In this episode of Sober Fierce, Erin will talk about how she dealt with sadness and grief with her past alcoholic self. She also shares a great non-alcoholic option for other people who want to become sober.
Episode Timeline:
Family Gathering
[1:03]
Erin had relatives come into town, and there have been many social events. Even though she has been tempted, she abstained. When they were sitting at a table, Erin felt sadness—she had to breathe through it. She didn’t care why she was feeling that way, but she didn’t understand it.
[2:45]
Erin went out of her way to never sound drunk, which is why people never knew about it. She says that if she could see the drunk version of herself as the sober version of herself, she would definitely see a difference.
Acknowledging the Loss
[4:28]
Becoming sober is more than just not drinking.
[5:09]
Erin is learning every day. Back then, something would pop up, and she would typically grab a drink immediately to avoid it. Though she still has bad habits like procrastination and avoidance, she has gotten much better.
[5:58]
Erin’s thought was that the fun version of herself is gone—the “fun her” was a “fake her.” The fun version of her was masked by alcohol. Moving forward, she has to acknowledge and breathe through those feelings of sadness or mourning.
Reconnecting with Herself
[6:58]
Erin knows what she feels right for her at the moment. She always needs to go back to when she feels anxiety or loss and grief. It felt like a hole in her stomach where something is missing. Erin tries to fill that void and find new things about herself that’s she’s not been connected to.
[7:30]
Sobriety is amazing. If you’ve never had the experience of being addicted to something, you’ll never know how great it is. Erin knows who she is and what she’s been through make her stronger, happier, and balanced.
[8:10]
When it comes to addictions and things, many people try really hard to avoid the things about themselves that they’re not comfortable with.
The Non-Alcoholic Option
[8:22]
Now, Erin drinks tonic water. She isn’t fond of a diet soda but loves tonic water. In the future, she hopes to incorporate non-alcoholic options like tonic water for other people.
