Just having a few' didn't exist for me. There was either sober Jorgie, or black out drunk Jorgie and although the latter was a good time, she was also a reckless and obnoxious person who used alcohol as an excuse to behave badly and get away with it. It's pretty easy to act like a dickhead when you can use the excuse of drunken memory loss to not remember what happened, but it's never really that easy to completely forget. I can't even begin to count the amount of times I'd be alone, nursing the hangover from hell and as soon as I would physically start to feel better, a flashback of something stupid I said or did would make me sick to the stomach all over again. For years I never saw my binge drinking as a problem, it was just partying and enjoying my youth.

It wasn't until I met my wife that she made me realise that my relationship with alcohol wasn't healthy. I had suffered from depression and anxiety since my early teens and I saw drinking as a way for me to self medicate but also self sabotage. So I learnt to cut back on the booze and behave, for her sake anyway. A couple of years ago my depression came back and so did the drinking...fast forward almost a year later and my wife gave me an ultimatum - I either stopped the partying and drinking or she was out. That was the kick up the arse I needed and I stopped partying but I wasn't ready yet to give up the drink. It wasn't until I got medicated for my depression and started seeing a therapist who diagnosed me with ADHD (on top of an existing fatty liver) where it all changed. I realised that alcohol was my liquid courage and acted as a mask for my ADHD behaviours when I was out socially. Slowly I cut back on the drinking when I was out with friends, not just because it would make me sick, but because I wanted to have a clear enough head to focus on stopping myself from talking over people or hijacking conversations - the ADHD behaviours that were always there and I never dealt with. At first I felt like I needed to hide my sobriety, I would order lemon lime and bitters in a wine glass because being a heavy drinker was on brand for me. I would even take photos of my friends drinks to post on IG stories so people would think I was out being wild... so cringe now that I actually think about it.

Eventually I realised my sobriety was something I should be proud of so I stopped hiding it, and you know what? It didn't change a thing! Actually, it made my sobriety journey easier for me because I have the support of my friends and wife to keep me on track, now I'm 104 days alcohol free. If you're sober curious, don't be afraid to take the leap but just remember to do it your way. There are no rules for becoming AF because everyone's journey is different so just take your time and do what works for you. The journey may be hard at first but all worth it for the sense of pride and power that comes with harnessing the ability to be a social butterfly without the booze 🦋

Check out Jorgie on Instagram here!