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- Welcome to the Life After Alcohol Newsletter
Welcome to the Life After Alcohol Newsletter
For those questioning their relationship with alcohol and wondering where to start, you're in the right place.
Jess Dennis
March 17, 2023
If you’d prefer to listen to this message, please click here for the audio file.
Hi there, my name is Jess and I want to welcome you to my Life After Alcohol Newsletter! My intention is to create content to share with others considering or actively facing life after alcohol. For years before I made the decision to quit drinking, I thought a life without alcohol would be the worst possible life. I thought people who didn’t drink were boring and I was convinced we wouldn’t be friends. It’s no surprise then, that I didn’t really have people in my life that didn’t drink! Therefore, I didn’t have active examples of people living their best lives alcohol-free! This is my intention with this newsletter … to share what I’m discovering on the other side of alcohol. I’m facing what I was most fearful of and it’s been so. much. more than I could have EVER expected! Life after alcohol is rich, deep, real, honest, truly happy, emotional, powerful and so much more. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Let’s start on September 25, 2022, when I woke up after a night of drinking and decided that I was done, I had absolutely no idea what a life without alcohol would look like. In many ways I thought I was going to have to learn how to live a half-life…a life no one would choose but some had to accept. I wondered if I’d find friends in this new life, if I’d travel, if I’d ever “party” again or enjoy a late night with others. It was hard to focus on the simple act of simply not drinking because I was so in my head about the future.
Looking back, I can see that this overwhelming fear kept me stuck for years. I can see that every attempt at sobriety over the years (starting in 2019) failed because of something called “future tripping.” Future tripping is a term used in the sober curious space to describe those in early sobriety needlessly worrying about anything in the future – celebrations, weddings, graduations, vacations, NYE, a shitty Monday…you name it, anything where alcohol played a significant role in our activities. Future tripping, along with mentally romanticizing alcohol were the two biggest hurdles to overcome on my path toward freedom.
I am asked on the daily about my journey to give up alcohol. The questions are as varied as the people and our conversations can take all different paths, and they’re all life-giving. I heard a quote from a podcast I was listening to recently that said, “You are perfectly positioned to help your former self.” That’s the best way I can describe what I’m doing here. I’m helping the me of 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. My intention is to share my story and experience with anyone facing a similar journey because, while you might feel alone, we are not alone.
Here's what you can expect from this newsletter:
- Real talk about what it’s like to walk away from alcohol
- Tools and resources that have helped me
- Book, podcast, and online course recommendations
- NA products and mocktail recipes
- Stats and numbers around the alcohol industry
- and a lot more
Before I close out this first message I need to tell you that this won’t be for everyone facing a life without alcohol. My story does not involve debilitating or dangerous addiction, I did not attend AA or medical detox, and I was not physically addicted to the point of needing professional assistance. Everyone needs to choose what path is right for them. My story is one of gray area drinking, questioning my relationship with alcohol for years, and quitting on my own with the help of podcasts, books, and online courses. This newsletter is for anyone exploring sober curiosity that wants to be reminded that they’re not alone and supported on their journey.
XOXO - Jess
