Hello and welcome.
My name is Carmela and I’m so pleased to meet you.
This is my sober blog. It documents my journey to sobriety. But you can also find advice, hints and tips for going sober yourself. As well as writing about sobriety I also cover mental health, wellness and fitness.
For years I suffered with poor mental health and my addictive nature. After finally addressing my turbulent relationship with alcohol I was able to transform my mental health and my life. Alcohol misuse went hand in hand with the depression and anxiety that I had been living with since my early 20’s. Now that it’s out the picture my mental and physical health has never been better.
How it all began
Although the setting has changed over the years from party girl who was out hitting bars and clubs, champagne flowing and never having an off switch, suffering from severe bouts of depression and a lovely eating disorder on the side, through to stressed out mum trying to juggle the pressures of a high-pressured job, being mum, a wife, a friend and being told by numerous magazines that you can have it all! (easier said than done).
A glass of ‘mummy juice’ a night (look at all the cleaver marketing by alcohol brands aimed at stressed out mums) quickly turned into a bottle a night and then some to help me ‘unwind’.
I have felt for a long time that I was slowly killing myself through the lifestyle I was living. It took for my fiend Sarah to be diagnosed with breast cancer, to wake up and start making a change.
Sarah
Sarah was in her 30’s with four gorgeous kids when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She made it her mission to raise awareness to all the negative impacts our poor lifestyle create. Sarah documented her journey to trying to beat cancer through nutrition, alternative therapy combined with traditional treatments. Her journey inspired me to start taking a deep look inside.
Over the next few years, I started analyzing my life. I left my job and took time out to embark on a journey of self-discovery. I started trying to kick the booze too. There were many failed attempts, but each attempt strengthened my resolve.
The journey was a lonely one. I didn’t have support. AA had never appealed, I explored it many times but was always put off.
Fast forward to July 23rd, 2020. In the midst of a global pandemic, I attempted to kick the booze for good. Again. I found loads of sober people on Instagram and started making connections. This has proven my biggest means of support to date.
Sadly, I found out that my incredible friend Sarah lost her battle with cancer on day 2 of my sober journey. Rather than use this as an excuse to feel sorry for myself and reach for the bottle, I instead chose to honor her memory by creating the sort of life I want to live and to really, LIVE. Free of the shackles of addiction and poor mental health and to help others who want to explore a fuller, happier life.
We all deserve to live the best lives possible.