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I Created a ‘Busy Mum Story’ Which Always Ended With Alcohol
I Created a ‘Busy Mum Story’ Which Always Ended With Alcohol I used to lock myself in a cupboard, in a glass bottle and only let myself out at 6pm when I would pour myself into a wine glass and take a long, comforting sip. That’s how it felt. It felt like when I was…
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If Alcohol Was A Pill – Would You Take It?
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Let’s imagine that I am a travelling salesperson selling an exciting new product – The Alcohol Pill. In this analogy alcohol doesn’t exist. You have never heard of wine or beer. There’s no Jaegermeister and no tequila and nobody seeks to escape life through chemical means. Then I show up! I turn up…
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The Moment I Quit Alcohol – My Soft Rock Bottom
Rock bottom is different for everyone. Some people end up in a police cell, begging their partner to come get them with a promise that this is the last time. Others lose their job, their home, their children and only then do they quit drinking. My rock bottom? It was more of a ‘soft rock…
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12 Warning Signs That You Might Have A Drink Problem
I quit drinking alcohol 2 years ago because it was dominating my life but I never really felt that the word ‘alcoholic’ applied to me. My dad was a classic, first thing in the morning, 2 bottles of whiskey a day alcoholic and I was never that. I was heading that way though. I wished…
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The Easiest Way To Quit Alcohol – One Enlightening Day At A Time
So, lets say that this is day one. You’re quitting alcohol and you’re on top of your game! But what about tomorrow? Will quitting alcohol feel as good tomorrow? Or what about when you’re in a really shitty mood? How will you cope then? Or when it’s your birthday or you get good news…. or…
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10 Wonderful Benefits Of Living Without Alcohol
When I stopped drinking I thought it would be the end of a way of life and in many ways it was. But I had no idea that it was the start of something so much better! Whether you’re doing Stoptober, Dry January or you’re knocking the demon drink on the head forever, here’s my…
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15 Super Easy Ways To Beat Alcohol Cravings
If you’re taking time off alcohol – a month, a week, (even a day), then you need tools to beat the alcohol cravings. Here’s 15 super easy ways to beat alcohol cravings. I have also linked to other resources and articles on this site to give you more inspiration. 1. Know that it will pass!…
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Are You Under The Alcohol Spell?
In addition to the posts I write on this blog, Voice of Calm, I also offer support and advice on my new Instagram @TheAlcoholSpell. Come follow me for daily thoughts and motivation about alcohol, how to quit, how wonderful life is without it, the truth about the alcohol industry and loads more.
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South Africa Bans Alcohol During Lockdown, UK Makes It Essential!
I woke up to the news that South Africa has banned all alcohol sales for the next 3 weeks of Covid-19 lockdown. Even though no alcohol has passed my lips for 2 years when I heard this news I had a mini meltdown by proxy. I may not drink any more but I still have…
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COVID 19 Changes Everything – Why Not Your Alcohol Habits?
Current levels of crazy are through the roof! Corona Virus has the globe on lock down and people are panicking. Remember Brexit? Ah, good times! Anyone who is disposed to boozing might be forgiven for thinking that this is a time for hedonism and f*&k it thinking. Thing is, if you thought that then…
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Going alcohol free? You are so hip!
So you want to look at your relationship with alcohol? You noticed it’s playing a larger part in your life than you’d like and rather than feeling positive and fun, your drinking has started to grind you down. Well you are in great company! You are riding a super woke, alcohol-free wave and you are officially…
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Should You Do Dry January?
At this time of year most people’s thoughts turn to their weight, their drinking and their New Years resolutions, which invariably involve drinking and eating less. Not surprisingly many more people start Dry January than complete it. That’s because changing any habit is hard. Really hard! And if you don’t consider yourself to be the…
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5 Excellent Reasons To Go Sober For October
Before I gave up drinking alcohol I could never understand why anyone would go through a whole month without drinking. If you also struggle with this then here are 5 excellent reasons you should definitely Go Sober For October. Reset your relationship with alcohol They say it takes 21 days to form a habit and…
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How I Gave Up Alcohol, The First Month
If you are a regular Voice of Calm reader then you will know all about my decision to give up alcohol. But today I want to get into the how instead of the why. No, it’s not easy but it’s totally doable and the best thing I’ve ever done. Here’s how I gave up alcohol,…
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You can’t control life so stop trying so damn hard!
