Sober and Strong: Ashleigh’s Story

  My guest this week is Ashleigh who came to a workshop way back in 2018 and has been thriving in her sobriety ever since In this episode:- Ashleigh's first scrape with alcohol came when she was expelled from school at the age of 15! In her 30's she recognized that there could be a problem when she found herself making lots of rules around her drinking - rules that she promptly broke! Her point that she wasn’t a tramp living under a bridge highlighted the fact that society says we are fine until we get to that stage – her family weren’t quite sure why she going alcohol free  Ashleigh decided to step off the slippery slope before things got any worse She realises that the majority of the people she knows are drinking too much but they don’t even realise At the workshop Ashleigh learned about the toxicity of alcohol and began to join the dots between her constant tiredness and her daily glasses of wine At the end of the workshop she knew it would be pointless committing to "moderation" - she had to go "all in" - she knew she had crossed the line with her drinking and there was no looking back She felt confident leaving the workshop - she had her toolkit, some new information and people to connect with - she felt she could do this At the beginning she treated herself to hot chocolate, coffee and cake etc. - but as time went on she weaned herself off the sweet things - and has now lost 10kgs! She talked about the importance of Sober Firsts – the first wedding, the first flight, baby shower and of course the first time we try sober dancing! Ashleigh has experienced many benefits of sobriety - she is certainly less anxious and more confident these days So the workshop was a real turning point for Ashleigh - at the age of 43 she has celebrated five years of sobriety and has a completely different future ahead! Now that she is more knowledgeable she realises that the majority of the people she knows are drinking too much although they don’t even realise She talks about all the euphemisms we use for hangovers and how no one wants to "let the cat out of the bag" as she puts it No-one wants to acknowledge that as a society we have an alcohol problem Ashleigh fully recognizes that if she hadn't taken this step she could have been in a very different place in 5 years time - alcohol is a very "slippery fish" as she said! More Info Subscription membership – you can join up HERE. To access our website, click HERE. If you would like a free copy of our “Annual Tracker” or our e-book 66 Days to Sobriety, please email [email protected]. If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community, just email [email protected]. to join our mailing list click HERE    Episode Sponsor This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then sign up today Read more about our program and subscribe HERE Help us to Spread the Word! We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share. If you enjoyed the podcast, then please leave us a 5-star review on Apple podcasts. Take a screenshot of your review, and DM it to Tribe Sober’s Instagram page – see PS below for instructions. We’ll send you something special to say thank you! We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning. You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram. You can join our private Facebook group HERE. PS: How to Leave a Rating/Review in Apple Podcasts (on an iOS Device) Open the Podcasts app. EASY. Choose “Search” from the bottom row of icons and enter the name of the show (e.g. Recover Like a Mother) into the search field. Select the show under Shows (not under Episodes). Scroll down past the first few episodes until you see Ratings & Reviews. Click Write a Review underneath the displayed reviews from other listeners. You’ll then have the option to rate the show on a 5-star scale and write a review (you can rate without writing too but it’s always good to read your experience).