Healing myself naturally - 4 years alcohol free
Today is my 4 year anniversary of no longer consuming alcohol and social cigarettes ✨✨✨
I was what was considered a middle lane drinker. Drinking 1-2 times a week sometimes and sometimes I would not drink for weeks. Not drinking alcohol at all for any occasion is mostly easy for me now but there was many, many challenges and firsts to get through when I decided to quit completely. Even today there are shockingly still new firsts.
Four years ago today I was told I had PBC (an auto immune disease for life which affects the liver but not caused by alcohol) I was told I would need life long drugs to stop it from progressing as it is a progressive disease and when I asked about healthy ways to heal I was told lifestyle improvements will not help - only lifelong pharmaceutical drugs.
After watching a documentary many years ago which dealt with many illnesses through removing pharmaceutical drugs and changing the diet and lifestyle of people (forks over knives) I stopped consuming meat & dairy despite loving them at the time and it was a welcome surprise that it cured my psoriasis (really sore looking skin on my hands and elbows that had been in my life for years). The hospital and drs had always told me that diet made no difference and certainly never mentioned lifestyle. No amount of creams or light treatment over the many years cured it but what I did not eat made all the difference.
So I now knew diet and lifestyle changes was worth a try with this new diagnosis and with constant monitoring (had lots of MRIS, bloods, ultrasound scans, fibro scans etc) I could always rethink the drugs if I got worse (this would be very unlikely) but as I was determined to only put good things in my system and so I refused the drugs. I was made to feel like I was mad for this decision, only one consultant three years on understood my decision after seeing the results. Six months ago I got the great news that the two most recent scans I had just had looked better and they could not see what they thought was there and there was no need for the annual MRI scan now. I take this as I am healing myself.
I had many happy memories drinking and quite a good relationship with alcohol (the last night drinking I went out on a high - it was really a great one with extended family and I did not know at the time it would be my last)) however I do not miss the hangovers and regrets and I am truly grateful that my big brother knew I no longer drank alcohol for two years before he was taking away from us way too early two years ago tomorrow.
I started drinking for fake confidence in my teens but the feelings the next day are anything but confidence and I feel more confident being authentically me and knowing I can be truly present for my daughters and family.
Above is taken from my sober app today 😊 I based the money on two drinking days a week and five cigarettes a session then divided the money over seven days.
I know some people must think she does not eat meat, dairy, chocolate bars or drink alcohol what does she do? So here is what I have lost, here is what I have gained.
What l have lost from eating plant based and being sober?
Weight
Bigger food shop bills for meat and booze
Anxiety (obviously still have some sometimes but none of that the morning after feeling or even days after caused by hanging)
Poor sleep
Shame and regret
Fear
Foggy mind
Psoriasis
The need for any pharmeutricals - None for four years - No illness except mild form of covid
Wasted weekends getting over the drink
The opportunity to nibble everything in the house (cannot eat what is not plant based)
My addiction to cigarettes (100% eliminating drinking for good meant that I am no longer a social smoker, when I was younger I was a 20 a day then gave up for many years then stupidly started social smoking with drinks)
What have I gained from not drinking
More years (hopefully) - Knowing I am enjoying doing my best to have more years on this beautiful planet with my loved ones and friends
Amazing longer Sunday mornings - family time, walks in natures, beautiful breakfast
Consistency in work and personal life
Remembering nights out
Much more enjoyment of natural and normal things in life
More enjoyment of live music
Even more love for mornings
£1095 per year minimum
Improved mental health
Focused on my values
Better skin and health
Deeper conversations on nights out
Independence
Pride
8 hours of quality sleep - This is huge to me, everyone bored of my need for 8 hours sleep 😊
Confidence that I should not go yellow, itchy and be so grumpy as I cannot handle being tired
My authentic self - I can live by my values now (always work in progress)
Some of the changes I have made to improve lifestyle
Daily meditation
Drink celery juice on empty tummy (actually manage this 4-5 times a week) Very yuk at beginning but the liver rescue book highly recommends.
Yoga
Journalling
Add tumeric to lots of meals including breakfast to reduce inflammation (so good in porridge and vegetable based breakfasts)
Made walking and being in nature a daily thing
Stopped taking the contraceptive pill that goes to the liver (was put on this before I even had sex) = So grateful to start to understand my natural cycle at 42 years old
Stopped dying my hair every three week as not good for my liver - made the most of the silver revolution
Swopped normal tea for jasmine green tea = I am in love with green tea
Beautiful vegan meals cooked by everyone in the house (even though they are not all vegan)
Gave up chocolate (did not have to do this but had RTT to help me on my healthy journey so I asked Tracy to get me to stop eating chocolate too). Eating dates and kiwis really helped too.
Listening to Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee podcasts and many others
Had Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) this combines Hypnotherapy, Psychotherapy and Neuroscience to help me be excited about eating healthy (one session of this REALLY worked - I LOVE healthy food) and to to have confident I was not going to be boring now I was not getting off my head to have fun ( I have been told I do not need alcohol haha)
A couple of recent comments I have heard included "Might as well give up life now" “You have to live"
✨So I thought I would share a few things that light me up and have been taken in the years of being alcohol free .✨
From reading this you can see there are only positives to be taken.
I am so grateful to the drs for diagnosing what I have and for the hard work that they do but I choose food, sleep, nature, meditation and love as my medicine.
Feel very grateful the support at the beginning of my journey and today from my parents, husband, daughter, friends, the ladies I have met through my business including the ladies at Everything Baby Berkshire (Kelly, Tessa, Rebecca), the ladies thorough Gemma Went’s mastermind (Rhiannon, Rayna, Dipti, Marie and Gemma), ladies I met through Athena (Joanna, Sophie, Charlie, Debbie), Tracy Stone for the RTT, Andy Ramage from Dryy (formerly at OYNB) for his daily motivational lives, the sober app, the calm app, seedlip gin (this was amazing at the beginning of my journey and thank you mum for bringing this straight round with alcohol free cocktail ideas when I heard at Christmas I had a dodgy liver).
Thank you to all my friends on nights in and nights out for having the same laugh with me as always, for getting the plant free food in and pouring my alcohol free drinks.
I am very lucky to have the most supportive family who always are there when I decide on something new or different. My friends who all still drink have been amazing too. Grateful too to my one fellow addicted green tea drinker Rhiannon for making me feel normal on the journey and for teaching me the power of rest, Chinese medicine and yin yoga. I LOVE green tea even on the dance floor nowadays.
Thank you to Gemma Bowden too for recommending months ago that I share this story and for her amazing guidance on all things healing and being authentically you in business.💕
I hope someone will be inspired from reading this.