Sarah: “I Cut Out Alcohol — And Got My Life Back”: An Inspiring Journey from Rock Bottom to Ultra-Marathon Ready
“There is nothing in my life that hasn’t improved since going sober. I’ve been promoted at work, I’ve bought a house and I’ve got married.”
Mum to three, Sarah from Durham, is living her best life – she’s got a good job as an office manager, she’s in a happy relationship and she’s about to take part in her first ultra-marathon event. These are all things that she couldn’t have imagined a few years ago when she was drinking every day.
Sarah started drinking age 12 with her friends – hanging around outside the corner shop and asking adults to buy alcohol for her. She would save up her lunch money and use it for alcohol.
Sarah says: “I had an abusive home-life so I was drinking to escape. I never drank because I liked the taste – I drank to get drunk and escape my reality.”
Sarah continued drinking through her twenties and into her early thirties, then Covid hit. She found that lockdown escalated her drinking.
“I started suffering really badly with very low mental health after drinking. I didn’t have any energy, I always felt groggy and I was worried I had the potential to turn into my dad who is an alcoholic.
“Every time I was drinking, I was getting blackout drunk – I couldn’t just have one or two. This happened on a work night out when I’d just started a new job. The shame, embarrassment and anxiety I felt the next day was horrible.
“I realised I was going to have to stop or I could jeopardise everything.
“I cut-out alcohol on New Years Day 2022 – it’s been tough, but everything has changed for the better now.”
The money Sarah saved from not buying alcohol, she used to pay for therapy to address her childhood trauma and the reasons she was drinking. This really helped her to see that she was using it as a coping mechanism. Now she has other healthier coping mechanisms such as running.
“I’ve been running for about a year now and I’ll be competing in my first ultra-marathon event soon. It’s amazing to have the energy and drive to take part in a big event.
“I’ve also joined Sober Socials which is a Facebook group in the North East where you can meet-up and socialise without alcohol. We do lots of activities from sea dips to hiking and it’s really helped me to see that you can enjoy yourself and socialise without alcohol.
“I’d urge anyone who thinks that alcohol is having a negative impact on their life to cut it out – if I can do it then you can too.”
