As my first post, I’d like to use this space to explain a bit about why I’m here and why I’ve started Tessie Ann Coaching.
In 2018 I decided to take a break from alcohol. I was drinking regularly and it was starting to have negative impacts on my life. My boyfriend was concerned, and secretly so was I. Wine and beer were my poisons of choice and it’s fair to say I was drinking a bottle of wine a night, and frequently more on the weekends. I was waking up every morning with crazy anxiety, and spending my days feeling tired, listless and blah.
The decision to take a break took time and some preparation. I picked a date, took a week/weekend to indulge, and then quit for 6 months. In that time I became familiar with online sober communities, joining some, passing on others. I ordered books and immersed myself in sober living.
At the end of 6 months, I opted to try moderation. It worked for a while, especially since I was living in Qatar where booze isn’t readily available and the dominant culture was against all things alcohol. I didn’t keep booze at home but occasionally allowed myself to have a few drinks out with friends. This worked until I moved back to Canada, where alcohol culture runs deep. I found myself once again surrounded by constant messages of alcohol and around people who drank regularly.
Fast forward a year, and I decided it just wasn’t worth it. The sober life I had built was so much richer than anything I ever found at the bottom of a bottle. That’s why I created Tessie Ann Coaching. To help others like me, caught somewhere between moderation and addiction, find a way to choose to sober living.
If you have found yourself here, and are questioning your relationship with alcohol, I can tell you from experience, give sobriety a try. It’s worth it. If you try and find that you can’t get sober on your own, find a community, a coach, a meeting, rehab, whatever it takes to get sober. YOU are worth it.
