The Sobriety Experiment with Sarah Rusbatch

My guest Sarah Rusbatch is a Brit living in Oz –  she struggled with alcohol dependence for years but finally nailed sobriety and trained as a Sober Coach.  She's also written a book called "Beyond Booze" which enables people to build an alcohol free life that we love! In this episode:- Sarah began drinking in her early teens It became a way to fit in and make friends at school and at university We reflected on the drinking culture in the UK during the 90s, influenced by tv series like Sex and the City and the Ladette culture. After moving to Australia and becoming a mother, Sarah felt a bit lost – she struggled to find a new friendship group and turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism. Despite not drinking every day, Sarah realized she had a problem with alcohol when it started affecting her physical and mental health. She shared a painful experience at a party where she lost her balance and fell over, cutting her face A visit to the pharmacy the next day resulted in the shop assistant slipping her the number for a domestic abuse helpline This incident prompted her to start a 21-day detox, which she eventually extended by using various tools such as Annie Grace's Book: which introduced the novel concept of reconsidering alcohol as something other than wonderful! She began to realize the negative impacts of alcohol on anxiety, sleep, weight, and productivity. We discussed Workplace performance and how quitting alcohol can lead to a 30% increase in effectiveness, highlighting how alcohol not only damages our physical and mental health but it prevents us from reaching our potential. Sarah explained how drinking damages the Pillars of Good Health: Alcohol affects various aspects of health beyond direct consumption, such as sleep, exercise, and nutrition, impacting overall well-being. She talked about the Relationship with her Husband: Both were heavy drinkers, enabling each other's habits and avoiding confrontation about their drinking. Her husband Initially stopped drinking for three years, then restarted… he eventually decided to quit again due to realizing the negative impact on his life. This ties in with one of the great tips Sarah shared with us – go alcohol free for a while, collect the data – then make a comparison with how you feel when you drink… do it as an experiment, be a scientist in your own life! Sarahs 3 Benefits of Sobriety: Rediscovery of authentic self, better role modeling for children, and a renewed zest for life which enables her to  fulfil her potential. Her tips to get your Sobriety started: Have a clear why and do a 30-day experiment, immersing yourself in the resources, and embrace community support. Sarah's Book and Community: "Beyond Booze" focuses on building a fulfilling alcohol-free life. Its not about how to quit as much as how to build an alcohol free life that you love Find out more about Sarah via her website which is:-  www.sarahrusbatch.com More Info 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 and Instagram. You can join our private Facebook group HERE.