I started drinking around the age of 14 and drank through out my teens, thinking it was cool and fun. The only breaks I had from alcohol were when I had my 3 children in the 80’s but after a very long messy divorce my drinking went from fun to misery. I was drinking more than a bottle of wine a night, on a daily basis. It no longer felt like drinking was a choice but a necessity to sleep and to black out traumatic memories from an abusive marriage.
Several years down the line
Several years down the lineI am now in a happy relationship. However, I still felt anxious a lot of the time. I went to the doctors and he soon recognised that I was self medicating using alcohol to sleep. He wanted to put me on sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication but me being me (not a great lover of long term medication) thought there must be another way.
I decided after some internet research to try a month off the alcohol for charity with Just Giving. Subsequent to announcing my challenge on Facebook, I received a pop up advertisement from OYNB. I decided that this could only help me on my journey so I sighed up to the 28-Day Challenge. In hindsight, this was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. The support from the OYNB Challengers Facebook group and the daily emails was so valuable. There was so much advice on books to read and changing your mindset meant so I completed my challenge without too much difficulty.
What was next?
What was next?I had a couple of drinks over Christmas and New Year but I quickly realised that my anxiety levels started to increase again and my quality of sleep went down hill. So I upgraded to the 365-Day Challenge and after I passed the 90 day mark, the magic that everyone talks about started to happen for me. I completed the MasterMind course and found my brain felt less foggy. So, I signed up to do a diploma in Cognitive Hypnotherapy and NLP Life Coaching which I will finish in July. I would never have done this if I was still consuming alcohol on a daily basis.
Not only have I got my zest for learning, and my life in general back but my energy levels have increased, my skin and hair are in better condition and I sleep so much better. I enjoy holidays and days out now for what fabulous sights I see, rather than wasting my days in bars or being hungover. My quality of life overall is so much better. Do I have the occasional down day? Yes, but I now accept my emotions for what they are, good or bad. I don’t suppress or block them out with alcohol.
An entrepreneur and former senior oil broker, Ruari gave up drinking after excessive consumption almost cost him his marriage, and worse, his life. Going alcohol-free improved his relationships, career and energy levels, leading to him founding OYNB to provide a support network for others.
