Social media addiction – the benefits of quitting Facebook

In 2019, I was a semi-regular Facebook user. But in October, I was over it! So I threw the towel in and haven’t looked back since. Peoples’ reactions were interesting. They asked me flakey, indirect questions like ‘We haven’t seen you post anything on Facebook lately, is everything ok?’ and ‘We didn’t see any of …

How to stay sober during lockdown

Good Sunday morning friends. I hope you and your families are doing okay given the circumstances. New Zealand is on day 4 of a nation-wide, strict lockdown. Our Prime Minister, Jacinda Arden, has been our light. She led us through the White Island volcanic eruptions recently, the Christchurch mosque attacks last year and now this, …

What Being Sober Has Meant to Me by Brené Brown

What Being Sober Has Meant to Me | Brené Brown — Read on brenebrown.com/articles/2019/05/31/what-being-sober-has-meant-to-me/ WoW. What a read! Do you ever read something and feel yourself nodding the whole time? That was me as I read this beautiful piece by Brené just now. This is the first time I have come across her thoughts and …

Another little step towards the new, alcohol-free me: F45

Over the last eight weeks, I participated in something petrifying and extremely confronting. It pushed me far outside my comfort zone and challenged me on so many levels. It was the F45 Challenge. What the???? F45 is what some people describe as the hardest workout ever. I agree. In a nutshell, I describe it as …

Quitting drinking: Chasing an unattainable dream

For decades I wore contacts. Back in my drinking days, I would stagger to the bathroom and take them out. I'd often miss the contact lens container and wake up lens-less in the morning. Contacts were always an inconvenience ... even as a sober person! Since I quit drinking just over two years ago, I've …

Alcoholfree 2 years on: an unintended consequence

While most people were nursing hangovers on New Year's Day, it marked two years off the booze for me. Since then, I feel like things are getting better and better. I no longer feel nervous, unsure of what drives me or makes me spring out of bed in the morning. Something rather extraordinary has happened …

Christchurch: comming together as a nation

On Friday afternoon, I was at work. Someone made the comment 'gosh there are a lot of sirens out there'. Then someone said 'there has been shootings at a mosque down in Christchurch'. It wasn't until I got home that night and saw the news that my disbelief turned into tears. Into denial. Into helplessness. …

Second summer without alcohol – and it’s amazing!

On 01/01/19 I woke with elation rather than a hangover - I had made it to two years without a drop of alcohol. To celebrate this milestone, I saved my drinking money and spent two weeks in Bali doing yoga and hiking. It was an incredible experience - head over to my twitter page if …

Two years sober – let’s mark it with a vacation!

Not sure what trained professionals would say about bribing yourself to overcome addictions. But I'm doing it and so far, it's working. 01/01/19 will mark two years since I decided to hang up my drinking hat. My 'reward to self' is a two week holiday in tropical Bali, Indonesia. And here I am! I arrived …

Sober lead up to Christmas 🎉🎄

Another year rolls by, but this lead up to Christmas is VERY different. This time two years ago, I was a highly functioning alcoholic. I was getting far too merry and into the pre-Christmas festivities. All across the city, people were having work drinks, Christmas work parties, farewell drinks etc etc etc... and I was …