SHARING OUT LOUD
ONE YEAR SOBER FOR ALEXANDRA (ALEX) BOS! Let's help her celebrate by listening to her episode!
Re-posting this earlier episode because when you are sober and hit a milestone, you deserve to be celebrated! CONGRATULATIONS ALEXANDRA! To help her celebrate, please listen to the episode, pass it along to others, AND then go grab her book - THE GAME. And book 2 is just out! You will want both at once, TRUST ME!
https://www.amazon.com/GAME-Second-Alex-Bos/dp/B0BV49Y5R5/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1S3CC2AGJN2H1&keywords=Alex+bos&qid=1703795095&sprefix=alex+bos%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-2
FROM ALEXANDRA'S INSTAGRAM TODAY, 12/28/23:
Today marks one year of an alcohol-free life.
For those of you who have listened to my interview on Sharing Out Loud, you know my sobriety story is less Russell Brand and more Brene Brown—it’s not a “sexy” story. Realizing that I didn’t need to wake up in a ditch to stop drinking was one of the most freeing realizations I’ve had.
The true story is that for the past six years, I’ve done a Dry January, mostly to prove to myself that I wasn’t an alcoholic. Let the irony of that phrase sink in.
Last year, Dry January started early after a drunk fight with a close friend, one that I barely remember. I woke up the next morning thinking, “What a fucking waste.”
Halfway through Dry January, a friend sent me an episode of The Huberman Podcast in which Dr. Huberman lists all the ways even moderate drinking causes harm. This was news to me. In my mind, red wine was a healthy food. I’ve had doctors tell me verbatim that people who consume fewer than ten drinks per week are less healthy than those who do.
I highly recommend listening to this episode; after hearing it, I realized I couldn’t justify even “moderate drinking,” that ten-drink allowance I used to give myself (and frequently exceed).
This year I started to think deeply about my suffering and the pain I was using alcohol to soothe from a place of honest, curious self-compassion.
I realized that my triggers are the stress of boredom (it’s a “What the fuck should I be doing right now,” sensation) and a fear of social rejection (that’s an “I do not belong in this space or with these people” feeling). As a result, I’ve spent a lot of time this year practicing boredom and learning to cultivate a sense of belonging within myself. I’ve paid close attention to my physiology, my reward pathways, and what dopamine feels like in my body. I’ve given myself permission to lean into discomfort rather than avoid/numb it.
If you have the space today, in that lull between Christmas and New Year's Eve, I invite you to be curious about the role alcohol has played in your life, even if the answer makes you uncomfortable. And know that you’re not alone.
Follow Alexandra on instagram: @alexandra_bos
Re-posting this earlier episode because when you are sober and hit a milestone, you deserve to be celebrated! CONGRATULATIONS ALEXANDRA! To help her celebrate, please listen to the episode, pass it along to others, AND then go grab her book - THE GAME. And book 2 is just out! You will want both at once, TRUST ME!
https://www.amazon.com/GAME-Second-Alex-Bos/dp/B0BV49Y5R5/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1S3CC2AGJN2H1&keywords=Alex+bos&qid=1703795095&sprefix=alex+bos%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-2
FROM ALEXANDRA'S INSTAGRAM TODAY, 12/28/23:
Today marks one year of an alcohol-free life.
For those of you who have listened to my interview on Sharing Out Loud, you know my sobriety story is less Russell Brand and more Brene Brown—it’s not a “sexy” story. Realizing that I didn’t need to wake up in a ditch to stop drinking was one of the most freeing realizations I’ve had.
The true story is that for the past six years, I’ve done a Dry January, mostly to prove to myself that I wasn’t an alcoholic. Let the irony of that phrase sink in.
Last year, Dry January started early after a drunk fight with a close friend, one that I barely remember. I woke up the next morning thinking, “What a fucking waste.”
Halfway through Dry January, a friend sent me an episode of The Huberman Podcast in which Dr. Huberman lists all the ways even moderate drinking causes harm. This was news to me. In my mind, red wine was a healthy food. I’ve had doctors tell me verbatim that people who consume fewer than ten drinks per week are less healthy than those who do.
I highly recommend listening to this episode; after hearing it, I realized I couldn’t justify even “moderate drinking,” that ten-drink allowance I used to give myself (and frequently exceed).
This year I started to think deeply about my suffering and the pain I was using alcohol to soothe from a place of honest, curious self-compassion.
I realized that my triggers are the stress of boredom (it’s a “What the fuck should I be doing right now,” sensation) and a fear of social rejection (that’s an “I do not belong in this space or with these people” feeling). As a result, I’ve spent a lot of time this year practicing boredom and learning to cultivate a sense of belonging within myself. I’ve paid close attention to my physiology, my reward pathways, and what dopamine feels like in my body. I’ve given myself permission to lean into discomfort rather than avoid/numb it.
If you have the space today, in that lull between Christmas and New Year's Eve, I invite you to be curious about the role alcohol has played in your life, even if the answer makes you uncomfortable. And know that you’re not alone.
Follow Alexandra on instagram: @alexandra_bos