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I want to tell you a story about a woman.
She was successful and thriving, happily married with two precious children.
She rocked her professional goals, woke up at 5 am to do hot yoga and was training for a marathon.
She had a toxic relationship with alcohol.
She could stop at a glass of wine but never wanted to. So she would drink, and sometimes drink some more. Some nights she'd finish a whole wine bottle by herself. Other nights she wouldn't drink at all.
She found that, overall, she was drinking more and more. And overall, she woke up more mornings than not with headaches, a dull achy hangover, and an all-around feeling of anxiety, exhaustion and mild depression.
Was this woman an alcoholic?
IT DOESN'T MATTER.
At the end of the day, alcohol did not serve her. She realized she had a toxic relationship with alcohol and so she quit completely.
She never had another hangover again. She regained the confidence of her spouse and kids. She regained control of her life as a whole.
And that is all that matters.
** This is my story. I quit drinking and I found a freedom that I could have never found at the bottom of a glass or bottle. People ask me if I'm an alcoholic, and I understand the desire to label. But my response to them and my answer to you is: IT DOESN'T MATTER. Call it what you want. When you realize something doesn't serve you, you need to put it down. Remove the rock in your shoe. And if the label is what is keeping you from quitting? You are asking yourself the wrong question.
My book, It’s Not About the Wine: The Loaded Truth Behind Mommy Wine Culture, is now available for pre-order here.
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