Imagine the possibilities of your life without drinking…
Can you even imagine your life without drinking? I couldn’t. Seriously. I rarely attended gatherings or events where drinking wasn’t available at some point. Just about everything had the opportunity for a cocktail, or two, or more…
Really? Chardonnay is my problem?
As I’ve mentioned in the past, before I quit drinking, I realized that I had a problem. Deep down, I knew that chardonnay was dimming my light. Drinking was causing that problem and it was creating a veil between me and enjoying life to the fullest. Frequently, I would sit on my patio reading spiritual books, while drinking wine and smoking cigarettes, and wonder why I couldn’t successfully put into action the lessons in black and white in my hand. I didn’t want to correlate the chardonnay with lack of fulfillment in my life. I wanted to be able to drink normally. Frankly, I still do. But that is not my reality. When I drink, I crave more. And that’s the problem.
I needed a role model
What I wanted, needed really, was a role model. Someone that had come to the same realization, that drinking was getting in their way, and was able to quit. I didn’t know of anyone like that. If I was paying attention, Anne Lamott could have been that inspirational role model for me, but I wasn’t. Now, there are more women who have been very open about how drinking was a problem for them. Brené Brown, Jen Sincero, Glennon Doyle are just a few of the women who continue to inspire me.
If I can inspire just one woman…
I’m not special, famous or anywhere close to being like any of the women I mentioned above. I have been sober for over 10 years, and when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer almost 5 years ago, I didn’t drink over it. Women have told me that I’m an inspiration. I’m humbled by that statement. My greatest desire is to be an inspiration to other women who are suffering and wonder if their life could be better if they quit drinking.