Hi, I’m Janine – your 'Sober SideKick'.
I help people explore their relationship with alcohol in a supportive, confidential way, without labels.
I removed alcohol from my life over 7 years ago and know firsthand the benefits and challenges that come along the way!
Sobriety delivers everything alcohol promised, and more! Connection, true confidence, joy, career progression, purpose and even sober dancing!
All my relationships improved, including most importantly the relationship with myself. Now I care more about making myself proud than what anyone else thinks.
My story
I was a grey area drinker, not quite alcohol dependant, but drinking at elevated risk. Overall in the UK around 20% of adults fall into the category of 'grey area drinkers', the area between low risk and alcohol dependance.
When I grudgingly concluded that, for me, alcohol had to go. The stigma and shame around struggling to control my alcohol use felt oppressive. These feelings along with the fear of being labelled stopped me from making the change for far too long. What would my family say? How would I explain not drinking at work functions? What if I couldn’t do it and then everyone started monitoring how much I drank? Didn't you have to be an alcoholic to need to stop drinking?
The expectation of everyone’s judgement and my own missplaced ideas around sobriety felt very heavy.
Even when I did finally start to get over the fear of judgement, how on earth was I going to change this habit? Alcohol had got me through every good and bad event in my life from 14 to mid 30's! My crippling shyness as a young person, my lack of confidence, my anxiety, being able to dance at parties! My constant companion for over 20 years, how was I going to function without it?
What I didn't realise at the time was, sobriety delivers everything alcohol promised, and more! Connection, true confidence, joy, career progression, purpose and even sober dancing!
All my relationships improved, including most importantly the relationship with myself. Now I care more about making myself proud than what anyone else thinks.
I learnt so much through my journey, reading extensively about alcohol and it's affect on the brain and body, reading every bit of quit lit I could get my hands on and eventually retraining to become an accredited Addictive Behaviours coach in 2021.
I feel deeply driven to use my experience knowledge and specialist training to help my local community and beyond to 'get curious' about their relationship with alcohol.
A few of the things I have learnt along the way...
- There is no shame in struggling to control an addictive substance.
- You do not have to wait for a rock bottom moment to make a change.
- You know in your gut if drinking is having a negative impact on your life. Even if everyone around you drinks a similar amount.
- Controlling alcohol creates positive changes well outside of what is in your glass.
- Chosing not to drink in a society that is obsessed with alcohol can be a superpower.
