Why I chose to ditch alcohol
When I passed my driving test at 17 I had no interest in drinking I preferred to drive everywhere, I would still go out to clubs and dance (badly, but I had fun) the night away.
Then the Banking culture of the City drew me in and I would have one night at home a week. Hey I was young, everyone burnt the candle at both ends.
By the time I was 23 I was diagnosed with ME - better known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome my life began to change - I had to give up work and some days I wouldn’t be able to walk, I would fall out of bed in the morning and crawl into the living room, but the journey was so hard by the time I reached the sofa I was exhausted and I would fall asleep on the floor. - I didn’t drink alcohol for a year!
As I began to recover I trained to become a Personal Trainer and Sports Therapist and qualified a year later. I needed to know what my body required from me to be well.
I went back to work in London and began drinking again. "I'll be fine" I told myself, I had the knowledge now didn't I?, I knew what I was doing.
I soon understood that knowledge without action is just knowledge.
By my late 20's, I was losing the love for alcohol, I didn’t want to drink anymore but I kept telling myself socialising would be boring if I didn’t have a drink or was it be me who was boring.. so I didn’t stop!
Then, in 2004, I fell pregnant with my daughter, I was 30.. the minute I found out I stopped, not even a sip, bizarrely the smell of wine during my pregnancy made me feel sick.
This was it I thought I won’t ever drink again. I breastfed my daughter until she was 11 months old, I hadn’t had a drink for 18 months. I felt great.
Then I went back to work and guess what!!?
Over the following 8 years, my relationship with alcohol was what was seen a relatively normal one: glass of wine whilst cooking dinner and another whilst eating and at the weekend I would have a Negroni or two or three.
When I hit 38 I began to really suffer from hangovers even if I had only had a couple of glasses of wine. My memory started to fade, I was an emotional wreck, I was tired constantly - after 4 years of begging my GP to confirm if I was going through the change and being told “don’t be silly you are far too young” I changed GPs and guess what - I was fully Peri-Menopausal - yet I still carried on drinking.
There were times I would have 2 glasses of wine and wake the next morning not remembering bits of the previous evening ... that wasn’t right! I had never experience that before not even in my early 20's, I became scared.
For the next couple of years I toyed with the idea of stopping completely, I knew I could, I used to do a month for charity every year. But forever, could I ?
By the time I turned 43 I had qualified as a Health and Life Coach, I had a successful business Inspiring and empowering others to achieve their best life and rediscover who they truly are. I exercised daily, I ate a healthy clean diet and I loved life, I knew that I wanted to live a long, very long Purposeful life there was one thing left to do, one unhealthy habit left to break.
So on 23rd October 2017, I had my very last sip of alcohol and do you know what? It was the best decision I have ever made, I LOVE IT.
Yes, things changed,
I LOST
My Social Circle, it diminished a lot, we stopped getting invited to events (shocking behaviour really considering our age)
My hot flushes 🤗 yay!!
I GAINED
A healthy bank balance
the money saved was a shock, a good shock!
Inner strength
To me, this was a hard habit to break so once I achieved this I know that I am now able to achieve anything.
Natural confidence
What you see is what you get, no booze talking
Clearer skin
My fine lines and redness disappeared (my laughter lines remained though so thats good)
My memory back
No memory gaps and my ability to retain information has increased.. woohoo! handy when you are running a business
Clarity of mind
It is literally like I have pulled back the curtains.. amazing
The ability to sleep through the night
(unless something sets our beautiful dog off then there is no sleep for anyone)
This is a game changer - and has allowed me to join ….
…The 5am Club
(I would not be doing this if I was partaking in an alcoholic beverage) and I Love Love Love it, the magic of the hour is just incredible
As Robin Sharma always says “all change is hard at first, messy in the middle and so gorgeous at the end”
Here's to a long, very long, healthy, happy and purposeful life.
Kate x
Comentarios