Kombucha and other tricks

Happy Tuesday, my people! Recently I was talking to one of my closest friends, she's known me since I was in my 20s, about my recovery, and she asked me how I did it. Thanks to her, I will share what has worked for me. In the beginning, I found it rather easy not to drink. I'd just had my hip replaced and I was on opioids and I was incredibly wobbly. It didn't make sense for me to drink. At the suggestion of my therapist, I broke up with alcohol. I found it helpful for me to make alcohol into a no contact relationship. Like a toxic relationship with a person, alcohol became more damaging than good, so I imagined that we had a restraining order between us. This was easy due to my previous dysfunctional romance, that ended two months before I got sober. I just thought of beer like I thought of him. No contact. 

Not drinking was easy until I came home. Back to the presert, back to the school bus. On the way home it was so difficult not to stop and get a 6 pack. I needed something to drink. I don't really like water, and I don't like to drink soda due to the sugar/high fructose corn syrup, and who knows what else. I knew that I needed something with bubbles and sugar, at least temporarily. I turned to my old frenemy kombucha. Joe drank it almost daily. I put it in my smoothie, but I couldn't drink it straight. It was so disgusting! A word of caution on kombucha. Most of it does contain alcohol, so I recommend finding one that doesn't have alcohol or a very small amount. This will also help with the nausea that you might experience after quitting drinking. There's a lot of options out there, so find one you like. Or you can make your own. Soda also works if I have a craving, but not as healthy an option. When I first came home I drank kombucha every day, and usually more than 1. I found that I had to limit myself to 2 a day. 

Of course, alcohol is everywhere and I would occasionally look at beer to see if there was anything new. My brain would tell me that I could have just one. And I would rapidly fire back with you know that I can't have just one! After some time battling my habit, I'd giggle and think NOT! The hardest part of remaining sober is arguing with my head. I had built a habit of drinking, and it was part of my identity. Joe and I brewed beer, we were in a brewing club, I worked at a brewery, we visited many breweries. My brain tells me the same things it has always told me, but I know that it's a lie. 

When I successfully beat my own cravings I reward myself. With ice cream, chocolate, lunch, a little shopping. Whatever works best for you, do it. Don't overdo it. I share my victories with people who care about my recovery, and I share my recovery with my friends who are still struggling with their addictions. I have limited my time with my old drinking buddies. I have no judgement against people who drink. I remember what it was like to be trapped by alcohol. I have to protect my sobriety. I still drink kombucha almost daily, but I no longer need it to not drink. I make a lot of herbal tea. My favorite way to make tea is in the refrigerator overnight. I found that if I don't have something to drink I'm more likely to want to drink. So I have many containers for beverages. 

I also found that it was challenging to eat. When I was drinking I didn't really eat. I'd eat once a day, most days. I'm trying to eat something two or three times a day. I'm trying to eat more fruits and veggies. I'm making smoothies again, as this is the easiest way for me to get a lot of nutrients. I recommend listening to your body for what it needs. Ignore anything that is the addiction, it's a liar. Do nice things for yourself, especially in the beginning of your recovery. I celebrate every milestone. I celebrate even the small victories. I did a lot of work on healing my traumas to get to the point that I could successfully navigate being sober. The alcohol was never the problem. All of the incorrect bullshit I believed was. All of the horrible behavior I'd accepted as love was. My lack of self love was. 

And the greatest catalyst for change... losing my husband. It seems rather ironic that I had to be completely devastated in order to change. In order to become the person that I was meant to be before the world tried to ruin me. To undo all the damage. To stop judging myself. To accept myself, warts and all. I wish you all of the healing. Much love, Ceeeej