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Step inside another engaging session of our real-life coachingseries with Victoria English from Project 90.

Replacing unhealthy coping mechanisms with healthier alternatives is a key component of taking control of your drinking. Identify activities and strategies that bring you joy, https://rehabliving.net/a-trip-on-bath-salts-is-cheaper-than-meth-or/ fulfillment, and stress relief. This can include exercise, mindfulness practices, hobbies, spending time in nature or with family members, or engaging in creative outlets.

“I nearly called 911.” Today, he is in recovery and regularly takes Suboxone, a prescription medication used to treat opioid addiction. It can be difficult to know whether or not to abstain from alcohol to support a loved one in recovery. Treatment settings teach patients to cope with the realities of an alcohol-infused world. Just like any other illness, it is ultimately the responsibility of the individual to learn how to manage it. However, loved ones often want to help, such as by showing solidarity or hosting a gathering that feels safe for their loved one. Whenever possible, it’s best to have an open, respectful, and direct conversation with the individual in recovery, and ask how they feel about alcohol being present.

I have friends that still drink alcohol and I have new friends that don’t. Getting sober was a lonely journey at first, but finding community has made all the difference. Unhealthy alcohol use can increase the risk of many serious health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and liver disease. Carrying around less guilt and shame, less anxiety, and less stress is a gift to every single cell in my body. The health benefits of drinking less are countless.

However, the new research proposes that these comparisons may be misleading. Detaching with love can help us cope with a loved one who is struggling with addiction and still nurture our own well-being. With the widespread use of kratom and its ready availability at gas stations and on the internet, we need to better understand this drug’s potential benefits and adverse effects. This psychologist has found that some girls and women suffer deeply when their brothers struggle with substance use disorder.

You could paste the reason as a post-it around your house and workplace. You could implement this as a reminder on your phone; or include this in your morning routine and gratitude practices. Another way this could be implemented is for you to direct your focus on what you’re getting out of your social gatherings – which you may not need the help of alcohol to do. Turns out, we all have downer days in life – those https://rehabliving.net/ are the days when we won’t have as much self-control. You’ll end up eating and drinking whatever is left in the house, or you’ll convince yourself you deserve a ‘treat’ because this may provide a lift to your day. While alcohol is high in calories, and wine, beer, and mixed drinks add sugar to one’s diet, cutting it out may or may not help you lose weight depending on how much alcohol you consume regularly.

If you’d like to try to make some AF drinks yourself, here’s a list of recipes that we’ve created for you. For those with alcohol misuse and dependence, the conditions are connected to chronic sleep disturbance, lower slow-wave sleep, and more rapid eye movement. Dasgupta said the best people to avoid alcohol always are those under 21 years old, and not just for legal reasons. On the other hand, if you drink in moderation, alcohol doesn’t affect LDL and instead increases good cholesterol (HDL). Because the liver is a tolerant organ, he said positive changes can occur within weeks of going dry.

But you are able to, to just deal with whatever you need to deal with in a much more balanced way, much as much less drama, when you’re sober. I felt as though everyone could see my obvious it was like; everyone can see me as if I was an x-ray. And I’ve really done a lot of work on this over the last couple of years.

One of the key factors that sets Project 90 apart is its emphasis on community and coaching. As a participant, you’ll have access to a supportive community of high achievers who understand your journey. Create a plan for how to navigate these situations in advance. This may involve developing strategies for social events, finding alternative non-alcoholic beverages, or having an exit plan if you feel overwhelmed or triggered.

Researchers found that participants who had a few drinks were better and faster at creative problem solving than their sober counterparts. The reason may be that alcohol tamps down working memory and therefore sparks people to think outside the box. Alcohol use disorder affects millions of people, but it often goes undetected. Substance use frequently co-occurs with mental illness, but some research suggests that psychiatrists only treat addiction for around half of the patients who have both mental illness and substance use problems.

White Claw is known as one of the most popular hard seltzer brands in the world, and they’ve just introduced their first non-alcoholic option. This seltzer contains the same great taste as their original line plus hydrating electrolytes with only 2g of sugar per can—minus the cruddy hangover the next day. Among the plethora of alcohol-free choices out there, here are my top picks that I enjoy recommending to my clients who are embarking on an alcohol-free or reduced-alcohol journey. Join my email community below to receive a notification when it’s ready.