Dry July can be a struggle for many. Eight years ago it would have been for me also. Back then, 5pm on a Friday afternoon marked wine o’clock and the start of my weekend. These days, I’m a teetotaller. So what happened?

I never planned to give up alcohol. I remember being devastated that I would never share a romantic glass of wine with my husband when he was diagnosed as an alcoholic and went into rehab. Note: I am no longer married.

I started to ween off alcohol because every time I drank (even just one glass) I would be sick as a dog the next day. This still didn’t deter me.

I eventually gave up completely because I no longer ‘felt better’ after a few sips. Instead, I found that my fears, doubts and negative self-talk would go into overdrive with every mouthful.

I attribute the ‘inner work‘ that I did (after leaving my husband) to improving my mind set and emotional state of being. In the past, alcohol was a crutch I used to improve my mood and forget about my troubles.

Today, I no longer miss a drink. In fact, I never even think about it.