S1:E25 Sober Curiousity

What feeling am I trying to avoid when I reach for this?What do I believe this habit gives me that I cannot get any other way?What would I have to feel if I put it down?What has this habit cost me? In my health. In my relationships. In my relationship with myself.In the last episode I asked you one question. Could you become her without it?Today we get practical. Because curiosity without a next step is just a feeling. And we are women who take tiny steps.Getting curious does not mean you are committing to give something up forever. It does not mean you are declaring you have a problem. It does not mean your life is about to get boring or small or joyless.Getting curious means you are willing to ask one honest question. What legitimate need has this habit become an illegitimate substitute for?Because nothing we reach for compulsively is random. We reach for it because it is meeting a real need. Rest. Comfort. Connection. Relief. Joy. Feeling like yourself for five minutes after a hard day. Those are real needs. The question is whether the thing you are using to meet them is actually working. Or whether it is just covering them up long enough to get through the night.In this episode I give you four honest questions to sit with, my personal challenge for the next three days — or thirty — and the practical tips I learned for navigating social situations without my crutch. And I point you to a free guide on my website specifically designed to help you process through this with the Lord — a space to get honest and get curious with God about what this habit is really covering up.Whatever your thing is... you deserve to find out what life looks like without it running the show.A note before you listen:If what comes up for you feels heavier than a habit — if it feels like something you genuinely cannot control or stop even when you want to — please reach out to a doctor, therapist, or trusted person in your life. That is not weakness. That is one of the bravest things you can do.What we cover:What getting curious actually means and what it does not meanThe one honest question underneath every compulsive habitFour questions to sit with as you explore what your habit is really covering upThe three day challenge and what to do if that caused a little panic in your chestPractical tips for navigating social situations without your crutchWhy you can apply sober curiosity to sugar, scrolling, food, or anything else you have been using to copeBooks and resources that have helped Leslie and the women she knows on this journeyFree resource:Leslie's free sober curiosity guide is available at lesliebegin.com/guides — a space to process through this with the Lord.Your tiny step from this episode:Name your thing. Write it down. Ask yourself one of the four questions. Find one person to tell. You are not committing to anything forever. You are just getting curious.Grab your free Everyday Comeback Guide + join the newsletter: lesliebegin.myflodesk.com/comebackConnect with Leslie:📱 Instagram: @lesliebegin📧 Email: [email protected]🎙️ Subscribe to Dare to Begin wherever you listen to podcasts