I Never Believed I’d Be Able To Do This Sober!

What do airports, planes, holidays, restaurant meals and sunsets have in common?

They’re all things I thought sobriety would ruin for me. Seriously. I never believed I’d be able to get through them without drinking.

Or if I did somehow manage to resist, I couldn’t imagine actually enjoying any of those things without alcohol.

They wouldn’t feel as special, right? It would seem as if something was missing.

If you can relate, this week’s video is for you. I filmed it a few days ago, during a trip to Costa Rica…

Key points

What’s on your “I can’t imagine” list?

We all have one – a list of things we just can’t picture doing without wine. For me, that list included things like flying, going on holiday, restaurant meals and even enjoying a beautiful sunset. For years, I’d associated those activities with alcohol and I just couldn’t imagine skipping the booze.

Perhaps your list is the same as mine or perhaps it includes something else that you’ve never believed you could do without drinking. Every drinker I’ve ever worked with has some kind of mental list like this, so you’re not alone!

Here’s what I want you to know

Just because you can’t picture yourself doing something without alcohol – or enjoying it, sober – doesn’t mean you won’t be able to do it when the time comes. Not being able to imagine something means nothing. Seriously, nothing at all.

The mistake some people make is they turn, “I can’t imagine doing that…” into, “I’m definitely going to fail at that, so what’s the point in even trying?” For example, “What’s the point in me quitting drinking when I’m going on holiday soon? I can’t imagine being able to stay sober for that, so why bother even getting started now?”

What you think now means nothing

If you’re on Day 1 of sobriety, that means you’re thinking about your life with your Day 1 brain. There’s a lot you don’t know yet. By the time you get to 50 days, or 100 days, your perspective on alcohol-free living and on what’s possible for you will be completely different.

And to be honest, you don’t know how something’s going to go until you actually do it! Until you’re there, in the moment. So instead of thinking about all the things that could go wrong, why not focus on what might go right? And what might actually be BETTER without booze?

Look elsewhere in your life

I bet there are plenty of other things you’ve done that, at some point, you never believed were possible. Perhaps you’re a non-smoker now but once upon a time you couldn’t imagine giving up. Maybe you’ve lost weight and you’re wearing clothes you never dreamed you’d wear. Perhaps you found the courage to leave a relationship or job, even though you never pictured being the person who would just walk away? But you did.

Your brain doesn’t like uncertainty. It much prefers having everything figured out in advance. But sometimes, you’ve just got to move forward without that certainty. Get comfortable being uncomfortable and trust that things will work out as they’re meant to. I’m really glad I did.

Need some help to create an alcohol-free life you love? Click here to learn more about my Getting Unstuck course.