I didn’t always have the balance and peace I have now….
For a long time my decisions revolved around alcohol. From scheduling my day, making plans for the evenings and weekends, getting together with friends, where and when I was driving, and the anticipated hangover, alcohol controlled the choices I made.
Throughout college and my career as a pharmaceutical sales representative, "Work hard, play hard," became my motto.
I ran a successful private personal training & Pilates studio, taught a variety of fitness classes & even competed in two figure competitions in my early 40’s.
All the while alcohol was a part of all of that, always waiting in the wings for me, ready to celebrate my achievements & get me right back into the detox-retox cycle.
For years, I found myself repeating the same pattern of weekend binge drinking followed by desperate attempts to "detox" during the week.
It was a vicious cycle that only fueled my depression and anxiety. Every weekend, I would lose control, promising myself it would be different this time, only to wake up in the early hours of the morning with a racing heart and overwhelming anxiety.
The shame and self-hatred would flood over me as I desperately tried to piece together the events of the night before. I would embark on a frantic journey of detoxification rituals—exercising vigorously, consuming cleansing liquids, and even resorting to liver cleanses and supplements—to compensate for the damage I had done.
I thought that alcohol was helping me cope with my depression and anxiety, but they just kept getting worse.
Once I started doing the research, and applying my background as a pharmaceutical rep, I gained a deep understanding of the detrimental impact of alcohol on mental health, particularly its amplification of depression and anxiety.
I didn’t want to accept that alcohol counteracts the benefits of depression and anxiety medication, making your symptoms more difficult to treat, and worsening antidepressant side effects.
Armed with this newfound knowledge, I made the courageous decision to remove alcohol from my life—a decision that would change everything.
One of the remarkable benefits since removing alcohol was that I no longer needed to take antidepressants to navigate each day.
(It's important to note that this is my personal experience, not a medical claim, but it underscores the transformative power of breaking free from alcohol's grip for me.)
What my life looks like now...
Traveling with my husband, John looks different than it did before. Lots more early mornings, activity, exercise and living fully in the moment (and remembering it!)
Joining the 5am Club; waking up early to pray, journal, and exercise so that I take on the rest of the day with an empowered mindset.
