sober support for everyone
Simply put the Fading Affect Bias, or FAB as phycologist call it, refers to the way your brain will forget or fade memories associated with unpleasant emotions faster than memories associated with pleasant emotions.
Your brain’s ability to dampen a negative memory over time is a great coping mechanism but it can be a problem for the newly sober.
Continue reading “Fading Affect Bias”
H.A.L.T – Are you Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired? If the answer is yes to one or more of these, then your basic needs are being met and you may tend to react emotionally or impulsively to a situation.
HALT is an acronym you can use to help you stop and check in with yourself before you react to a situation or give in to a craving.
Continue reading “H.A.L.T for your Mental Health”
So many people crave sugar when they quit drinking alcohol. Why is this? And, what can we do so one addiction does not turn into another?
When you decide to stop drinking you may get sugar cravings, possibly for the first time.
Continue reading “Sugar Cravings in Sobriety”
Dry January is the UK’s one month alcohol-free challenge. After all the excess of Christmas and New Year you may be ready to give up the booze for January also.
In the past, I have attempted Dry January many times but only managed to stay the course for about two weeks before I would make up an excuse to drink.
Heard of any of these?
“I’ve got a party to go to next week”
“2 weeks is enough time to detox”
“I’ll have a drink tonight and tag an extra day on at the end of the month”
These are all just excuses.
Continue reading “Dry January”
I have created a 12 day Christmas Countdown filled with yummy recipes, sober inspiration, self care suggestions and much more to help you keep your sobriety on track this festive season.
I am releasing them daily on Instagram @sober_thinking but thought I’d share them all here too.
I may have called this article the Christmas Survival Guide, since we are only 3 weeks away from Christmas. However, the knowledge, strategies and advice I give here will help you conquer any celebration, holiday or family gathering.
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Alcohol Awareness Week 2020 will take place from 16 – 22 November 2020 on the theme of Alcohol and Mental Health. It is a week of awareness-raising, campaigning for change and more.
Alcohol is the most widely available drug in the UK and it is used by many as a coping mechanism to manage their stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health problems.
You may relate to this. A lot of people self-medicate with alcohol to get through life’s difficult situations.
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One of the fears holding people back from given up alcohol is the belief that they will not be able to sleep. They believe their nightly drink is needed to help them sleep.
When they do try to quit alcohol and struggle to get to sleep their belief is confirmed. They are even more convinced they need that drink to get to sleep and subsequently start drinking again.
However, this is a myth. Alcohol does not help you sleep and I am going to explain why.
Continue reading “Sleepless in Sobriety”
It’s not uncommon to feel lonely during early sobriety or even years into sobriety. It was certainly the case with me. Loneliness is a negative emotion and can feel very isolating at times but remember there is a difference between being alone and loneliness.
I feel there are two main situations that can cause me to feel lonely.
I believe both these scenarios can cause loneliness as there is a lack of connection.
In early sobriety it is not uncommon to feel lonely. Think about it, you lose some drinking buddies, you don’t go to parties that may jeopardise your fragile early sobriety. You may have lost friends due to your previous drinking antics. You may not have anyone to confide in who understands your decision to quit drinking or you may be hold up at home getting your bearings, trying to figure out this whole sobriety thing. Whatever your reason for feeling lonely, I think this article can help.
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Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, we are spending more time at home than ever before and I want to share with you my top tips for staying sober while stuck at home.
A lot of us view exercise, recovery meetings and visiting places with friends and family as an important part of our mental health and sobriety. So being asked to stay at home and avoid public places and gatherings is a big disruption to our everyday lives and therefore a disruption to our sobriety and overall wellbeing.
Continue reading “Sobriety While Stuck at Home”