Motivation

We all need a little motivation in our lives. Without motivation, we would never get out of bed or quit drinking.
The best form of motivation is seeing how much progress we have made.

It feels amazing when we can look back and see how far we have come. When our brain receives a signal that we are moving forward and we are living a sober life, we become unstoppably sober. We want to keep going; we want to stay healthy, emotionally balanced and sober no matter what!

The Sober Life Challenge

I have a really big event to attend. It's my daughter's wedding. There will be champagne and wine, but I won't be drinking it. At special celebrations like this, it would be easy for me to give in and fall off the wagon, but that's not what I'm going to do.

Being sober requires a change of mindset and a proactive approach so that you always maintain the habit of being sober no matter what the situation. My Quit drinking app tells me I've been living a healthy, sober life for 850 days .

Seeing these numbers keeps me motivated, but the truth is I have now gained some secret armour. I know two important things:

1. Alcohol is a poison for my body. I wouldn't drink bleach because it is a harmful poison, so why should I drink alcohol?

2. Alcohol is not an essential part of a celebration. No matter what, the Big Booze companies try to brainwash us into believing. It is not compulsory and I can be happy without it.

I had planned to drink sparkling water but then I came across a non-alcoholic elderflower fizz. This is a perfect alternative. It looks like champagne and tastes great. 

When we are ready to toast the happy couple, I and all the other non-drinkers will be part of the fizz community celebrating with a non-poisonous alternative. 

I have already visualised this, so it feels familiar to me and I know exactly what I want to do. When they start pouring the champagne into glasses, I'm going to place my hand over my glass and ask for the elderflower.

Tools For Sobriety

Visualisation is an essential step in moving you forward and keeping you on the sober life path. It's an essential tool in your toolbox and one that will help you build your armour.

If you struggle with visualisation, using a habit tracker is a good way to 'see' your progress.
Habit trackers don't have to be anything fancy. I used the Easy Quit Drinking app to help me track my days but you can create your own tracker.

The simplest type of habit tracker is a calendar. You can add smiley faces for everyday you are sober.
A word of warning: make sure you focus on the days that you are sober. If you are sober for five days, then fall off the wagon on the sixth. Congratulate yourself for the five sober days.

Don't fall into the same trap as I did. I would beat myself up for falling off the wagon instead of celebrating the fact I'd had sober days and was breaking the pattern of drinking every day.
Ideally, you want to aim to keep that winning streak going.

Get yourself addicted to that winning streak by celebrating and congratulating yourself for staying sober. Understand that if you did it for 1 day, you can do it for 2. As the days increase, it gets easier and easier.

Get Creative

Get creative with your habit tracking. Fill a jar with post-it notes. Add the date and a few words to each note about your feelings or what went right for you. This way you have a visual reminder, but also you can check your progress or reach for some motivation later on.

If you're budget conscious, get a jar and add the money you are saving from not buying alcohol into the jar.
If you're a dreamer, just sit down and daydream about your sober life.

We all have bad days and in the beginning, there may be days when you are tempted to have a drink and some of you may even fall off the wagon. Seeing your progress is going to make it easier to get back to enjoying a wonderful, sober life.

Banish Doubt

A habit tracker helps to give you that perspective and reinforces that sober mindset.
In my past articles, I've talked about getting clear in your mind and committing 100% to being a sober person and claiming the identity of a non-drinker.

This is important because where there is doubt, your behaviour will revert to the old behaviour and habits because that's what you are used to doing.

Doubt is your enemy, so eliminate it and commit to being sober. Remember, alcohol is a poison that is harmful to your mind, body, and soul.

Set an intention to use a habit tracker. I talk about this in xxxxx. It's a proven method and is one that has been extensively tested and researched by James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. You can read this book and many others here on Scribd.

Setting a simple intention is going to send another important signal to your brain. It's going to tell your brain that this is important and to flag it.

This may sound stupid to you, but just think about this for a moment. We are exposed to vast amounts of information every day. We often think that some things are important, interesting or useful.

We make a mental note but do nothing more and then we forget about them.

When you set a written intention, it differentiates the information and makes it special and important. It gives your brain a better signal. It says this is 4 bars and not 1. Act on it.

Never Miss Twice

When you fall off the wagon, get up and get sober. Use the tried and tested rule - NEVER MISS TWICE.

Forgive yourself, set your intention and start again. Don't turn 1 miss into two. Your past doesn't have to dictate your future.

Make a note of what went wrong, learn from it and move on. Sobriety is a journey and there's no one size fits all.

Final Thoughts on Living a Sober Life

Use motivation to help you stay sober and build a strong, healthy, sober life. Set your intention to use a habit tracker and use an app or create your own habit tracker to maintain motivation.

If you fall off the wagon, don't beat yourself up. Focus on the fact that you broke the habit of always drinking and then start again.

Use the Never Miss Twice Rule to help you start again and, above all, never give up.
There is life after alcohol. It's a damn good one, and it's the one you deserve.