“life is SOOOOOO amazing without alcohol!” – Laine Berkeley

“Life is worth LIVING, not just surviving from day to day.”

“You are NOT alone and yes, YOU CAN DO THIS!! Life is worth LIVING not just surviving from day-to-day.”

From life of the party to daily drinking

Since high school I was the life of the party — first to arrive, last to leave.Always drinking more, laughing louder, going bigger and never discovering my “off switch”.

That pattern never really stopped. It just paused here and there so I could squeeze in some “adulting”. Suddenly I found myself in my 50s thinking: how in the heck did that happen?

On paper, I had almost everything:

• An amazingly supportive husband

• A good career

• A comfortable life

And yet… I drank. Daily.

Drinking to numb, escape and quiet the past

Over time I realised I wasn’t just “having a drink”. I was drinking to:

• Numb the pain of the past

• Shut down the negative self-talk

• Escape from hard feelings and reality

We all have stories. We all have struggles. Alcohol became my way to mute mine.

Wine was my favourite. I could have built a vacation home from the empty boxes leaving my house every week. I was more worried about what the garbage man thought than about what this drinking was doing to my health and my life.

I tried quitting many times. Made deals with myself. Drew lines in the sand.Nothing worked.

I didn’t even realise how sick I was until I finally stopped. Constant illness and anxiety had become my “normal”.

Doing the math – and not liking the answer

I was:

• Fat, bloated, and miserable

• Killing time between drinking episodes

• Drinking from 5pm to 11pm every single day

That’s 42 hours a week spent drinking.

All while working full time and taking care of my husband, our house, and a small farm.

Deep down, I was “sick and tired of being sick and tired”. Something had to give.

Signing up for 90 days with OYNB

I’m not even sure what finally made me click “join” on OYNB. Maybe it was that phrase echoing in my head. Maybe it was the quiet fear that this was my life forever if I didn’t change.

So I signed up for the 90-Day Challenge.

The beginning was tough. Your body needs time to heal. You also have to learn how to sit with emotions you used to drown with alcohol. But I wasn’t doing it alone — the OYNB Tribe and community were there, showing me I wasn’t the only one walking this path.

“Having a Tribe and a community has made all the difference!”

Fast forward five months

Everything is different.

• I’ve lost oodles of bloaty weight

• I’m off all blood pressure medication

• My alcohol-related health issues are gone

And instead of spending my evenings drinking, I’m:

• Running multiple 5K races

• Having completed a half marathon

• Finishing an obstacle course race with two more planned

• Excelling in my equestrian sport and heading to Nationals soon

• Volunteering and giving back to my community

My relationship with my husband is amazing.I’m a better wife, mum, friend — and human.

Life really is so much better without alcohol

Yes, the start is an adjustment. You have to let your body heal and relearn how to process feelings.

But life on the other side?

• You can laugh, dance and have fun

• You can get up early the next morning and do it all again

• You don’t lose days to hangovers, shame or anxiety

“Life is SOOOOOO amazing without alcohol!”

OYNB worked for me — and I was pretty hard-core. The community proved I wasn’t alone and that real change is possible.

You can do this too

If any of this sounds familiar, know this:

• You are not broken

• You are not alone

• You are not “too far gone”

You can change your relationship with alcohol. You can get your time, health and joy back.

And you never have to do it alone.

You can do this.And it is SO worth it.