Getting Sober Curious
It all starts with getting “sober” curious. If you’re a regular drinker—and most Americans are—and struggle with “moderating,” the thought of taking a break from alcohol can seem impossible.
Dry January is all the rage now, but years ago when I first heard of this I thought it sounded kind of nuts. I thought, “Who would not drink for a month just because?” And for years (unless I was pregnant) the thought of going a full month without alcohol truly seemed impossible for me. I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but I was certainly drawn to the idea over the years since it became popular. I don’t resonate with the label “alcoholic” but once I became a mother and my kids were growing up I was really beginning to question my relationship with alcohol and whether it was serving me and my family.
Way before I ever eliminated alcohol I began to get the nudges to quit. Sure it can feel easy when pregnant and in the newborn phase to say no to the drink, but as time goes on and the pervasive alcohol-consuming lifestyle that surrounds us creeps in it can be very challenging. It definitely was for me. Mommy wine culture is a real thing! I never understood how friends and family I knew could “just have one” where I was doing constant mental gymnastics to limit myself to two or three.
It started as a nudge within myself to try not to have wine after work one or two nights a week. And it was so freaking hard! I thought about it constantly in the evening and I was surprised by how much willpower it took for me to go even one day without a drink. I started writing in my journal as a part of my goals and things I wanted to work on in my life to drink less. I kept writing it down and I kept taking short breaks. Over the months I felt like I could add more days in a row until I finally did almost the whole Dry January in 2023. Over the rest of that year, I got very intentional about taking breaks for longer periods and more frequently. I began telling my family about intentionally taking breaks. I kept writing in my journal about being alcohol-free and even began writing in my journal affirmations and hopes of manifesting for quitting to be easy.
I didn’t drink much at all in January of 2024 and then in February all of the nudges and whispers I was getting about quitting became screams and shouts from the universe. Finally, it was February 21 that I decided I was done and that date is now my “soberversary.”
I am now almost 6 months free of alcohol and I am surprised every day by how at ease it feels for me not to drink. Because of the society we live in, alcohol has been in my life for four decades now. It is so widely celebrated and promoted in our culture, and we are shown every day of our lives that drinking is “cool” and “fun”. It feels incredible to have found a way out and find freedom from that struggle of “moderation”.
What could being sober curious look like for you?
