Unlocking Emotional Well-being: An Inspiring set of Interviews with Vicki, Founder of The Pause Place
Let me introduce The Pause Place, a sanctuary of support and empowerment for those seeking a path to sobriety and emotional well-being, founded by Vicki, an esteemed accredited and certified NLP emotional health coach, holistic therapist, and the founder of this remarkable community.
In this insightful article titled "Sobriety and Me," Vicki invited me and others to embark on a journey of self-discovery and growth, delving into the intricate and often complex relationship between sobriety and personal transformation. Through our experiences, she illuminates the profound impact sobriety can have on our lives, leading us to a place of healing, purpose, and joy.
I candidly share my voyage towards sobriety, highlighting the challenges faced, the lessons she learned, and the triumphs that now define my journey.
As I navigated the other stories shared by other brave souls, I am reminded that sobriety is not merely about abstaining from substances but, an ongoing process of self-discovery, self-compassion, and self-empowerment. Many of the other participants’ contributions resonate with me, I would love to know if they do with you too.
Here’s an extract ;
Lucy's story...
Shortly after I turned 45 and with several long periods from booze under my belt I came to the conclusion that alcohol was no longer serving me and decided to stop. That was 18 months ago and was the best decision I’ve ever made!
I thought alcohol was my friend; It was there when I wanted to party, to celebrate successes, to comfort me when I was down or felt lonely. I drank through university and it was almost a prerequisite for working in advertising. I spent seven years living and working in Singapore having one hell of a party and despite the Monday blues, wasted Sundays nursing a hangover, I just couldn’t imagine a life without alcohol.
It was shortly after turning 40, almost seven years ago that my relationship started to sour. I’d given birth to our second daughter after moving to Madrid. I was in a job I loathed, with a very challenging boss and raced back to work when my daughter was six weeks old as I was terrified of losing my job. Loneliness, entwined with undiagnosed post-natal depression combined with my work situation turned into a rather lethal combination.
Wine became my only escape, my tool to cope, a sense of reprieve. Life became happier when we moved home to the UK but a seed had been planted and I started to question my relationship with booze, wondering if life might be calmer and happier without it featuring.
The list is endless on my reasons for going sober but essentially my biggest why’s are my
daughters who are six and eight. I wanted to be a fully present Mum and enjoy being with them and them being with me, not constantly snapping and losing my temper.
There were some obstacles that I had to overcome when I decided to give up alcohol. The major one was caring what other people thought and a lot of rewiring as alcohol was so ingrained in every aspect of my life. I also had to do the work to realise that this wasn’t about anyone else, alcohol was taking away so much and the only element holding me back was caring what other people thought, would I be viewed as boring, would I stop getting invited to social gatherings.
Stopping drinking has been the biggest act of self love, I have more patience, my confidence levels are soaring, I have more energy, holidays, Christmas, birthdays, all these events that I thought would somehow be less than without alcohol are so much more. I feel like my life has started again but with a much happier ending.
Click here to read our collective stories: Sobriety and me