Whoa. Hey.

Hello!? Is anyone out there? LOL.

It’s been a really long time since I wrote anything on this site! SO many things have happened since I was last here…I finished school, started my new career and business, celebrated 5 years sober in December, and have been dealing daily with pandemic-related shit, big or small. Running has been off and on and I’m finding it really hard to stay motivated.

Recently I counted how many people have reached out to me for advice, support and with general comments about sober-living over the years and it was over TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY!! This includes other platforms, but still, that’s a lot for a nobody off-and-on blogger! Then I logged on here and saw that people are still reading the posts, and that the sober posts are still the most popular.

So I wanted to check in and see how things are going in these strange and sometimes shitty months of the pandemic. I feel like a lot of the reasons someone might turn to alcohol are on the rise – boredom, stress, wanting to numb the feelings – sucky situations and emotions are very apparent right now for many of us. I’ve been checking in with a lot of these things when people reach out to me and have found that the key beliefs to living happily sober still apply. Let me assume the role of Captain Obvious and provide a few reminders that are always good to hear!

Alcohol is still a money drain. Many people aren’t working as much, or have been forced to take breaks due to illness/potential exposure/caring for another person, etc. All the more reason to not waste your money on booze! Your money should be spent on things that make you feel happy – you want what I have recently learned about called a good “emotional return on investment” and booze does NOT provide that!

Alcohol is still a depressant, because, science. If you are feeling down about lack of routine, lack of social interaction, cancelled activities or difficulty setting goals with all the unknowns, booze isn’t going to help you feel better! Just like always, it makes everything feel worse and having hangxiety during a global pandemic, to me, sounds like about the worst thing ever. Ask yourself “why would I want to make myself feel MORE shitty?”…I hope your answer is “I WOULDN’T!”

Alcohol is still a whole bunch of empty calories. I hear people every single day talking about how they have gotten out of shape or put on unwanted weight during the last year. Alcohol will not help with this! It will make it even worse! In this case, booze is a negative with extra negatives on top.

Lastly, my favourite – alcohol doesn’t make things more fun. Remember, fun comes from what you’re doing, where you are, who you’re with, and how connected you are to yourself and the present moment. Do not forget. If you need to, recall some of your most favourite memories and write down WHY these experiences were fun, funny, joyful, etc. Alcohol doesn’t have the power to make a situation fun, it might seem like it for a bit, but when you dissect a fun alcohol-related situation I can guarantee you will realize that booze was not the fun-factor.

I hope you’re doing well and if this time feels like an emotional rollercoaster to you, you’re not alone. I have been thinking about creating a short “Break Up with Booze” course and/or possibly offering happily-sober coaching or email-pal services. If you think you or anyone you know could benefit from this sort of thing, will you let me know? Thanks!!

xo Jamie