Tiina, 49, who took the Get Rid of Wine course, explains how she managed to get rid of alcohol, and how it affected her life.
I HAVE now been a soberist for a year. What can I say except that I’m damn proud of myself.
Time has gone by so fast, at least in retrospect. There were difficult and wistful moments in the beginning, but once you got over them, it got easier.
Before I quit, my alcohol consumption was daily. After work I drank red wine, beer, lonkeros and cider. On weekends from Friday to Sunday, alcohol consumption was quite high.
Life was a very work- and alcohol-centred grey performance from morning to the next glass of wine.
I had tried to cut down and quit many times without success.
AT NIGHT I was halfway through Ira Koivu’s book Free from Wine (I had it since its publication in 2016) and on Facebook I had been following the Free from Wine website for a long time.
Suddenly, in August 2020, the site changed its name to Soberist and at the end of September I spotted that a new edition of the Free from Wine book had been published and they were looking for pilots for the online course.
I immediately thought I’d apply, but immediately afterwards I buried the idea. Finally, however, I dared to write an application and sent it to Ira.
I still REMEMBER how it hurt to write that message. But in a way, it was also a great relief to admit to addiction for the first time – and to a complete stranger.
The time waiting for a reply was really long, and I was already starting to consider other options. The need for help was suddenly compelling: once you had really admitted to yourself that you had a problem, there was an urgent need to get help immediately.
Fortunately, I didn’t have time to get a health insurance voucher because I was accepted into the pilot group of the ” Get off the booze easily and happily ” course.
HOW I GOT RID OF ALCOHOL
I’ve been wondering why I managed to put the cap on this time, and relatively easily. The biggest factors have certainly been too many false starts and failed attempts to reduce and stop alcohol consumption. The decision was strong from the start.
I was also aware that I was not a moderate user. Usage will very quickly return to its old patterns.
ANOTHER factor has been the Get Rid of Wine course and especially its weekly zoom meetings, where I have received peer support for good and bad moments.
Even though there were not many of us at the beginning, I felt, and still feel, that the meetings are really important for sharing experiences. Only another person in the same situation can fully understand what you are going through on this journey.
The THIRD thing that has been important to me on the road to success has been my husband and children, especially my 17-year-old daughter, who perhaps suffered most from my drinking. He has been very encouraging and proud of my achievement.
A big burden of worry has been lifted off her shoulders, as she no longer has to worry about how she is when she comes home from friends.
The BEST feedback I’ve ever received came from my daughter today. He said that I am his idol because I am now present and always there to help and support them if and when any of them need me. And that I have survived so many difficulties and overcome so many difficulties.
I moved so much that I cried. In the past, I really wasn’t present, but always thinking about the next glass of wine.
Now that the kids are getting older and can manage on their own, it’s nice to plan our own things, trips and activities together with my husband. I don’t know how wet life would have been if I hadn’t stopped drinking. It’s terrifying just to think about it.
HOW LIFE CHANGED WHEN I GOT SOBER
This past year has been pretty amazing. I’ve learned a lot of new things about myself, I’ve changed physically, but the biggest change has definitely been in my head.
There is joy, laughter and freedom in life again.
There were certainly more difficult moments in the beginning, but I always tried to keep in mind what would be better in this moment if I had a glass of wine. Usually the craving went away pretty quickly, as long as you didn’t get stuck in the craving.
I used to use a lot of non-wood alternatives in different situations, but now I’ve noticed that their use has decreased all by itself. Water and a soda will do just fine.
Of course, life brings challenges, sorrows and difficulties from time to time, but in the words of my course mate Liisa: “One thing is fine: I am a soberist”.
I’m so grateful to have a whole new life: it’s time before 30. October 2020, and the period thereafter.
THANK YOU to our course mates for the invaluable peer support, let’s continue our journey together, supporting each other through the good times and the not so good times.
Finally, I have to thank Ira Koivu once again for developing this course and for choosing me as a pilot. It changed my life completely. I am eternally grateful.
Thank you ❤️ Plan. Tiina 30.10.2021
