About

I'm Em and the Sober Symposium is a space in which I document my recovery from alcohol dependence. Straight up! Originally I had intended to keep my thoughts and feelings to myself, and use this blog as an online diary to keep me on the straight and narrow (writing has always been a therapy tool for me) .   

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But the more I learned about other peoples' struggles with alcohol the less alone I felt (early sobriety can be a really dark and challenging place!) So with a great deal of courage I've published my words in case my experiences and findings can help others too.

I'm 31, married to my childhood sweetheart and Director of my own company - which on paper sounds pretty good right? In truth, for the past five years or so, I've been hanging on to life by the skin of my teeth as a result of my disastrous relationship with alcohol. And I feel it's time to help change the stereotype of what a person addicted to booze really looks like. I promise one day I will be brave and post a face to my words, honest!    

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On July 8th, 2018 circa 4.30 a.m. I took my last sup of booze in Brighton, absolutely smashed off my face at my friend's hen party. I will go into detail about my decision to quit but in short, this signalled the beginning of the end for me and drink. The same day when (finally) home and sober I packed up my old self and shipped the drunk prick off for good. Or so I thought. I assumed cutting out alcohol would be a breeze, but in truth I was completely unaware of how reliant I'd become on drink.

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The more sober days I continue to win the more I begin to learn about this/my complex journey of sobriety. What is working, what isn't, what I'm missing, what I'm not missing, and ultimately what I'm discovering about this insanely rewarding parallel universe in which I'm able to live and not simply exist.

The dark side is still very much there but shutting it out and ignoring the voice isn't an option for me. I've done this in the past and time after time I cave in and feed it what it wants. This time I'm armed and ready to deal with sobriety. This time it's different. 

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The more I talk about my difficulties with alcohol the stronger I feel about tackling the days ahead, which is why I'm intending to expand the blog via a podcast too, at some stage...perhaps when there are more hours in the day. I have so much to say already about being newly sober in a marriage which has constantly revolved around late nights, partying and the dreaded sauce, and I hope my divorce from booze is the only one I'm ever going to face. 

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Em x