Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Digital Detox

I've just been away for a week with my extended family to a beautiful location...and I was away from the Internet for the entire week! No social media, no Living Sober, no blogging, no work emails, no Daily Mail (!), no news sites.. nothing. Just a quick check of home emails after 5 days for some kid admin stuff.

Boy had I over-emphasised what a big deal this digital detox would be. In the lead up I had gotten all excited/nervous like it would be hard work or totally liberating or something. I wondered how I'd go not checking all my online spaces regularly like I normally do. Normally I check, check, and check again.

Did I miss it? Surprisingly no! Not at all. The only things I was wondering about was whether my publisher had emailed feedback about the work I'd just sent her, whether Kim Kardashian had broken her social media silence after her Paris robbery (sad I know), and what Trump had done next.

But those were idle thoughts and most of the week was spent reading books and hanging out with my extended family having a lovely, relaxing time.

Everyone else was drinking booze on holiday but I didn't care. I wasn't tempted, didn't feel left out, didn't want what they had, didn't see the need to enhance my already lovely experience with a drug that triggers pleasure receptors in the brain. Maybe I've just forgotten what it feels like to have the impact of alcohol on my brain - it obviously has an appeal - but I'm happy without it. I slept great, felt calm, felt happy, felt lots of love and affection for my family, felt good.

Love being sober. Just saying.

Returning to the Internet has been a bit of a surprising let-down too. Not only had I built up what leaving it would feel like, but I'd built up what returning to it would feel like too. There were very few notifications on social media, tonnes of emails but nothing terribly exciting, and Kim Kardashian is still quiet.

Actually I've re-evaluated my addiction to the Daily Mail and have removed the shortcut from my computer. Don't need that shit in my life any more. Celebrities just aren't that interesting. So that was something good to come out of my digital detox after all.

As soon as I got off the plane I shared a photo to Instagram and then found myself checking back again and again for feedback.. so there's obviously a thrill to be had there, but how much it actually fuels my soul I'm unsure about.

One day I will stop sharing online and that will feel good. But not yet. I still feel driven to promote sobriety and recovery online to whoever wants to read/see it. I still feel like there are loads of people who are working hard to get free from the booze trap and the more that sober people can share their truth online (highlights and struggles) the better it is for all of us.

So I'll keep shouting from the rooftops (and online): LIVING SOBER IS AWESOME!!! IT IS TOTALLY POSSIBLE TO REMOVE ALCOHOL AND LEARN TO LIVE WITHOUT IT!! IT IS TOTALLY POSSIBLE TO HAVE GREAT HOLIDAYS WITHOUT TOUCHING BOOZE AT ALL!!

If you are still drinking and feel worried that your life will be awful and boring if you quit (like I did), please know that it won't. Absolutely it won't. It will be hard work at times but so, so rewarding.

You will grow to love your calm, authentic life and till the end of your days you'll be so proud of yourself for kicking that shit to the curb.

Love, Mrs D xxx

9 comments:

  1. Nice to have your cheery self back :D xx

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  2. Not surprised your return to the internet hasn't been all you thought it was. The internet for me is like a drug. I'm hooked on it. It sure beats being hooked on drugs and alcohol. But I'm hooked nonetheless. Welcome back Mrs. D!

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  3. Someone asked me last night how often I thought about drinking or trying it again and I replied, "Quite often, actually, but in five years I've never had a day that I wanted to drink so badly that I did." Life continues to be so much better than the last few years of my drinking were. I know I am where I belong.
    Like you, I find myself checking the sites way too often, I feed on others' opinions and validation way too much, that is the next addiction I'm setting out to conquer.
    As far as Kim Kardashian goes, good riddance, I've got real people to worry about like Brad and Angelina!

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  4. Early in my recovery here, but so notising the moments of beauty and happiness that I've not felt in too long. I'm really liking sobriety, and your blog has been key to that. Thank you, Annie

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  5. Tomorrow is 7 months for me and I am so happy to be sober. It really is such a relief to be off the drinking treadmill (as I think you've called it". Thank you for your continued work of promoting the positivity of sobriety!<3

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  6. 46 days for me and loving it, but soooo tired. Waiting to get my energy back.

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  7. HI Mrs. D!
    I took a little break too. But I missed posting.
    I still have problems with getting hooked on FB.
    xo
    Wendy

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  8. I'm glad you got a good break and nice vacay with your family :) I took the weekend off, got on facebook a few hours and decided not to go back on at least until after the US election b/c all the stupidity stresses me out. I'll still do twitter/ sober living ect. some though since I feel they add positive things.

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  9. Today is day 32 for me. In that time I’ve been to bars. I’ve been to packies. I’ve even been to a wedding.

    But I have yet to be on holiday. And the thought of it fills me with trepidation. But I take heart from post-holiday posts like yours. They give me hope.

    Thank you for sharing.

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