F. Scott Fitzgerald said, "For what it’s worth: it's never too late, or in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There are no rules to this thing." This quote perfectly captures what I’d tell anyone contemplating an alcohol-free life.

You might wonder how something as simple as quitting drinking can have such a profound impact on your life. Honestly, I can't explain it. But I’ll tell you this: it does. By removing alcohol your mornings (and the mornings of your loved ones) will change from a one-eyed-open dread to a both-eyes-open peaceful anticipation of a new day.

Are you pushing the river and making change harder than it needs to be? Change can be easier - whether it's with alcohol, exercise, relationships, career, or anything else. Find quiet time, define your desires, identify obstacles, and then relax and flow. The river will take you where you want to go.

It's hard to quit drinking. But when life gets lifey you’ll find yourself saying, “Thank God I’m not pouring alcohol on this s***.”

You’ll find gratitude in the most painful moments. You’ll trust the fact that you’re the expert in your experience. You’ll be a better friend, partner, and parent. You’ll slow down and appreciate the beautiful thing that is life in all its messiness and celebration.

It's normal to get ahead of ourselves and complicate things. When considering sobriety, so many thoughts come up. Will I not drink forever? What will other people think? What will I do? What would it look like if it were easy?

Do you find yourself back and forth on the sobriety decision? Afraid to truly commit to an AF life because you’re afraid of losing friends, boredom, having no fun, etc. I was afraid too and it turns out for no reason. Let’s talk about the BENEFITS of sobriety.

How do you get from Point A (stuck) to Point B (clarity)? As a recovery coach, I work with women to collaboratively resolve ambivalence about change. It’s a path that’s not linear but does have a few key steps:

Sobriety is uncomfortable (before it becomes comfortable). Heck, life is uncomfortable. There’s no way around it, so why not get good at it? Learn how to harness your discomfort to feel good!

Remember when the “old you” thought it would be nice if the “future you” could stop drinking without the “current you” making any changes to your environment? Didn't work, right? Here are 3 thoughts on creating a successful alcohol-free environment.

I was recently asked the question “When do you stop thinking about alcohol?”

Short answer: You don't.

Longer answer: Through time and practice in sobriety you'll think of alcohol differently.

Here are 3 thoughts on "When do you stop thinking about drinking?”

Feelings of sadness, jealousy, nostalgia, etc. can pop up after years of not drinking - and that's OK. These feelings are matched with a grounded belief in the decision to be alcohol-free and daily practices that foster intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth.

"I'm having a really hard time not drinking. It's as simple and as complicated as that. I see above that you work with women who are "ready to give up alcohol." I worry that I'm not actually there yet. I want to stop, but part of me also obviously doesn't want to stop."

This message sums up how so many people feel about the decision to stop drinking.

Are you waiting to want to stop drinking?

The dilemma I had when considering quitting drinking was that I wanted to talk to people who had already done it and I was scared to death to talk to people who had already done it.

Here are 3 thoughts on "finding your people”

Staying stopped isn't easy. Obviously. We'd all just stop if it was.

It's the hard-fought culmination of deciding what you want, going after it imperfectly, and, at a moment you least expect it, whispering uncle.

You know the old saying about opinions, right? If you don't, google it. A new saying I heard is “They're like Mariah Carey songs - no one wants to hear them.”

The thing is, when I decided to quit drinking I did want to hear them. I had this bizarre need to know what other people thought of my decision and I entertained their opinions.

Change is hard…not impossible. When navigating change, knowledge is power. You can't change what you don't notice.

Resisting cravings rewires your brain and, believe it or not, can bring pleasure. As they say, “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.”

Choose yourself and you're choosing to take responsibility for your own well-being. When you do this you set the stage for better interactions and relationships with the people around you.

There's no doubt a sober life is a more joyful one. But no one can feel joy all the time. There's no joy without pain. Like Rob Base (the one who knows about things) says, “Joy and pain. Like sunshine and rain.”

There's no way around it, quitting drinking is HARD. But you can choose a kind, gentle way through the process.