Your Guide To Dry January

Happy New Year, sweet friends!

Normally, my first post of the year would be a sales round up and some best sellers, but this year I feel compelled to change it up a bit….

As I’ve shared before, I’ve been sober since January 19, 2020. I stopped drinking and haven’t looked back. I’ve created The Sober Mom Life instagram, which led to The Sober Mom life podcast, a Facebook group (that’s growing every day!) and now a Patreon for bonus episodes and content.

Phew.

I had no idea the impact my decision almost 3 years ago would have on my life and those around me.

I had no idea how many moms needed to hear someone say: “It’s OK. You can stop. You don’t have to declare yourself powerless. You don’t have to label it.”

If you’re trying Dry January for the first time, or this is your first time experiencing life without alcohol, I’m SO proud of you.

This is just the beginning…

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CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE SOBER MOM MUG

I spent the first 30 days of my sobriety learning all I could about what alcohol is, what it does to our bodies and minds and what it had stolen from me. How did I accomplish this from the comfort of my own home? A steady stream of podcasts and audiobooks. I made it my mission to get to the bottom of why alcohol felt like such a trick. (Spoiler alert: it is.)

This is why it was so important for me to create The Sober Mom Life podcast. I felt a need to share everything I’d learned on my journey, and give a platform to those people who knew more about alcohol and its effects than I do.

We’re on our 42nd episode (HOW?!) and I’ve been honored to speak to some incredible women in sobriety who are challenging the norms and how we’ve historically thought about alcohol and “alcoholism.” (Whatever that is.)

In this week’s episode, I share tips for Dry January and how you can change your perspective going into the month…

How Do You Feel? – The Sober Mom Life

Society has done such an effective job of teaching us to restrict our emotions that it can feel hard to believe that emotions are a completely natural human experience. So many of us learned to reach for a drink when we started to feel an uncomfortable emotion, and we lost touch with how to feel anything at all.  Learning how to feel your emotions is often one of the biggest parts of a sobriety journey. So today, I ask my therapist mom: How do you feel emotions in an effective way?  We’ll talk about how to recognize and process emotions, the dangers of emotional numbing, understanding shame, and even how to model effective emotional awareness for our children.  Join us in the The Sober Mom Life Cafe! For just $25/month, you get access to 8 weekly peer support meetings, the exclusive Cafe social feed (like Facebook, but better!), our monthly book club, the monthly Q+A, the ability to join the retreat, and the chance to share your story on The Real Sober Moms, and merch discounts!  We also have The Sober Mom Life Community for just $5.95/month – In the Community, you’ll receive access to the exclusive Community social feed (like Facebook, but better!), the exclusive community chat, our monthly book club, and one free weekly meeting.  My mocktail recipe book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ is finally here! Grab your copy here:  https://mykindofsweet.com/2024/01/the-no-ethanol-needed-mocktail-ebook-is-here/ Click here to follow The Sober Mom Life on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1. How Do You Feel? 41:55
2. The Real Sober Moms with Ashlee 44:42
3. Going All in on Sobriety with Emily Ley 50:34
4. Flashback Friday: How I Think About My Sobriety 24:48
5. Pregnancy Doesn’t Count 50:54

Click here to shop my SOBER IS COOL sweatshirt

Dry January Guide

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS

THIS NAKED MIND | ANNIE GRACE

Talk to anyone who chose a different path in sobriety (meaning not the traditional AA route), and This Naked Mind will be at the top of their list. If you’ve never challenged your relationship and idea of alcohol, I can’t recommend this book enough. It shatters everything we thought we knew about alcohol. I even consider it an “un-brainwashing,” since everywhere we look we’re taught that alcohol is the solution to our problems. This book destroys that notion and will teach you SO much about the truth about alcohol. I suggest you listen to it, rather than read it, because it’s quite lengthy and repetitive. I loved listening to it in one AirPod while I went about my day.

NOT DRINKING TONIGHT | AMANDA E. WHITE, LPC

This book picks up where This Naked Mind left off. If your relationship with alcohol stems from a knowledge problem, Annie Grace’s book might just be enough. However, if there is more underneath your drinking, which there usually is, Not Drinking Tonight will help you explore and uncover that.

Also – stay tuned Amanda is on my podcast soon!!

QUIT LIKE A WOMAN | HOLLY WHITAKER

Yep, the book that helped Miranda quit drinking in And Just Like That. (Although, can we all agree that storyline needed much more? Like, she just ordered this book and that was it? Really?) In this book, Holly Whitaker presents an impressive takedown of Alcoholics Anonymous, complete with a whole lot of research and radical thinking. I love it.

OTHER SOBER PODCASTS I LOVE

THE HELLO SOMEDAY PODCAST

Casey Davidson brings such a fresh and honest perspective to sobriety. I love her take on it and she really goes deep with her guests. I had her on my podcast a few months ago – listen to that episode here!

SOBER POWERED

Gill Tietz has a background in Biochemistry, and she brings that scientific knowledge to alcohol and how it affects our brains and bodies. She was on my podcast (listen to that episode here), and I love listening to hers.

A SOBER GIRLS GUIDE PODCAST

Another favorite! I had the pleasure of being on Jessica’s podcast last year, way before I had my own podcast. I can’t wait to have her on mine. 🙂 You can listen to my episode on her podcast here!