300 Days Alcohol Free, Totally Sober & Free of Cognitive Dissonance! I Feel Amazing!

Hi friends! Now that I finally have my website up as of today, it's time to share my story! I now have 300 days without booze! As a busy mom and wife living in Las Vegas, it hasn't been easy choosing alcohol-free beverages. In the beginning, it was really hard! But I noticed as each triggering moment passed, it got easier and easier.

In the 300 days alcohol-free and completely sober, I went on 9 trips to 7 countries in just 10 months! I made it completely sober in Park City(Utah) for New Years, San Fransisco(California) with friends, Reno(Nevada) for my daughter's best friend's birthday, Banff(Canada) for my husband's 40th birthday, Nashville(Tennessee) on a girls trip for my best friend's 40th birthday, 5 countries in Europe for a summer vacation, Long Beach(California) for a work trip, Carlsbad/San Diego(California) for the 4th of July & family reunion, and lastly Oregon & Washington for another family reunion & my 25th high school reunion that I organized! I know! It was a lot of traveling! I managed to make it through these experiences and more without alcohol and I now can say that I am so happy I did. I feel more amazing and more accomplished every single day.

If I continued to moderate, I wouldn't be here typing this blog today. I had been sober-curious since 2019 when I was in my first 200-hour yoga teacher training. I took several breaks, all to start again feeling awful. I watched myself move through experiences as a drinker. I realized after each drinking experience how guilty, hungover and terrible I felt the next morning. I was always a party girl before I had kids. If there was a reason to drink, I wanted to participate and often felt left out if I didn't. I realized as I grew older, each drinking experience left me feeling worse. My body couldn't metabolize the alcohol like I thought it could in my 20s. I always ended up feeling out of control, and hungover and my energy was completely depleted. I would spend a week trying to chase my health back to good.

My mind flipped a switch on November 1, 2021. the day after Halloween. We had spent the entire weekend at Disneyland(California) and just drove home for a night of trick-or-treating. I didn't drink much while in California. One or two drinks each day was plenty. I probably didn't eat much on Halloween because I wanted to get the house ready for trick-or-treaters and dress up for the festivities. As we were trick-or-treating, I had my lab and french bulldog on leashes in one hand, a glass of red wine in my other hand, and my phone in my back pocket. There was a lot going on! Parents, you know what it's like to multi-task with kids. We're all pros now right? My phone dropped out of my pocket and shattered on the pavement during my first glass of wine. I didn't even realize this happened. I only had 2 glasses of wine that night, but I was buzzed and really exhausted. The next morning, my husband(the non-drinker in our family) mentioned that my phone was shattered and asked me how much I had to drink. I knew for a fact it was just 2 glasses. Right then, something clicked in my mind. Over the last 2 years, so many people asked me when I drank, how many glasses I had. I always appeared and felt more intoxicated than most people after 2 glasses of wine. My body just couldn't handle the alcohol anymore. I told my husband right then and there, "I quit". So, I did and here I am today!

Since I quit drinking, I have created the High Vibe HEALth podcast, started teaching more yoga, began leading sober curious circles, became an Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist, began to appreciate non-alcoholic beer while out and started making mocktails for fun to share with people. My biggest accomplishment though since I quit just 10 months ago, is overcoming my fear of standing in front of a large crowd and talking. I'll save this for another post! But I can now say that I am not afraid! And that is something to be proud of.

I wanted to create this website so that I can put everything in one place for you all. Stay tuned for inspiration, recipes, more podcast episodes, yoga classes, and sober curious circles. I did all of this because I believed that I am capable of more and I began believing in myself. I also want to help others. You can do your own version of magic! All you have to do is cut out the stuff holding you back from your ultimate potential. You have a gift too! What is it?

I will share more with you as the days go by. Quitting any addictive substance isn't easy. It's insanely hard! There is no right or wrong way to move through our journeys. All we can do is take it day by day. When we feel through thoughts and emotions as we find our way through each experience, the path becomes more clear. If you are interested in cutting back on any addictive substance, my biggest advice is to pause through each triggering moment and don't react. Try not to act on what you think your body wants. Your body doesn't want it. It's the addictive ingredient that's making your mind believe you want and need it. You can control the chaos in your mind. It takes time but you can do it. If you ignore acting on something that negatively affects you, eventually in time, your bad habits and addictions begin to fade. Just observe without judgment and see how you feel. It's normal to feel worse at first. One step forward and two steps back is how this will feel. It may help to journal, listen to meditations, practice yoga & other exercises, eat nourishing food from the earth, find a hobby you love, hang with people who lift you up, rest up, and most importantly, forgive yourself for all your bad choices. There is a reason you are on this exact path. You may not know now what that is but one day, you will. Find space for clarity, be present in your feelings, and practice some self-love. If you mess up, let that go and try again. Just let go and let the universe take the wheel.

I am so happy to be sharing my journey with you and hopefully soon, you can share yours with me!

I hope you all have an amazingly high-vibe day!