Month: February 2018

 

 

I was one of the very fortunate practitioners who managed to attend the talk Sarah gave over here in Gulf Shores last week.

I had been recommened to go by three of my patients, who had all used The Sanctuary’s Six Week Programme to kick their alcohol habit. With hearing of the the first success, I was of course pleased, but skeptical, and then, another lady who had been so very depressed and prescribed anti depressants, by me, came to the centre looking so well, to tell me that she no longer wanted to be on the meds. As I explained to her, it could lead to side effects just stopping, but she was so confident and honest, for the first time about how much she had been drinking and Sarah had given her great advice, never patronised her, did ask her to read many very interesting articles regarding alcohol and depression that she was starting to open my eyes, and I have been a doctor for over 25 years! These were not the old fashioned straight lined methods at all, more unique and suitable and seemingly, when the third patient told me of her successful outcome, I just had to go.

What an eye opener. This very small seemingly quiet and shy English woman was so incredibly powerful and compassionate in her approach and manner, all of us in the room became transfixed. Usually I do get a bit bored with these types of conferences, the same old, same old, but not with this method and way forward.

Not only is she seemingly ageless, almost able to morph from wise and serious, to crazy and in a very funny young hearted way just got through to us all. Along with coming up with the new App, which I am recommending to all my contempories to use in helping their patients, with a non judgemental approach, and not just for women, I was blown away.

Feel so blessed that firstly I went, and secondly to meet someone who having gone through so much tragedy on a personal front, can find that silver lining, see a light, it was remarkable, constantly playing it forward.

Thank you Sarah, and I sincerely hope that you grace our Shores and many more over the next year with your new training programme for counsellors, your work with the Sanctuary, and keeping so passionate.

We have had a big change of heart now on our way to help people with drinking issues, down to this fiesty Yorkshire woman across the pond and do hope she comes again very soon, wish I could clone her.

Clare R. M.D.

It is with great appreciation to my great developer, my old clients for feedback, many hours spend over a year, that they and I collaborated to create the modern approach to dealing with either alcohol dependence or habit for those of all walks of life to use our new App.

It is not remotely comparable to any other. We do not believe in the antiquated approach of the old docrine that we are all doomed as ALCOHOLICS, labelled as having a life sentence of sometimes in our lives drinking more than is good for us, this is about attitude, control and most importantly choice. Also taking our own responsiblity of how we decide to drink or not.

We are well aware when we become concerned about going over the top with alcohol, no one needs to tell us, or wag their finger and judge. When you stop smoking there is huge congratulation, pats on the back and massive support, but with drinking there still seems to be some cock eyed notion that we are all boring and dull without using it.

I could bang on about the harm it does, but have more than enough respect for those of you who are well aware of that, and just need a more simple solution without any stigma or fault laid at your doorstep for doing so.

We have tried to make the App user friendly, a new habit to either cut down or become alcohol free.

At the moment the App will only work with iPhone, we will gradually add on Android, and then after you have completed this very visual method, add ways to fill the void and precious time you now have to gain pride, and self esteem.

I have also started an Alcohol Free Foundation so that a percentage of the cost of the App will go towards helping those face to face with The Sanctuary bespoke method, with me and also others who I will train to deliver a similar method to me that is currently unique and only for women, but now for men not just in the UK but globally.

The App can be found now in the Apple Store, and if only one person becomes well through using it, I shall be over the moon.

All the very best for you, and your liberation from what can become a very isolation and cruel way of life, whatever your age.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/alcohol-free-friend/id1333546276?mt=8

Sarah

I am a practicing GP, and have also been an enthusiastic drinker, too enthusiastic, for the last ten years, quite simply using it as so many others do as my excuse for relaxation and dumbing down after work. What concerned me greatly was speaking with patients daily, and far more frequently women about their very shy admittance of perhaps having one over the eight. As a doctor, trained in many states of health, I had never been trained, or even grasped the different levels of use. Mine seemed normal, so any one coming to me with a similar story seemed normal, stress of work an family, often depression, it was up to me to either say try to cut down, and/or prescribe anti-depressants. The longer it went on, the more of a bigot I began to feel. A hypocrite, and completely unauthentic. I was overweight, so that didn’t help.

