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When I finally made it past day one of not drinking (after many failed attempts), I decided I should keep a diary of my feelings and experiences so that I could look back on it one day and see how far I’d come. Annie Grace’s The Alcohol Experiment online programme includes the facility to journal online each day, and this was perfect for me as I’m not a fan of pen and paper, so I decided to put my thoughts and feelings down in my account there. Working through the programme also gave me a structure for what to write, as it offered daily topics to explore and journal about.
If you haven’t checked it out yet do take a look by visiting www.thealcoholexperiment.com. It holds your hand through the first 30 days of exploring the role that alcohol plays in your life. You’ll be presented with all the facts about drinking, and you are empowered to question your beliefs to see if they’re true for you. You’re under no pressure to do anything more than treat it as an experiment; you can then make a decision about how you want to live (or not) with alcohol as you approach the 30th day of the programme.
After a week or two of updating my online journal, I decided I would prefer to write more in-depth pieces about my sober journey so I started the Be Sober blog. You can find the blog by visiting www.besober.co.uk – I’ve updated it regularly ever since and shared many personal stories, as well as tips and advice. I found writing to be an amazing tool that helped me through those early weeks and months of sobriety, and it became an outlet that drinking used to fill. I only started the blog to help myself, but as the weeks and months went by, I started to see the visitor numbers growing. People were leaving comments saying that my posts had helped them, and they also thanked me for being open, honest and sharing.
Keeping a journal isn’t for everyone so you need to make your own decision about whether it’s right for you. But I think it genuinely helps, and I now blog about my progress as often as I can. Your journal will also help you to learn from your experiences and grow stronger; it’s a powerful tool when it comes to giving you support, inspiration and motivation. Recording your feelings is a way of understanding them, and the outpouring onto paper can help your mental and physical wellbeing. The very process of writing has also been shown to improve your immune system, lower blood pressure, and increase the function of your lungs and liver.
You don’t have to do it online – an old-fashioned book journal works just as well if you prefer. I strongly recommend you keep one for at least the first year as you explore your relationship with drinking. Some people I know have gone so far as to say that their journal was their biggest support tool on the path to freedom from alcohol. Another great use for your journal is that it allows you to become strategic in your alcohol-free life. If you have an event coming up, you can put together your plan and your goals in writing ahead of time to ensure that you’re set for success when the big day arrives.
Looking back over my journal and blog entries, it puts a smile on my face to see how far I’ve come. From drinking at least a bottle of wine every day for well over 20 years to becoming a sober coach, speaker and writer. Who would have thought that would ever happen? And my journal tells me how I did it, day by day.