I started drinking in my late teens and twenties, just like everyone else in my social circle. It was part of going out, having fun and being sociable. But looking back, I was always the one who drank quickly, wanted another drink and sometimes ended up with blackouts from nights out. At the time, I didn't think much of it. I just thought I was someone who enjoyed a drink.

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Then I got married at 28 and had my amazing children.  I looked like I had it all together from the outside but I was struggling with low self-esteem and anxiety and I used alcohol to give me confidence.  Behind the scenes, alcohol was gradually becoming more important than I realised.  I didn't have a dramatic rock bottom so I never really thought I had a problem. I was just someone who drank wine.

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In 2018, my world changed. My youngest was leaving for university and I discovered that my husband of 31 years had been having an affair. I felt completely lost. The future I thought I was going to have suddenly disappeared.  And, like so many women, I turned to alcohol to help me cope; to get through stressful days at a job I usually enjoyed along with feeling lonely and scared about the future when I was at home alone.  Alcohol helped me switch off, cope with the worries and avoid those difficult feelings.

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But I became increasingly more aware of what it was costing me — the 3am anxiety, poor sleep, broken promises to myself and the constant mental battle over whether I should drink, cut down or stop.  I tried moderation. I tried rules. I tried taking breaks.

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Eventually, I realised I wasn't looking for another set of rules. I was looking for freedom.

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And when I stepped away from alcohol, something unexpected happened. My life got bigger and I was able to feel, for the first time, that I would be ok.  That's when I stumbled upon Janey Lee Grace's Sober by the Sea weekends and since then I haven't looked back.  I am now excited to to be able to help others to ditch the booze after completing my Sober Coach training with Janey, alongside my already established career of working as a Head of Learning Support in a school to support children with ADHD, autism and dyslexia. 

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In the years following my divorce and deciding to choose the amazing feelings that being sober brings, I have bought my own house, ran the London Marathon, joined an outdoor swimming club, trekked across Jordan and Vietnam and even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. It wasn't easy — there were tears, exhaustion (along with altitude sickness on Kilimanjaro) and feelings that I might fail, but reaching Stella Point on Mount Kilimanjaro was one of the proudest moments of my life as it really represented how far I have come.  That was the moment it really clicked when I realised that I really didn't need alcohol to celebrate, relax, feel confident or escape. I wanted to experience all of life — the highs, the lows and everything in between.

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And that's what led me to create Sober Horizons as I am passionate about helping women who feel stuck or held back by alcohol to find their own path to freedom, confidence and possibility.

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I've been at the foot of the mountain, wondering how on earth I'm going to make the climb. I know it's not always easy. But I also know what's possible when you take that first step and how important it is to have someone to support you and be your cheerleader.

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                                      I've been where you are. I know the climb. And I know what's waiting beyond it.