Having spent my entire adult life with alcohol as a close companion, I finally broke free in January 2020. The fear of impending lockdown and retirement, and the extra time I might have with my 'evil friend' moved me to an action that I have never regretted and wish I had made sooner.
My 40 years of experience in the professional services sector has been accompanied by a regular consumption of alcohol. Like many men of my age, I started drinking in my teens because it was the 'done thing'. Alcohol was a constant companion throughout my life until 2020.
Now in the latter part of my career, I have taken the opportunity to build on my skills and retrained as a Sober Coach.
In 2019 I could see no easy way of giving up something that had been a part of my life for more than 40 years. I felt that I wasn't at 'rock bottom' and my drinking was just 'what people do'.
What I found was that it is relatively easy to change the habits of a lifetime with the right support. In 2020 there was limited support for 'grey area drinkers' which was defined in a TEDx talk by Jolene Park which you can watch here
I am grateful and proud to be part of a movement to educate and support the growing number of people that have made the decision to change their relationship with alcohol.