You can read me a list of all the perks that come from a life lived without alcohol, but the greatest perk for me is that I have a life to live in the first place.
Johns Hopkins defines the three stages of alcoholic liver disease as fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Life expectancy after a cirrhosis diagnosis can be between two to twelve years.
Take your age today and add twelve years.
What age does that give you? It’s scary, isn’t it?
When I was diagnosed with stage two alcoholic liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, in 2019, I was quickly moving toward cirrhosis. If I hadn’t stopped drinking, I doubt I would still be here in 2023.
So yes, there are many benefits to living a sober life. Still, the most significant advantage of the sober life is the existence of a life not cut abruptly short.
For example, this weekend was incredibly frustrating because I worked really hard to get my writing workshop ready to go, and had over 120 folks registered (the largest group I ever had), only for there to be an issue with my passcode on Zoom, so my attendance was affected. Yes, I was bummed, so I allowed myself to feel the disappointment, but then I remembered to shift my perspective.
I must always remind myself that even a tough day is a blessing because if you look at how I drank and my liver condition back then, I “shouldn’t” be here. But here I am, showing addiction that we do recover, and picking myself up after this disappointment to dust off my shoulders and invite you to join me this week for either of these fantastic upcoming opportunities:
- Learn to tell your story in my Six-Week Writing to Heal Program, which starts July 15th! This is seriously life-changing work. Register here.
- How are you feeling about your progress this year, really? Let’s discuss it at the Mid Year Check to ensure you’re good for the rest of 2023. This will be a powerful collaboration between Dr. Diane Marie and myself on July 16th! Register here.
Other resources:
- Catch up on my new podcast! Episode links are available here.
- Learn more about the increasing rates alcoholic liver disease among women here.
Thank you all, and I hope you have a solid start to your week.
