I did not plan to give up drinking, but sometimes life hands you a moment that stops everything and asks you to truly look at yourself.
For me, that moment was a car accident that changed the course of my life. It forced me to sit still, to face shame, and to ask myself some hard questions. I refuse to minimize it: I made a serious mistake, and one I carry with deep regret. While that mistake does not define who I am, it helped me better define who I want to be.
This was not about addiction, this was about awareness and making a choice to live more intentionally. The accident was a wake-up call that made me examine my relationship with alcohol, my relationship with myself and my overall life. In that process, I made the decision to stop drinking entirely. I never liked beer, never liked hard alcohol, so going cold-turkey on wine was easy. This act was not out of punishment, but out of intention because I wanted more presence, more clarity, and more honesty in the way I live.
Living booze-free has not always been easy in a culture that normalizes drinking to relax, celebrate, and cope, but what I have gained has been far more powerful than anything I gave up: a regulated nervous system, clearer thoughts, deeper emotional access, and a stronger connection to my values, values that align with organizations like Moment and MADD. While I have always known about MADD, I took the leap to get involved over three years ago to advocate for safe driving and healthy choices. At the same time, I became deeply connected to the mission behind Moment, a booze-free beverage that truly feels like meditation for the nervous system, thanks to its calming, natural properties. But just this summer, I became an ambassador for Moment after years of sipping on this delightful beverage. For me, this was a natural step forward. Their drinks are about calm and intention, not numbing or escaping. They support the kind of life I am building: present, real, and resilient.
I may not be proud of how this chapter began, but I am deeply proud of how I have chosen to grow from it. There was shame and judgement from the accident, but I stand here prouder of the person I am today then I was years ago. This shit mistake became a journey of life transition and growth one intentional step at a time. What I know now is that clarity, peace, and presence are things worth protecting. Each day I choose to live in alignment with that truth which helps me feel more grounded in the kind of woman, mother, and human I am becoming. As my former boss told me, we never stop growing and we never stop learning and thus one shall never judge.
The work I am doing, and will continue to do, is not just for me, it is to help ensure others do not find themselves making the same mistake I did. Life is precious, and we owe it to each other to look through a lens of compassion rather than judgment, and to be the hand that helps someone else rise and thrive.
Mindfully curated by Debra Gudema for Well&Co.
📸: Tempura | Getty Images