Though I wasn’t what most people would consider a typical alcoholic, I struggled with alcohol misuse during my late teens and throughout my 20s, and decided to give up drinking in mid-2018. I joined a local SMART Recovery group to help me adjust and have found the whole experience of living in a lively city without drinking fascinating.
Since then, I’ve had countless conversations about the nature of drinking with people who drink and many who don’t – about what constitutes having a drinking problem, how to navigate sticky situations involving alcohol as a sober person, how to manage stress, anxiety, and other mental health conditions without alcohol, and more. This blog is a place where I collect and share insights from things I’ve read, discussed with my social science-based recovery group, picked up in social encounters, or gained through lots and lots of introspection.
My perspective is based on alcohol specifically, and on alcohol misuse without chemical dependency. I am a woman in my early 30s living in an urban environment, which certainly affects the way I perceive and interact with the world around me. My reflections may not be applicable to everyone reading this blog, but I hope there are tidbits that anybody can use.
This is not a preachy space for me to talk about the health and wellness benefits of sobriety, and certainly not a place to shame people who drink heavily. It’s a space to outline how the experience of sobriety is challenging, unique, and sometimes isolating. And how it can be empowering and fortifying, if you’re equipped with the right tools. I’m trying to provide some of the tools and information (and as much as I can swing it, some social science) to help people figure things out as they navigate or think about going sober.
I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you on what it takes to “like” being sober!
-Dana G
Some Like It Sober 