A Confessional From 500 Days of the Sober Life

500 days of sober living

People often mistake those who take a break from drinking for secretly in-the-closet drunks. However, this is not the case with me. This month marks 500 days sober since I consciously decided to take a pause on alcohol.

Choosing the Sober Life

I don’t have a recovery story nor do people who know me think of me as a heavy drinker. Furthermore, being addicted to drugs or presenting as a messy drunk are not words that people would use to describe me. The way my friends think of me is being clear-headed and pragmatic with no substance use disorder. Why then would I move towards the stone-cold sober lifestyle when I don’t seem to have any issues with addiction?

Well, the answer lies in three people. Simply put, my kids, ages 14, 10, and 8 are my driving force to be the healthiest I can possibly be. At 45, I’m the lone surviving parent and have been a solo mom for more than six years. This type of responsibility combined with the looming COVID-19 threat makes regular alcohol consumption less appealing. My approach to life is choosing longevity and striving for optimal health.

not sober life

The Path to Self-Control

Let’s be clear, 500 days of choosing the alcohol-free lifestyle hasn’t always been easy. Without a doubt, one of the most challenging things on this journey is finding other sober-minded fun folks that are up for a booze-free festive time together.

Since I wasn’t a regular drinker to begin with, 12-step meetings did not resonate with me. My goal has always been to find a down-to-earth approach that fits my needs without the dogma and negativity of telling myself that I have no power over alcohol. Furthermore, my drinking was not out of hand.  I wasn’t choosing sobriety because of alcoholism. However, my social life did revolve around countless cocktail parties with wine and champagne flowing freely. To stay sober for a designated amount of time, I would first have to say good-bye to old French wines and hello to online meetings in the form of a 90 day no alcohol challenge.

My First Step to Saying Good-bye to the Drink

One of my favorite Chinese proverbs is from Lao Tzu, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” In addition, a wise African proverb states that “if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.” These two truisms reflect my alcohol-free path so clearly. My first step was joining a 90-day challenge from a company called One Year No Beer.

This program continues to provide me with an online Facebook support group, daily emails, and alcohol-free lifestyle podcasts based on positive psychology methods. It has given me an instant cheer squad right from the beginning of my alcohol-free choice. One of the most difficult aspects of giving up the booze is the alienation you can feel in social settings where everyone is drinking except for you. The unspoken sense of peer pressure and feeling left out is where many folks fail in their alcohol-free adventures.

However, I found it inspiring to be part of an alcohol-free group with a shared goal of not drinking. Being part of a collective movement of alcohol-free people around the globe has helped me stay steadfast. I view this chapter in my life as an ultra-marathon and not a sprint to the finish. It really has been all about the journey towards a greater understanding of my motivations and why I do the things that I do.

90 Days Sober Under My Belt, Now What?

After my first 90 days of going alcohol-free passed, I had to decide whether I was going to return to my occasional cocktail and wine dinners out. In all honesty, 90 days wasn’t enough time for me to take inventory of all the life lessons that were unfolding before me. For example, I realized that in the past, I would nurse a glass of wine to use as a shield to cope with my social anxiety. I mistakenly thought it would numb out uneasy feelings and I’d come across as more relaxed. However, suppressed emotions come out in other ways like sleep disruptions or in aches and pains.

While the default method of a fancy cocktail in hand may have provided temporary relief from dealing with initial social awkwardness, inevitably I would pay the price with my lower productivity the next morning. I decided that I still had a lot to learn about my false sense of using liquid courage to combat the social demons inside my head. As a result, 90 days without a drink turned into 1 year. Then, 1 year turned into 500 days. Meanwhile, I have happily embraced my introverted nature with complete self-acceptance.

thinking of the sober life

Addiction Runs in the Family

Even though I didn’t have an impulse control problem when it came to alcohol, it didn’t mean that substance abuse didn’t run in the family. Pill popping and alcoholism run on both sides of my children’s family. Furthermore, how could I even hope to guide them about the dangers of addiction, if they saw me casually drinking in front of them? Research shows that there is a strong genetic component to alcohol addiction. I did not want to risk my children succumbing to any kind of substance addiction. Subsequently, this led me to the choice to not normalize drinking. As a result, my kids hopefully may be less prone to rationalize that addiction can’t happen to them. The truth is, it can happen to anyone.

