500 Days of Sobriety: What I Have Learned So Far
Today marks my 500th day of sobriety, and I'm celebrating with some sunlight and a glass of San Pellegrino lemon water as I reflect on this milestone. I'm excited to share what I've learned along this incredible journey.
When I first embarked on this path, achieving 500 days of sobriety seemed unimaginable, especially considering my past as a bit of a party animal. Weekends were my highlight, but they often led to a week of recovery filled with lousy moods, poor sleep, and low motivation. Now, I find joy in every aspect of life. Here's what I've discovered during my 500 days of sobriety.
Gin and tonics with lime are now san pellegrinos with lime, and I’m not mad about it!
Everything Gets Better
April 19th, 2022 at Coachella was the last time I had a drop of alcohol.
When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. My health, motivation, relationships, aspirations, and energy have all improved dramatically. This transformation was apparent within the first month, and it continues to evolve. I didn't realize how terrible I felt until I embraced sobriety. My motivation levels have soared, making me feel like I'm the Bradley Cooper character from the movie Limitless. Maintaining solid energy and good health has become effortless, partly because my heightened motivation drives me to exercise and eat well, yielding double the results.
Establishing healthy habits became easier too. On a scientific level, this makes sense, as an improper balance of hormones and neurotransmitters drives the body to seek external sources for satisfaction, such as alcohol, drugs, or excessive social media use. By limiting these external sources, particularly alcohol and drugs in my case, I naturally rebalanced and no longer craved them.
I started craving things that were good for me, like nutrient-dense foods, sunlight, saunas, exercise, and a good night's sleep. People often commented that I was glowing, which further motivated me to continue on this path.
Social Dynamics Shift
Initially, it was challenging to navigate the changing social dynamics that occur when you remove drugs and alcohol from your life. In Australia, where I'm from, alcohol is deeply ingrained in our culture. I noticed a transformation from an extrovert to an introvert, a common experience as substances can amplify your social battery. However, as I developed new hobbies and habits, I adapted to this change.
While heading out to social events is less frequent, I now find them immensely enjoyable. I'm fully present in every conversation, my energy remains consistent throughout the night, and the best part is waking up the next day feeling completely refreshed. This alone outweighs all the temporary pleasures of drugs and alcohol.
Sobriety and Holistic Health
It's encouraging to see sobriety becoming more commonplace as society becomes more health-conscious and open. Although I'm not a sobriety coach or a rehabilitation professional, I firmly believe that there's a profound connection between improving your health through holistic health coaching and paving the way for sobriety, and vice versa. So here's to 500 days of sobriety, and to the next 500!
If you're interested in developing healthy habits and improving your health, please feel free to book a free discovery call or reach out for a chat.
