Mim is an author, business coach, business owner, mum of 2, breast cancer survivor and is living her best life – sober. We sat down with Mim this month to get some insights into her struggles with alcohol, what triggered her to stop drinking, and how she wrote a book about it.
In 2015, Mim was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to leave work to undergo treatment. After successful treatment, she found she had a great deal of anxiety about the cancer and whether it would come back. She started self-medicating with alcohol. Before she knew it, she was drinking every day.
“I would wake up every morning and think, I won’t drink today.”
But by 7pm felt she needed something.
“I couldn’t stop myself and it completely overtook my thoughts in every way. Unscrewing a bottle of wine gave her that feeling of everything is going to be ok.
The more I tried to stop, the worse it got.”
At this stage, Mim started looking around at self help books, and found Allen Carr’s The Easy Way for Women to Stop Drinking.
Prior to this, she had never considered that stopping drinking was an option. But she read the book and it just clicked.
“It was kind of like a self hypnosis. I had my last drink the night before I finished the book, and haven’t looked back.”
Mim said she never had any cravings after that. Although she does admit that in the first few weeks, she felt like she was mourning for the life she used to have.
“There was nothing to replace the switch of everything will be ok”
As time went on this feeling disappeared.
“I just feel so proud of myself, so happy, so free. I felt like I was chained because I couldn’t stop drinking and now I never have to worry about the impact on my mental health, the stress, the anxiety. It all took up so much of my time.”
For a while in the beginning, Mim didn’t touch anything that looked or tasted like alcohol in case it was a trigger. “Actually I found for me it was a trigger for those good feelings of “it’s my time” or “it’s time to relax.” She now finds that non alcoholic drinks can replace that ritual for her, and loves trying new drinks.
Mim found that sharing her story publicly worked really well for her.
“I chose to share my story very publicly. I’ve gotten so so many DMs and emails. Out of everything I’ve ever shared in my life – this was the thing that resonated the most. All I got for a long time was messages of support and of people wanting help to do the same.”
Mim didn’t just stop at writing about her experience on her blog. She took her personal story, then went and surveyed 1000 mothers. She asked them about their relationship with alcohol, their habits, social media use, motherhood generally. She had over 400 comments, such high engagement with people wanting to share their stories.
“There is a link between motherhood and drinking culture. There are so many memes with motherhood and alcohol, normalizing that concept of using alcohol to cope. It can be so hard for those that are struggling.”
She brings all of those data together with her own (often embarrassing) stories and experience in her book Less Wine, More Time < https://lovefrommim.com/book> .
When I asked what advice she’d give to those struggling with their drinking, or wanting to change their relationship with alcohol, she says
“Get curious about your relationship with alcohol. Stay away from “I must” or “I should”. It’s ok to change.”
Throughout my chat with Mim, it was clear that she’s someone who wants to help others, who is driven by being able to share her own stories and experience in the hope that it will reach someone who needs to hear it. She’s really found the upsides of quitting booze and is a true inspiration for anyone on the journey to change their drinking.
Follow Mim at @lovefrommim or visit her website at https://lovefrommim.com/.
You can buy her book from https://lovefrommim.com/book or stayed tuned on our socials for a giveaway this month.
----
If this has triggered anything for you, please reach out to a support organisation like Hello Sunday Morning, Sober in the Country, or Lifeline.
---
