“This works for me,” says Liisa, 68, who has become sober through Soberist’s online coaching. She has been a soberist for more than six months now and believes she will remain one.
Only those close to Liisa know about her alcohol problem and that she no longer drinks. Liisa is uncertain if she will ever share her story with others or even discuss her sobriety.
“For a long time, I lived a double life: in public, I was like everyone else, but when I got home, I drank alone. Not many people would necessarily believe how much I drank. Now that I’ve stopped drinking, I may not feel the need to proclaim it to others.”
Liisa had been drinking problematically for eight years before she put the cork down in early December 2020. Her relationship with alcohol is familiar to many: as a young person, she consumed alcohol heavily but socially; later, as a family mother, her drinking became more moderate.
Alcohol only became a problem when Liisa retired.
"I never thought I would become an alcohol addict," Liisa says.
“I ALWAYS DRANK TO STOP“
Soon, Liisa was drinking every weekday evening. Gradually, her drinking started earlier, and eventually, she began drinking as early as midday, continuing after her afternoon nap. “I woke up in the morning, wet with sweat, and vowed never to drink again. But when morning came and the anxiety set in, I needed more medicine.”
“I’ve always been a bit anxious, ever since I was a child. I started using alcohol as a medicine for anxiety quite early on. When I retired, there were no restrictions on drinking,” she recalls.
Liisa says that she always drank for the last time, intending to quit: “I always thought, ‘Just this month’ or ‘Just this once,’ but I couldn’t stop the cycle.” In hindsight, she reflects that the problem crept up quietly and secretly, and when she finally woke up to it, there was no way out.
“I knew I couldn’t stop. It was horrible. I never thought I would become an alcohol addict.”
“FREE FROM WINE BOOK HIT”
Liisa tried several times to struggle with her willpower but could not stick to her decision. She did not seek help for her substance abuse problem because she feared the stigma of living in a small community.
One day, Liisa went to the health centre for a check-up, and a nurse asked her about her alcohol consumption. Surprisingly, Liisa told the truth: her alcohol consumption was daily, and she couldn’t stop.
The nurse referred Liisa to Mieppi, a finnish mental health and addiction service, for therapy. However, it did not lead to change. “Maybe I wasn’t ready yet, or maybe it wasn’t effective enough,” Liisa now reflects.
Then Liisa came across “Free from Wine”-book in the library and borrowed it.
“It rang a bell. Reading it, I felt that the author really knew what he was talking about. I borrowed it several times and decided to buy my own, but by then, I already knew the book by heart,” Liisa laughs.
“SOBERIST SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT ALLOWS YOU TO GET SOBER IN SECRET”
In fall 2020, Liisa saw Soberist’s posts about the upcoming online coaching and eagerly awaited its launch. When the course page was finally published, Liisa was appalled by the price.
“I sent a message about the price, and Ira Koivu replied that I should calculate how much I spent on alcohol per month. Well, I counted, and I was even more horrified!”
So, Liisa joined the Soberist online coaching, and in early May, she completed six months as a soberist. Liisa does not believe that she would have been able to get sober without online coaching.
“The Soberist treatment concept is brilliant! I live in a small town, and I would never have dared to go to an A-clinic for help. There could have been people I knew. I couldn’t have afforded the Minnesota treatment if I had wanted to go there. With Soberist’s online coaching, you can get sober in secret without being branded an alcoholic.”
“The course is designed and run by the author of Free from Wine, who has been there and knows what it’s all about. What’s more, there’s no need to go anywhere – it’s all done from home on a tablet or computer screen. You can meet and get peer support from others who have experienced the same thing, even if you live in different parts of Finland. We have a kind of secret society of soberists,” Liisa laughs.
“THIS ONLINE COURSE SAVED MY LIFE”
“Now that I know what the course has to offer, I think it’s worth the price – and more. It gives you so much: course materials, community support, expert advice, and peer-to-peer meetings.”
Liisa feels that life has changed for the better since she got sober. Soberism has brought better sleep and joy.
“I can live every day feeling good about myself, proud of myself. I am present in a completely different way with the grandchildren. While I was still drinking, I was in a terrible hurry to get them to sleep.”
What do you think about the future?
“This is the decision of the rest of my life. I will be a soberist for the rest of my life, and life is getting better all the time. At the risk of sounding like a proclamation, I think this course saved my life.”
If you want to quit alcohol and need help, check out Soberist’s online course.