Sarah was recommended by a family friend, who had been through the programme and quite embarrassingly for me, she had drunk less, was just savvy enough to intervene earlier. On top of the drinking, I was also going through the menopause, and the alcohol was throwing a massive spanner in that condition too.

It took me 7 months to call, and it has been a revelation. Not just for me, but for my attitude towards my patients, and empathy in understanding how delusional we become. There were no pills to take, no strict rules, just a fast and logically communication daily with Sarah, who understands dependence on alcohol better than any other person within my profession, or addiction organisations than I had ever met. Of course it was a leap of faith, but I shall never regret it, my weight loss has also been remarkable, I look on form, and feel it. Please, just as you would see a specialist within a heartbeat for any other potentially life limiting condition, see the best, because she is, and I shall refer as much as I can her superb service and very gentle insightful approach. It is revolutionary.

Well here I am on 1st February 2018, well, content possibly still slightly shell shocked that I have been AF since November.

When I finished The Six Week Programme with Sarah and The Sanctuary in November, I will be honest, because I am now, I was sceptical that given that I had spent six weeks without booze, I was a little wobbly about the up and coming then festive season. I almost had to, at most supermarkets to trip over special offers on the jolly japes that Big Alcohol were trying to seduce me with. Not just the usual beer and vodka, but all manner of ideas that apparently would make me and my family so joyous about the big event.

How do you resist such a scam? After 20 years of being an enthusiastic drinker myself, and in an industry, or should I say profession, medical, which, at every opportunity we would ‘relax’ and ‘wind down’ with wine mostly, it seemed in the years prior to working with Sarah just sensible to stock up so that I could be ready to entertain, such a great excuse to be a super hostess and ready for any eventuality! Resist I did, and on the advice of Sarah really gave the whole business of contentment and happiness sans booze serious thought, as I stood quite still sometimes it seemed for a long time, looking not just at the wine aisle but the way the marketing of the Christmas cheer was aimed not just at me, but anyone who had a yen for a quick one at tea time, that led to a very long one by the time bedtime arrived.

So, I used my normal wait and see attitude, which I always do and did with change, and see if this experiment on me as I saw it worked. Well, drum roll, it has.

What made me the most upset was not the stopping wine, but the fact that I was being influenced so strongly by Big Alcohol and it’s very clever marketing. I consider myself bright, having worked with doctors and clinicians for over 25 years, knowing the dangers of hazardous drinking, but not seeing myself in that category, nor did my husband, who had initially laughed at the thought of either of us stopping drinking at any time, least of all Christmas and New Year. The conditioning of our brains was really disturbing and that is what began to frighten me more and more. Sarah seems to have a knack of connecting us to that, rather than making judgement on what we are drinking, that actually is the side effect of our mental conditioning, and certainly for me as one of the baby boomer generation.

On a less serious note, but equally important, the tangible effects are just remarkable. The usual ones of course, the brain is engaged, but I can disengage when I am ready and feel like it, can use that big word NO if I feel like it, never did when I drank, guilt driven and not wanting anyone to think I was too hungover to get on with stuff, being able to have some serious fun that I remember, and not be in the slightest judgemental of friends who still drink, but ready to hold their hand if they need me to, that is a good bit, playing that empathy and compassion forward, Sarah does so much of that, and not just with clients, she will hate me for dropping that secret, but having met thousands of ‘experts’ in their field, she has to be one of the most humble I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. She has taught me that priceless gift inadvertently too. I have lost 15kg, my skin is clear, still wrinkled at the sides but through laughter not worry, and I can be totally spontaneous and understanding. I do have moments of nostalgia but not so much about the booze, but how it could have been if it had never become a thing I did as relaxation, alone, at home and the time that perhaps I could have made more of a difference.

I am beginning to ramble now, but those of you who have had any doubts about investing in yourself with The Sanctuary, I just have to say it is the best one I have ever made, and will never forget the straight talking, Yorkshire woman I met and engaged with last year, and still do, she is indescribable in very unique way.

Oh and in monetary terms I have saved twice the amount already I spent on alcohol on working with Sarah, she is worth every single penny, and much, much more.