-:
00:16
Hello, darling heart, and welcome to the Drink Less, Live Better podcast. This is the podcast that helps you to see that drinking
-:
00:25
less doesn't need to be stressful, lonely, or boring. I'm your host, Sarah Williamson, and I decided to have a year alcohol
-:
00:33
free as a little life experiment and haven't looked back. With my experience and training, I now help other women with their
-:
00:41
alcohol free or drink less adventures. I'm here to tell you that you can be truly joyful without alcohol in your life. Join
-:
00:55
me here each week to find out how. A question: do I have to do this sober thing forever? Answer. No. Result. The shortest
-:
01:04
podcast episode ever. Should we leave it there or is there room for a bit of expansion here? Okay, a few thoughts then. Let's
-:
01:13
begin by focusing on the right now. Have you been alcohol free or drinking significantly less for an extended period of time?
-:
01:23
If not, then I'd kindly suggest you give it more than 6 months to really feel and enjoy all the benefits of it. If you've
-:
01:32
been alcohol free for more than a year, then what better questions can we ask than is this forever? How do I feel better now
-:
01:42
than when I was drinking? For me, the answer to that is an unequivocal yes. I know for sure that I'm better physically, emotionally
-:
01:50
and spiritually for not drinking, so for now I carry on. What are the bits that you're missing from your drinking life? Be
-:
01:57
careful before you answer this. Make sure you're not romanticising or looking back with rose tinted glasses when you remember
-:
02:05
the good stuff. Make sure you acknowledge the bad. If you can pinpoint what you feel you're missing, and come up with an alternative
-:
02:15
that will serve you well. I sometimes feel I miss random, rambling conversations that were only born out of a loss of inhibition
-:
02:23
and vulnerability, but I've found my people, those who are prepared to have those random conversations with me, sober. If
-:
02:31
you know who you are, you know who you are. Find a way to reintroduce the missing bit of your life. Can you swap your night
-:
02:40
out dancing for a day rave? Can you swap dressing up for a night out for dressing up for a day out? Can you swap wine tastings
-:
02:51
for day spas? So back to the question, do I have to do this forever? The answer is still no, but for me, I want to. When I
-:
03:00
decided to try my alcohol free life experiment, I knew I could easily do a month. I had evidence in the form of previous dry
-:
03:09
January's and sober October's, and was pretty sure I could do 3 months or even 6. But a year felt questionable, outside my
-:
03:18
comfort zone, and definitely a bit challenging. Did I have to commit to a year? No. But I wanted to. The reason it helped
-:
03:26
was because it pushed the decision away. Once I'd got started on a year, I didn't really question my decision, I just carried
-:
03:35
on with it. No one makes us choose the goals we set for ourselves. If I'm never doing this again, or I'm doing this forever
-:
03:43
feels good for you, then brilliant. I'm delighted for you. Say the words out loud and then back them up with action. I'm doing
-:
03:51
an alcohol free experiment for a year felt like a good statement to me, a thought I was happy to have in my head. It made
-:
04:00
me feel full of possibility and led me to behave as if I could do it and feel great about it. I didn't feel trapped, and I
-:
04:08
didn't feel overwhelmed. If I'd have given myself a thought like, I'm never drinking again, that would have led to feelings
-:
04:17
of being trapped or deprived and would possibly have led to me behaving like a toddler in full meltdown. I know that it was
-:
04:26
better to choose not to put me in that position, and, certainly, that was better for my family too. Nothing we choose in life
-:
04:36
has to be forever. We can always reroute, reverse, or replan. We can change, we can adapt, and we can say what we do want
-:
04:45
and what we don't want. We can change our minds about who we are. I used to be the life and soul of the party, leading the
-:
04:53
chants to the dance floor and, last, off the dance floor. I'm retired from all that now. I'm joyfully retired from all that.
-:
05:01
I don't have to do it, and I'm choosing the things I do want. Thank you for listening to this episode. Please listen in again
-:
05:09
next time. You can sign up for my 5 day drink less experiment and find out about working with me one to 1 at drink less, live
-:
05:18
better.com. I'd love it if you could 5 star rate this podcast and leave me a review. All that chisel helps, you know. Thank
-:
05:22
you, and PS, I believe in you.
