About Christine

Ask my good friends, and they'll tell you I was always the drinker of our friend group.  That's any of my good friends, any of my friend groups.  If you knew me, you knew me as the friend who liked a good drink.  

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For years I'd known deep down that my relationship with alcohol had the potential to be unhealthy.  I'd bought (but not read) books on quitting alcohol, and I genuinely couldn't tell you the number of times I'd tried to moderate.  

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"I'm only going to drink on Friday and Saturdays" soon became "Well I work shifts so I don't get 'proper' weekends.  I'll only drink on two days of the week". 
In time this became "I'll drink four nights a week, but I'll not have more than 2 glasses of wine a night" ... Ha!  I don't know who I was trying to kid with that one. 

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I went through this self-negotiation loads of times over the years.  Always unsuccessfully, my drinking habits did not change.  In fact, on the odd occasion when I'd complete Dry February (I always went for the shortest month), I'd convince myself that there was no way I had an issue with alcohol if I could give up for a month!  I relaxed.  I drank more because I wasn't thinking about it.  

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Then things changed.

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I work in the NHS as a Radiographer, and I found that my drinking 'ramped up' during the COVID-19 pandemic.  My usual selfcare practices were closed; but work was more stressful than I had ever known it.  Living alone, I was lonelier than ever before. I found that I was drinking more, more often to disassociate myself with my day.  My emotions needed to be numbed, and I knew just how to do it.   

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As time progressed, things reopened and the pressures at work changed.  My drinking, however, did not.  I wasn't drinking every night; but when I did drink I found I was finding it harder to stop.  If there was wine in the fridge, I'd drink it.  If I was out, I'd make sure I was at the bar for last orders.  

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Throughout 2021, that feeling deep down was growing - my relationship with alcohol was unhealthy.  I was drinking too much, and it was affecting me in ways it hadn't before.  Yes, everything was basically fine - I was undoubtedly functioning perfectly adequately.  But my face was puffy; and my skin was grey.  My eyes looked knackered. 

I had so little energy; on days I was at work I was tired; counting down the minutes until the end of the shift.  On days I wasn't at work, I was hungover; wasting hours in bed or binge watching endless boxsets on the sofa.  

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My house needed attention that I wasn't giving it.  My relationships needed attention that I wasn't giving them.  My physical and mental health needed attention and I definitely wasn’t giving any to them...  

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I knew that this was a spiral I wasn't happy to continue; and this time I knew things had to be different.  This time I REALLY had to moderate.  I signed up for courses and read the books that had been unopened for years.  

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Then something happened that I really wasn't expecting.  As I secretly, privately worked my way through the workbooks, considering my relationship with alcohol I realised moderation was not for me.  I will never be able to moderate.  Nope - I had to quit alcohol completely.  Wait - what?  Did I say that?  Yes, I said that.  There was only one thing for it - I had to cut alcohol out of my life.

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I didn't tell anyone about this decision for a while.  I had no intention of stopping before Christmas.  I decided on a date - Monday 3rd January 2022 was going to be the day my relationship with alcohol changed for good.  

I cannot believe how much my life has changed since I quit alcohol.  You may notice that at no point have I said I was 'giving up' alcohol because I can, hand on heart, say that I have given up nothing by quitting booze.  I have more energy, sleep better, my skin is clear and glowing; my eyes sparkle (even if I do say so myself!)

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My physical health is better.  My mental health - well wow!  My anxiety levels and low moods are so much better; the difference is almost insurmountable.  I have a new lease of life; I am embracing new challenges and grasping opportunities with both hands.    

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I am genuinely happy from deep within myself.  Which feels so strange to say; because historically that has been so far from the truth.  

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My one regret with respect to quitting alcohol - and this probably does sound like a cliché - is that I did not do it sooner.  Had I had the knowledge five, maybe ten years ago that I have now, this would seem like a 'no brainer' idea to me.  Had I spoken to a sobriety coach back then - if they even existed back then - I'd have had the knowledge, the support and the empowerment of my 'sober toolkit' to have quit it long before I'd started on the spiral that, thankfully, I have long left behind.

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As a sobriety coach, it is my aim to support and guide individuals who wish to look at their relationship with alcohol before they hit 'rock bottom'.  Ideally, before they get on the spiral that I did during the pandemic. 

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If you’d like to work with me, do get in touch and together we can help you find Your Sober Path.