Last Drop Blog

Figured it would be good for me and anyone out there to list out some things that have helped me on this sober journey.

• Walking: so simple yet so effective. Take a walk, it’s one of the best things you can do. Try to do this daily.
• Talking: Go to your family, close friends, support groups, doctors/therapists. Talk it out. You do not need to expect any results or magic answers in return. It is just essential to get things off your chest.
• Journaling: I journal almost every day. Next to walking it is my most consistent positive habit. Just write out anything and everything. I simply jot down the date and begin putting down bullet points. How I am feeling, what I did that day, what I ate, where I went, what happened at work, you name it. Don’t be afraid to go back through your journal entries… it shows progress and provides valuable insight. You begin to teach yourself.
• Social Media: this goes two ways. First, delete or block things that you know will negatively impact your mental health. You know what they are. Block that Ex, those drinking pages, avoid snapchat stories on weekends early on. Second, find positive sober social media pages. I searched “young and sober” on youtube, twitter, reddit. Search what you please and soak in what you can. Realize that you are not the only one going through a sober journey or a massive life change.
• Exercise: Sure walking is exercise but for me it is not enough. I need to workout consistently. For me I do HIIT training or just weight lift at my local gym. I attempt to run at least once a week as well. Break a good solid sweat and work towards a physical health goal. (get a nice physique, run a 5k, take a workout class, get 10,000 steps a day) Find what you like and work towards it.
• Hydrate: If you drank like me your hangovers were beyond brutal. It was so obvious that I was dangerously dehydrated. My pee would be like orange, my skin would be blotchy and dry, my throat would be dry as hell. I would look and feel like death. I needed to hydrate or I would risk serious health concerns. I now am huge about hydration. I feel the need to replenish my body. May sound weird but I judge my hydrated state of the color of my pee. I shoot for pretty transparent/clear. I enjoy coconut water as an alternative when water gets boring.
• Probiotic: I take a daily probiotic every morning to assist with digestion. I had awful GERD from my drinking days so a probiotic works to heal my gut.
• Music: Make a good mood playlist. Something you can turn to when things seem to go to shit and you want to pop headphones in and space out for a bit. I like Mac Miller, Rufus De Sol, and random upbeat House music.
• Clean up: Work to keep your living/working area tidy. Do laundry, wash your sheets, wipe down your desk, put your clothes in the hamper. Damn what a mess I was when I was in my heavy drinking state. I would be so hungover or out of it some days I would wake up with stale fast food by my bed, open white claws and beers, clothes scattered, I was living like a bum. For me getting sober has made keeping clean much easier. Granted I wouldn’t want a photo of my bedroom/working space on the cover of a magazine. Oh clean yourself too, wash your face, brush your teeth, shower daily. You know the simple things that make you feel human.

I could probably build out a much larger list here but this is a good start. Be kind to yourself. Reflect constantly on where you are and where you came from. Be proud of yourself. Progress is progress no matter how big or small. Find out what helps you and write it down or just keep doing it.