I remember briefly meeting my maternal grandfather only to watch him stumble around the room too drunk to talk or walk and finally falling on the floor. Though I didn’t know this man well, it left an indelible mark on me. I knew that I didn’t want to turn out that way.

However, drinking can creep up on you slowly. First, with a few happy hours, and then it turns into a compulsive lifestyle. After witnessing one too many friends and family succumb to the ravages of substance abuse, I decided to put the breaks on my casual drinking habit. It just wasn’t worth risking my children’s future health or mine given my family history.

Bad Dating Stories

Now that I’m stone-cold sober, it’s time to be candid.  I recognize that many of my horrible dating choices in my twenties were due to murky thinking with a glass of wine. My post-college alcohol-consumption contributed to a majority of my dating disasters. I can say with 100% certainty that if I hadn’t started drinking, I would have only dated three men out of dozens of bad dating stories. Talk about a hard lesson!

Bring the Fun Back to the Art of the Mocktail

mai tries the sober life

When people think about cutting back on the booze, there is a misconception that a festive sense of joy must be sacrificed and replaced by a mask of dour sobriety. Clearly, I was not going to let this define my path. In my 500 days of booze-free living, I am determined to buck the trend of a joyless existence regardless of what I’m drinking. When I began my journey, my first step was to find some tasty mocktails that I could carry in a delicate champagne glass while sporting a stylish cocktail dress.

Now, more than ever, it is easier to jump on the sober-curious bandwagon as many dining establishments have alcohol-free mocktails on their menu.

Also, much of the supposed glamour in drinking lies in the visual props and rituals of holding a finely cut crystal glass while wearing an eye-catching outfit. It didn’t take long for me to embrace all the perks of a lively cocktail party without the headaches or regrets.

10 Life Lessons from 500 Days of Sober Booze-Free Living

sober life with family
  1. I found that replacing an old habit (like casual drinking) with an equally enjoyable alternative like a delicious mocktail definitely quells FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).
  2. When I removed the numbing agent of a glass of wine to suppress my perceived anxiety, my real feelings and suppressed emotions come pouring out. Guess what,  I survived and came out of the other side with a sense of great self-compassion.
  3. A massive drop in daily anxiety and a lot fewer moments of the sinking feeling has prevailed in my non-drinking existence.
  4. One of my all-time favorite vacations ever was taken without a drop of alcohol. Being clear-headed, I remember it all in exquisite detail rather than as a blur.
  5. I am more present and sharp-witted now. As a result, a huge bonus is an increase in my business with more savings in my bank account.
  6. There is clarity in aligning with my core values with much more ease and grace. My friendships are deeper as well as my conversations.
  7. I used to order a cocktail at a party to tolerate boring conversations. Now, I leave the conversation gracefully and seek out people that stimulate me.
  8. Being alert opens up so many more opportunities and beautiful moments in life.
  9. I make better choices for my life and for my three kids.
  10. My intuition and sleep have been sharpened and my mood is consistently better.

My 500 Day Sober Alcohol-Free Toast

People ask me if I’ll ever go back to drinking. Although I can’t predict the future,  I can look at my life right now. If there’s anything that I have learned so far, it’s that showing up and being fully present in your life reaps huge rewards.

mocktail recipe

Mai Pep in My Step Mocktail

This fruity mocktail is fun for any occasion!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 3 minutes
Total Time 3 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 1 people
Calories 63 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1.0 ounce cranberry juice
  • 2.0 ounces no alcohol ginger beer (or club soda)
  • 2.0 ounces pineapple juice
  • 1.0 pinch grated ginger
  • pineapple or lime slices or a sprig of rosemary (garnish)
  • ice to fill cocktail shaker

Instructions
 

Mai Pep in My Step Mocktail

  • Collect all the ingredients.
  • Pour the juices and grated ginger (optional) into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
  • Shake well.
  • Strain into a chilled martini or cocktail glass of your choice.
  • Top with ginger beer or club soda.
  • Garnish glass with pineapple wedges, lime or a sprig of rosemary.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 63kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 1gFat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 6mgPotassium: 100mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 16IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 1mg
Keyword cranberry, ginger beer, mocktail, no-alcohol cocktail, pineapple, special occasions
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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