You are not in control of your life How do you feel about the above statement? Fearful? Resigned? Confused? I had to go through a 4 month long major depression episode in order to discover something that might be glaringly obvious to many people. This simple realisation has helped me overcome depression, quit alcohol and…
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You’re not an alcoholic because you drink after 6pm!
I hear you! You’re not a morning drinking, wife beating, park bench sleeping, slurring, stinking alcoholic. And you don’t get the shakes when you haven’t had alcohol for a few hours. You’d never drink during the day and anything after 6pm is fine, right? There’s this very strange notion that the time of day you…
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12 Months Without Alcohol: 12 Things I’ve Learnt
I celebrated my 1 year ‘soberversary’ this weekend and it felt amazing! It has been scary, awesome, impossible, enlightening, limitless, emboldening, celebratory and nuts! So, here are 12 things I have learnt in 12 months without alcohol. I could have done 50 things but I don’t wanna rinse it! 🙂 1. My relationships have been…
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Overcoming Alcohol Triggers And Maintaining My Sobriety
As the novelty of living without alcohol fades and signs of summer appear, I am met with a whole buffet of alcohol triggers. Apparently maintaining my sobriety is going to be tougher than I thought. A couple of weeks ago the weather suddenly went from grey to balmy. It was as if someone had taken…
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Relapse every time you quit smoking? You need to change your language…
Smoking is for losers. Fact! Vaping is super weird looking, expensive and probably also bad for you. Opinion! You may be trying to quit your nicotine addiction as we speak or perhaps you already managed the hard part and now you’re worried it won’t last. If you want to avoid relapse within the first year…
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Quitting alcohol made me a better mum (and that was just the start)
Gayle Macdonald gave up alcohol 2 years ago because it had gradually become the most important thing in her life. As a Brit living in Spain she is very much swimming against a tide of overindulgence but quitting alcohol made her a better mum and improved her life on so many levels. We are so…
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Drinking Wasn’t My Passtime, It Was My Identity. So I Quit!
Right up until the moment I quit I thought I would always be a drinker. I would never give up alcohol. Life was too short to not drink, surely. I saw anyone who abstained as a bit weird, twisted even and certainly not my people. Drinking was my identity: it wasn’t so much something I…
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Why I won’t moderate my drinking *this one’s heavy
I get asked why I don’t just moderate my drinking instead of giving up, a lot! Well, here you go… One of my least fond childhood memories is my drunk dad throwing up out of the passenger window of our family car and it splashing on my window behind him. I can’t really fluff that…
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British Women Are Among The Heaviest Drinkers In The World
If it was 1997, the fact that British women are among the heaviest drinkers in the world would have me beaming with pride while exclaiming, ‘Get in ladies! GET IN!!’ However it’s 2018 and ladette culture is so last century! So how is it that we are in this completely embarrassing situation? Micky Flanagan Knows…
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Profile: The Musician Whose Sobriety Is ‘Freedom On Every Level’
Jude Rawlins is a songwriter, guitarist, producer and filmmaker who hasn’t had a drink in 25 years. He explains why his sobriety is freedom on every level. When and why did you stop drinking alcohol? I stopped using drugs and alcohol in December 1993 because they didn’t work for me any more. But I’d have…
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People Who Live Without Alcohol Aren’t All Recovering
Warning: This post is more of a rant than an article. It’s aimed at the invisible, unspoken pity targeted at those who live without alcohol. Some people, SOME PEOPLE, have made a decision to live without alcohol. Why? Well, maybe they don’t like the taste of it. Maybe, feeling drunk freaks them out. Or it…
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I Am A Better Mum Without Alcohol
Don’t get your knickers in a twist! I am not saying that people who drink alcohol are bad parents. However, without alcohol I personally feel that I am a better mum. Yes I had always been aware that doing the kids homework with a glass of wine in my hand, cooking dinner with a G+T…
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Could you be a pre-alcoholic?
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_cta h2=”FUN FACT (by which I mean, annoying fact)”]Before we get started on this one, here’s something you need to understand…. The NHS follow government advice, which THEY get from a bunch of ‘experts’ who are in part assembled by Drink Aware. Drink Aware is an advisory body set up by …. the drinks industry!…
The Alcohol Spell
