Alcohol: How it affected my life, love, and helped me cope

“I was hesitant to share my experience; I didn’t want people to treat me differently.”

OYNB Hero Story

Alcohol is becoming an increasing concern in our modern world. Peer pressure, habit, culture, tradition — all of these can quietly pull someone into a relationship with drinking without them even realising it. I was one of those people… until I decided to take a full 90 days alcohol-free.

Here is my story.

Growing Up in a Drinking Culture

I grew up in a family that enjoyed alcohol — not problematically.There was no aggression, no violence, no chaos.For us, alcohol was simply there: at dinners, celebrations, bad days, good days. A casual companion to life.

I started drinking in my early teens. Moderately at first.That changed when I turned 18 and started dating a guy whose three closest friends were all heavy drinkers. I became part of their world — the only woman in the group, matching them drink for drink. That relationship lasted four years. By the end of it, I was a fully established drinker.

University didn’t slow me down. My social circle was built entirely around alcohol. Even when I started to suspect I had a problematic relationship with drinking, everyone around me drank heavily too. It felt “normal". My warning signs were disguised as everyday life.

The Night That Changed Everything

After several years of drinking, consequences finally caught up with me.

One night, out with friends, I began to feel unwell. Someone from the group offered to take me home — an act I thought was kind.

He did not take me home.

Instead, he attacked and raped me.He slammed my head against a wall.I remember thinking: This could kill me.

You might imagine that such a horrific trauma would drive someone away from alcohol forever — but the opposite happened.

The aftermath broke me. To escape the torment, I drank. To relax, I drank. To forget, I drank. To remember, I drank. To trust again, I drank.

Alcohol became the only way I knew how to numb the pain.

A Safe Place — and a Turning Point

Everything changed when I married my husband — my childhood friend.With him, I finally felt safe enough to face what had happened. Safe enough to heal. Safe enough to be vulnerable. Safe enough to find the light inside me again.

I realised it was time —Time to be kind to myself.Time to reclaim my life.Time to let go of the past that alcohol kept trapping me in.

Finding OYNB

Finding One Year No Beer changed my life.

What I thought would simply be “quitting alcohol” turned into something deeper and more transformative than I could have ever imagined.

The challenge became the gateway to a new stage of my life —A stage where I could finally be myself, discover my potential, and feel free.

I went into OYNB thinking the main goal was sobriety. It wasn’t.Sobriety was just the doorway.The real gift was rediscovering who I was without fear, without shame, without alcohol.

Why I’m Sharing This Now

Very few people know what happened to me.I’ve always been hesitant to share my experience.I never wanted people to treat me differently or look at me through the lens of my trauma.

But today, through this blog, I’m choosing to share it — not for sympathy, but for impact.

I want people to understand the potential devastation that alcohol can bring into a person’s life. Not always through the alcohol itself — but through the situations and vulnerabilities it can create.

I want people to know that even the darkest, hardest struggles can be overcome —With support.With understanding.With community.With kindness.

A Life Reclaimed

OYNB gave me space to heal. It gave me a community that made me feel safe. It gave me the strength to grow into the person I always hoped I could be.

Every time you see my sunny, joyful posts — dancing barefoot on the balcony — know this:

It’s because of you.Because of the kindness you’ve shown.Because of the support you give this community.Because you helped me become who I am today.

It’s been a long, bumpy ride,but the destination has been worth it.

~ OYNB Hero