When I reached out for help from Sarah I had come to my own personal limit with my drinking. I had managed to be tea-total from Monday to Friday but binge drank on Friday and Saturday night, believing I deserved it after a long week in Healthcare. I just couldn’t give up drinking on the weekend and as a result was hungover Sunday and Monday, was just starting to feel better again and then Friday rolled around again and the madness would recommence. I was truly sick and tired of being sick and tired and needed help to get through the weekends without drinking.
Sarah was just so positive and engaging. It felt like she was an old friend, right from the start. I quickly realised I could tell her anything and not only would she understand, she never once made me feel judged or uncomfortable.
And, she laughed a lot. Sarah had such a great sense of humour and we had fun together. Sarah helped me to manage my painful feelings, she taught me how to be kinder to myself and to stop the negative self talk. She also encouraged me to move on from the past and much of those painful feelings and to focus on the present. I learned that no matter how often I relived the past, I wouldn’t get a re-do, or a different outcome or whatever it was that I wished had happened. I was effectively reliving those past experiences which reignited the burning embers of anger, bitterness and disappointment. I was enraged about how badly I was treated in my 22 year marriage by someone who supposedly loved me. Sarah helped me to understand I was abused and that they didn’t love me but that I was strong enough to escape that relationship and that I am actually an incredibly strong person. I’m happy to say that with Sarah’s help, I have let go of all that pain so I can be free in the here and now. I don’t have to go back there anymore. I have a wonderful relationship now with a kind and gentle partner who only wants the best for me.
I have the rest of my life ahead of me and I’m excited to see what’s next on my sober journey. I used to be awake half the night between the hangxiety and the withdrawal and now I sleep so well every night. I’ve lost 20 pounds because I’m not drinking a load of empty calories but also because I love exercise and nutrition. I am optimistic, positive and healthy. I feel like I have come back home to myself. I trust my intuition and gut feelings and like what I see in the mirror every day. My eyes are bright and my soul is alive again.
Sarah told me this is the best gift that I could have ever given myself and all I had to do was reach out and ask for help. The time was right and I was ready. I’ve had a magical time getting reacquainted with my sober self, and I have to say, I like her! This truly has been my greatest gift because I like myself again. And that’s something Sarah said to me one day, the most important person is yourself and once you can rely on yourself again, you’ll always be there.
And, I’m here. I’m strong . I’m sober. I’m liberated. I’m motivated. I’m engaged. I’m reflective. I’m inspirational. I’m me.
Thank you Sarah for being “only you” , for “only you” reacquainted me with “only me” . And because of “only you” and all the others that you have helped, we are living our best life now instead of being trapped in the dark past where dreams only die. There are really no words to say how fabulous our time has been together. I will remember your wisdom and gentle soul forever. And, I’ll keep in touch as will you.
