I had to break up with alcohol to finally be free.

There isn’t an area of my life that hasn’t been positively touched by my choice to quit drinking.

I knew from a young age that I would need to keep an eye on myself since both of my parents struggled with alcoholism & addiction.

Among so many other things, it was when my passion for health & nutrition was sparked that I started to open my eyes more to the incongruence of my drinking.

How could I help people with their health when I was binge drinking every weekend and hungover half of the week? I felt like a fraud.

It didn’t matter how many salads I ate during the week, nothing could erase the damage I was doing to myself on the weekends.

I started trying to moderate and/or quit in 2016, but there was a lot of yoyo-ing that still had to happen. I still needed to really see for myself the extent that it was holding me back.

In early 2021, while so many pieces of my life were moving in a seemingly positive direction, I saw once again that alcohol still had its tentacles on my potential for true success and happiness.

From the outside you might never know because I was really good at hiding it, but on the inside it was dark and I was suffering.

It took a particular series of scary events to open my eyes enough to get resolute one more time in my decision to stop.

I spent the first year this time focused on doing the inner work and deepening my roots in this choice.

In 5 days I will have 500 consecutive days alcohol free. I pray to have a lifetime more, but I continue to focus only on what’s in front of me today.

What I can tell you is that unlike having a hangover, this is a choice you will never regret.

Look, I know there are people out there that can drink without an issue or without questioning what it’s doing their life and their health.

I also know that there are more than you realize who are afraid to admit that it’s a problem and is definitely negatively impacting their life in some way(s).

People walking around in shame and deteriorating health, when if they just addressed their drinking it would be the key to so many things.

But we live in a society that glamorizes all of it and stigmatizes talking about it.

And I know that it’s one of the things that I’m here to talk about.

So if any of this hits home and resonates for you, please don’t ignore it. Please don’t ignore that inner voice and wisdom.

Maybe this is the time to start listening…

Is it easy in the beginning? No.

Does it take time and work to build new pathways, habits and behaviors? You bet.

Will you love yourself more and begin to feel like everything you’ve ever wanted is possible? You got it.

Will you need to find your own recipe of things that support you on the path? Yep.

Will every single ‘no’ and every single decision that you make to protect this choice be worth it? Absolutely 100%

If you need someone to talk to for support, guidance, or direction, I’m here. Don’t hesitate to reach out.

You are not alone.

Mimi

xoxo

#exposeyourtruth

Photo by the amazing Karine Fortin with A Particular Style