Will going sober ruin my life?
Q&A with a newly sober Gen Zer living in Amsterdam
Dearest Reader,
Hello! I’m stopping by to share a conversation I had recently with Club Reticent’s Valerie—a 26-year-old writer living in Amsterdam who’s newly sober. She had some great questions about quitting alcohol and what it means for mental health, social life, dating, relationships, body image, self-esteem, and life in general.
I was already a fan of Valerie’s raw, gorgeously rendered, from-the-heart-and-guts writing, and I loved her honest, deeply relatable questions.
In our Q&A, we spoke about:
My reasons for quitting alcohol (even without hitting rock bottom)
How the process of quitting spanned months of exploration, during which I immersed myself in content by badass sober women doing amazing things and exuding brilliance, resilience, and confidence (I wanted what they had—and what they had felt infinitely more exciting than alcohol.)
All the ways my life has changed since quitting—physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and in my relationships and way of being in the world
How quitting alcohol impacted my relationship with my body and food
What I wish people knew about sobriety that isn’t talked about enough
Navigating social life as a sober person
Navigating dating, relationships, and sex as a sober person
Read our conversation here:
And if you have questions about sobriety or quitting alcohol, let’s treat this as an AMA and ask away in the comments!
Wherever you are on your journey, cheering you on with love,
Dana
